My D has been denied an automatic transition from junior to senior

[bird77]

Hello, I was wondering if anyone can help. My D has been asked to leave the junior school where she only joined in Year 5 after an initial assessment.The school now thinks her grades are not high enough for their senior.She is devastated-we all are -and I don't know if simply accept the school's decision or to fight for her place.Did anyone have a similar experience?

There is little point the thread getting into a private v state argument. By your own admission you knew their policy that admission into the lower school did not automatically mean that a senior place is automatically given and it would work on a selective basis.

Unfortunately they have since ascertained that your DD does not meet their academic requirements.

What year group is she? You say she joined in y5. However many lower schools at private go through to year 8. There is usually a y7 and a y9 intake at other private schools and I assume you may be looking at those schools too not just state options.

I understand your disappointment that she may not be as academic as you hoped but there are other ways to support her getting good grades going forward (tutors if you want) and she will be happier and more likely to thrive if she is being taught at a level where she is comfortable.

as frustrating as it is - if they don't think she will be suitable its likely she will be unhappy there in senior school due to the pressure to achieve certain grades. They likely take children from elsewhere. If you can afford private find one that suits her better.

Not unheard of but unusual to take a child in year 5 and not progress them . Did you tutor her to get through the previous assessment? Agree you could look for a prep school for year 7/8 in case the state option does not come through but be aware that narrows options for 13+

I would ask them to direct you to what school they think is suitable.
It does seem strange that they are only now flagging with you she is unsuitable. Do you think she is having some behavioural issues at school?

I do know one person that was in a similar situation as yours. Moved in yr 4 from a prep to an all through. Was told in yr 5 they wouldn't go through to the seniors. Parents very upset and school were non negotiable. They managed to go back to their old prep and move on from there. It's terribly hard though.

My school used to do this. Generally at Easter holidays. Someone would be there before Easter and gone when term restarted. Private academic schools can be quite ruthless to keep their grades up.

I’m an ex secondary teacher. Children develop at different stages academically in their lives though.

I’ve taught y7’s who didn’t appear very bright who walk out with 4 A* A levels, and vice versa.

My dd in Year 11 is just hitting her stride now. I didn’t develop until year 11 either.

Bone idle ds didn’t really get his act together until university.

They should be telling parents before the end of year 5, so there is time to make other applications in the normal admissions round

I wouldn't fight for her place. I'm not going to get into the rights or wrongs of the school but ultimately I wouldn't send my child to a school that didn't want her there and if what they say is true, that she'd be better in a less academic school, perhaps she would be better being in or near the top sets in that kind of school than struggling through the senior school you had in mind.

If you were told that automatic transmission to the senior school wasn't guaranteed, then the school has fulfilled its obligation. It might be a worse outcome if your daughter couldn't perform at the expected level in the senior school. You would be better finding a school more suited to her abilities. One of my relatives is at a top academic school and their sibling at a very nurturing, far less academic school but both are thriving. It's all about choosing the right school for the right child, bearing in mind their academic capabilities and their interests.

this sounds like an awful school, I know ppl say it was in the terms but since they assessed her not too long ago, it sounds like they just filled the place to get your fees knowing already they would "replace" her with a more academic child in the 11+. I would not fight for a place. Find a nicer place that values your daughter for who she is and supports her to become the best she can be. Many private schools are just awful, it's all about the money. You will be lucky to leave such a place.

@HeddaGarbled

The school is saying is for her best and that she will be happier in a less academic school.but I do believe is especially for their best as they aim to get all A student in their senior.I personally think it is really unfair

That’s kind of the point of private schools. People wouldn’t pay to send their children there if they didn’t get better results than state schools. And they won’t get better results if they are open to students of all abilities, as state schools are.

Often the only reason they get better results is because they kick out anyone who won't. There is a big trust with v expensive schools near me that loudly boasts about their wonderful A Level grades. But they don't allow anyone who isn't expected to get high grades into 6th form. A lot of the "failures" go to the state comp my kids went to and go on to get As and Bs saving their parents approx £30k.

