Transition from primary to secondary school

[Dumdidums]

I'm just curious about how the transition from primary to secondary schools in private schools works

If a child is in the primary school of a private school do they automatically get admitted to the secondary school department of the same private school ?

The reason i ask is because most private schools have an entrance examination to enter the first year of the secondary school but are the kids in the primary department automatically admitted even if it turns out that they are not academically gifted or does the school say no and ask expel them ? It may not have been apparent when the child entered school at aged 5 or 6 that they were not smart so does the private school take the hit and admit them to the secondary department knowing that they are unlikely to do well in public exams when they are 16

When i look at the websites of private schools who have primary and secondary departments the answer to this issue isn't really made clear

It will depend on the school.

In the all-through schools I know they will ask children who they don’t feel are at the right academic level to leave. It would be a case of ‘we can’t meet your child’s educational needs and another school might suit you better’. This happens more in the academic schools and less in the ‘whole person, all rounder’ type schools.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to the parents, with regular updates and reports plus additional academic support, I’d imagine they would already be aware that their child was struggling.

The small handful of children I know that have moved for this reason have thrived in their new, less academic and pressured, schools.

Usually automatic unless they have raised concerns from about y4. A few eg westminster, have a big kick out at y7 but that's unusual

Some do, some don’t. Increasingly local prep schools are giving non-exam entry to related seniors. However they also tend to sift out those who are less likely to cope academically or behaviourally from year 4 onwards and suggest alternative destinations.