Is it important to put DS's name down for a school?

[Tolalola]

In the last few months, lots of friends have frightened me by telling me I've left it too late to put my DS's name down for a UK school. He turned 2 in January.

We live outside the UK, but my sister and I both went to a fairly well-regarded boarding school in the UK at age 11, having not put our names down beforehand. My mother and I went to the UK to look at few schools the year before I was due to go, we picked one, I took the exams, and off I went, no worries.

I suppose my questions are:

1. Is it truly vital to put a child's name down in advance? Surely not everyone does this?

2. Have I really left it too late?

3. If answers to 1 and/or 2 are yes, what should I do now??

I think the only person to tell you that, is the school you hope your DS goes to!

Many schools in the UK require you to apply during a certain time of year depending on when your DS will turn 5. I'm sure private schools are different though, so I would suggest you call the school in question.

For a UK state school, most areas usually get you to apply the year before they start. For example if your child was due to start September 2011 the applications are often between Nov 2010 - Jan 2011. This does vary but thats a rough idea. For a child starting school in Sept 2011, they need to be 5 between 1st Sept 2011 - 31 August 2012.

Nursery places vary, some will let you put their names down as soon as they are born. Often lists are very long for popular nursery places.

If you were applying for a UK state school you would need to have a permanent address in the UK. The borough asks for proof of this, i.e. copy of child benefit letter going to the address you have applied from, copy of utility bill etc.

If you want to go to a private school, you should phone them now and see what the procedure is. Some charge £100 to put names down, others much more, it varies a lot.

FWIW, all the private schools round here are full for the reception class starting Sept 2010. Our state schools are mostly very poor and people have their state allocations now and are trying to go private, but all private full. It varies from area to area and school to school - you should definitely phone up now and see what the situation is.

Many London independents are either apply 1-2 years in advance with a highly selective entrance exam in the Jan preceding entry, or first come first serve so you need to put names down at birth.

Out of London its not nearly so competitive. Somewhere like the Dragon, in Oxford, (biggest prep in the country, highly over subscribed) you do need to put them down before the age of 2 do be certain of a Reception place, but that is unusual.

What age are you planning your child to come to a UK school?

Thanks for the replies - I think I'm really thinking of secondary school, and he would have to board unless we end up moving to the UK. Again, unless we move, we wouldn't be eligible for a state school place.

There's an International School he could go to here until age 11 and I'm a uni. lecturer, so could probably tutor him in anything they're a bit behind in.

Does anyone have experience/an opinion of whether it's better for boys to start boarding at 8 or 11? Do they sort of miss out if they join late? 8 seems quite little to me, but my stepfather started at 5...

Dragon School had crossed my mind, as I was at Oxford for uni, so sort of know the city, but otherwise was humming about Winchester as my mother has a house nearby or Oakham, just because the people I know who've been there really liked it, but I have no fixed ideas - it's just too early to know if he'll be academic/sporty/average or whatever...

The options aren't 8 or 11, its 8 or 13... I'd have thought you'd have known that since you were educated here yourself?

Boarding at 8 is getting more unusual all the time; many schools are switching from full boarding to weekly boarding. You'll need to come over and look at the schools and get on lists soon.

For 13 its way too early to apply.

Since you ask, I think boarding at 8 is only acceptable if it is totally something the child wants, and a complete necessity for the family.

Some of the best boarding schools are state. Look at Cranbrook. There are others. Then it's simply the October before entry I think.

Lymond - my school was a girl's school and I don't have any brothers. All the boys I knew from here went to prep school at 8, but I assumed boys started secondary school at the same time as girls. We'd already chosen our GCSE sunjects by age 13.

I wouldn't really want to send him to board at 8, but by 13, it'll be a lot of work to keep him up to standards as he'll have been in secondary school here for 2 years already.

Public schools (Senior independent schools in the UK) start age 13. Some girls schools and mixed day independents start at 11. But Prep schools like the Dragon all go up to 13, and the pupils go onto Publics schools then. So if you could only educate him until 11 in the country you live in, he'd have to go somewhere like the Dragon for 2 years first. They do usually have places open.

my children are going to one that starts at 11

are you only talking about boarding though

Thanks, prep school for 2 years may be an option. and as you say, some schools, including Oakham (just looked), will intake at 11.

The problem with leaving him here is that there's a limited range of subjects, so he'd be behind in things like Latin, other languages, UK sports etc. I'm not sure he could catch up before GCSE if he went at 13. Guess I could break out the Catullus and do it here myself, but the thought's a bit daunting, frankly.

When I went at 11 I really struggled, as my primary school only taught English, Maths and a bit of something called 'Social Studies" which was a sort of mixture of history, geography and politics.

What are you looking for? Is the important bit being 'well regarded' or being a boarding school?

I don't know much about 'well regarded' schools but I don't think that you can rely on how it was when you were a kid - things have changed so much in the intervening years. I don't think that you can be as casual as your Mum was.

If you are looking for a boarding school then don't forget State boarding schools. They have to operate within the normal admissions system so you would only apply in the academic year before you hoped to join; there is none of this putting the child's name down before they have even started Infant school! Unlike most State schools you don't have to be resident in the UK to apply, merely a UK passport-holder. There is not ridiculous academic pressure to get in so you don't need to worry about him 'being behind'. They usually have admissions for Y7, Y9 and sixthform.

Ah thanks oshgosh -I didn't know that about State boarding schools - I assumed they were like other state schools and you had to be resident.

I don't know if it's really important which school you go to, but some people (my parents ) seem to think it matters a lot. I think it's more important to find a school that fits the child, so they're happy there. I'd like him to feel as if he could get into any uni he chooses, if he wants to go.

I suppose all other things being equal, I'd go for one that I'd heard of over one that I hadn't, iyswim, but for all we know, DS might just want to spend all day making furniture, or riding, or fixing cars, or whatever and might not be academic in the slightest, in which case an expensive posh school would probs just be a complete waste of time.