Small non-selective preps worth it?

[my7yearold]

Our DD attends a state primary, Y2, and is coasting. During parents evening the school gush how great she is, but we do a lot of maths and English with her,

There's a non-selective prep 5 mins drive away from us that we are considering. At her current state primary there are around 25 kids in her class , from what she tells me , a lot of the kids are very disruptive - I've seen this at the many birthday parties she goes to.

At the school, I think DD is counted as 'one of the good ones' and pretty much left alone, a few times she's told me she starts to help the other kids because she's bored.

The small prep is at the other extreme -small classes, but much more interaction with the teachers and TA's. They have good leavers destination too. Although the facilities aren't amazing , they do lots of things I have to DIY at DD's current school- language, swimming, music lessons, all done at weekends or after school which is a real pain.

Has anyone sent their DC to small preps with very small classes ( around 10 kids a class) Does it work?

We have had two friends go to different prep school with small class sizes of around 8-10 and both have said the individualised attention from the teacher has been amazing. Both their dd had no issues making friends and thrived in the environment.

The school you described sounds wonderful

Check the financials carefully, these small preps are often the ones in trouble at the moment. Is it just 10 per year or are there multiple classes, just make sure there's enough kids to make up sports teams etc if this is important to you.
Education wise and pastorally it sounds great.

Thanks @Zootpia

My gut tells me it would suit my DD, but my sensible brain is looking at any downsides before we go forward with taster days and putting a deposit down.

It is something that I think about a lot - I have a DS in Year 2 who sounds very similar. I am put off by the number of prep schools that have closed around is in the last couple of years and how disruptive that has been for the families. I do worry about DS getting lost but, for the moment, the advantages of his current school (proximity to home, a lovely bunch of friends, good after school provision, a fantastic head teacher) outweigh the negatives. I am also conscious that we have a lot more disposable income, clearly, than we would otherwise have and the flexibility that gives us. For example, DS is interested in languages/travel at the moment and has several Spanish friends so I decided yesterday that we’re going to go to Spain for half term. Not having to think twice about paying for something like that is very valuable.

How much are the fees?
And more importantly- is the school financially secure?

My dd12 is at a small non selective prep and we love it for her, 10ish kids 2 classes per year, so many opportunities and so much support when dyslexia was diagnosed.

Our DC absolutely thrived in such an environment when we moved them in Y4; was absolutely the right school for them at the time and gave them the space to rediscover a love of learning and explore many activities. It led to getting into an excellent selective secondary school, and with a scholarship, when the time came. However, with the advent of VAT on school fees, the wonderful prep school closed this year - thankfully after our DC left but very sad that such a wonderful school had to close for other younger children, so definitely check the school finances before you make the switch.

Thanks, the financials does worry me also, we do need to do some investigation into that.

Locally everyone says its always been a small school with small class numbers.

Prefer not to name it here, as I'm in the middle of it all discussing placing DD.

That's a big pull, the local state primary is a short walk, she has made some lovely friends, headteacher is good, but her current teacher is awful if I'm honest, and the school moves to another site for Y3, so our plan is jump out for Y3 in September.

Plus of course there is the cash, thousands of pounds! It's a huge commitment

Fees are reasonable, there are a number of preps within driving distance from us, and they compare well, but the facilities are basic, think a big house converted into a school, so sports, swimming etc all off site.

We will do some serious digging on the financials

Thanks, I think this is where these schools can really shine !

DD goes to a small non-selective prep, although class sizes are more like 10-12 (2 classes per year). She's been there since reception and has thrived with the attention. She is bright but quiet and would have been overlooked in a state primary.

I'd be careful about relying on extracurriculars through school, as our school has plenty to offer but we still end up doing lots of ferrying! For example, they have ballet at school but it's only 30 mins compared to 60 mins externally and never put on dance productions or do grades, so we go to a class after school which puts on a show every year. They have a group swimming lesson in school but we pay for 1:1 classes as well, as it's more efficient in developing skills and we do it all year round. We do instrument lessons outside school because she doesn't like being withdrawn from normal school lessons and missing out, and the classes she does are at a conservatoire with ensemble groups and musicianship, so it's more specialist and at a higher level.

We've had a few prep schools close nearby, so definitely agree you need to check the financials.

