Has anyone moved a child from state to private after Reception?

[NorkyButNice]

DS1 has always been 'bright' and has a scarily good memory which put together means that he is ending Reception at the top of the year and a long way ahead of everyone else.

He does different work to everyone else in the class while they do phonics and maths, and is 3 book bands ahead of the next person in his class.

Even with all this, he is coming home from school saying he is bored, the work is too easy, he wishes he could do more learning. I've spoken to school and their response was that they are already giving him different work and that I should give him things to do at home.

We are lucky to be able to afford private education, he has been for an assessment at the school we would go for and been accepted. It offers smaller classes, specialised teachers, and they have a 'gifted students' program already in place.

DH thinks it's a no brainer, but I still wonder whether going into year 1 at his current school will provide the challenge and harder work that he is craving. Although he's already doing Year 1 work now so we'll have the same problem of him doing different work by himself.

Sorry this is so long, I haven't anyone else to talk this through with as all family think we should move him.

My youngest found reception a bit of a breeze - was reading quite well and was definitely well ahead of the average. He has found year one much more of a challenge. He does have a fantastic year one teacher who has stretched him and the other couple of children who are well ahead of average. Year one is very different to reception but it depends on the particular teacher I guess how that's implemented.

What I like about my kids' state school is that there's such a range of abilities, they have to individualise the learning for everyone, which amazingly they seem to be able to manage to do.

My third is pretty advanced and on a higher reading band than every other child apart from a boy who gives her a run for her money (Gold if that helps you put your child in context - maybe he's far ahead of that - but my child's definitely well within the normal range just at the top of it).

Anyway, if she'd been my first I think I might have panicked about her being stimulated enough. But I've seen my others go through the school and what they can do for very bright children (not mine, by the way, some of their peers). And stimulation comes in many different forms, not just academic. If your child is very academic, then maybe what they need work on is sport, working with others, creative tasks, which sometimes (not always) can be better with a bigger class.

Thanks Fuzzy, yes that's my question I suppose, whether we ought to wait to see how Year 1 goes before signing ourselves up for 15 years of private school fees.

I asked school today about how they would handle him in Year 1 if he was still so far ahead and they said 'You just have to trust the teachers, they're all qualified'. And that they couldn't make any promises.

It's a no brainer to me as well :)

My DS wasn't streets ahead of his peers like yours but it was apparent in Year R that he wasn't being stretched either. We did consider going private but we had budgetted for private secondary plus uni fees so we weren't keen on blowing the budget with 7 years prep fees times 2 DCs. So we stayed with the primary school and did 'stuff' with DS and later with DD.

If you have a superselective secondary on your doorstep then I would say put your DS into the prep. But if the state secondary option isn't going to challenge your DS either and you are 'comfortable' as opposed to rich, I would put the money towards secondary education and do what you can to plug the holes.

I think there are a lot of children who coast through reception. My daughter is a september birthday, the teacher doesn't even know yet how good her maths is I don't think because they haven't got far enough with it for her to show what she can do, she is reading early chapter books like Dick King Smith etc (book band 11), she writes poetry and stories easily and no she hasn't really been challenged as such this year but she isn't the only one. Her teacher does have them doing different work so has tried to differentiate as well as she can but they have to make sure there are no gaps in their knowledge so to a point they have to cover everything. She has learned a lot about nature, basic science, emotions, art, sport, working in groups etc and has loved this year.

Yr1 is more formal sit and work I think so will probably suit him better whichever school he is at. Don't be fooled that a private school will necessarily be better and will he be classed as gifted and talented by them or are there children who are brighter already there. Many state schools still do G&T but not until Yr1 so his current school might offer it anyway in september.

I went to a private school and I loved it, I would really like to be able to afford for my daughters to do the same in some ways because I like the smaller classes and smaller school community etc but there are many benefits to being in the state system too.

It is interesting he says he is bored with the work. My daughter comments the work is too easy but she has never one said it is boring at school. With guided reading when it is 7 or 8 levels below her level she does things like study the style of the illustrations, count the words on the page etc to occupy herself.

I think all I am saying is bear in mind that whilst yes he seems a long way ahead of the others and he may well stay there all the way through school, it doesn't necessarily indicate he is exceptionally bright and will be bored at school all the way through. I do worry about my daughter, will she get a teacher next year who recognises her actual ability like her current one does or will she get one who doesn't and ignores it but we will cross that bridge when we come to it. teachers are teachers whether private or state and still vary in their ability/willingness to deal with bright children/style of teaching/beliefs etc.

