St.Paul's / taking a child to go to a boarding school at 13+?

[newtothis15]

If a child is in SPJ, can parents take him out at the end of year 8 to go to a boarding school in Year 9 ( instead of going to 13+ at St.Paul's)? Thank you.

You probably can if you give appropriate notice (check terms and conditions) but it would mean your ds is less likely to settle or make friends in the short term if he thinks he will be leaving again.

Why would you; he won't sit the pretest or be prepared for CE. Lots of families really want day schools for their boys and really want St Paul's to 18. Why grab a place now when you plan to move him anyway? Choose a prep that prepares for your favoured boarding school where he will settle and may well make friends he moves on with as well as be prepared properly and advised properly on his next schools

Although I think around 3-5 boys do this each year, or at least did about 4 years ago when I was last looking at it. Generally Eton, I assume with families who lived way out west so didn't want to commute in to westminster under or Sussex house.

They certainly can't stop you from doing so, although you would have to come to arrangement with the boarding f school in question as to what if anything they need to be taken by way of common entrance or other confirmatory exam

And St P's wouldn't prepare them, I imagine, for the iseb etc at year 6. I assume you are contemplating 7/8+ rather than 11+ which would be a touch perverse, although I was rather surprised to find that two of the 11+ entrants in DS2s Class at W Under were heading to Eton. I assume they must have hidden this from WUS when applying.

In such circumstances, if DS is on a bursary and sat exam for example in Year 7 Harrow test, could the bursary be taken away?

@newtothis, if your ds is currently in a state school that ends at year 6 & your really want him to go to Harrow you should speak to Harrow about a local prep school that may take your ds on a bursary for 2 years. You should not take up a bursary place at SPJ if you don't intend to stay. Yes SPJ will write the reference for your ds for Harrow so you should read the bursary offer small print very carefully.

Harrow is year 6 iseb - they used to be year 7 but have moved earlier to be in line with their competitors.

If you are talking about bursaries, are you contemplating st p for 11+ entry? Because if so then your son will need to do his 11+ and boarding school entries as the same time, all before he gets to st P.

If 8+, then I guess you need to read your bursary info carefully, but I would be surprised if they offer them that young.

And as pp said, you could apply to them all in year 6 and if he gets Harrow or eton or whatever, and you are certain you want him to go there, t wouldn't be hard to get another proper prep school to take him for year 7 and 8 and it would bring the advantage of being with other boys who would be heading to boarding school, even if not actually the same one as him

I think ops ds is already y6. Eton, Tonbridge etc do prefer state pupils to have spent y7 and 8 in prep schools and have arrangements with some to do so.