Choosing local comp over private or grammar

[Jujujuly]

Has anyone done this?

I’m getting way ahead of myself here because DC is only 5 (reception in local state primary in zone 3 London). Obviously I have no idea how they will develop in future but based on their current ability and DH’s and my background it wouldn’t be a surprise if they do well academically.

I have a well paid job atm but DH doesn’t. I’m planning to stick it out for another c4 years to max out pension and make serious dent in the mortgage and then really scale it back. By that time DC will be year 5/6. If I continued in this job we’d be able to fund private school or move house to a grammar/high performing state catchment.

I’m inclined to think that DC will probably do well in the local comp and would benefit more from having me around a lot more, but I’m not sure. Education seems like a total rat race in London and conversations have already started about secondaries. Has anyone been in a position to send their child to a high performing school but decided not to?

We chose to move out of a Grammar area to a fully comprehensive area with a school offering both GCSEs and BTEC. DD is only year 7, but really happy with the decision... especially as she suddenly took off in Yr6 and is now in the top stream. The school genuinely caters fir all abilities.

We are no where near London though. Lot less of a post code lottery.

Yes, though the comp in question is a very good one. Both there 11-16. One stayed for 6th form, other moved to a different school for A levels.

Both at very selective higher education institutions for their specific interests - one high level academic, one creative.

It felt high risk at some points, and we have had to deal with commentary from family and friends, especially earlier on when their ‘future success’ was not yet obvious.

It does depend critically on the individual schools, rather than the sectors, though - for the specific comp/grammars/ privates local to us, it made sense. In another area, for different schools - very possibly not.

No grammar school here.
We chose the comp rather than either of the private schools that are a simlar distance away (indeed, the catchment comp is the furthest away of the 3 schools).
Kids both thriving currently. We will see what GCSE's bring, but no regrets so far.

Thanks - interesting re family commentary @cantkeepawayforever - I can imagine similar here.

Ive always been opposed on principle to private education but benefited from an excellent free grammar education myself and it all feels very different when it’s your own precious children!

We have so much time realistically to make this decision but I’m very interested to hear others experiences.

If you're not already in a grammar area, I wouldn't move into one until your child is at least in Y4 and you've got a good idea of ability. Grammars tend to suck up the more able kids in the area and the comps are left with the rest. Although London has so many schools it doesn't really feel like that so may not be relevant to you.
I would choose whatever options allows you the most financial freedom as well as time for your child. Home life is the single biggest deciding factor on attainment.

Thanks @Dodgeitornot.

Probably a bit outing but we are on the edge of Waltham Forest but within the catchment of the Redbridge grammars. No private schools close by but an easy commute from those in central London and in the other direction towards Essex (Forest, Chigwell etc). There are no “desirable” state schools nearby, but the local comps all basically seem fine. I like our house and our area and don’t really want to move. But don’t want to let our kids down either.

That area is going through so much change In would stay put. Even in a really good state it is a lucky dip what year group your child ends up and what staff will be working there at the time. Imho it's not worth moving for any school at the moment, with how the education system is looking. There is so much uncertainty about teacher availablity and I don't think house prices will be that reliant on school catchments anymore. I just wouldn't risk it, there is a crisis in education now, in all sectors, let alone once your child is in secondary school. If you have the opportunity to have a comfortable life now, put away enough away to have a small mortgage and have the ability to help your child or get tutors, I would do that.
However, the Essex grammars have no catchment, tons of kids every morning at Stratford station going towards Chelmsford.

Thanks @Dodgeitornot you sound pretty knowledgeable about the area - much appreciated. And good points about things changing. I hadn’t even considered grammars in Essex…must be a fairly long commute?! But worth considering I guess when we get to that point.

The presence of grammar schools can, I agree, be a really complicating factor for the presence and peer group of able children.

It’s worth looking at the DfE ‘Compare Schools’ tool to compare numbers and progress of able pupils in different schools. If the number is very small compared to the size of the intake, which can happen in ‘full’ grammar areas like Kent, then that will affect your child’s experience more than if the ratios of the difference abilities is broadly ‘average’, in line with fully comprehensive areas.

As I say, we were really lucky given the nature of the comprehensives / grammars / private schools locally.

