Poor children - 7+ exams for private school - any experience ?

[RosemaryandThyme]

Hi, one of my children has been invited to sit a 7+ scholarship exam for our local private school, there is no way we could afford the fees, even with the scholarship, the school are suggesting he sit and if he does well to apply for a bursery as we are below the poverty line. They haveinvited him because his current (regular state school) recommended him, - has anyone else heard of this - am totally out of my depth here !

Our school had a 7+ scholarship exam (taken by most of existing yr3s) and the two children who won the scholarship were both from ordinary state schools. One of them is in DDs class and she reports that he is at the top of it academically. Our school pays 33% scholarships I think.

It depends on the school. Ds's offer a scholarship which can be topped up with a bursary to make 100%. Parents only pay for lunches and school uniform. They even have a fund for overseas trips. It's worth a try, there's nothing to lose.

Thanks Butkin - state school pupils could possibly make it then, I did wonder if it was just an invite to tick a politically correct box - might just let him have a go at the tests and see how he does, they have asked him to bring along some examples of work he has done at home too - am guesssing lots of children will have really good things to show haven't a clue what to get him to do.

Silly question but are the uniforms really expensive ? - I know this would probably be a tiny detail to most people but we are donated second-hand uniform by other parents at the moment as we can't afford the emblazoned sweat-shirts (they are £8.50 each).
As for overseas trips - yikes -the Beavers camping trip(£18) is his summer holiday - and we're eating beans all week to save for it.
I know private education is a different world, but maybe, just maybe, my lad could break out of our current situation.

The local private school here offers 107% of the fees to the scholarship pupils who are eligible for a full bursary - so if you think it's the right school for your child, give it a go - you have nothing to lose and an excellent opportunity to gain for him. (We entered our son on a whim (more or less) but ended up turning down the scholarship because we didn't want to separate our children and have them in different schools, and we didn't get any additional help, even though the scholarship was very generous - 50%).

Ds's wasn't. I could get it from anywhere. The PE kit is though; cricket whites, 2 rugby tops, tracksuit etc. They all have to be school issue. The school may have a second hand uniform shop so you can buy the things you need far cheaper. Some schools have the trips included in the fees, some don't so you'll have to ask. It's worth trying though. A good education opens so many doors for a child.

Thank you - yes will give him a go at the test day and see what happens - thanks for all being so positive, round here I wouldn't dare mention private school - so good to have a wider world view - will let you know how it goes.

My DDs school uniform is expensive (imo) and can only be purchased from particular suppliers - however the PA has second hand uniform which they sell very cheaply, plus we get hand me downs as well.

The people who don't like them are usually the ones with excellent state schools on their doorsteps. I'm a fan of finding the right school for the child. If it's right for yours then give it a try. You'll never know otherwise. Best of luck to him.

My mum grew up in the absolute slums of Manchester. Her dad was a joiner and her mum didn't work. Whole outside toilet, no hot water, father down the pub til bed time sort of situation.

When my mum was in primary school, her headteacher organised for her to sit the entry exam for a very well respected private school. She got in.

My grandparents struggled to pay for her uniform, including her summer straw hat but my granddad, in particular, recognised that this was her chance to get out of the poverty she had grown up in. Maybe she would have managed it regardless, but he worked stupid hours in order to ensure she had the uniform and money for the bus. Nothing fancy- just simply getting through.

My mum did get out, and she became a teacher. Not a "high flying job" in lots of people's eyes, but she is the only person in her entire family to have any further education qualification, A Levels or O levels. In comparison to her starting point, it's like having moved mountains.

Both my brother and my sister went to Oxford. My brother is a neurologist and my sister is the online editor for iVillage.

We went to a very good primary school (where she taught... a smidge of nepotism perhaps) and then the feeder comp. But we were able to live in a good area, and we mixed with the kids whose parents were doing PHDs at Manchester Uni, Richard and Judy's kids etc. My secondary was huge (1800 pupils) but also streamed 13 ways for maths. We were pushed academically, but without tutors.

If my mum hadn't had her eyes opened to the options of the world outside of the area she was born, then I very much doubt any of her kids would be where we are now.

Incidentally, I went to teacher training college too :)

Our private school has a second hand uniform shop that I will be first in the Q for!

Uniform is expensive but our school has regular very crowded second hand sales and they are always well attended.

Is the scholarship a % or an annual lump sum? I only ask because a friend of my mum's got a lump sum scholarship for her son and then had to pull him out later because the fees went up but the scholarship didn't. Also its worth checking whether lunches are inluded in fees or if they are charged additionally - at many private schools they are compulsory. Sorry I'm not trying to put you off but its worth having some idea of these things so you can ask the right questions

Good luck to your son. He must be very bright or the school wouldn't be pushing for him to try the exam

Ds1 got a 100% scholarship at 8 yrs for a full boarding place (he flexiboarded to start with until he settled in, and asked to full board, in case I get flamed!) We had uniform from the second hand shop, as did most of the boys verywealthyonestoo--, matron repaired them until they were unrepairable. It was cheaper than sending him to the local village school. He loved it there.

Will suss out strikethrough one day!

our private school has a very very busy second hand uniform shop - it would be deemed very odd not to buy from there to be honest, and equally everyone is expected to donate the things they grow out of (and you can split the money earnt from the things you donate if you want to to put towards the next items). So even though we have a very unusal and fancy uniform everyone gets it very cheaply and its hard wearing stuff.

congratulations,hope you get full fees place
give wee one a big hug however it works out, clearly clever wee bean

Best of luck!

Ditto on the second-hand uniform - I also distinctly remember having everything about 3 sizes too big so that there was 'room to grow' in the first year and 4 years later they had turned into rather cleavage enhancing tops and quasi-miniskirts...

Also, please don't imagine that everyone else there will be wealthy - my parents had 4 kids and they gave up everything to send us to a private school, I don't ever remember my parents going out for a meal or for drinks and the only foreign holidays we had was a booze cruise to France for a day before xmas! My dad drove a blue 2CV until it dropped to pieces and then replaced it with a green one!

We never felt poorer than other people in the school - a huge number of parents were in the same situation. We also knew that we couldn't afford to go on the skiing trip - it really didn't matter, only a tiny number of pupils actually did go. I never felt deprived in any way.

Hope you don't mind my saying these things, but I had a friend whose son was offered a scholarship and bursary to a very good private school and she was very worried that he would be the 'poor scholarship boy', which of course he wasn't.