Transition from private to state school

[Wiera68]

Hi, has anyone on the forum withdrawn a child (Y1, Y2, or later) from a private school and moved them to a state school? How easy or painful was the process? Is it possible to secure a place in a school while living outside the catchment area, with the intention to move within the catchment area if a school place is granted?

The OP is talking about a primary school aged child. In my experience, children transferring from a private to a state school in primary are usually well within the ‘normal range of the class’, and in particular, very similar in level to other children of similar socio-economic backgrounds with similarly-involved parents.

They are often less independent, and may, depending on the private school, be very accustomed to a fairly passive ‘traditional rote learning’ style. Occasionally, a more confident / arrogant child may have absorbed messages from school or home that they are (or should be) better than / ahead of their state-educated peers, and it can be very difficult for them if they find themselves middling in the class. On the other hand, children who have been carefully ‘managed out’ of private schools with SEN have often thrived disproportionately in a state class more accustomed to a range of needs.

It is believed that the difference between the state and private sector is less stark at primary level than secondary.
However, as class sizes are smaller, resources are much greater, the children come from more stable backgrounds, and by the time there are comparable results at 16 and 18 the private sector is ahead. If it isn’t a better education in the private sector, a lot of wealthy people are wasting a lot of money.
The discipline issues alone in the state sector would point towards the private sector giving a better education.
Those that do far the best at primary level are of course the home educated.

Those that do far the best at primary level are of course the home educated

Can you provide data for that? I HE’d one of my children for part of primary, but I would say that the other home edders I met had children spanning the full range of ability / attainment, with no evidence that the majority were surpassing the attainment of similarly-aged conventionally schooled children from similar socio-economic backgrounds - and with some evidence that a few were reaching standard educational milestones somewhat late.

(As a teacher, I have only experienced HE children joining school in later primary being a very long way behind their schooled peers, but I am very aware that these may represent a subset of those where HE was not a success, also bearing in mind that SEN (diagnosed or not) is a reason for some to choose HE and of course that may have an impact of the child’s attainment regardless of where education takes place.)

What utter nonsense.

Which part?

All of it. It’s all the baseless stereotypes about private school rolled together in one post.

Ah, ok. Sorry it came across like that - I was thinking in detail about the children I have taught over the years who had done that private to state switch, from about 5 or 6 different private schools. I should have made it clear that I was thinking of movement a range of fairly ‘normal’ schools, not eg superselective London prep to inner city deprived state.

I do think it is uncontentious that, as a general rule and in most state primaries (excluding those in very extreme circumstances eg with exceptionally high PP or SEN numbers), children joining from private schools within the primary age range will have abilities and attainment that fall within the range of the state school class, particularly if you compare with children from similar family backgrounds.

Cantkeepawayforever

i don’t think your experience is typical, because the number one group who tends to home educate are former teachers, which makes one wonder what do they know about today’s school system.

In the UK, homeschooling—officially termed Elective Home Education (EHE)—has seen a significant rise, with 111,700 children reported as being home-educated in autumn 2024, marking a 21.4% increase from the previous year . While specific data on the occupations of homeschooling parents is limited, certain professions and circumstances are more conducive to home education.

Professions and Circumstances Associated with Homeschooling in the UK

1.
Educators and Former Teachers

Individuals with teaching experience are comfortably the number one group that opt to homeschool, leveraging their educational background to provide tailored instruction.

2.
Self-Employed and Remote Workers

Those with flexible work arrangements, such as freelancers or remote employees, find it easier to integrate homeschooling into their schedules.

3.
Stay-at-Home Parents

Families with one parent dedicated to home management often choose homeschooling to align with their caregiving roles.

4.
Families with Children Having Special Educational Needs

Parents of children with special needs may homeschool to provide a more accommodating learning environment, especially when mainstream schools fall short .

5.
High-Income Professionals

Affluent families sometimes opt for bespoke homeschooling solutions, hiring private tutors to deliver customized education .

6.
Religious and Philosophically Motivated Families

Some families choose homeschooling to impart specific religious or philosophical values not addressed in traditional schools .

7.
Military and Frequently Relocating Families

Families that move often, such as military households, may homeschool to provide educational consistency despite relocations.

But what you said was that ‘those children who do by far the best at primary level are the home educated’ - by which I presumed (possibly incorrectly) that what you meant was ‘data shows that, on average, those who are home educated -whether GRT children for whom it is part of the culture, or children who have SEN or children whose parents are disenchanted with local school options - do better than their school counterparts’.

The occupations of some of those ‘associated’ with home schooling does not really indicate that the education and progress of all children is better in HE?

I know - as an ex home edder - that HE done well can be brilliant, and also that under certain circumstances it can be ‘the best of the available options, all of which have imperfections’. All I am questioning is whether it is, as I understood you to assert, the option under which all primary children will do the best.

@cantkeepawayforever

I hadn’t intended to assert that home-educated children always perform best — but there are good reasons why they often do well compared to those educated in schools, and equally good reasons why the majority wouldn’t.

Home-educated children are a highly self-selected group, probably no more than 0.1% of the population. The majority tend to come from well-motivated, often well-off families, and their parents are usually well-educated themselves. What takes hours in a class of 30 — with all the distractions and behavioural challenges that can arise — can often be achieved in a fraction of the time one-on-one.

More importantly, the education can be tailored precisely to the child’s level, rather than to the average, and progress at the child’s own pace. This often leaves plenty of time in the day for play, hobbies, or deeper learning — which enhances wellbeing as well as education.

However, for the majority of children — especially those from fractured homes, single-parent households, or families facing social or addiction-related challenges — a structured and disciplined school environment is almost certainly the best option.

It’s also worth noting that within the small group of home-educated children, there are also groups (e.g. some within the traveller community) who have some of the poorest educational outcomes nationally — reminding us that home education is not a universal panacea.

At my child’s school, the headteacher has commented that the small number of children who join from home education each year are often among the top-performing pupils — though again, these are typically well-heeled families who may have made use of private tutors.