This is one question that cannot be meaningfully answered by strangers on the internet. There is no way to meaningfully answer whether “non-selective” preps are “worth it”. Every school has a different ethos, goals, priorities, culture, community, physical facilities, pedagogical approach, academic expectations, disciplinary procedures, pastoral care, sport opportunities, leadership team, and on and on. The only characteristic that many or most of them may have in common is smaller class sizes, which is generally a positive thing but doesn’t really mean much on its own. I’d rather have my child in a class of 25 well-behaved students of roughly similar ability with a dynamic, experienced teacher than class of 10 students of wildly different academic levels and some behavior problems led by a disengaged or inexperienced teacher.

“Worth it” is also extremely subjective. Some families can easily afford school fees without making any changes to their lives or compromising their savings priorities. Some families could stretch to cover the feels by limiting family holidays and enrichment opportunities. And others would have to eat pot noodle every night and go without heating to afford it. Not to mention the million other things that contribute to your and your child’s of life — distance from home, transportation options, how it would affect your other children and family members, the culture of the school and whether your family is likely to fit in with the other families, and on and on.

And of course it’s all going to depend on what your other options. Is your child’s current school a good fit for your child and if not, does the specific prep you anee looking at seem like a better fit? Are there other state options? Is homeschooling an option? For some families it would be worth it and for others it wouldn’t. It’s highly unlikely that a stranger’s experience is going to have any relevance to your decision.

How do you check the financials if they are owned by a large group.

Thinking of a non selective prep in nw london near me. We put our son's name for the assessment at st paul cathedral (he is a baby) but IMHO it would be unpredictable how well he does at an assessment at that age no matter how bright he is.

“These schools” isn’t a thing. Some small non-selective preps have great SEND support, others have none. If SEND support is a priority you need to look at each specific school’s offerings individually. Making generalizations based on what someone else tells you about their particular school is meaningless.

A school with 10 kids per class is going to go bust sooner than you think. Don’t send your child to such a small non selective. Recipe for disaster

@eweCee Without naming the school, its owned by one of those portfolio private schools groups.with lots of schools under their control.

I can see their net assets etc, but I know some groups ( like Inspired education (its not them!)) are pretty ruthless in closing down small schools that aren't paying their way. I'll continue to do some digging.

@hesofine That's a very good point, DD currently does swimming club, music and a language class all outside school, especially with her instrument lessons, I can't see her wanting to give up, as she has a good bond with the teacher.

@misspeaches Agree title misleading, my main question was in the text, if you read it- Re- experience of small classes of 10 or even less. If DD was ' in a class of 25 well-behaved students of roughly similar ability with a dynamic, experienced teacher ' I wouldn't be looking for another school, would I !!🙄

The company that owns the school, owns a whole string of them, with a turnover of millions, and the school is in an affluent area (South East)

On paper it should be OK, but its impossible to predict. Have you experienced this @getsetdad ?

They are ruthless if a school underperforms or isn’t making them money. They shut them without thinking twice. Further, schools
owned by those groups tend to cut costs to increase margin as much as possible. Think cutting back on provision, higher fees, lower teacher pays etc. I’d be extremely wary of a small school owned by a large group unfortunately

Consider that a lot of parents put their kids into prep schools because their kids aren’t thriving in state but not for the reasons you think. There is a lot of learning needs and difficulties in private schools and councils also put kids there because it ‘suits’ them better.

Id save the money and enrich their lives with holidays and extra curricular.

Also if your child is sporty almost no chance with very small preps the can field a team as there aren’t enough kids .

Ive been to both and if you have a good state school and your daughter is doing well I wouldn’t make the move.

My son is at a non selective prep school and has just taken the 7+ and gotten into one of Londons best schools. We are also south east so maybe the same school you are referring to @my7yearold - happy to chat

This set up didn’t work for my DD. She did well academically but she struggled with friendships. There were only 4 girls in the class and none of them would’ve been friends if they had a choice. It got to year 2 and all fell apart. She’s now in a much bigger class at an independent and loves it. She has options for friendships and thrives on being part of a bigger collective. If kids fall out, they can go and play with other kids, it’s not a big deal. Everything was under a microscope in a small class

@helpagal yes this is v true

And yes to this @Hiptothisjivere the sports teams. At DD’s school they had to pull together teams from across a wide range of year groups because there wasn’t enough girls to form a netball team. At first I liked the way the children interacted with different year groups but now I can see the benefits of being with children of your own age

Thanks @helpagal and @Lovemykids29

We were thinking about 7+ , but didn't want to commit to somewhere till 18 ( I know 11+ is a lot more intense , but that's another pull to a prep that feeds at 11 into grammar and private senior school.)

Its useful to garner info on these type of small class , non- selective preps and of course I can google the actual school mumsnet and get some intel.