I would see how Yr1 goes, perhaps if you aren't spending the money on a private school you could find him a chess club or activities which use his brain a lot and will help it develop at his level outside of school. I don't mean private english or maths lessons but more 'other' stuff, learning an instrument etc. Unless the teacher or school are completely dismissive of his ability then he will still be able to achieve well at school but by occupying his brain outside of school it will help it develop further. They say learning an instrument and playing chess, doing kids electronics type stuff (I don't mean playing with games, I mean like the science and electronic kits you can buy to build simple circuits or robots etc) helps build neural pathways (I think thats right) so can only benefit him.

I just picked up on your Year 1 comment.

DS went to a private nursery. Between that and two pushy parents, DS entered Year R with literacy and numeracy skills that was ahead of kids that had more laid back parents. By Year 1 he was still ahead (I didn't stop being a pushy parent :) ) but the gap wasn't so noticeable.

The point I am making is that Year R is not an accurate predictor of what's to come since at that stage the kids are a product of how pushy the parents and not how good or bad the school is. So if you aren't sure then by all means wait until the end of Year 1 before making a decision. Having said that, only you know whether things are likely to improve.

I'd wait and see what happens in year 1 too. Lots of kids suddenly click, others plateau. My son didn't start to read until he was 7, but apparently now he's the best reader in his year 4 class. A friend of his who was way ahead is still doing well, but is no longer extraordinary. There's a lot to be said for social mix too and a wide friendship group to pick from too, which you wouldn't get in a smaller prep/ class size.

Also, I'd be slightly wary of him saying he's bored. He might well be, but a lot of kids say that. My son used to say it, but I think it was more about not being the centre of attention all the time. To me that's good, as he's learning how to fit in. Our school does seem to stretch all abilities though. Not sure all schools do so well with that.

The fact that the teacher/ school is already providing differentiated work is also good sign.

Thanks everybody, I appreciate the different advice greatly.

Seems like the majority opinion is to stay on and see what happens which I am glad to hear others say.

I too went to private school and I don't want to let my experiences cloud my opinion either way.

He already does piano, gymnastics, athletics and swimming classes, not sure we've time for anything else! Chess classes keep being mentioned though so will look into that.

Thanks again.

Interesting. I clicked on this thread because we're considering the move at the end of Yr1 for very similar reasons.

I think Year 1 can go either way, depending on the teacher, the child and the school. There is more 'organised' and levelled teaching, but if that's not meeting your DS's needs, then it can feel more boring than Reception, as there's more work and less play. As you might guess, that's been our experience; DD didn't really complain about being bored last year, but has this.

I think it depends on the school. If you are happy that the teacher will help him develop/find interesting things for him to do and that you will stay in the state sector I would stay

If you are thinking that they will not have enough time/resources and will cater for the average (and that you have some evidence that the private school will be better), or that you intend transferring anyway at some point, I would do it now.

I think it depends on the school. The state school my DDs went to did differentiation very well from the second term of Reception onwards. DD1 was a slower starter who really blossomed mid yr1, but DD2 came in about a year ahead and ended YrR 3 years ahead, which is where she's stayed so the school has done very well by her.

It's quite a big school (2 classes per year group, yrR to 6 so about 350 pupils, perhaps that is why they handle it - they've dealt with it before.

What I got from the teachers at the end of YrR was a very clear setting out of where DD2 was and what they planned to do with her in Yr1 in terms of skills to be worked on and targets to be met - that told me the teachers really knew what they were doing.

DD is in reception and also very bright.

The only thing she complains that is "boring" is phonics which is only 20 mins per day so I think she can live with that!

I agree that yr1 can go either way (good or bad) but I think it's worth trying it first and giving the school a chance.

We moved for Yr 3 for this very reason.

Yr1 was v v boring, Yr 2 better but DS1 was bored every day.

Thanks again for the feedback.

His current headmistress asked to speak to me after school today, she was very dismissive and told me that I know my child best and will make the right decision for him.

Not the overwhelming vote of confidence for leaving him where he is that I was hoping for.

pointythings I would love to get an idea of what they'd do with him in Year 1, where they see him now and going forward - doesn't look like it's forthcoming though.

