Is private for sixth form after bog-standard comp worth thinking about?

[oneofthegiantsisme]

This is a long way in the future at the moment - DD is going into Y9, DS into Y&, but just planning ahead

We don't have the income or savings to fund private education for both DC all the way through, but I think we have enough to cover 2 years each. The state school they attend (will attend, in DS's case) does not have a sixth form so they will need to move anyway.

So is it worth considering sending them to private school for sixth form - would it help them to acheive their best at A level, or would they be outsiders, plebs, not be able to keep up, do just fine at the state schools available? Both are academically able.

I'm a complete novice at private education anyway, so don't even know how to start researching it! Any advice greatfully received.

DS into Y7, that should be, and achieve - that'll teach me not to preview before I post

There is often movement at that point in and out. A few of ds' peers (he takes GCSE next summer at an independent) are already looking to move. Some private schools can be seem limiting , offering fewer vocational qualifications or offer A levels rather than IB or vice versa. By then it may all have changed anyway if Mr Gove has his way .

Fair point about Mr Gove (slightly insulated here in Wales, but would probably be looking at English private schools)!

It sounds positive that movement is normal. I'd love to be able to send them both private all through secondary (DD in particular would do better at a girls' school, I think), but it's not financially viable, and I'd hate to send them & then have to remove them because we run out of money, or send one private but not the other.

They might do just fine at the state schools but ime you do get a better education in private schools (not a popular view on mn). They shouldn't be outsiders at a decent school, they certainly shouldn't be viewed as plebs, but as always you need to visit the schools and come to careful conclusions. Mn is no substitute for gut instinct!

To be fair with the pressure on top universities to allocate more places to pupils from comps it might be counter-productive. My DD2 attends a new academy that has just gone into Special Measures yet they have 11 going to Oxbridge, 7 to Med and 60% Russell Group out of 153 in Year 13. Clever pupils will get the A* anywhere but it is more impressive from a bog standard comp. I think the impact of indies is earlier, lots transfer for 6th form; looks better on UCAS.

DD has just done her taster days ready to enter 6th form at the comp\now academy that she has attended since year 7. There were several pupils there from private schools - 1 reason for changing was apparently more choices of subjects (& others I assume would be finances or lack of grades). We are just over the border into England btw and some new pupils from wales - Ellesmere & Denbigh schools.

Don't do it. I moved my dd into private school in year 9, and it was the biggest mistake I even made. My private school is just about money. The children get good results, because they have tutors, and if they aren't going to get a good grade at GCSE, they are not entered for the exam. A good grade is A*-B. Look around for a state school with a good sixth form. Pastoral care in my private school is non-existent, and the standard of teaching is average.

It was 20 years ago, but I moved from state to private for A levels and it was he best thing that I ever did.
I had a year in the local 6th form college and was heading for Cs and Ds. I left the private school with 4 As, it was worth every penny and I'm grateful that my parents could afford it.

I would seriously consider it if you have the funds, especially if the current school is not an option - obviously go round, see all the possibilities state and private and pick the one that's best for your child - it just means you have more options. There's no way your DC won't fit in or be accepted: as someone else said there's a lot of movement at sixth form, both in and out. Some from my dd's indie girls school head to the local sixth form college as it has a good reputation, some others stay, still others go to mixed indie sixth forms. Every year there are a handful of new children joining the school and they always fit in really quickly :)

Antoni, it sounds like you've had a tough time but there is a good chance the OP isn't considering your dd's school. Yes, there are some private schools that may be "all about the money" but there are also plenty with good pastoral care and excellent teaching. I think it comes down to the individual options that the OP has. On the face of it, I do think it is worth exploring, especially as a school move has to happen anyway.

I would say no. Go for a good state school instead.

I went to my local comp for GCSEs and then moved to the highest achieving state school in the county for A levels (so not actually private but very academic and high acheiving, had lots of the values and ethos of a private school).

I was like a fish out of water. Not necessarily socially but academically. There was a lot of grounding which the continuing students had which I lacked, although a little subject specific. Languages and maths seemed particularly challenging for the 'outsiders'.

I went from being literally the top of my year in most subjects at the comp to the mid-bottom and I struggled with that, but maybe thats my personality.

Thanks for the replies. As I said, it won't be for a while yet, but it certainly seems worth considering when the time comes; we'll have to look at the options and decide which suits which child, obviously, but at least I think it will be worthwhile looking at the local private schools as well as state.

round here all the comps stop at 16 and then the kids go to 6th form college
as do many of the kids from the private schools
and some of the comp kids go to the private schools
its horses for courses - and best decided in year 11

My DC moved from private to state at sixth form, as did many of their friends who attended a selection of local private schools. DS's old school in particular, had a large sixth form & offered a good selection of courses, but 16 year olds like to find their own path in life & thankfully we have an outstanding college on our doorstep where he & DD gained places.

I've no idea if my DC would gain better results if they remained in their private schools, but we felt they needed to have less support during their A Levels to prepare them for university life. Maybe I might feel differently next month when DS gets his AS results? It was definitely the right decision for DD though.

Yes definitely at 16 I think they want to choose ... and have strong ideas about possible options

Round here many DCs move from private to state. Comp 6th forms tend to be larger and it is therefore more practical for them to offer a wide range of courses. All our local schools have 6th forms, and there is also a college. Lots of movement at the end of GCSE.