applying to prep school after homeschooling

[cybersheep]

Hi all

I want some advice on pulling my daughter out of kindergarten and whether it would affect her prep school application.

We are based in Hong Kong, and my girl is currently in her last year of kindergarten. We are planning to apply to Cottesmore (7+ full boarding) and or Dragon, Highfield and Sandroyd when she is older since full boarding for these schools start at 8-9 yo.

To withdraw my girl from kindergarten, I need to give the school 3 months notice, so 3 months from now will be end of January 2027. My reasoning is that I want to take the time off to travel with her, give her time to do the activities that she likes (swim, archery, she wants to pick up learning the piano again etc.), she had absolutely no time to play and to relax with school and school work.... I have already taken her out of school for 2 months since Sept and she has been thriving!!!! She has became way more confident and out spoken. Every day she has time to read, to practice her instruments, make silly crafts in her room, go to the park to play etc.

I do not plan to let her just sit at home and do nothing, there will be pretty structured schedule for her classes like what we have been doing for these 2 months. I still want her to finish her G5 violin exam, G5 theory exam, French DELF Prim etc.

Hubby is skeptical, grandparents are really against this. If she doesn't have graduation certificate from nursery, no school report for the final semester. Would it affect her prep school application? I know Cottesmore's website says report for the last 3 terms, I am yet to speak with the school's admissions. We have talked to the admissions from Dragon last year, and I don't think that would be an issue with them.

I just don't want to be making a decision that would ruin my girl's school application in the future and right now all the grandparents think I am absolutely nuts!!!

I’d be more concerned that at 6 (?) she didn’t have enough time to do those things anyway alongside school - how much time can school and schoolwork take up?

I'd be more concerned about full boarding from 7. Would you be in the same country?

School is Monday to Friday 8:30 to 12:00, usually the kids come out around 12:15, it takes around 45 minutes to get home. Then she eats lunch (13:00-1400), after that she starts doing homework. She has Chinese writing x2, English writing x2 , Maths homework and a few worksheets for either Chinese, English or Maths everyday. One Chinese book report and one English book report weekly. This year she also has Chinese and English dictation and Maths quiz every week.

Usually between 4-6pm she either has classes (violin, French, archery, Suona, Mandarin, some of which takes place outside of our home so gotta account for travelling time as well), if not then she has to do revision for her dictations and quizzes, she is also in the middle of primary 1 interview for schools in Hong Kong so it's more intense these few months, (self-introduction, reading comprehensions for both languages, logical reasoning etc.) hence why I decided to put her off school for two months since Sept.

Then it's dinner time, she sleeps at 8pm. She is 5, turning 6 in Dec.

I know it sounds like a crazy amount of schoolwork, she goes to a top school in HK and it's competitive. What concerns me a lot is that my girl would always come home telling me she is stupid.... her classmates all have something they are very good at, like swimming/ maths/ preparing for G8 piano exam, my girl is more average in terms of development in all the aspects but she isn't stupid. Since last year started nursery, her confidence level dropped so much, she won't speak up, she gets more timid in trying things or answering questions

Tbh full boarding at 8-9+ is more ideal for us, but 7+ full boarding would be an option if she doesn't get into a decent primary school in HK. We also looked into Swiss boarding schools (Rosenberg has full boarding from age 6), but I went to boarding school in the UK myself so I'm more familiar with the system and the schools here. I have spent more time of my life in the UK than my home country.

I am definitely open to fly over monthly to see my girl or even moving to the UK, so she can be flexi boarding.

Wow this is next level stuff, grade 5 on instruments? My 5.5 year old needs plenty of geeing up to do her piano practice, and thats Mary had a Little Lamb level.

This is so far from my world that I have no advice. Why not ask admissions, you could always position it that you'll be travelling with work so are homeschooling temporarily - if you feel you need a credible reason.

I'm sorry to hear her confidence has dropped as she sounds exceptional to me!

Thanks for your encouragement! It's been disheartening to see my girl changed so much after a year in nursery, and almost all her tutors noticed it and spoke to me about it. She has gotten so much more confident, less moody, way more talkative and extremely proactive in practising her instruments, trying new things and she picked up the habit to read independently everyday.

I will reach out to admissions this week and schedule some calls. Travelling with work so we are homeschooling temporarily sounds credible.

I think what you should actually be thinking is - is a competitive prep the right place for her?

can she handle another x years of this?

taking her out for 2 months is not the answer……

Speaking as a teacher, I don't think a missing kindergarten report would hold her back. Prep schools mostly rely on their own assessment and a meeting with your daughter. What they want to see is a curious, settled child who talks happily about what she enjoys.
When you speak to admissions, ask what they would accept in place of a report. Keeping a simple record of her time at home would help: a reading log, a few pieces of writing and maths, her music and French results. A short letter from one of her tutors describing her progress would also carry weight.
The confidence change you describe matters more than any certificate. A child who is happy to have a go and explain her thinking does well in these assessments.

If you think she has changed negatively due to nursery/kindergarten you will see far more drastic changes by sending her overseas to board at 7/8. Relatively few children full board before 10/11 in UK. A different education system or homeschooling would not in itself be a barrier but it may simply not benefit or suit her. Why are you considering this and what support would she have in UK. Even full boarding preps encourage parental visits and mandatory exeats so you do need a relative or guardian nearby.

I would consider if it's tge right school and scale back on extracurriculum classes.

If you return (or your child) to UK and you can afford private boarding school you don't need a Hong Kong top school at 5 yo.

@cybersheep as @LIZS says, if you send your 7yo to board in the UK and you live in Hong Kong, the school will require a guardian near the school so she can go on exeats regularly.

It’s very unusual, even among families where boarding school is the norm, for children as young as seven to board. Have you asked the schools you are considering how many full boarding 7yos they have? That's key surely as if the majority are weekly board (for example) then will she find herself alone at the weekend?

You say you went to boarding school – was that from this kind of age? What does your DD think about it? Please give it vey careful consideration – including how much she will change when away from you for weeks at a time.

As far as your concerns over absence from her current school go, I think you need to ask the schools you are targeting, but I imagine that the suggested explanation of travelling for work reasons would surely be sufficient. She sounds amazing by the way – the accomplishments you list would be way beyond anything achieved by most children of her age in primary school in England.

Just to agree that the number of dd who full board in the Uk aged 7 or 8/9 is tiny - like a handful. Also I would read the Independent Schools Inspectorate report 2026 for Cottesmore because they did not meet all the standards for pupils physical emotional mental health well being due to supervision at break times. Plus loads of leadership standards not met. Of all the actions you could take to impact your dd’s life sending her to board so young at a U.K. prep school has to be the most impactful.