My son is in a private prep school where he can stay until 13. The school also supports departure at 11 although this has historically been mostly for the girls as there are fewer private secondary places for them at 13. We are in London and looking for a day pupil place for private secondary school not boarding. I can't decide whether it is best to focus on 11+ or 13+ and I am hoping that some mumsnetters can offer me their words of wisdom! The school head recommended waiting until 13 so DS have more time to mature (he is not the most mature of boys!). I would be happy to keep him in his current school until 13 but I am worried that it may be harder to find a good school place at 13 within an easy travelling distance. I also know our school head has previously stated he has an objective to increase the number of pupils staying until 13 so I am not sure he is giving us the best advice. Does anyone know if it is harder to get into the London day schools at 13 than at 11? And also do the boys really benefit from waiting until 13 to transfer to secondary school or are they then under greater pressure to settle in quickly in the secondary school than if they transfer at 11? I would appreciate hearing what people's experiences have been. We are in South London so our target schools are West/South West/South and central London or a short train ride South/West of London. Our son is reasonably academic but not top tier so we haven't applied to St Paul's/Westminster and think KCS may be a stretch but Dulwich schools, Trinity/Whitgift, City of London, Emmanuel, Ibstock and Hampton are on our radar. And yes, I know some of this list are more academic than others and some have more places at 13 than others! I would be grateful to hear views.
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11+ or 13+ private secondary transfer for a boy in London - can't decide!
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MGMidget · 15/10/2018 11:40
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