HT doesn't sound the best and would not fill me with confidence either tbh...

Some schools I guess like to be left to it and feel that they know best but IMO it should be a partnership between parent/carer and the school.

DD's school is very open about what they are planning to do with her next year in yr1 so I am just going to leave them to it!

Well I could have written this message a few years ago. We had the option to move DS at end of yrR and decided to see how things went in Yr1, that was the worst decision we have ever made. However, I have to qualify this by saying that this was a particularly poor school for bright children.

DS went into school as a free reader, they did provide books at this level but they did not like it and it was made abundantly clear to me that they did not like the fact that DS could already read. He thrived socially however and very quickly made very firm friends. He did make some progress, so we decided to see how Yr1 went and deferred our private school place until Yr3. We assumed Yr1 would have a more academic focus that would suit him and he would make more progress. However, DS became quiet and withdrawn during Yr1. When I discussed it with DS's teacher she just shrugged her shoulders. At home he used to want to look at all the topics they were studying at school, but in a lot more detail. Despite having an IQ in the top 1% of the population DS's grades 'were at the expected level'. Getting hold of those grades was difficult!

DS moved for Yr 3 to a non selective private school as we will be looking at the selective grammars and this school does prep them for that. He is thriving academically and has made incredible progress. 5 sublevels of progress in 6 months in one subject! The new school have given both DS and us as parents a lot of support and the work they have done on his self-esteem is incredible. He is now full of life.

Despite the benefits we have seen from the move I would still say that a bright child would do just as well in a good state school and had we been able to find the right school in this area we would not have moved to private. I did not even have to tell the new school why I was moving my DS, they already had a lot of other children from this particular state school and all the other parents had quoted 'lack of academic push'. I think your HTs response says it all.

I think Reception is for children who can't recognise the numbers up to ten and don't know what a books is as well as the ones who find that kind of stuff too easy to think about and consequently some children find it a bit of a joke. But I wouldn't say finding Reception a joke means that your child is a genius or anything. It just means that for some children it's a breeze. I wouldn't be reading too much into it to be honest. I think it says more about how Reception education is designed than it does about the children.

If you can afford to do it then I would move him. Yr 1 can be a very difficult year for bright children as the main focus is consolidation of the basics. Also, the longer you leave it the more the friendship groups will be formed at the new school.

We moved our DS at the end of Reception and it was definitely the right decision, I just wish with hindsight we hadn't wasted the year in Reception. He is now stretched so much more and is much happier.

The longer you stay in State the bigger the gap will become and you may find that your child struggles at a later move into private or even worse, may not get in if you wait for year 3 when admissions usually significantly increase.

If you can afford it and are uncertain about where you are, just go for it. Good luck.

I would say the real positive about Reception is the child led aspect of it (which is why I'm surprised your child is bored - how can you be bored with infinite possibilities?)

DD was a "brighter" child in Reception and she was never bored - she wrote notes to her friends, came up with playscripts, developed her own games with complex rules, played shops ... she developed a huge number of skills.
She was never in the position that she felt she couldn't progress her writing because she could already write her own name and the majority of the class were still working towards doing that.

In Y1 she was given specific focussed work and really flew.

In answer to OP - I think it depends on what the school will do for your child in Y1 (and I don't see this as a state/private debate, more one school vs another). It's a real shame the headteacher couldn't be more reassuring. Do you know any other parents with children in higher years who might be able to tell you more about what happens in Y1 (and higher up the school)?

The longer you stay in State the bigger the gap will become

which gap would that be then?

We moved the other way, because funnily enough DS's private school reception class, whilst stretching many of the children, did not challenge DS1 in the slightest - the average level was higher than in a state school but they actually didn't differentiate in the work they set. In his state school, they are used to differentiating so he does phonics with the year above, numeracy with 2 years above and is in a mixed year group class so the teacher is completely used to dealing with different abilities within the same class.

You are so right sugarmiceintherain, our state school did differentiate but not sufficiently. If we had been in a state school like yours we would never have moved. I can also see that private schools are not as geared to cope with different abilities and they do 'whole class teaching' but the overall level is higher and because the classes are smaller they do give more individual attention. Ours does stream however from Y3 and in addition are giving DS other differentiated and challenging work.