13+ or 11+

[duckedoff]

My son has the option of leaving his small wonderful primary school at the ehe end of year 6 or to dtay on and leave at end of year 8. Have no idea what to do. Most leave after year 6 but some stay till year 8, with a small class of roughly 12. He is very happy at his school. is currently in year 5.Any ideas on pros or cons of either?

Kids grow up really quickly after 10, I would say year 6 otherwise he may feel left out as he gets older.

Sounds very much like our prep. I would say focus on where you see him for next schools. If you are going state (including grammar) then absolutely move at 11 as places later on can be like gold dust.

If you are thinking independent then look at how many children they accept at 13. If the great majority start at 11 and they only take on a handful more at 13 then this can prove tricky with breaking into established peer groups. Less of an issue if your son makes friends easily but something some of the boys from our school have struggled with.

If you are planning on schools with large 13+ intakes then there are huge merits to staying on in terms of maturity and confidence. Our boys come on huge amounts in those last two years and usually become a very tight knit group. Years 7 and 8 at school can be “catch up” years as the school gets everyone up to the same level. Staying means that there is far more enriched learning as opposed to being bored repeating stuff they have done earlier. Just check there are enough boys to field sports teams if that’s your sons thing.

small wonderful primary school

This is presumably a prep school? If so, what were your intentions when he joined the school - what did you want him to be prepared for?

If not - I guess it’s the same decision but with less advice from the primary school.

What are your best senior school options? Isn’t that the deciding factor?