Need to decide on school quick!!

[ChampsNCanape]

I have previously posted on MN about my son and what school he should go to for sixth form. Applications for all the schools in our area are closing soon and I still don't know where!!

We have 3 options - 2 private and 1 state - in my area. Boarding is probably out of the question. DS currently goes to a very good grammar school however it does not have a sixth form.

Option 1 is a private school in our town. It's decently well regarded and is the cheapest out of the 2 however it gets lower results than both other schools. However sporting facilities are excellent and so is their sixth form centre. £8.5K per term.

Option 2 is a private school in a nearby town. Very highly regarded and has amazing facilities all round. Quite a large school and the campus is very large. Co-curricular activities are the best by far. Good academically and very sporty. £11.5K perm.

Option 3 is a state sixth form. Academically it is excellent, I looked at average grades on the Gov.UK site and it actually gets the best grades out of the 3. However it has worse sporting facilities and although there are a decent selection of mandatory co-curriculars (though less options than option 1/2). DS is quite sporty so I worry that he might miss out on some sporting facilities?

Option 3. The results are better and I'm sorry but it seems bonkers to pay £30k + a year for good sports facilities when I'm sure he will be able to access sporting facilities outside of school should he wish to.

Where would your ds prefer? What A levels is he considering? Is sport one of them? If so will he be doing most of his sport in school (is that an option?) or with an outside club? What are they like for his other chosen subjects and what is pastoral care like? What would travel look like for each option? Just a few things to consider!

Agree

If he’s not doing PE A level, I’d go for the ‘academically excellent’ state school and get him a gym membership!

Option 3, pay for separate sporting lessons and save the money for uni.

Most sports talent is nurtured outside of school, although there may be specialist training for sports scholars and elite teams. If he can play at club level outside school he may not benefit from extensive facilities but still be expected to turnout fir teams at weekends which may clash. Look beyond the facilities at where he feels he would achieve best grades towards longer term goals.

If he is an athlete he will be training out of school anyway surely?

Forgot to mention this, but he seems indifferent about it. Every time I ask he just says, "I don't mind".

This.

If he doesn't mind that makes it even odder that you'd spend so much money. Does he actually want to go to sixth form.

State 6th form. There are so many better things to do with 60 grand.

I've never heard of a grammar school without a 6th form. Where do the other grammar kids go?

Option 3 as it's the best academically and it's free!

Spend the £30k per year you've saved on sports clubs, travel, tutoring if needed, uni costs etc.

Infact you could probably BUY him a sports club for the £60k you'll save yourself!

I have DC at independent schools. Sports is less in sixth form as focus is on exams so I wouldn’t pay on basis of sports facilities as he may not use them much. Also the children playing for the best teams are few out of whole cohort. Even in my DC school which is sports for all its less in sixth form. Friends at other independent schools say it’s only sport for A team and occasionally B team so definitely find out if he would even be playing competitively. Results in grammar and independent is often a direct correlation with how selective the school was on intake. State school with good results means bright child will do well. Mad to even consider spending money at this stage for the sports facilities.

Do all offer the A levels he wants to do? What are the results in those subjects like?
What are his plans after 6th form? Uni? Subject? Apprenticeship?
What support is available from each?
Does he have any other interests that would be supported by any of them?

The grammar is quite far from us (1.5 hour bus journey from our town) and most kids are from around that area, and go to good state/independent schools near there, however it would be too much of a journey for DS to attend those schools.

Which grammar school doesn't have a sixth form? Is it a private school with the name "grammar"?

Option 3 seems a no brainer to me, especially as your DS is so unbothered!

My DS is in year 12 and had a very clear view of what he wanted to do after GCSEs and where he wanted to do it. I find it odd that your ds has no opinion.

A levels are a big step up in terms of workload so sports facilities are much less important. As long as he remains active out of school that wouldn’t bother me at all.

Option 3 and use some of the money you save on giving him sporting opportunities.

State school and membership to a gym and a couple of clubs for his preferred sports

Maths, Sports Studies and probably something else which'll get him into finance at decent Uni.

Does the state school get decent results for the Sports Studies?

In my view the last place you want a really talented sporty child is a sporty school. They take school sport far too seriously and it will then interfere with his training for his main sport.

(My dd is the National Champion at her main sport. She does loads of sport with her state school and is picked for various teams regularly but if she can’t make it because she has a competition or training or it is just a rest day then they are very understanding. She has friends in private schools that insist on a hockey match each week. And one who missed the national championships because it was school prize giving day and they wouldn’t let him miss it!)