Private or state school? Advice/ previous experiences please.

[Lauracoombs]

Hello, looking for advice!! We have a Daughter currently in Year 5 at a private school which runs to Year 6 - and my question is whether to continue with an independent school or not. If it helps, some further info-

• Our local state school is down the road, and is ok but very large 2000+ students
• Private school would be 30 mins on the bus each way
• There is a mix amongst current friends in terms of where they are going next, some aiming for Grammar, some state, some private
• We would have to make compromises i.e not move house, but are currently ok where we are
• We’re not posh!! I worry Senior schools that are private are quite different to the primary? That may be more my judgement
• I like the sense of community private schools have, do state schools have the same?
• My Daughter is hardworking but not very academic, strongest subjects are drama and art

Thank you for any help/ advice in advance!!

We moved from Scottish private to NI grammar- very little in it but the NI Grammar more academic.

As a state school educated person (infant and junior was private, secondary school was state), and as a person who has 3 brothers who were private school educated, I would recommend to stick to private school. The difference between our level of education is very obvious, and I did not get anything out of going to a state school.
just my opinion though ☺️

You could always try state and move her later if you need to?

mine did very well in state and they had a better drama dept than the local private and have got kids into drama school etc so maybe go and see how active the drama / art dept is?

Choose the one that best suits your child, irrespective of whether state or independent.

Thank you everyone, it is helpful feedback!! :-)

It depends entirely on the schools in question, your child’s strengths and interests, and what the schools offer that matches up.

Depends on the child and the school.
My DC were at State Primary and then Private Secondary.
Our State Secondary option wasn't suitable for DD and then we had to send DS too really.

If the primary interests are drama an art, then private is likely to be better, but obviously look at the specific options around you - I am told that some state schools still do these subjects well, but round us it would be a massive difference in offering.

I think not so academic children often benefit the most in private assuming you choose a school that aligns with interests.

Private is generally better around here for drama and arts - better facilities and teaching, and more opportunities to perform and links with outside institutions.

If the 30 minutes is door to door, that's a normal journey length (and shorter on average around here), so I wouldn't say that's an issue.

I'd say that secondary schools generally lack the sense of community of primary schools, because pupils don't get dropped off and parents work longer hours, but that's the same in private and state.

Be careful about trying state first and hoping you can move her later if it doesn't work out. The popular private schools around here get full at 11+ and there aren't many occasional places later, and many schools start GCSE courses in Year 9 so it's hard to move them after that point. It's also hard to catch up academically and break into established friendship groups. Better to make the decision in Year 6 and stick to one or the other.

Round here the private schools have a big intake at 13 so it depends where you are. Seems to be plenty of spaces in-year too even though it’s a pretty well known school. People move.

Do you get discount if you work at a private school, or is it just the teaching staff? Thank you

Been to both. Don’t waste your money. The money and driving an hour every day would put me off. We could send our kids locally and financially would be fine so I don’t say this with any bias.

Walking to school with your friends is a huge plus. A big school means enormous amounts of teams, clubs etc. Don’t be put off just because the school is bigger. Yeah it depends on the schools. Small privates don’t always have enough for teams and can’t offer things for 1-2 kids. We are spoiled and I get it - our state have a gym, Astro, theatre, 120+ clubs/teams, trips abroad, DoE, music lessons (paid for separately), amazing art studio, have kids that go to Oxbridge etc. Grades are 3% lower than grammars in neighbouring county.

Save the money and pay for extras and go on amazing holidays. Private isn’t always better. Also consider in some there is a high SEN intake which is absolutely fine but academically isn’t superior just because it’s private.

Without knowing the schools, and your dd it’s impossible to say!

Have you looked at your state school
options to see if it would be a good fit for your dd?

Ime there is less sense of community in comprehensive schools as the children are older and more independent. You don’t say how big /small the private school is but going to a bigger school means that your dd is more likely to meet friends with similar interests. It’s also good for socialising and fostering independence if your friends live locally rather than spread out over a bigger catchment area.

If you opt to go private have a very good look at their current financial situation and numbers on roll. If they’re currently struggling I’d steer clear to avoid an unplanned move if they close. You also need to be confident that with the ever increasing fees, you can continue to manage them. Remember to factor in things such as exam entries as these can be a significant chunk on top of the fees.

Dépends on the school as to whether pupils at private school are posh. Obviously at Eton or Harrow they will mostly be posh! My kids went to local private school, mix of not posh at all, rich but not posh, and posh and rich. Some kids on bursarys not well off at all. Unless you are aiming at one of the very expensive schools there will be a mix and your child will find their people.