Private schools??

[nikki81]

Hi everyone. Our DD is due to start the local primary school in september but we are now very reluctant to send her there and would like her to go to private school. Our nearest one is 30 mins drive for me so I have make sure this is the right decision. I do not even know if she would get a place there now as it's probably too late. I am also worried about what the parents will be like there. Does anyone have any advice. I am going to phone them on tuesday but they probably wont be there as it's half term. Thanks.

do private day schools take a child from anywhere in the country even though it would be a very long commute, do they not have a "token" catchment area based on common sense

I used to have quite a long journey to school - a 10 minute walk to the bus stop, followed by a wait of anything from 2-30 minutes, depending on weather, obviously when the weather was bad the wait was worse, then a 30-40 minute bus ride into school.

At the time I thought I hated it but when I left I realised it wasn't the bus journey I hated but the endless waiting around because the bus journey was a great time to be with friends - the only people I still know from that school are not my classmates but my bus mates. Plus it was a single sex school and that journey gave us social time with the boys, who became our friends and were of course never fanciable (but had mates who were!).

When I left and went to a local college, I really missed the socialising. I lived in the oppostie direction to everyone else so I didn't even get to walk to and from college with anyone!

Having said that, I don't like the idea that some children, partic day pupils at some boarding schools, have to catch a bus at 7am and won't get home until 7.30pm or later, albeit they will have done all their prep at school and had the chance to join in with after-school activities.

Goodness me, what a debate this has caused!!!
Nikki, any luck getting hold of the school today?
IME most private schools will take a child at any point if they have the space and the child meets the educational standards set by the school. Obviously, the earlier the better or a September entry is preferred, but at ds's school there has been a regular influx of children throughout his time there (Yrs 1-6) and the new child has generally settled in quickly.
Hope you got through x

Hi everyone, wow, didn't expect to get so much response! Didn't get through to them today but will try again tomorrow. I managed to change my choice of primary schools today and have applied for 2 different ones and the local one. All schools being within 5 miles of our house and I feel alot better that I have done that. The local school has decided to mix reception and year 1 in september which im not happy about making the school have 5 reception/ yr 1 classes. I just think now we can afford it I think she should have the best posible start and i feel she will be open to alot more opportunities at a private school. As someone mentioned, I would also feel like I had to justify why we are sending her to private school as alot of people will ask. I think with her going to private school it would also give us more of an insentive to move closer. We will not be staying in this house for the rest of our lives anyway. OH said at weekend maybe we should buy an apartment closer to the school to stay there for the week and return home at weekends?!

hoorayitstheeasterhols if the government weren't set on building so many houses in my area and we didn't have a huge influx of incomers "downsizing" from London so they can have a better quality of life in the "country" we wouldn't have had to drive 500 miles a week because the school at the bottom of our road then wouldn't have been full....

Londonmama we have a great system here that if your local school is full (with all the incomers as I said) then the other schools in the town won't take you because you aren't in their catchment, although we don't have catchments. The school my kids were at before we moved house left my DS in Y2 sitting outside the Head's office for an entire term and didn't tell us. How much do you think he would have learned there?

Hi. Well today I got hold of one school who said they would probably have a place for DD in septmeber. He sounded really nice! He is sending my the registration forms to fill out to put her name down and then I can go and have a look when they go back to school. This one is a Roman Catholic school but sounds quite nice. The other one my friends friend's children go there and she said it's all about the money, who has the best clothes, money etc and I really don't want that. Then she informed me she doesn't agree with private schools and it doesn't make children clever. Why do people say things like this, obviously I know it wont make her clever, are they just jelous? Thanks everyone for all your advice, it's been really interesting!

The only thing that bothers me is the desperation to get into a distant school which hasn't even been VISITED purely because it's private! Complete with travelling time/distance studies! Wheel out the perspective-scope.

Yes distance is a big problem. In a few years, my dc will have to bused 45mins to main private school as satellite one will be too small. Either that or we choose one 30mins drive away, with me doing the driving.

I firmly believe that private primary is worth it, if you can do it. Sets good working habits, stimulates creativity & all the other wonderful things we equate with a "good education", smaller classes (hopefully), etc, etc.

Miljee, i don't understand what you mean?
Im not desperate at all it's just the local school is rubbish and we don't want to put our child in that environment. The only other option is changing our choice of primary school which I have done but doesn't look hopeful or send her to an independant school. I believe she would get better education, learn better working habits as sauce mentioned, work harder and not be stuffed into a class of 30+ children!

i do urge you to drive there at rush hour though - for your child's tiredness really, rather than yours (though of course thats important too!)

also, try and check out the other parents and kids if possible! - my friend withdrew her son from the local private school as two of the boys in his class were really unruly - she thought the parents were very hands off. I'm just saying don't always equate private with better - some are, some really aren't.

Where abouts are you Nikki ,I currently have 3 children in three different independent schools in the Ipswich area.We drive one of them 10 miles and the other on another two.Bizzarrely the extra 2 can take as much time as the 10 miles!I would definately recommend that you try the distance in the rush hour also try to find out from the school where the majority of children come from.My ds1 is at well known school in centre of ipswich and most of his class come from colchester and south or west of thye town.You also need to think about partys playdates etc

Thanks for that Philly. Is your child at St Josephs? We are in Brightlingsea and the options so far are St Philomenas in Frinton or Oxford House in colchester. At the moment I dont think playdates and parties would be a problem as we only have 2 friends in brightlingsea and all my other friends are in colchester so we drive to colchester all the time. We would probably move to colchester in a couple of years also. Have you heard anything about the schools in colchester? I know Littlegarth is a feeder for St Josephs.

Yes i have one st Josephs,i could not speak too highly of it if you are wanting a supportive ,child centred non hot housing approach.I also have one at Ipswich School,I would say Littlegarth does feed into this especially as the head of Ipswich is a Governor of Littlegarth. Ipswich is a fantastic school if you are quite tough ,fantastic pre prep when we were there .
I have always heard good things of Littlegarth amd also of Holmewood House.Don't know much about Oxford House,is that the one with the pink uniform.There are children at Ipswich from both of the others though.

I'm in yorkshire so my DD's school is of no relevence to you, but it takes us 20mins to get to school (pre rush hour) and her friends are dotted about all over the place, some much further away from the school and it has never been a problem for play dates or parties. We have a state school close by that is quite good but my fear is that she wouldn't pass an entrance exam into a private secondary. Ds is 18mths and so far we can't afford to send him to a private prep but we still have a couple of years before we need to worry too much about him. At the end of the day it is whatever is best for you and your child and what you feel most comfortable with - private, state or otherwise

the 'after school for tea' thing only really starts when they start school - my dd gets picked up by friends mum/nanny and we collect later - and vice versa - they tend to make friends at school that you may not know yet or even get to know - just bear it in mind so you aren't in a position of saying no or being long-distance taxi driver!

also parties are nearly every other weekend here - that can be quite an undertaking if distance an issue

mostly we have it on weekends - fridays when it's easier for them to stay up later and not have to worry about homework.

Hi. Yes it is the pink uniform. Littlegarth is too far from us really. There is also St Philomenas which is in Frinton,have you heard of that one?