Is it possible to re-enter state system at thirteen

[leosdad]

Have changed name as this is still at initial stages. (have not filled registration form in yet)

Am considering sending DS to choir prep school for years 4 to 8 but amongst some of my queries that could not be answered by that school is that I would like him to go to the local state comprehensive afterwards (have older DC's who do not sing and they have done extremely well there)

Has anybody else successfully gone back to state system for year 9?

My dbro's RC school used to take a number of kids in from a local RC prep at 13 and they all seemed to do fine. Only problem now that the dbro's school is very over-subscribed so cannot guarantee there will be a place for them in Y9 (even if they fall into cat 1 for admissions).

That is one of my worries as school is oversubscribed (had no problems with older DC's as they were in the first category just after the "looked after" children)

It appears that the vast majority of children from this prep school go on to the major independents which I find a bit daunting (both cost and academically)

Also DH very reluctant (bit middle/upper class for our kids)

This happened to my DH and his brother and both of them have never forgiven their parents for it. They both say that the shock of the difference in teaching was huge and that they regressed rapidly, which they both feel is a shame. Also the cultural shock at 13 when they were finding their feet was huge. My DH is quite blasé about it, however his brother really really isn't. They both really missed the sports. That said, both have gone on to do well

Leosdad - my ds has recently moved from private to local state school at the start of Year 9, having been a chorister till the end of Year 8. (The private school continues up to age 18 but he chose to move). The state school is outstanding, gets very good exam results (not as high as the private in terms of raw scores, but in terms of value added, much better). He's really happy and has made some great friends. The social mix is broader which suits him - he'd had enough of being stuck with musicians all day! One advantage of moving to state in Year 9 is that probably a lot of classes will be in ability sets by this stage - ds has gone into top sets so behaviour and motivation is fine - he rates pupil behaviour and stimulating lessons as better than his previous school!! Ask away if you want to know more.

alfiesbabe - thanks, the school we are looking at only goes up to 13 so they all have to move on somewhere else at that stage.

How do they cope with the long hours and the practice it looks exhausting to me never mind an eight year old boy.

All worries are probably hypothetical as DS is unlikely to get a place

Yes - the hours are very long and the whole thing is an enormous commitment. How do they cope... well I guess the best way to explain is that if the child really wants to do it, then they just will. There are some high spots which will make it special - tours, recordings etc but yes, a lot of it is the daily grind. Personally I think one big advantage of having a chorister son is that there is a definite time limit on it - they work incredibly hard for an intensive few years and then their voice will start to break. I think that makes it more manageable I think than something that might go on too long! DS's school was a specialist music school which took pupils up to 18, so quite a few of them are specialist musicians. DS was approached to see if he was interested in doing that with instrumental music but tbh he wanted more breadth in the curriculum. I would have encouraged the music if he intended to become a professional musician but he doesnt want to (I think he has his sights on earning a lot more!!)and at this stage I definitely don't think it's worth the pressure and narrowness of the curriculum unless they want to do it for a living. But being in a choir will give your ds an excellent musical training and the skills of working as part of a team and realising what it is to excel at something. Good luck!