State to 16, private for 6th form?

[AlexandraMary]

Possible? Our local comp is decidedly (below) average, and only goes up to 16, so children leave to work or one of a load of local 6th form colleges. Very little chance of getting into any of the schools that do have sixth forms as we're well out of catchment.

We have always anticipated going private, but it has occurred to me that another option is to stay in the state system until GCSE then go private. We would consider boarding.

I would be grateful for any experiences or thoughts. Thanks.

Do sixth forms have the same catchment issues? May well have changed since I was at school, but the school I went to was oversubscribed, but in the sixth form had people coming from much further away.

No, no catchment issues for sixth forms locally. If we were to go state I'd imagine the children (I have three) would choose which sixth form(s) to apply to. My thinking is: if they're moving anyway, then why not open the field entirely and consider private/boarding schools as well.

(Sorry I wasn't clear in my OP. Ideally at 11 I'd want him to go to a school that was 11-18, but all the local 11-18 schools are oversubscribed, so he'd only get into the school which is 11-16 then move to either a sixth form college, or the sixth form of an 11-18 school.)

That does make sense. Afraid I don't have any experience of private or boarding schools so hopefully someone else with more knowledge will answer as well :)

we have a very selective grammar here for 11-16. Local kids whose parents can afford it generally send them to less-local independent schools if they fail the grammar exam

However there is a much less selective (but still high-achieving) 6th form attached to the selective grammar; most of the indie kids come back to that & it has an incredibly wide catchment area.

HTH

Many independent senior schools have a small intake into 6 th form. If your thinking of boarding you might be better to look at schools with separate boarding houses for the 6 th form as it may resolve the problem of integrating into an already establish group. The very selective schools I understand are very over subscribed expect A*s and require the candidate to sit a pretty difficult entrance exams as well. All will have websites outlinning their particular requirements!

Also consider if universities are 'against' private education. Would he do well enough in the last two years to overcome any prejudice?

From experience I'm all in favour of 6th form boarding. The ideal half-way house between living at home and the scary freedom of university

Check on the entry requirements of the 6th forms round you before you make a decision- ours don't have catchments- you have to apply (even if you are already in the school).

If the comp is not very good then it will be quite a shock going to a private school at the age of 16 where most kids are of a certain class. This could affect your children's self esteem and they may feel a bit like a fish out of water. Also, better they have a solid foundation rather than a clutch or average GCSE's from a less prestigious exam body. I would do it the other way around - inde from Y7-Y11 and then state sixth form.

There are no catchments in our local sixth forms AFAIK. My point is more that if he's moving school anyway, why not consider all the options?

colleger - I take first your point but I don't see that as a problem for us; if anything he'd feel more at home. Husband is public school/oxbridge and I'm indie/oxbridge and we're both in the professions. Your latter point is more of a concern - but I'm trying to keep an open mind about state education. The local comp is crap but improving and a small handful of pupils get a clutch of A/A* so it can be done. I'd like to think our influence at home and advice will help him choose and succeed at GCSE with an eye to the future.

Surely if you start at independent school at age11/13 it would be a massive culture shock to change at 16 yrs old back to state. Also you've got to leave your friends who are most likely to be staying on. The other point is three children in boarding school from yr 6/8 that's £100 000 a year that's a lot of money. If I was doing this I would look for a school with a biggish intake into the sixth form but beware I think you'll find that the entry requirements are quite stiff as are the closing dates early in the year. The indpendent school I work at (I'm not a teachers) whIch is not particularly selective at 13 is much more picky at 16 and alot of able children come from abroad to do their A levels.

I had a friend who went from 'ordinary' indie to public boarding school for a level. It is v well known but not academically hard to get into. I got the impression quite a lot of pupils started at 16+ but I think settling in depends more on personality than on whether they've come from state or indie. I also know people who went indie to state at 16 and still ended up in the professions.

"it has occurred to me that another option is to stay in the state system until GCSE then go private. We would consider boarding."

It is so difficult to advise because it depends so much on the individual DC and the specific schools.
Locally, a fair few kids transfer from the State comp to the Independent despite having spent their school-life slagging it off and being daggers drawn (not literally: we're not London, but YKWIM.) I think that they find the step up in the workrate a challenge but they survive. Colleger's problem of fish-out-of-wateriness depends entirely on the Independent school - some are posh, others not so much.
Don't forget that boarding is available in the State sector too, and is much cheaper than private.

Good point oshcosh re: state boarding we used to live in Kent and Cranbrook is a very highly regarded state boarding school.

Just a thought.... if the comp is not very good and is only 11-16, will they really be able to get even a pretty able child up to the standard required for a decent independent school 6th form entrant? They just wont be used to teaching at that standard if they don't have an intacke with much in the way of academic aspirations?

A levels are A levels, you know- private schools don't do special extra hard ones! It's a massive step up from GCSEs wherever you go.

Oh, and I would have thought you'd get more independence at a day school than boarding, if you're thinking about preparation for university.

DH teaches science in an indie school. They get kids start in the 6th form. There is often a prob that state school tend to do double science, whereas his school enters the majority of pupils for triple award at GCSE. When new pupils come into the 6th form they need catch up lessons because they've not covered as much.

Interestingly because this comp is a foundation school (or maybe it's not relevant, not sure) it does offer triple science GCSE.

Thanks for your thoughts - we're a long way away from this decision just yet but other friends are at the secondary application stage and having to make the state/private decision so it's been on my mind.

The posh/not posh is an interesting one. I wouldn't discount a school just because it was particularly posh - it's more about the education than how posh/wealthy the parents are.

It's in my mind too because I assumed that all children in public schools had gone through the prep school/ common entrance route but I have close contact with a local public school through work and one of the sixth form girls told me she'd come from a state comp albeit a rather better regarded one.

In my area, the secondary schools go up to sixteen, and then pupils move on to sixth form colleges, which are mega-sized (eg 1500 students over the two years). Needless to say, independent schools with smaller sixth forms are an attractive option.

Speaking to friends who have used the sixth form colleges, options are often not very flexible. It can be quite lucky to get all four of your AS preferences.

If you go to sixth form within a school environment, there is lots of opportunity for additional responsibilities, especially once you move into upper sixth (you might be house captain, subject captain, sports captain or deputy, prefect, Y7 mentor, and so on).

An independent school sixth form is more likely to be fully integrated into the life of the school, but a state sixth form within a secondary school will have its opportunities as well.

I would encourage you to look around the target schools and see what they have to offer. It doesn't cost anything to look.

I'm not fixated on boarding btw just that we have v few academic boys schools near us so we're looking at a long commute/ school buses which has its own quality of life implications.

Sorry to ask the obvious question: is moving to the better catchment area a possibility?

seeker - boarding school 6th forms tend to have a lot of independence. Kitchens for cooking snacks (and clearing up after yourself); laundry room - do at least some of your own washing; Saturday evening in the pub - but hell to pay if you get drunk; and generally organising your own life without mum...

Re moving. Not playing that game - would rather go private or deal with the hand we're given than play the catchment game.

Thanks everyone - really useful comments.

DD1s school has the only sixth form for miles and they get out of catchment pupils joining them.
Heaven knows what's going to happen with this every one stays in education till they are 18 nonsense.