What are the options for my son when he is 11-13 years old?

[Lukethe3]

He has only just started reception, but I want to plan for the future. The state secondaries near us are not that good at the moment so we are considering private school for DS when he is 13. He leave his village primary age 11. What are the options for those 2 years? What do you think the best option would be- to go private at 11 and then maybe move to a senior school at 13?

Some Prep schools will take a boy for those two years, and that is the best preparation for Common Entrance. So I would talk to them now and see if any near you do regularly take boys at that age. Are there any private seniors near you that start at 11?

I would also keep an eye out on your local schools, though - when DD1 was born, our local secondary was on the verge of special measures, it is now good verging on outstanding. it has a very mixed catchment, which means its GCSE results are not brilliant (though well above floor), but its sixth form gets excellent results. DD started there in September and she is doing well. Private was never an option for us financially, but we would have considered moving - now we don't have to. Schools can change an awful lot in very short spaces of time.

All the schools will be Academies by then as all schools that are not good will be forced to be Academies because Academics are better. So once all the schools are Academies, all the schools will be good. Or maybe some will be more good than others ...

riverside interested in why you think because a school becomes an academy it will immediately be better? Same staff, same pupils just new uniform, sometimes new building and their own accountability for their money.

I think Riverside was being sarcastic

I'm leaving now.

In most areas you would have choice of state or private (usually requiring entrance tests) secondary at 11. Very few children going into a private school at 13 have not previously attended a private school. Traditional preps will go through to 13 when they take Common Entrance and/or 13+ entrance exams but the number in each area will vary. These may take some in at 11 but places are often quite limited (you may not know if a space is definitely available until after the Easter before) and the social group well established. He also may find it hard to keep up to speed in subjects such as Latin, Spanish and even French. If that is a likely choice it might be worth enrolling in activities such as local rugby clubs where he could meet friends who already attend. Alternatively consider moving at 7+ when the intake is larger.

A few boys go each year from my DCs primary to boys Prep schools, then at 13 most move to 13-18 schools. But it does depend on the Prep school. Some take more boys regularly at 11, other's don't really do it at all.

Many independent schools take in pupils at both 11 and 13, it is really only boarding schools that only take at 13. If you want to send your DS to an independent day school you should normally be able to transfer him there at 11.

We have mixed day/boarding schools around us that take boys at 13. You need to check what the options are in your area. The prep ds was at went to 11 as the connected senior school starts at 11 and we are in a grammar school area so some go from prep to that. The purely day schools near us start at 11 but also have an intake at 13 (boys - for some reason all the girls schools seem to start at 11). One co-ed prep near us has changed to finish at 11 rather than 13 as there wasn't the demand.

Are you sure the secondary starts at 13?
Most of the independents here (SWLondon) start at 11 for the state school intake and have a smaller second intake at 13.

Did OP say she was considering only selective private?
Really have to ask around local to where you live.

Around here there are: boys schools which take at 11 and a smaller in take at 13, girls schools which all mainly take at 11 (but some take a few at 13, because they stay at their mixed preps until then), there are also boys schools and co-eds which start at 13 (not all of which are boarding). This is Surrey BTW not far from SW London.
Quite a few preps are taking more girls to 13, who are then moving on to co-eds (usually) which start at 13, these are often ex-boys schools.

There are no non-selective private secondaries around here. Even one with minimal academic entrance criteria, tests for which are more screening than selective, has turned down 3 children we know. Most take at least 2/3 -3/4 of their intake at 11 but some day/boarding only start at 13, catering primarily for the traditional Prep school 13+/CE market. I believe Brighton College runs parallel systems for those who have been through their traditional Prep to 13 and those entering senior from state schools at 11 but that seems unusual.

We have non-selective secondaries. Admission is by interview but no tests. If you are at the connected prep then no interview either - hence lots of movement into the prep in year 4 as that way you also get a discount off senior school fees. We moved from the prep at end of year 3 and I'm amazed how many new boys there are in year 4. At ds's new prep (that goes to 13) ds was the only new boy in his class.

If you send him to a prep, start him there in Y6, not Y7. Most peeps start the Common Entranve syllabus in Y6 and if he's missed a year, he'll always be playing catch-up.