When is best to move from state to private?

[Jetvsdragon]

just that really. If we want to move our son (now in year one) to a private school for secondary, when would be best to do it?
if this is relevant, he doesn’t seem to be particularly academic so far, is struggling a bit but is progressing. He’s happy with friends but says school is boring. He may have attention issues and is being referred for adhd but it’s a long wait for assessment. His school is OK, not amazing, but we love the community & parents & are involved in the PTA etc & are keen to stay in the school for as long as possible, but if we do eventually want to go private (not 100 per cent sure about this yet), is it too late and too much pressure to do it at 11?

@mycoffeecup agree, in fact all of London secondary private schools and grammar schools with 11+ is rather intense.

NW London unfortunately.
Keen to keep my son where he is as long as possible to limit the disruption to his friendships as he really suffered during the lockdowns. Also keen to stay local for as long as possible because it’s so easy for friendships & because I went to schools a long commute away from 7-18 & never had local friends & found that very hard.
Thanks everyone for all the advice. Looks like we can hang on a bit longer but I’ll do some more research into schools locally in the meantime.

Depends where you are in NE London but many children go to schools in Hertfordshire as schools run coaches

UCS is a lovely nurturing school - I'd stick his name on their occasional place list and think about the 7+ there as the 11+ is much more competitive. If you join a through school then friends will be steady in the junior to senior transfer.

Thanks @mycoffeecup. if I put him on the occasional place list does that mean I could maybe move him between 7 and 11?
Just very keen not to move him too soon because of friends and local community and stability. UCS and most of the other private schools would be a bit of a commute and I can’t drive so potentially a lot of tubes and buses which I don’t think is great for a small child either.

yes, if a place comes up they would contact you.

Thanks. That might be worth thinking about.
I am also not sure about going from mixed to single sex. But there don’t seem to be lots of options for mixed private schools.

Yes, coed schools gaining in popularity in London and less options so sometime parents apply to single sex schools to get a place but may move in 13+ or sixth form.

You've basically got Highgate (academic) and Belmont/Mill Hill (sporty) if you want co-ed.

UCS takes girls in sixth form but that's a year or two off for you!

Roughly where in NW London do you live? you might get more tailored advice re commute etc.

I was thinking Northbridge House and King Alfred’s might also be coed options. I have heard Highgate is academic which may not be suitable. Not sure about the others.

Yes that's true.

King Alfred's is a bit of a Marmite school. Typically has a reputation for being where those who are the kids of very wealthy and/or famous people go - Giles Coren's kids are there for example - not sure there will be many kids there who will need to earn their own living as adults. Lots of tutoring goes on. Very very liberal. Whenever I've seen King Alfred's students out as a group I've been unimpressed by their behaviour.

Northbridge house reputation wise has gone up and down over the years, it's owned by one of the big education companies I think - Cognita maybe? - might be worth at thread about it separately with the name in the title to see what current parents think.

I think if you’re going for king Alfred’s, go for as soon as you can afford it / they have a space. I have heard there aren’t loads at 11+. Besides, that’ll be your child’s new community.

If you want to keep up with having local friends, join a local club (football, scouts etc). I’d just get them in your preferred school as soon as you can afford to.

People can be weird about KA. It doesn’t conform to the norm. But I like it (DC doesn’t go there but we considered it) and if you and your kid do, that’s all that counts.

Thanks all. Really appreciate the advice & now I know about the advantages of different times to switch I'm off to do some research into schools.
Appreciate the point about moving asap but I also am mindful that a life of commuting and sitting about on tubes & buses is not ideal for a child & that it would be a huge loss to leave a school that's a ten minute walk, with so many friends & families within a fifteen minute circuit of our house & to be travelling so he would lose out on the local clubs / activities he goes to, esp after the social disruption of the pandemic. So will probably go for later rather than sooner. But this is all really helpful.

Would you consider moving closer so you don’t have to do tubes etc?

If you stay throughout primary, I wonder whether your dc will become attached to his primary friends and just want to go to the local secondary with them rather than a school further away where he doesn’t know anyone.

My family moved when I was 10, and it was such a wrench to be far from all my friends. I hated not knowing anyone.

Obviously private schools are a little different as most kids are fairly new at 11+ (unless it’s an all-through like King Alfred’s etc).

Is your local secondary just not very good? Is that why you don’t want him to go there?

If you love where you live / the friends you have, why not stay at school with them throughout? Or move to where you’re happy with the school now and build a new community? Year 1 is still young, and easy to find new footing.

I'm just researching at this stage @Presentideasplease & there are lots of other factors (which are outing, so can't put them here...sorry to be vague) but right now we can't move. And I am unable to drive for medical reasons, which also affects my decision.