looking for independent primary schools to go to top grammar schools

[june79]

Hi,

Can anyone pls suggest which are the independent primary schools to go to the top grammar schools after? Any advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Stained prep seems to have a good hit rate with Grammar schools including Tiffin

Is area not an issue?

Make sure you choose one that only goes to 11 and is not affiliated to an Independent senior obviously.

Thanks mary21 and and Lowdoorinthewall.
Lowdoorinthewall, we are looking for somewhere in east london, southeast, or northeast as we work in the central London. So can't do more than an hour of commute.. Y

No, it doesn't guarantee at all. we will surely have to have him get tuition classes if need to go to grammar school. and school+tuition classes are a bit too much stress i guess. And on other hand, prep schools mainly prepare the kids for the next level, if I am not wrong..

to add to previous message, get him tuition classes if the kid goes to state school in early years..

Dd went to school in special measures but got into superselective. Save your money.

what is your plan b for if they miss the cut?

How do you know they are good enough for grammar or even that that type of education will suit them when they are presumably pre-school age?!

Gerrards cross and environs seem to be full of prep schools
Gx is 20 on the train to Marylebone

You may well need to tutor for 11+, at least to the extent of familiarisation with style of exam and learning how to use the time available. So you'll need to research the type of exam your candidate grammars use and decide about whether to tutor and how much (nearer the time).

If you're not close to any particular grammar schools, then DC needs to score a very, very high mark for a super-selective. This can get rather stressy.

Prep schools by and large prepare for exams for independent secondaries, and those exams may be nothing like those for state grammars, so you'll have to check idc if everything which should be covered has been covered, and if it's not decide how you fill any gaps.

That said, if you want to use the independent sector at primary age and maximise the chances of getting the right grounding for an academic destination school, I think you need to look for a selective prep with a good range of leavers' destinations and which does not expect pupils to stay to 13+ (though with the rise of the pre-test, even those schools do year 6 exam prep these days).

(I say good range of leavers' destinations, because if it becomes apparent during the primary years that your DC is not super-selective material, you will still want the school to support all sorts of onward destinations).

Many thanks AnotherNewt, very helpful!

I had friends very happy with Braeside and their DS went from their to St Olaves. DD is at a selective independent but not Braeside but as they a senior school eleven plus prep is discouraged, saying that of all the girls who sat Bexley, Bromley and Kent tests all passed but one as they are generally bright girls and teaching is a year ahead or more.

I obviously didn't pass the grammar tests, DD did! I should of course have said 'there' and not 'their'!

Colet Court doesn't start at 5 years old, so you'd need somewhere else until the 7+ test there. In addition, you commit to St Paul's when going to Colet Court so they aren't going to help you with 11+, especially as the transfer to St Paul's is at 13+. Other than that, great idea!

I wouldn't bother with a fee paying prep school particularly. You don't know at the age of 4 what academic level (i.e. top 5-10%) your child will be at 10/11. Anyone going for the grammar schools will be preping for exams in a way that the schools won't (even prep schools). Read the countless threads here about 11+ exams and focus on the posters that include "don't stress" in their advice. It isn't about prep schools, it's more about sensible parenting.

june79
what is your plan B ?