private school cambridge

[Sabrina41]

Dear all

Advice needed please! I may just be paranoid but here goes. We were delighted that dd got a place at a highly academic junior school in cambridge (independent) last month. We gleefully paid the deposit and are now in as it were. We think she scraped through somehow - she does struggle with some tasks at her current school and now we are worried that if the school thinks she is not up to scratch they may wave goodbye and not let her transition to the senior school in future. Normally there is no exam at this point. Does this ever happen?? Reason for post is we have the option to transfer to a nonselective independent which also runs to at least GCSE. Just wondering if we have made the right choice and how pushy and demanding these academic schools are???

Have the school indicated in any way that this might happen? Have I understood correctly that she hasn't actually started yet at the independent school? I can only think of three schools that go all the way through junior and senior in Cambridge, and one is 'academic' and the other two less so, but I have to say that I have known some less than brilliant kids go off to the 'academic' school after Year 6 at state primary. Don't get me wrong, they didn't have any learning issues, but they weren't top of the class either. I think if 'academic' independent is what you want than you have to have faith in your DD and believe that she's clearly good enough for the school to want her. Otherwise, if you genuinely fear she won't make the cut later on (have you asked the school what percentage of pupils this happens to?) then maybe the other school is a safer bet? You say you might 'just be paranoid' - isn't it therefore possible your DD will do just fine and be very happy in the school she's managed to get into?

Thanks - I guess I should just go with it now she has the place. She starts in September. I daren't ask if this happens to anyone and I guess i can support more at home to ensure she stays on top of things. I was told her maths needed some work which is why I started having doubts in the first place. Thanks for the reassurance!

I think it's reasonable to ask the question though. Couldn't you just email them and say that you appreciate their advice that maths needs some work, and you will support her with this (although a part of me thinks, isn't that what you're paying them for?!), but that you would like some reassurance that they don't envisage any issues with the transition to senior school. Then at least if it ever looks like becoming a possibility they can alert you early on so you have time to form a Plan B. I would hope they wouldn't do that, though, unless it was made clear to all junior school parents that a senior place was in no way guaranteed and would be allocated on merit at the time.
What year will she be going into?

yr 3 so plenty of time until transition at year 7. One of the selling points is a place guaranteed to GCSE though so I'd like to think this will not be an issue as even at year 7 you cannot tell what grades a child will get. Strange isnt it - We were desparate for her to get a place and now we're just as anxious now she has got one. I think it was a conversation with a friend that got me thinking who said that if someone is always not so good as the others it can knock confidence - thats why the option of the nonselective school came in. However were going to stick with the choice we made now. Thx xx