From Prep school to State Secondary??

[ProfDumbledore]

Hello All

I have briefly been through the discussions here but need a bit of guidance. My DD goes to a very good prep school where she joined in year 3 and is extremely happy. Although boy/girl ratio is not equal, she seems happy in the company of boys. She is in year 5 so next year is very important regarding next school. Living in North West London we have a choice of some very good and some excellent but very academic senior private schools. DD is doing well in her studies and plays piano.

Our dilemma is that we have an outstanding senior state school less than one mile from our house which offers an excellent curriculum and the headmaster cares greatly about his school. Going to this school will mean our DD will have a good education and will have friends that live very local to us.

We are not sure whether to continue the private route. Senior school will cost approxim £6k a term in fees plus very expensive school trips etc. Whilst we are not rich, we are comfortable and if DD goes to private senior, it will inevitably affect our lifestyle to some degree.

we are finding it difficult to decide what to do. Many children in the prep schools and primary state schools are being tutored which kind of goes against my belief of putting in private.

What is it like in senior private - say somewhere like St Helens or Northwood College, Habs and an outstanding senior state school? I am talking not only academics but the type of girls/families that go to these schools? Is it all academic? Are there families who care about the other important aspects of life? I'm don't want to upset anyone but I have noticed that many families only care about academics and getting their children into the school of the parents' choice rather than the choice of the child. I could be wrong but I have heard it first hand from many families.

I apologise if this is going over old ground but I desperately need some guidance from your experiences to help me.

We will be going to many of the open days this year to gauge what our DD likes.

Thank you in advance and apologies if I have offended anyone.

[SheGotAllDaMoves]

lurked that's about the size of it.

Portraying the research as some sort of proof that state schools provide a superior education to private schools completely misses the point.

And if as bolognese says, we wish as a society to narrow the gap between ultimate outcomes (I remain unconvinced that everyone does but that's another thread I guess) then we need to start by accepting some home truths about the education our state provides.

[Saxons]

If she's likely to be in the top two sets, I would go state. The value added score of the schools is most important here. (How many levels each school can move their pupils forward - regardless of ability)

[MonsterDeCookie]

Bolognese, I'm not sure that's entirely correct. I think State education often misses out soft skills that are vital in business. In many professional p jobs your university qualification has precious little to do with your day to day job function. The ability to critically think, communicate and act as a team are far more important. I think it's easy out to say it's down to an old boys network. The national curriculum needs to be broader and at least attempt to include things which aren't easy to test in a standardised way. I've seen plenty of job candidates that had stellar qualifications but weren't a good fit because they were too narrow in their thinking of lacked confidence.

[getoffthattabletnow]

I would also start off with the state school .If you're unhappy move her at a later stage.We moved dd1 In year 9 to the local selective school.Several private schools round here recruit from year 9 and it helped that several children were leaving at the same time .
The biggest difference between state and private for dd has been regular homework and actually learning how to study ( homework was not a regular thing in the state Comp.)Peer Pressure as she got into a very bright crowd.
Much higher expectations,as everyone is pushed to maximise grades .A much wider Syllabus plus languages and sciences were taught to a very high standard .
It really doesn't surprise me that state school pupils are more successful at university .In order to succeed in state schools they need to have enormous drive and ability.Far more than the equivalent leaving private schools.Incidentally dd reckons that the ex state school pupils do better long term than the ex-prep school pupils due to their drive.Finally her bright friends in the state system haven't done that well in their GCSE's.

[BoboChic]

There is undoubtedly a positive impact on exam performance and academic attainment deriving from effective structure and guidance within schools. That structure and guidance is one of the KSFs of private education.

For some privately educated DC the removal of that structure/guidance is their undoing at university, initially. Some state educated DC, used to being more self-supporting, are better equipped to get on with things at university. But tbh there are a lot more variables at play than this and it is hard to draw meaningful conclusions.

[Autumnsky]

If there is an outstanding state school, I will always choose the state one. This is because we are not rich, the money saved can help children in the future if needed.

DS1 is at independant secondary, because the state school nearby wasn't very good.The secondary schools in our city were not very good, under national average. However, there are big improvements in recent years, so we are watching it , and may let DS2 go to the state one.

If not think about the fees we are paying, DS1's school is really good. There are maybe very rich families ,but his friends are all from professional background, they all work hard, and have good manners. I quite like his friends. School has the atmosphere of valuing accademic achivements, children try hard in exams. And there are lots of clubs, which are mostly free. All the children fit in, no one is left out . There is no bully problem. Lots to say, the most important is DS really like his school.

[Autumnsky]

I think there is no certain rule on state school or private school, it really depends on the individual child and the individual school.

Like one of our friends, their DD is very driven person, she went to the local satisfactory school, the school has some really rough students, but school is good at control it. Their DD achived amazing GCSEs and went to Cambridge for Medicine. But their DS is not doing well in state school, it is a relief when they moved him to private school in Y9.

[namechangedtoday15]

Doesn't it depend on what schools you actually have on offer locally / within a daily commuting distance?

The whole generic debate about state schools have discipline issues or paying parents are always invested in their children's education is pointless. Its about what options you have, and how they will suit your DC.

In my area, we are lucky to have state selective grammars that usually feature in the top 10 of schools nationally. Academically, they beat any of the schools (other state and private) in the region by some way. They have amazing facilities (funded for example by opening the gym to the paying public at weekend etc) that previous posters have suggested are only offered at private schools. One local state grammar has its own brand new 50m swimming pool complex (not that its the be all and end all - but my state school didn't even have showers that worked!!)

The local private schools, at £20k a year or thereabouts, therefore have a cohort made up of children who didn't pass for the grammars, parents who would have sent them to private school regardless, and people who moved into the area too late for the selective exams.

I think its not productive to generalise about whether private or state is always best. There are people who went to private school and would only consider sending their children to private school and vice versa. There are some incredibly biased views because every parent wants to think they are doing the best for their children.

So go to see as many of the schools as you can. See if you can visit at a time when lessons are going on so you can observe the pupils. Wander around at the end of school and see how they behave when they leave the school grounds (now I'm sounding like my mother). And then look at the Ofsted ratings and the league tables.

[SheGotAllDaMoves]

Well the OP has mentioned some private schools. But not the state alternatives.

[Saxons]

I've met unhealthy workaholics and extreme layabouts who come from both state and privately educated backgrounds. You as a parent have the biggest impact long term, way above a few years of schooling.

[ProfDumbledore]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Apologies for the delay in replying - back to school and back to routine so now I have a bit of time to read through the replies in more detail and to thank you all for your advice. It quite definitely is a thought provoking subject and I think everyone has contributed in a positive way. I am sure I will have more questions but for the time being I am going to get on with some reading.