Name changed as potentially quite outing.
I would love some guidance on this one. DD currently attends a nursery which has a school up to age 7. They follow a play based curriculum, very similar to the Swedish model. This continues all the way through until 7. They are open year round, and you can take them out for holidays when you wish. I adore the idea of this type of curriculum and feel it is wonderful for children. The idea is that as they are open for more weeks of the year they can afford to take a slower pace of learning and follow the children’s interests. There is also an excellent ratio of children to teachers - smaller than at any other school private or state locally. They do of course teach reading, writing etc etc, but in a less structured way.
My worry with it is when they turn 7 - it is a very small school, and I imagine leavers go on to various different schools. Her name is down at a local prep school, but I would worry about her starting at 7 when the other children have already made friends and been together since preschool. I also worry about how she would adjust from a play based curriculum to a new environment, friends and different learning style all at once.
There is one school locally which starts from age 7 - which seems perfect, but isn’t particular strong/specialised in any area - not massively academic/sporty/musical/arty. It is a boarding school in the seniors with a large proportion of international students, which is not an issue but I worry that she will leave school and have few friends who are local/UK based. However, it has excellent pastoral care, a lovely environment to be in and a very nurturing school.
While the current plan is for her to attend private school all the way through, or at least until senior school, I do worry about finances/cost of living/potential VAT being added. She is also my first, and we would like at least one more child, possibly two more. Putting three children through private school would be a stretch on our current salaries - though our salaries should continue to grow etc. I am not opposed to state schools, but again worry that it will be a huge change if she starts at age 7 and is used to a whole different style of learning.
But I keep thinking about the school - if it went up to age 11 I would send her there in a heartbeat. Sadly they have no plans to expand the age range at the moment. I love the idea of her really enjoying her childhood and being young, in a very nurturing environment where she can learn at her own pace. It would delay us being tied to school holidays and allow us more freedom to go away and have experiences as a family. As it’s year round it would also make life easier in terms of arranging childcare in school holidays (they do shut for Easter and Christmas, but are open through the summer) and ensure that she had continuity instead of being somewhere different or cobbled together childcare with family members etc.
The prices are also lower than the prep school, and by the time she was approaching leaving age I would have a better idea of whether it was best financially to put her in the prep school or a state school. In this sense it buys me a few more years. If she started at the other prep, I would keep her there until she finished but this could mean finances would be tight if VAT does come in etc. I am planning a good few years age gap between children, so irrespective of what happens we should be able to afford for 3 children to attend this school until 7.
My main concern is the social aspect - I worry she will feel an outsider at whichever school she goes on to, unless she went on to the school which starts at 7. My other concern is that the school which starts at 7 may raise their entrance age - they used to start at 4 but now start at 7. This would then mean wherever she goes she will be the new girl, and I worry as I feel 7 is a difficult age to make that transition.
However, I see so many people talk about how 4 seems so young to start school, and while reception is largely play based I know the amount of sitting at a desk etc increases from year 1. But of course almost all children do start at 4 and are absolutely fine!! It is an unusual school, and part of me feels it would be silly not to make use of it when we have access to it.
I keep going around in circles about it, but ideally need to make a decision as if she goes to the prep school her name is currently down for then she will be starting soonish.
What would you do? Where would you send your child?