Private School vs State School

[Taz786]

Hi All,

My daughter has been offered a place at Withington High School and Altrincham Grammar. Altrincham is a 40 min bus ride away, Withington is walking distance but it have a major impact on our finances and any ability to save. I just wanted to know if you felt there was a major difference for a child in a private school, do they benefit in any other ways? Due to covid we were not able to view the schools so it's just people opinions and the prospectus that we are basing our decision. Alty grades seem amazing and we only have to pay for the yellow private bus and school meals. We can save and go on family holidays, however with Withington we wouldn't but happy to sacrifice that if there is something that we are missing that she may gain from going to a private school which produces very similar results.

They are both great schools so we are really confused.

I don't know the specific schools you mention, but I would (and did) choose a great state school over private for my DC.

My DS1 is currently in a private school and has a place at a (super-selective) grammar from September. For us, the main difference is the facilities, in particular the sporting facilities at his current school which are on a completely different level to the grammar. DS1 is also very sporty but he hasn’t really been able to take advantage of those facilities over the past 12 months. We’ve been paying £12k for him to sit in his room for most of those 12 months and it would increase to £18k from September. We just can’t justify spending that amount of money when he will most likely get the same or better GCSE’s at the grammar and there is no guarantee that he will even be able to take advantage of the facilities at his current school. He has been offered a scholarship to stay at his current school but it’s only a very small amount.

The other difference is class sizes (20 at his current and 30 at the grammar - although it reduces to 25 and below in year 10 onwards). However, he would not be in sets straight away in the senior division of his current school so he would be taught in the same class as boys who are quite far behind him in certain subjects (e.g. maths). We feel that cancels out a lot of the benefit of a smaller class. He has not been in sets for home learning and we have found that he is whizzing through the extension work and getting bored. The headmaster at the grammar has assured us that there is no need for sets because the boys are all at the same level. We therefore believe it will suit him better educationally. However, I appreciate that it depends on the individual schools.

I chose a private school for my girls but if there had been the option of a great grammar, or indeed any great state school, that's where they would have gone.

If you have access to a good state school, I wouldn't waste your money tbh.

Grammar school isn't the same as bog standard state school, so I'd choose there. I also think commuting is a good lesson. I walked to school and I found travelling to uni & work very difficult when I left. Although maybe more wfh going forward due to Covid.

My 2 go to Private school because we don’t have a good State alternative. If you like The Grammar and it will make things easier financially then go for that

Private schools vary as much as State, across the board, some are fantastic and others not so. Get as much info as you can on both schools and see which your DD 'fits' best.

We chose boarding over grammar. DD1 passed 11 plus with a high mark. DD2 - we opted out of the exam. Grammars are not all the same and private schools are not all the same. Some are better than others and not all dc make the best of either.

Boarding at a very good school is different to going to a Grammar with 1300 pupils. I felt DDs were actually known at the boarding school and if they wanted to get involved with extra curricular, they were not balloted out. The grammars here are not full of extra bright Dc. Neither was their boarding school. However, the additional opportunities when boarding were worth it for us. Friends of dc are still friends years down the line. My DDs also benefitted from setting their sights high and being confident. The schools offered a very broad education and it wasn’t just academics.

DD1 went to state primary and certainly has a better career than any primary friends who went to the grammar. But not everyone wants the same thing of course. I do think some of the parents who trumpeted the loudest about the success of their dc in the 11 plus haven’t seen their DC do that well in subsequent years.

I’m not sure how the schools compare in your area. You presumably had a feel for one perhaps more than the other? Which one truly suits DC? If you need to think about affording private, you can’t. Sorry to be blunt but it’s a big expense for 7 years. What about other dc? You need a life as well as private education.