How did you prepare your child for private school?

[karise]

DD is currently in Year 2 and utterly bored! They say it's a difficult year because they are pushed for SATS but we just see the work getting easier!
She is very bright but school refuse to give her more challenging work 'because she would then just be bored in Year 3 instead!'
The plan is to take send her to private school as soon as we can afford it- we're looking at changing over in year 4 or 5.
Just wanting opinions as to what the best extra work to give her in the meantime! She already plays the piano and we do lots of extra spellings (she is already year 4 for reading).
Lots of parents around us seem to agree that the work at the local schools is too easy & it's best to swap them to private school as early as possible to avoid a big gap in their achievements.
Seeing as we can't get there quite yet, what workbooks/schemes would you use to make sure she is not too behind once she does start private school?
(Sorry it's so long!)

OP, I would concentrate on the writing, and check the expected levels of attainment in French and Lating by yr 4/5 in whatever schools you are thinking of.

More on a 'fiiting-in' point, maybe you could see if you can get your DD to practice confident speaking in public. TBH I have no idea of the extent to which it is practiced in state schools but in many private schools they start at age 3 with stuff like 'show and tell' and build up from there, so by the time they get to year 4/5 in a good private school the average pupil will comfortably engage in conversations with adult strangers and will also be able to 'present' with reasonable confidence. And also check on the sports side - it will no doubt vary widely between schools. As an example, swimming turns out to be a 'huge' thing at my DS's school (I never knew before he went there) and by yr 4/5 in my DS's school every child is able to swim incredibly well. It is worth checking out what the key sports are in your preferred school and maybe joining a local sports club (assuming you can persuade DD..). I can imagine the fitting-in hurdle will be just as important to DD as the academic one (which - as many people point out - will only exist in certain schools)

Karise: have you talked to current parents to find out what kind of work their children do? If not, you could get a parent's number via the school office, or could ask the secretary to pass your number on. Parents are the best sources of information about particular schools!

You also need to visit the school, preferably on a normal day rather than an open day (though I'd do both). The work on the walls, in the children's books and so on will give you an idea of the expected standard. Teachers should be happy to show you the children's work; if not, I would give the school a miss!

Don't worry about extra-curricular stuff. My children's prep school has loads of children who play every instrument under the sun and are national junior tennis champions; it also has lots of people like us who do stuff all outside of school.

If it's an academically selective school, find out how they assess the children and practise that with your daughter. If it's not academically selective, she will be fine if she's bright and enthusiastic. She probably will be behind in some things - but it's a marathon, not a sprint: they will all end up at pretty much the same place!

Generally, it sounds as if your daughter would do well. You'd be likely to find that most Y2s are at least the 'average' Y4 standard in reading, and possibly a bit beyond (as they are at my DC's non-selective prep - my DS is in Y2) - so she would have lots to do, and wouldn't have to worry about being bored. Good luck!

Very much depends on the sort of private school you're looking at.

We moved dd at the end of y2 to a small non-selective private school.

She was fine for French as she'd already done some at infants, creative writing no bother either. Handwriting was the one area she needed extra work and they were very good at giving her the extra help she needed.

She found making new friends a little tricky as they'd all been together since nursery but she's now in y4 and very happy.

I shouldn't worry too much.
My DCs school has kids coming from state schools all the time, apart from a couple they've always lasted the course.
When they first join they're always given extra help to get them to the same standard which seems to sort itself out within an academic year.
The parents are sometimes a bit to discover their kids aren't in all the top sets but the kids don't seem to care.

I would call the school and find out what sort of things the children in a prospective new class would have covered. I think in most cases there is a little ground to catch up on (certainly the case anecdotaly with friends and family who switched at 7)

Nothing huge just differences in curriculum or emphasis on certain subjects. The school should be able to point you in the right direction.

Hmm, looks like I'll have to keep pushing the point with her current school about her poor left handed handwriting. Given this is the main thing we clash with the school on I might be on my own there
I am fairly confident I know the indie school well, as I know teachers that work there. Am wondering if it would be a good idea to get DD registered very soon to make sure we can get her in 2011 or 12.
I like the comment about public speaking- DD talks to absolutely anybody that will listen so no problems there!

Registering can't harm (though beware the 'registration fee'!) - it shows you're genuinely interested...

I am extremely concerned that your daughters school is not supporting her at year 1 level and if she is going to be there for a few more years I would definately challenge this. My DS is in yr1, top set, free readers and is being given excellent extension work meaning that he is working to the level of his friends at prep schools. They have also taken him way ahead in maths, I have just had a look at his homework and it's definately challenging. The school should be able to support your daughter but I would back up others that if I were to move him to somewhere like Habs I would need to get his creative writing and spelling up a notch or two but could definately do that with a few private lessons and some focus.

(and don;'t normally do it but thinking won't mind... it's definite.. when my mother taught us that spelling she used to go out of her way to say the Ite at the end. I can hear her say it now over 40 years later).