Private primary to state secondary?

[Purtyburty]

What are your thoughts on a child doing private primary school and moving to state secondary school. Our local state primary school is not good, and there is a brilliant private primary close by. Yet our local state secondary school is great and I would be happy to send my child there. Financially we cannot afford both primary and secondary private, but could afford one. Thoughts welcome.

Most people think you should save private education until secondary because of GCSEs etc etc.

However there is a school of thought that a good primary sets the foundation of education and instils good habits (give me a child until they are 7 and I will show you the 'adult' paraphrasing obviously).

The main issues are social. Does the private primary have a private secondary? It would be difficult for a child to be split from all their friends at the of primary. Less of an issue if the private secondary is attached. Also a bit of a culture shock going from private to primary.

My 2 went private from kindergarten to year 11 and it was a real struggle but definitely worth it. Certainly the youngest has moderate dyslexia and I think he'd have just been lost in a class of 30. One of his friends at primary had always been told he would be going to the state secondary like his sister and I think he was ok with it but it was problematic when they were having taster days at secondary school. He would ask to go too even though he knew he wasn't going there. Anyway he only lasted a term at state secondary and came and finished his education at private up to year 11.

Depends where you live @Purtyburty I live in a grammar school area and this is established practice. The grammar schools are excellent so a lot of people who can afford it for a few years choose private primary to prepare their DCs for the 11+ (state primaries aren't allowed to do this so it gives the private schools a usp). If DCs get into a grammar, their parents then don't need to worry about private for secondary.

Following because this is likely what we're going to do. We don't like the look of our local state primary options so are sending our girls to an excellent local Prep school with plans to move nearer a good state secondary or even grammar school. Unless we somehow manage to afford private secondary in the meantime! Lots of people feel that spending money on private primary is a waste but it think it gives them an excellent head start and increases their chances of passing the 11+ or getting a scholarship which may make private secondary a possibility. We are also looking at it like we can afford Prep school now so why wouldn't we do the best we can afford and then see where we are in 7 or more years time as a lot can change in that time!

I’d do 0-7 in state or Montessori , it should be all about exploring through play rather than academic performance. 7-10 in state to meet local friends. 11 upwards private with all its opportunity’s and support

@CountTo10 summarises it well. A strong primary education (wherever you find it) establishes the foundations upon which everything else is laid and also hopefully installs a love of learning. It seems to be less of the norm, but we know several families at our independent junior school who are very explicitly sending theirs to the local (very well regarded) state secondary for this reason - they are hoping to set them up for success in the bigger school and hopefully ensure they are in top sets at state.

we have not decided yet - still a long way off and a lot can change in terms of children, our finances, and fees - but we will definitely look at both state and private options when the time comes. We started both of ours at state primary, and despite it being ‘outstanding’ we weren’t thrilled with the approach to education, or the level of support for our likely SEN but not disruptive dd. The local indie we switched to has been a world apart, and so pleased we made the switch. In the UK many seem to downplay the importance of primary, or have an attitude that it is easy to get it right so why pay for private, but our experience so far makes me see a big difference in excellent vs. Adequate early education.

Emphasis on study skills, more homework, exam practice, specialist teachers - these are all things the prep has provided ahead of the move up to (state) secondary.

Honestly I think the true benefit of private education only kicks in with private primary. Primary is when good learning habits are created, not just for academics but sports and music too. Kids who start private at Secondary miss out on so much.

Not by looking at some private primaries around here. Frequently the state primaries are better and supported by many professional parents. Some preps are very good but definitely not all. Not all private secondary schools are better either.

DC goes to a prep school and quite a few leave to go to state schools. There are 2 excellent state comps nearby (some of the best in London) plus a couple of grammar options. We'd be within distance for one of the comps, and we'd make an application but DC is still young and might suit one of the private secondaries better. Facilities, drama and sport are undoubtedly better at the private options, though academically the results at the comp would be fine.

We have excellent state primaries nearby but we opted for private as we wanted small class sizes (12), more sport, good extracurricular options and trips, better food and a more nurturing environment. I think DC would have done well at the state primary but has absolutely thrived at the prep - we would probably have been perfectly happy with a state primary if we'd opted for that, without ever knowing how much richer the school experience at the prep could be.

DD went to pre-reception at a local private school for what we thought was just one year but she ended up staying until Y2 as she was doing so well. We moved her Y3 when lots of the brightest moved to selective preps and did part of Y6 as home Ed.

DD then joined a state grammar at 11. She has loved her state school just two miles down the road far more than the private schools despite the crumbling infrastructure. The teachers are superb, communication far better and support for Uni applications been great.

Thank you for your replies. We don't have a grammar school in the area so it would be a normal state school. I suppose I was mainly
wondering if they would cope socially with that type of move. That would be my
main concern.

Yes they cope with the change. It is better to move if you think the environment of their private school might not help them cope with life in the future. DD was struggling with the bullying at private school, her state school has been far kinder. I have met privately educated DCs who struggled with Uni or jobs as their school was ‘so supportive’ they did everything (too much), but then also those who managed the transition very well. It is more about the school than the sector.

I did this for my DS. He was at a prep YR-Y6 and has just finished Y7 in an outstanding comprehensive. He was one of four to make this move from his prep.
It’s hard to say how he would have got on academically at a state primary. He is generally very quick to learn, but can be unreliable in terms of effort and end result.
He started Y7 with good accomplishments from out of school music and dance lessons which helped him develop great self-esteem and confidence. The level of public speaking and independence required at the prep certainly helped him to feel that the transition to Y7 was undemanding and his knowledge across the curriculum was strong.

The comp have him in Set 1 for everything and ‘on track’ for GCSEs 7-9 in all subjects, but perhaps this would have been the case anyway, if he’d attended a local primary school.
It does feel good to be part of the local community at the comp and he has made some lovely friends.
It’s such a personal decision. Good luck!

I wouldn't worry about the social side of things. At 11, it's fine and unless your local demographics are very different to the secondary school you have in mind, the make up will likely reflect the friends they play with outside of school at clubs, the local park, at term time camps et anyway. Going to private school doesn't completely remove you from your local community unless you are trying to do that!

We decided in favour of private primary and state secondary, partly because we would not have been able to pay for both and partly because we are in a grammar area and academically state grammars surpass private secondary schools.

Lots of children from private primary make that journey, so the transition is not uncommon.

Looking back, it was very much the right decision for DD. She thrived in her grammar school and in a different grammar Sixth Form.