London - small private with full bursary or v good, oversubscribed state secondary?

[NooNooMummy]

My state-primary child has a place for both. Single-sex. Don’t know what to do for the best. Both have pros and cons. How would you choose?

How small? Small indy schools are the ones most at risk from VAT and these are mainly the ones which have been closing.
Have you scrutinised the finances?

You’re in a nice position!
I’d choose Independent- they’re more focused on education and will give your child focused lessons in a more nurtured environment with less kids.

What do you mean by small exactly? How many forms because 4/5 is about average? It’s very unlikely a London independent secondary school will go bust as suggested by pp.

You choose the one that fits your child the best, what are their thoughts? How did they find the transition days? Subjects that they offer/sports/ travel etc Ultimately, academic success should rank quite high as that’s the main purpose of schools!

Just to add, best to make the decision sooner rather than later as it’ll be better for your child to feel settled on where they’re going & for someone who will be on the waitlist & need to get uniform etc etc

It’s a GSA school - does that help?!

Not really. You need to do some forensic analysis of their accounts tbh

Look at how financially viable the private school is. How good is the state?

Of the GSA schools I know of in London, all are likely to be financially stable. But there is a huge range in terms of academics and ethos. So it's very difficult to say without knowing which school.

What are the pros and cons?

Are we talking Queensgate v St Marylebone/Greycoats/Lady Margaret? Or a slightly more prestigious indie?

Not prestigious private but is small, friendly, amazing pastoral etc
State is comprehensive but highly academic, high achieving for many there
Similar travel
We are poor and don’t want her to feel ‘less than’ at private
Know a few girls in each year at the state. Just one other person we know at the private.

Choose the Indy. Small classes, lower staff turnover are the big pros. So many state schools I know, even the really good ones, just can’t retain or recruit good teachers - my dd is at a fantastic state comp but even so, has had subs for so many classes especially in y7 to y9.

I would 100% unquestionably take the Indy offer.

We are lower income and have never been made to feel "less than" at DDs independent secondary. Small ish school with 60-70 per year split into classes of 15-20.
Zero regrets, DD is thriving

I wouldn't presume you would feel less than at a private, it really depends on the school and who it attracts. Some of the most desired London comps also have a very affluent parental intake.

Is your daughter highly academic? If so, I'd go for the comprehensive since it sounds like the private school isn't massively academic. If not, maybe the private would be a gentler experience. Also, is your income likely to go up? If so you may find that the bursary becomes less over the seven years. Would that be a factor at all?

What does the child want?
you have a full bursary why give up that opportunity? I would have to have some serious concerns about a school before I would let that pass.

All good points. She’s not top flight academic and it’s the less intense private that attracts me for that reason. Having to account for my income for 5 years is also off-putting.

5 years? 7 years, presumably, or would you move her to state for sixth form? I would personally not move a child at that stage unless they really wanted to. The change in culture could be quite a lot to get used to at an important time.

Also, the bursary process is quite a commitment. You will need to supply evidence of everything including bank statements. If you don't like the thought of that, it's possible that the state option may work better.

But I agree with @SchoolDilemma17 that what your daughter wants is important here.