Hi all,
Looking for some thoughts as we’re facing a decision about where our daughter should start school this September.
Our son (Year 8) is at a private school and has been privately educated since Year 1. We’re very happy with it.
Our daughter is due to start school this September. The catchment primary near us isn’t great, and it’s also in the opposite direction to our son’s school, which would make logistics tricky.
We applied for a state school that’s on the way to our son’s school — it’s not our catchment school, but we really liked it when we visited.
In the meantime, we also looked into local prep schools just in case. We ended up finding one we really love — it’s small, nurturing, and we feel it would really suit our daughter.
She currently attends preschool 3 days a week (increasing to 4 after Easter) and still struggles a lot with separation. She cries all the way there, won’t eat breakfast beforehand, but does settle shortly after arriving. She also finds transitions during the day hard, so we’re quite mindful of what kind of environment will best support her emotionally and socially.
We’ve registered her at the prep school, and everything is in place — but today, we found out she’s been offered a place at the state school we originally applied for.
Now we’re torn.
Part of me thinks she’d really benefit from the smaller class sizes, individual attention, and consistency that a private school could offer — especially given her current struggles with transitions and separation. Plus, her brother is already in private education.
But another part of me wonders whether we should send her to the state school now, and if needed, move her to private later — for example, for secondary.
I’d really appreciate any thoughts or experiences from those who’ve faced similar decisions — particularly if your children have had different needs, or if you’ve switched between sectors.
Thanks in advance!