Switching to private in year 5 - how difficult?

[Snowybird]

My DS has been offered a place at a private school for the start of year 5. He seems to be doing really well at state primary school, relatively near the top of the class, at about Level 4C for those who know what that means!
However I am worried about him switching because he has done hardly any French and certainly no Latin, and the potential new school seems a little sniffy about him "catching up". Surely a child at level 4C cannot really need to catch up to join the mainstream at a private school? Or am I missing something?

Thanks for advice!

They might just mean catching up in the subjects he's not done much of, or perhaps other subjects where topics may not have been covered in the same order, so he might have either gaps or already covered something their classes are about to do (history, geography or science topics for example, or bits of maths).

If it's a very academic school, then he might genuinely be middling there.

But if you're not happy with the school's attitude, it's not a goid sign that it's the right one for you. Is it only this comment that struck you as "off", or has there been something else?

Hi Snowybird. My DD has just started in year 5 at a small private school. She was scoring between 4b and 5B across the curriculum so we thought her main problems would be the change of envirnment and missing her friends.

Her new school scores highly for pastoral care and in the first couple of weeks we have been very pleased with the care they have taken to ensure she and we were happy with how she was settling in.

They have now ramped the work up a notch and she is suddenly finding some areas a struggle. It is not that the work is necessarily harder than what she might do at state primary, it is more that they expect to cover more at a faster pace. In DDs case, they also returned to something the class studied earlier in the year which she had not.

They also study a wider range of subjects, for example her school does modern langauges (spanish), Design technology, performing arts and begin to have longer sessions of maths,english,sports and music than at her previous school. It is basically about getting them used to a more secondary style work ethic.

The honeymoon period has come to an end this week for her, and after a particularly bad day today - including spilling a drink all down herself and tripping over we did get some tears and a wish she was at her old school - but five minutes later she was talking about when she is in seniors

Sorry,what I am trying to say is that its not so much what they teach,it is how they teach it that seems to make the differance. You maybe need to discuss how they might help your child meet the expectations they have, what support is provided and how they help new children settle into an established group.

DDs school have addressed every query and concern on the same day of asking and I have no doubt if I mention her wobble to them on Monday, they will try and ensure she has a better time of it then

good luck

4c could easily be behind the pace in a private school. Totally depends on the school.

Is she looking forward to working harder?

I can't imagine he wouldn't be able to catch up the basics of French and Latin at Year 5 if he is reasonably bright.

Discuss this with the school some private schools do do catch sessions with the children coming in from other schools (not just state) for example in DDs school the children will have done 4 years of mandarin Chinese at this point as well as a year of Italian and a year of Spanish and they do cover this in extra sessions at lunchtime for those who arrive in years 5 and 6.
They have offered your DS a place so they must think it possible they just need to show you how they are going to achieve it and you probably need to discuss it with your DS so he knows what to expect.

It's a poor business model if they are being sniffy about an otherwise bright child "catching" up. They aren't going to get many transfers in with that kind of attitude. Are you sure it's that great a private school, OP?

DS switched from state to private for start of y6 and instantly was top of the class (told as much by the owner & his teacher herself). I switched him for pastoral not academic reasons, which is why I'd be put off by the sniffy (not caring) attitude OP implies at her child's potential new school.

Blimey Lizcat - do they have any spare time to learn English?

Well eggsit they have thrown the Latin out the window and have a new modern languages curriculum that focus on the modern Latin languages to get the building blocks. But this is a school that goes to 18 so we are in this for the long game here not looking at 11 or 13+. However, this was a reason for choosing the school, not everyones cup of tea I know.

I moved my dd yr 4 from state to independent. She was top in the state school, middle to bottom in the independent.

The non-selective independent schools in our area are working a year ahead of themselves.

When my dd went to state in yr 9 having completed yr 8 - she had completed all the work, and it was a revision year for her. Good in a lot of ways as she only had to worry about the social aspect not the academic.

Therefore, if your child was placed in yr 5 today at your current school would he be top of the class? If not, where his position is, probably gives you a good indication where he'll be in the independent school.

It is a different way of learning in the independent sector and they will probably expect him to catch up in his own time (mine offers early morning or after-school sessions to either keep up or catch up)

At DS's Prep, they are looking for the average child to be Level 5 at end Y6, (not L4) and bright children to be Level 6, not Level 5 as in state schools, so 4c going into Year 5 isn't going to be top.

DS joined to this school at the start of Y3 and hadn't done any French, he soon caught up and was 2nd top in his class at last years' (Year 5) assessment, so it doesn't take long.

DS started private school Y4 and he left Y3 state school at level 4 English and Maths .
However, he is not by any means top of his class at private school. Top half, but not top dog.
He was considered behind in Geography, History and French, but has now caught up ok.
This is a non selective prep school, but feeds a very academic senior school.
It is also VERY sporty, which was the main reason for moving him.
Are you sure you've picked the right school to suit DS?

My DD started y5 at prep school this year, she had been to state schools and also a school abroad before going and always been on the g&t list. In her prep school now she is average for her year group. She struggled to begin with as she had gaps in what she had learnt (maybe as we had moved so much) but she is very happy now nearly at the end of her first year there, she does say the work is very challenging but she likes that. Really does depend on your child

And I think that's where the G&T list is wrong and fails the state school children.

The child/teachers/parents of a bright child in their school get on the G&T list as it is the % they are in the school not in the country. They go through the school list with everyone telling they they are G&T, but when they get to University/Work and mixed into the same batch as all the other children including independent schools - actually it turns out the child is not G&T but average, and all that they have been led to believe will be effectively handed to them on a plate (place at Oxbridge for example) is not their's to be had as they are not that special.

thanks everyone for your comments, very varied and incredibly helpful all.

I am not that sure about this school and I suppose it depends on whether my son will be in the happy mainstream - middle of the class sounds fine - rather than being treated as a remedial case because he is joining at an odd time.

He is not at the top of the class now and I don't expect or need that, just want him to progress without tears.

My son moved schools half way through Y4 (from local primary to private) we had been on the waiting list for 3 years. We fell in love with the school, but our biggest worry was helping him fall in love with the whole idea, of leaving behind a perfectly fine primary school and lovely friends, to start a fresh.

Initally after his entrance exam they thought he may have a few english concerns, they suggested extra lessons etc (this shocked us, as we had, never had any reason to be concerned) but it soon came to light it was the mere shock of having to take a written exam!

THe biggest struggle he then had was that he had year end exams within 4/5 weeks of starting, the school however were fantastic in preparing him, and he came out with very pleasing results.

He is a middle of the road kid, highs and lows, and has improved in his weaker areas, and strengthened in his stronger and favourite subjects. With regard to the language shock, he loves them!! Latin, French, Science, PE (initial reason for choosing this paticular school, was based on the sport available) and Math are his favourite subjects!

We too are at this school for the long term, and our concern was getting him in before he had to sit the entrance exam for seniors along with 40 other children, with only 20 places available, he will have to sit that exam as a current pupil but his place is pretty much guaranteed.

He is happy, confident and has made some lovely friends, it is the best thing we ever could of done for him.