Ealing Prep Schools-Worth the sacrifice?

[woolsh]

Hi There

My husband and I are considering sending our DS (2.5 years) to a prep school in Ealing. We have looked at Durston House and been impressed with the facilities and class sizes etc. We are also considering looking at Aston House and Clifton Lodge.
Does anyone have sons in prep schools in Ealing?
Is it worth sacrifice?

Our long term plan was to spend money on the early years and then try to get our DS into a Grammer School at 11.
We know some parents may do it the other way round; Primary school>>private tutor>>private senior school.
Any thoughts
Many thanks

I have a son in Durston House and we are happy with it. Its a friendly school where the kids get plenty of opportunities to get involved in sport, music etc. They don't have a selective entry policy yet still get a good number of scholarships to St Paul's etc.

Fees are not cheap but you don't end up with too many extras on your bill at the end of term e.g. £20 for a school trip. Learning support is included in the fees but individual music lessons have to be paid for.

Its a working parents school rather than sleb or old money IYSWIM. Additionally, as it is in Ealing its quite a mixed school with a good range of ethnic groups.

Like in all things their are different grades of private school if your going to send him to a cheap private school I would save your money,

And get to church so you can get him into a c of e school which are just as good

There aren't any grammar schools in Ealing, so it might be better to do it State primary tutor--independent senior school.

have you tried applying for the west london free school

Dayton manor which is judged to be out standing or elthorne which is also judged to be out standing then supplementing that with a tutor

my son has come on leaps and bounds he gose to an outstanding primary school and also has a tutor twice a week for 2 hours she charges £25 an hour

like i said a cheap bad private school is not going to be better than a outstanding state school+ tutor

my sister found that out the hard way thinking by it merely being a private school it would be excellent one year and ££££ later realised just like state schools you get diffrent grades of schools

she moved the kids but pays almost double what she was paying but then again education is much better