Not all Private schools are selective but it sounds like this one is
It happened to a family member- they were told that they just didn’t feel young x was “Y school material”. As they had a younger child there too they really didn’t want to change schools (plus the school has some snob value apparently) they tutored the feck out of the poor kid and he WAS allowed to stay. Poor kid is miserable and knackered now in Y7.
If the school doesn’t suit your child find another one that does

You put her in this situation and were warned. So you knew this was a possibility. I don't even know why you are questioning it, it's clearly not going to be a good environment for your daughter going forwards and she needs to go elsewhere.

Will your daughter actually manage the coursework if she got into senior level at this school? Will she be happy there, or constantly struggling to keep up? You've said you don't think it is particularly the right place for her, so why struggle for it? If you think your daughter can manage the academic requirements of this school, but she had a bad year with distractions or whatever that brought her grades down, then get her tutors to bring her up to the level she needs to be at. But if tutoring isn't really going to make that much of a difference because her academic ability just isn't as high as this school requires, accept it and find a better fit for her. There's no shame in this.

the school said they could not guarantee automatic transition to the senior

Since they told you this you are not in a good position to object now. Whether they should ever have offered her a place (gaining two years school fees and filling that difficult upper primary slot before trading her in for a more academic child at second level) is another matter.

Anyway it really doesn't sound like a great place for her, so I would be looking at her strengths and where she would be happy and successful for the next 7 years. Onwards and upwards.

This is exactly the reason why you can’t compare state and private schools. People think they are paying for a better education when I’m fact the private schools just weed out any students that might bring down thier results. If state schools kicked out any student that wouldn’t get a high enough grade they would also look amazing!

Don't go where your dc isn't wanted but ask them what schools they suggest for your dd. Is she still year 5?

Usually a few children each year are told that they won’t be able to progress to the senior school at our local gdst school. Hopefully she is still in year 5 and you have time to look for a more suitable school for her, whether than be private or state.

I would hope she's still in year 5. To tell someone that their child is no longer welcome at their school in year 6 after admissions have closed would be bizarre and cruel.

I'd be furious, not devastated, in thar scenario.

The reason private schools get such outstanding results isn't just due to the higher standard of teaching but that the children who would have got lower grades, haven't been admitted in the first place.

This - will bells on. Pretty much my entire year got top grades across the board.

Were we all taught by outstanding teachers ? No. Not at all. Some of the teachers were actually pretty shocking.

The reason we all did well was because we were all bright. That's it. We'd have all got A's in a state school! However, we didn't have to deal with work being differentiated, kids kicking off in class, or other distractions.

I actually would go so far as to say that the standard of teaching is actually lower in a private school than a state school. You don't even need to be a qualified teacher to teach in private.

It is unfair. But surely you can find another non-selective school for your child?

@BrieAndChilli

This is exactly the reason why you can’t compare state and private schools. People think they are paying for a better education when I’m fact the private schools just weed out any students that might bring down thier results. If state schools kicked out any student that wouldn’t get a high enough grade they would also look amazing!

That’s true when the Private school is selective The one my DC went/go to get similar results to the closest Grammar but it doesn’t select on ability.

I don’t understand why you think this is unfair, you were warned this could happen, if your daughter was performing well enough they would give her a place, they wouldn’t turn down an excellent student for no reason. Do you think just because you’re paying your daughter should to go the school even if she’s not meeting their requirements?

I think this is not great from the school - if they admitted your daughter in Year 5 it should have been relatively clear what standard she would progress to by the end of Year 6 -i think it's much more common for this to happen with children admitted at 4+ who wouldn't cope in the senior school. They made a mistake admitting her in that case, although I also find that in year admissions are sometimes students below the expected standard - they are not really put through the same process as rigorously and if the school has an in year place they might need money.

I also agree with others that if the school is selective and she's not meeting expected standard, it's best to send her elsewhere. In a selective school (any, grammar or indy) bumping along at the bottom is not good for anyone's self esteem. Sorry that you're in what sounds like a stressful situation.