Some private schools end in Year 8?

[KTYmom]

Hello there
I am looking for a place in private school at Cambridge for my Year 5 daughter and feel very curious why some private schools are end in year 8 which is the second years of KS3. such as King's college school, St John's and St Faith's. Then what will leavers do after year8? Applying and taking assessment again to gain a place from another school? What if the favorite school has no place at that time? totally No idea for the Year setting. Very much appreciate the ideas/thoughts from you if your kids are/were in schools that end in Year 8. Other parents' information all welcome! Thank you very much!

I think a lot of Independent school DC go to different indies or states at age 11 year 7 from this type of school, some stay in the school until year 8 age 13 and then move to the type of Indie which starts at 13 year 9.

Over more knowledgeable posters will be along soon hopefully. .

They are Prep schools from 8-13 years old. At 13 they will take Common Entrance exams to enter private secondary schools.

@Tinty
Many thanks. Hope there are many schools accept pupils in Year 9!
or better for us to choose schools that have years till 16 or even 18

@BoundByBriars
Oh I thought there is only common entrance test in Year 9....

@butterfeet
Thanks a lot for your information.
You are a so deligent mom! 50 schools in 12 types! Cannot imagine the time and efforts you input. Appreciate your sharing for the school and your experiences.
Long way to go for me as a newbie...

It’s sat in Year 8 prior to starting seniors at Year 9, at our prep at least.

Prep schools usually go to year 8. But pupils may still be assessed for senior school at 11+, for a move at 13, often you can choose whether to sit 11+ entrance exams or wait and try Common Entrance.

Preparatory schools traditionallynrum to yr 8 for the 13plus Common Entrance.
Some public schools only start from Yr9.

@BoundByBriars
Thank you. That will be great.
The sat you mentioned is hold by prep school or seniors school?

@sleepwhenidie
except for the time what's the differences between 11+ entrance exams and Common Entrance.
thanks

@Sunnyhazyday
you mean there is a common entrance in year8? I though it is in year 9 called SATs test...

Most 'prep' schools are connected to an 'upper' school. Eg in Cambridge you find the Perse Pre-prep, then Perse Prep, then Perse Upper, then Perse Sixth. [Other private schools are available!]

@BringOnTheScience
understood. Thank you.
I'd better do my homework

Yes Preparatory schools prepare for CE in yr8 for entry into high/senior/public schools which start in year 9 or an additional joining point at Year 9.

They are prep schools. Private education is a different world.

there is a common entrance in year8? I though it is in year 9 called SATs test...

SATS and common enterence are totally different things. SATs or Standard Assessment Tests.Were only introuduced in the mid 90s as a way of mesuring attainment in the National Cirriclum and putting together league tables. They are given at the end of the NC key stages years 2, 6 and 9.

Is the enterence exam for selective public/private schools and has been in place since 1904. Prep schools have always finished in year 8, or 3rd form as it used to be called.

Unlike the SATs its a way of selecting pupils, SATS are there to measure achievement against the NC standards. Where as CE is to select which children the school admits. Not every child will take the CE , Some parents will chose to send their child to a non selective private school, or go in to the state system.
In fact children in the state system dont sit the CE unless their moving to a selective private school. Like most children dont sit the 11+ unless their parents have selected a grammer schoolb

The poshest private schools start at year 9. Up to year 8 is prep school.

State education is:
R-Y2 = infants
Y3-Y6 = junior
Y7-Y11 = senior
Y12&Y13 = 6th Form

High-end private schools:
R-Y3 = pre-prep
Y4-Y8 = Prep
Y9-Y13 = Upper school.

Mid-range private schools will often try to straddle both worlds and will have a main intake in year 7 and then a further intake in year 9.

11+ or specific entrance exams are taken in y6 and comprise maths, English and non verbal reasoning.

Common Entrance can be up to 14 papers in separate subjects (maths, English, French, sciences, Latin, geography, history, RE), taken over 3 days. Much more onerous. But if you have a late maturing child (like my August born boy) it could be the better choice - we opted for 11+ rather than gamble but in retrospect should have waited! He was a different student entirely at 12 compared to when he was 10, his 11+ results were fairly average, then he had to sit CE for streaming at the school where he got a place and did really well.

I did read recently though, that some of the ‘top’ private schools (eg St Paul’s and Westminster) are planning to only test at 11+ soon. No doubt others will follow.

@KTYmom Sorry, what I meant by “it’s sat in Year 8” is the exam is taken in Year 8. SAT tests are completely different and used to assess how pupils are achieving in line with the curriculum,

Kids generally go from st faiths to the Leys or the Perse I believe, at 13, or to further afield independent boarding schools. However, some leave to start state secondaries in year 7 of course.

I think that St Faiths is linked to the Leys, and they have spaces specially for entry in year 9.

Another option would be St Marys (Girls only and Catholic though) which goes all the way from 4-18.

Historically the 'public schools' (private typically single sex boarding schools) admitted pupils from Y9 after Common Entrance. This meant a lot of prep school went up to end of Y8 and did the 'prep' for the CE exam. Although the majority of secondary schools (including a lot of private ones) now admit from Y7 the prep schools still offer education for Y7 and 8 as a number of their pupils will go onto schools that only start at Y9.

In Cambridge at least two of the private schools (Leys and Perse) cater to this model. The Perse takes a large intake at Y7 from the state primaries and other private schools that finish at the end of Y6 (many operate on the Primary/Secondary model) but it then does another intake via exam for Y9 (think they take 3 extra classes in). The Leys has a small (single form I think?) intake at Y7 and then a much larger intake for Y9 bringing it up to full capacity.

If you were not targetting private schools for Y9 onwards then you would be at the mercy of available spaces in the state system - they do not cater to the Y9 entry model. Effectively if you go to a prep that finishes at Y8 you will be going down the route of Y9 entrance exams/interviews etc for the private schools. Anecdotally I have heard that the Preps that go up to Y8 do discourage you from applying for Y7 entry, they want to keep you for Y7 and 8 but I have no direct experience of those schools.

You'd need to do research in terms of what the other private schools offer in terms of Y9 entry - I think Kings Ely has a reasonable size cohort but I'm not sure and no idea about Marys, SPF etc.

The Perse and The Leys have their own entrance exams which are sat in the January of yr8 for year 9 entry. My understanding is that Stephen Perse is taking a year 7 entry only now so do check. If you are looking to go private after year 6 Perse also does a year 7 entry and year 9 as does King's Ely. Private schools in Cambridge are oversubscribed and many commute out to places such as King's Ely or Culford.

Both Perse senior schools take most entrants to start in Yr 7. They also take some from Yr 9 to accommodate the traditional Prep school leaving yr.

Both Perse were grant maintained schools under the old grammar school system which is why they are Yr 7 up in senior school.

Leys take kids from Yr 7 but it's a small entry one or 2 classes of 20 or so.

St Faiths is connected to the Leys and St Faith's students can sit an exam in Yr 6 to guarantee a place for Yr 9 entry to Leys. They can resit or sit for first time if not ready in Yr 6 when they are in Yr 8. All other schools wanting entry to Leys in Yr 9 sit tests in Yr 8.

Leys used to be known as a Public School but I don't think the entry test is Common Entrance - ie the traditional name of the test for entry to Public Schools.

Perse schools are not Public Schools and the Perse Prep is the only prep I've heard of in this region that calls itself Prep when it stops at Yr 6. Perse Prep is feeder to Perse Upper. Stephen Perse Junior is feeder to Stephen Perse Senior. The schools are not part of sem organisation. Stephen Perse was girls and the other was boys until relatively recently.

Confused ... you will be

Advice - try for a good state school