How to prep for private secondary school (Greenwich)?

[Cb51307]

I’m not British and trying to get an understanding how the school systems here work. It might seem entirely premature to think about this as our son is 5 months but we’re looking to buy a forever home and are debating if staying in Greenwich is feasible for us.

We are looking at EC or Colfes for secondary, but would prefer a state primary beforehand. The primary schools we are looking around our area are Meridian, Halstow and Our Lady of Grace. All seem to have very tight catchments so we’re not sure which one we could get.

We are also considering private prep schools but this would significantly reduce the mortgage we can get.

I understand that from state primary we would likely need tutors to be able to get into private secondary. Realistically how difficult is that to achieve? Would it be better to go to private prep instead for the child? I would prefer him not to be too stressed with the process.

Lastly, how do you navigate Ofted reports for primaries? We really like Halstow, but it seems like it dropped from Outstanding to Good. On the other hand OLoG went from good to Outstanding but we’d have to become catholic so we are not too keen.

My DD has just started Year 7 at Colfe's after state primary (All Saints'). Her Year group is roughly 50/50 split between those coming up from the junior school and those coming from outside schools (mix of independent and state). She so far seems to be thriving and the fact that she's come from a state school doesn't seem to be holding her back in any way. In terms of prep we started tutoring outside of school in Year 5.

Independent all the way through was not an option for us financially but we all loved her state primary so it's not something that we feel that we've missed out on particularly. Going to a state primary meant that we could have one parent working part time during the primary years which was so helpful for the holidays, school activities and facilitating out of school extra curriculars. Also to bear in mind that independent schools have long holidays and so with younger children if you're working you will need to fund more holiday clubs!

OP really really you cannot consider "becoming catholic" for a school?!

If you like a primary school and can get in catchment then that is what matters - I wouldn't worry about 'outstanding' vs 'good' etc? It might all change while your ds is at the school anyway?

State primary and Colfes or EC should be fine. The process is inevitably a bit stressful - you have to manage that as parents. A tutor who understands the exam structures and some extra creative writing/maths practice at home and a bright child will be fine.

Many children from state primaries go to the independent schools and others nearby that you mention. It’s not necessary to go private all the way through simply to achieve this. Many do it, albeit with some extra support from around year 5, or some do from year 4. In terms of your local primaries, they can change a lot in only a few years, so if your child is only 5 months then they could change a fair bit before your child attends. But Ofsted isn’t everything (and I say that as a parent and a school governor), it tells you a lot but the feel of a school is also part of it and what your child is like by the time you’re looking.

If your child is only 5 months, there is no way of knowing if your child is academic!! I have three children and 2 have/will easily get into the local private/grammar schools. The other has many talents, but they’d never pass the entrance tests due to dyslexia/processing issues. You can’t plan in advance like this.

Most private schools are not difficult to get into. This is a myth put about by marketing departments - particularly in prep schools - to make people believe they are offering something special. With the 20% VAT on fees, a declining demographic and a belief (well founded or not) that University admissions departments are taking factors other than exam results into consideration when offering places, entrance is only going to get easier.

Neither Colfe‘s nor Eltham College is particularly competitive, so if your DC are half way sensible, you are not nightmare parents, and you look as if you can pay you will be offered places.

It is impossible at 5 months to predict what kind of school (state or private) will suit an individual child at 11. It is also impossible to predict what an individual school will look like in ten years time - or whether it will even still exist.

I would focus on finding a home in an area with lots of green spaces and amenities that you can enjoy as a family over the next few years. The biggest influence on your childrens success will be having a stable, loving family that loves books, communicates with each other and is not permanently glued to a screen.