Well known or local independent school?

[Compassionreality]

Hi, we are currently looking at independent pre-preps. We have a choice of a good well established pre-prep that is feeder school to a very well known and long established 13+ school (we are not particularly interested in that being the secondary school) and a local independent school (to 11+) that has great results. The difficulty is that we like aspects of each but neither is exactly what we want!

The two schools-
More established feeder school has good results, dedicated science and music space, pool, acres of grounds and extensive co-curricular activity but is more formal, not a lot of children’s work on the wall. Boarding school mentality at heart (we wouldn’t be sending for boarding).

The small independent school has more of a community feel but looks like, and has the outside space of, a state school. They do have limited outside space and access to facilities and pool elsewhere. They have lots of children’s artwork and their personality expressed throughout the school.

I should add the more established feeder school fees are double the local independent school!

Has anyone else faced a similar dilemma? I’d really appreciate views on what actually mattered most when your children attended one of these types of schools. Thank you!

I think you'd have to name the schools to get a proper opinion.

@User15643289 thanks for taking the time to comment. I did consider that, but felt most people would only know the more established school (or more likely the school it feeds!) and would only know the local independent if they lived in the area. This approach was my way of finding out if others have had a similar experience in general.

If you want an 11+ secondary then does the first school prepare and support for this or is there an expectation that they would stay to 13?

Not sure what you mean by ‘the outside space of a state school’. We’re in London so none of the schools tend to have much outside space here and I wouldn’t consider it massively important as long as children still have access to everything like playing fields in the park, bus to swimming every week etc.

So not sure how comparable our situation is but we chose the small local prep over the more well known options, also opting for 11+ over 13+. Mostly we just got a really good vibe from it, knew DD would love it there and would benefit from the individual approach. She’s in PP1 now and it was definitely the right decision.

We have decided to go for a local school because my son seems happy there and less pretentious. We will probably go private for 11+.

@FlounderingFruitcake thanks for responding and sharing your experience. I know what you mean about feel and I do think the local prep has more of that. Do you mind if I ask for your DD class size? The 11+ is another plus for me.

The outside space aspect- the local prep has a small field, not much bigger than a football pitch and a playground for lunchtime. That’s about it. The more established school has several thousand acres with pitches for every sport you can imagine!

@beonmywaythen the pretensions aspect is definitely there for the more established school. But the fees are double the smaller independent so perhaps they are playing into that, I don’t know!

2 classes of 10 for reception, with their own teacher but with a shared TA between the classes and all the non academic stuff altogether. Then merged into a single class of 19 for PP1 (one left). There is no field and the playground is quite small but they go to the park opposite to use their sport pitches, same as all the other privates locally, because it’s London and nowhere has acres!

@FlounderingFruitcake thank you, that’s really useful. You’re right about the outside space 😊 The local independent has 20 in reception class with one TA.

The fees are double because the established prep is offering a lot more. You cannot keep up all that space for peanuts. We moved dd from a small local prep to a “name” boarding one. As a day girl though.

If it’s a boarding prep, the expectation is that Dc leave at 13. What do you want: 11 or 13? Prep schools rarely send all Dc to one senior school but my experience is, if you leave at 11, (when they expect 13) you are on your own. They probably won’t offer much advice or help. You will be in a minority. So that begs the question: what are you paying for? Only grammar Dc left at 11. You therefore must analyse what you want for secondary.

20 in a year group is too small in my view. DD went to a small prep and loads moved at 7 to bigger preps, including her. They outgrew the school and the average sport, music and drama was not going to keep many. There was a big difference between the well known prep mine went to and the nice little starter local prep. Yes, to get a broad curriculum and everything you want from a first class prep, the fees will be higher.

My DD had 18 in a class at the boarding prep and 15 at the local one. Teaching, though, is everything. Class size only helps poor teachers. Of which there are quite a few lurking in the private sector. A great teacher would be fine with 20. Small schools look great for 4 year olds but are limiting for 10 year olds. 20 in a year group is pushing it financially too.

However your intended destination is the vital part of your question. Which school best prepares for what you envisage next?

@Saturdaysunrise yes I do think not wanting them to go to the 13+ secondary will be an issue for this, @TizerorFizz has outlined that really well in their post.

The style and longer day you outline is exactly what the more established school offers. It seems like a long day but it means all of the after school clubs etc can be done at school. We both work in demanding jobs and we’d struggle to do that ourselves.

I hadn’t even considered what you said about boarding but I’ve spoken to a couple of people and they were faced with that!

@TizerorFizz thank you for sharing your own experience, it’s really helpful.

Well your post started a big conversation about secondary school and pathways to different schools! The secondary school, for which the more established prep is a feeder, is the only 13+ around, and a significant proportion go there. But it does raise the question of having to fit in at a different secondary if they left at the 13+ stage.

My concern around that school is that the pupils have a reputation for being very arrogant and superior. I just want my child to have an amazing education and experience with good pastoral support. Naive maybe?!

Your point about out growing the local prep is a concern for me. I like the idea of perhaps moving at 7+ and going to the other prep at that stage. Did your child transition well? I know the 7+ is a ‘thing’ but it’s not common where we are.

Thank you all for sharing your views and experiences, you’ve raised new thoughts and discussions and I‘m very grateful 😊

@Compassionreality
Yes. No issues with moving at all. DD went to a non selective prep at 7. So no entrance exams. Just an interview. She found that there was so much more going on and was immediately included.

The DDs from that school go to a myriad of schools at 13. Many will be the only child going there: as DD was. They get scholarships and parents will take the offer. Or the school just suits the DD. My DD1 also went to a boarding school knowing no one. It wasn’t an issue.

I think you are perhaps being unfair about children at private senior schools. If you maintain a grounded home life, your child will not be arrogant or entitled. Don’t assume all Dc have traits you don’t like either. You are entering private education and will find a few like this but I could have introduced you to the most arrogant, social climbing and entitled parents at our local grammar schools! These people don’t just inhabit the private sector and there will be times you have to hold your nose! You will find the majority are fine and you have quite a lot in common.

Good luck with your deliberations. I know it’s not easy but a decision on secondary route does help to select the prep!!

For prep, would you not like your dc to experience and try lots of sports, music, art, drama, languages etc? But for all this you need facilities and a good number of other pupils, as otherwise there won't be competitive sports teams, orchestras, large musical productions .... The teaching of maths and English will be very similar in your local primary and in the best private prep school. But in my experience prep schools are not about maths and English, it's about all the other stuff you can't do in a state or small independent primary, because you need specialist facilities and specialist teachers.