Middle schools / good or bad experience?

[supadoula]

My DD is in reception in a school in Berkshire. She will need to go to a middle school at the age of 9 before she starts secondary. I do not know much about the British education system as I studied in France.
My main concern is that apparently she would not be allowed to go to a grammar school because she would not be prepared for the exams. (or I'd have to get private tutoring....).
I would love to get feedbacks from other MNers.
THANK YOU!

The town where I grew up have the only middle left in that county and it's still going strong.

I left at 9 to go to middle school and had 4 great years there before going to a great comprehensive at 13.

Really don't know why she couldn't go to grammar school - are they 11 when they can go to grammar?

The curriculum is the same whether you study it in primary or middle.

We have the middle school system here (Bedfordshire). It is excellent and we are very lucky. My eldest starts upper school in September at 13 and has really benfitted from the middle school, academically and socially.

i am all for middle schools,i am hoping to move to an area that has middle schools.As i think 11 is very young to go to high school

Yes, we're Beds too and we have middle schools. Never come across the system before we moved here but, I'm really impressed actually. Although I did find that the last year ds was starting to outgrow it a bit. He was ready to move onto a bigger school. At Upper now.

Northumberland have the middle school system too.

I'm not sure if there is any benefit having not experienced it myself.... like the old saying goes ..... going straight to senior school never did me any harm

But I can't see why she couldnt attend a grammar school or equivalent at 11 ? I know people who use the middle school up to the end of year 6 and then move to independent schools - without private tutoring to pass the enterance exams ( that they have owned up to of course !). That would be the same surely ?