Is it too late to move to private from state?

[Twolittleoranges]

We are moving to London next year from a small town. Oldest DS will be in year 6 and will hopefully enter a London independent school. He is currently in a state school, bright but unmotivated.

I'm concerned that we are making the move from state to private too late. I'm worried that he will be lightyears behind children at London independent schools and will struggle.

Am I right to be concerned?

Depending on the school he could be quite behind. A lot of private schools do push the kids.

That's was what I was thinking. Not only behind academically but also socially compared to these children.

Socially I wouldn’t worry. The kids at our well-regarded London private school are very normal. My children get along well with their cousins and other friends who go to state school. If anything mine are a little bit more sheltered socially. Academics may be a challenge as Year 5 is very intense. Will your child be sitting the 11+ in January? If so you will probably need to supplement with tutoring. Talk to the relevant staff at your chosen school and get an idea of what you will need to do. If you need a tutor you should start asap as they are hard to find and book up fast!

I meant the 11+ for private secondary, not grammar.

I agree you shouldn’t worry about the social side.

On the academic aspect, much depends on how selective your target schools are. For the most selective schools the candidates will mostly have been prepped and tutored up to the eyeballs. The year group about to enter Y6 is a peak birthrate year in London, and competition for boys’ day places will be intense. That is not to say that state school entrants can’t excel, but realistically they are likely to need tutoring to do so. Many of my DS’ friends in that year group are doing intensive preparation over these summer holidays, including tutor-led courses and mock exams etc.

On the other hand, at a less selective school there should be no problem for a bright boy joining from a state primary without such intensive preparation.

Have you identified target schools for him yet (assuming you mean he will be in Y6 from this September)?

Your dc will have to sit an assessment to be accepted at a private school so you need to find a school that goes up to 16 or 18 and has an assessment targeting his academic level. Luckily there are 100's of options so you will have choice but be aware parents use entry into year 6 with a guarantee of a place in the senior school as a way of avoiding the 11plus journey of "hell" - (depending on where you are aiming for ) so places can be competitive.

If you know which area of London you are interested in or which train station you need to be near then MN can suggest options. Also note most of the private schools have now broken up for the summer.

I’m just about to send a second DC from state primary to a selective London independent - it’s not unusual. But you need to work out which schools, and what gaps he has, and work on those either with him yourself or by getting a tutor. Likely to be exam technique, and (depending how well he has been taught) also some
Maths and English, plus (depending on the school) VR and/or NVR.

It depends on which schools you are targeting both for year 6 and for secondary. There are mixed ability schools that are less competitive to get into that will certainly have space. Most academic London prep schools are working ahead of the national curriculum so it really depends on his existing level.