How much influence does a prep school have in helping DCs get into senior schools?

[millymollymandy988]

Just interested in people's views on this? The whole pre-test situation is totally out of control in London and the South East and you would think that if prep schools actually had any influence things would have been sorted out by now......

Or has the tutoring epidemic muddied the waters so much that prep schools are no longer sure who the truly academic DCs in the cohort actually are?

[PresentingPercy]

That expectation would be wrong then! You should pay for a whole host of reasons but treading on others in the race for a university or career isn’t one of them. It’s a by product if DC is good enough. No private school will turn a sows ear into a silk purse but DC might get a rounded education along the way!

[BookShark]

Maybe. But come and live in SW London and you'll see it's a huge part of why people go to independent prep schools. I'm not saying it's fair & but it can and does make a difference. DD is in a class of 8 - that has several social challenges which is why she does a lot of activities outside - but like it or not, it gives her huge advantage in terms of her academic education.

But the flip side is that we don't pay for a tutor, as she's getting that education through school. Would you level the same accusation at those parents who tutor to get their children a state grammar place (which we've not even applied for, as there's no reason to do so)?

[coolingbreezes]

Are feeder schools really that important for state secondaries in London? I had no idea. Here, the entry criteria are all about where you live (plus faith, 11+ where relevant) - it's almost unheard of for a secondary to have an official feeder school (ie one that makes any difference to your chance of a place). As for reasons for choosing private, career and university weren't a factor at all for us. It was all about the day to day school experience, not the ultimate destination.

[PresentingPercy]

I would never want dc in a class of 8. It’s no advantage for social interaction and tolerance of others. My DDs prep had 18 per class. Lots of choices for friends and, as it was non selective, working groups.

Some private secondaries have their own feeder prep. They might also forge close links with others if they are the only private secondary for miles around. Secondary schools can have feeders but usually it’s a faith issue. However the schools that send the majority of DC to a school are in a geographic area and within catchment of the secondary. But - it goes on home address of parents.

[BookShark]

Let's just agree to disagree - everyone's situation is very different, and we're all making the choices that we think are the best ones for our children!

[TheExtraGuineaPig]

We're in the Surrey bordering SW London bit and all the non faith state schools (Esher, 3 Rivers, Hinchley Wood) have feeder primaries as their first criteria after looked after children and those with an EHCP. It's not unusual for primary children to have been private because the schools nearby are really full and you could have been given one a few miles away and then leave at yr5/6 to state primary because otherwise you can't get a nearby state school place. There's a big school place shortage in the immediate area compounded by bordering on to the London boroughs that are considered differently.

[PresentingPercy]

Fine with me BookShark. We do all have differing needs to consider.

I’ve certainly seen state schools name feeder schools but often private primary parents don’t want those schools. They tend to went grammars or continue with private. Sec mods as a total last resort.

[MGMidget]

Someone mentioned 'buying influence'. Maybe that applies in some schools but I think it is an exaggerated myth in London. Parents start their children off in private schools believing that they are paying for a ticket to get them into a prestigious secondary school but then later on they end up tutoring or supplementing the work of the school at home to get the children to the desired level themselves. So not really any different to the local state schools and, if anything, the bar can be set higher for some private secondaries when coming from a prep school in that they will positively discriminate or have different expectations of those coming from a state school. Some schools want the children to write the name of the school they are currently attending on the exam paper so they can take it into account in the marking or shortlisting for the next stage.

Boarding schools can still be a bit more 'clubby' with more dialogue between the prep heads and the senior schools from what I have observed second-hand. But boarding schools don't have such a volume of applicants per place (on the whole) and also they take predominantly from the prep schools so are adopting the same approach for everyone. Day schools in London, on the other hand, take large volumes from the local state schools and don't like to be seen to have any special dialogue with the private schools. Our prep head doesn't seem to like this though as it takes away an important part of his role where he can have influence, add value for parents, and continue the myth that prep school heads can help get children into their first choice school!

[ChocolateHoneycomb]

Is all ridiculous. I am trying to forecast where will be suitable for a very bright (overall) but erratically performing anxious ds with ASD and dyslexia. I suspect he will do averagely at best on the pretest. The senior schools seem to look at the pretest mean score, an objectively high stakes narrow computerised exam taken by 9-10 yr olds years before they will go to 13 plus schools, as the be all and end all.
Ds will do badly out of the system, and whilst we will find a school and his prep are being very supportive, I’m sure he isn’t the only one!

[Notmynom]

Chocolate honeycomb please don't despair. We were in a similar position with our DS. Incredibly bright but was getting completely average scores on practise tests leading up to the ISEB - he has dyspraxia which affects his spacial awareness and made NVR a real problem. We knew he'd get a really poor score on that part of the test. Anyway his school said based on his overall academic performance we should still apply for the most academic schools because the tests weren't reflecting his ability and that they would stress this in his reference. He got interviews at all of them which then gave him the chance to show his true ability.

One of the schools told me that he hadn't got the type of overall score they'd normally expect but had got an outstanding score on one particular section and they'd noticed he'd completed the whole thing in under half the time allocated and factored this in too. So I think that while they use the pretest to sift applicants they aren't just looking at the overall score - they really look at the detail. A boy who does really well on some sections but not others can still get through and the prep school can really improve the chance of this happening by what they write in the reference.