Do you need to go private at junior school level to get into a good independent senior school?

[Tholeonagain]

Just that, really. Ds is in year one at an outstanding state infant school, the junior school it feeds into is good but not outstanding. We are in a position where we could go private though it would be a push financially.

I am happy enough with the state junior school, it would be a lot easier logistically & Ds would like to stay with his friends. We are veering towards the option of sending him there with the option of reviewing things at senior school level as local options are not currently so good at that stage. However friends in a similar position have warned me that it can be difficult to make the transition at 11 & that children may not get into a good independent school if they have been in the state system. Is this really true? I would hope a good school would be able to assess a child's potential & not just how they have been prepared. Ds is showing early signs of being academic (on g & t list for maths) so hopefully if this continues he will pass entrance exams even without the benefit of having been to an Indy prep?

I realise this is all very first world & we are lucky but would be so grateful for any feedback.

Depends where in the UK (world?) you are. DS is at an independent and a child with level 6 SATS & some spark of personality would definitely get in. Entrance exams for yr7 are based on NC despite the fact it has its own junior school.

really depends where you are and what school you are aiming at. find out what % come from the state system.
be ready to tutor for a year
make sure he reads a wide range of books

My DD went to an independent senior school from a state junior at 11. If you wanted one that stated at 13, then this would be different as it would be if you needed to prepare for CE. It would also depend whether the school you want is very competitive to get into or pretty straightforward. If you are aiming high, you might need to see which prep schools feed into your selected independent. These prep schools will know how to prepare the children for the tests. At my DDs school, she was clearly one of their better candidates judging by her exam results! So, there is absolutely no need, and you may well be better off spending the money you save on interesting holidays and experiences and save for the secondary school fees!

actually i don't agree they're based on NC
if they test VR and NVR that certainly has to be learned outside school
the comprehensions will be far harder than anything they see in school ime
the maths too, they will need to have completed the syllabus by Jan of yr6 which most state schools haven't with SATS end of May.

really depends on where you're heading. independents are not one and the same in entrance criteria.

ps L6 SATS are finishing this year.

Pick some schools and ask them! Fwiw back when I was a kid I went to a state primary then a very academically selective secondary with no problem at all. The only additional prep were some extra maths workbooks my mum bought.

The secondary schools can tell you though.

Where are you? 11+ in London is hideous, major tutoring etc, well worth avoiding. Things may be very different outside the M25.

Depends on how selective the secondary is. The private secondary DD is going to has an entrance exam but to level them more than anything ( although if DD does really well we could get a 25% bursary)

Thank you all we are in Surrey, near Kingston. Haven't started thinking about which secondary schools yet...

No. We are near you. DC went to state primary and then to leading independent at 11. Lots do.

No need, but you'll need to check what exams are set for 11+ entry.
DS's was NC based, but a friend's child had to do VR style for entrance into Brighton College

Not necessarily but it will vary by school. At dc school in dd's year half of the 11+ places went to the attached prep pupils and of the external children max 1/3 were state school pupils but suspect that might reflect applications. Other schools in the area are perhaps considered more accessible and one in particular directly markets to local primary schools and offers specific bursaries to housing association families.

Nonsense. We kept hearing this too. Did was at a good state primary and was sitting for a good private school. She was up against mostly tutored lrep kids but she got in with a scholarship too/no tutoring so don't believe what you hear. I was a bit concerned that she may b behind the other kids as alit did laton and French at their prep schools (she didn't) but she has had no problems, so much so she is in the top set for French which I think is really funny. Best of luck

As everyone else already said - it depends.

In addition to checking with the secondary schools, you should also get an idea of how many kids from your school end up going to private secondaries and how difficult it is to do. There must be moms of older children that you should be able to talk to.