@Jujujuly I work in the area and we looked at Walthamstow School for Girls for my daughter with an EHCP but we're not local. I don't know much about the schools down your way aside from the girls school and at one point in time we took my daughter to the dyslexia centre after school that's based at Frederick Bremmer. Nothing really aside from that I'm afraid.

Yes we did. We actively chose the local comp over highly selective private options in our area (not a grammar area). I went to a similar private secondary school, and DH was at grammar, so private was very much on the table. But after looking at all options we felt that the local state secondary was the best choice for our DS. I totally understand where your question is coming from as I was really nervous about making that choice, worried that I was denying them the "best" experience, especially for academically very able children. It felt risky as state secondary was unfamiliar to both of us, and the school was very new, but it has been fantastic. I feel very fortunate to have had that option, and am so glad we made that choice. Two DCs there now and thriving.

Echo what other posters have said though - it totally depends on the individual child and the individual schools. And bear in mind that rumour and reputation so often don't reflect the reality of a school - try to talk to families that are actually at the schools you eventually consider.

Sorry, posting again. One of the things we were able to do alongside the comprehensive education was foster our children’s extra-curricular interests at a high level outside school - at county / club / specialist level. We had time, funds and inclination to do this, and good local provision for a wide range of sport / creative fields. It has given the DC experiences, confidence, wide peer groups and ambitions that did not necessarily cone from their schooling alone.

This is something that is often provided ‘under one roof’ at private schools, and for different families that ‘one stop shop’ may be a really attractive option for a variety of reasons.

Thanks @cantkeepawayforever i think/hope we would be in a position to do the same. I can totally see the attraction of the one stop shop aspect of private education for people who are cash rich but time poor (us at the moment!) but intending to reverse that situation by the time DC are secondary age.

It's not something we ever considered.

There is no grammar schools in my county but we could have moved to a neighbouring county if we wanted to.

Never gave private a thought as we have 2 kids and would struggle to afford it.

Both DH and I went to our local schools and that was just the done thing.

Don't feel I am letting them down. Both DH and I are well educated and got reasonably well paid jobs.

They get lots of other opportunities outside of school.

I am sure they will do OK.

It's absolutely possible for kids to do brilliantly in a comp instead of grammar/private, and you will have lots of parents come on to give you those experiences. But it's worth remembering that there is another side as well. I have a friend whose kids (super bright and very well supported at home by graduate parents) went to the local comp (no other options). And honestly, it's been rubbish. Their results have been a lot lower than their potential, but more importantly they've been left totally disillusioned by their school experience - teaching is poor with a huge staff churn, there are serious behaviour problems, and almost no extra curricular activities because the school doesn't offer much and most of the other students aren't interested anyway. Of course you can never have effective hindsight, but I suspect that if they'd gone to one of the grammars or privates around here, their experience and outcome would have been very different.

There are bad grammars and privates as well as bad comps, of course. And if you've got a good comp, then great. But as another poster said above, there are really very serious problems in education at the moment, and if you have the luxury of choice, then I would at least be keeping your options open for now, until you see how education (and your local schools) develop in the nexr few years.

Yes thanks @ghasia that’s the kind of thing Im worried about. People sometimes say that some kids will “do well anywhere”…is that necessarily true?

And of course I appreciate that many many people don’t have the luxury of choice and make the best of it, but we probably are in the fortunate position where we could make these choices so I’m most interested in hearing from those in a similar boat - who actively chose not to pursue selective education for their children.

@ghasia Sounds like those kids went to a spectacularly bad school. Most bad schools at least try to get the best out of their bright students and leave the middles and low attainers suffering.

We are in zone 3 London, and DS went to a great state primary. Lovely class with some v bright kids. Most went on to local comp - that was our intention. However DS was marginally too far away and was allocated a school that we didn’t like. We opted for private and he’s loved it and benefited from excellent teaching. It’s been excruciatingly expensive and we’re so pleased that as he’s doing A levels this summer, the cost is ending.

going back to his friends from primary, of the 30 about 6 tried for Oxbridge. The only one who was successful was a friend who went to the school we didn’t like. That said all the others are headed to RG universities - without £££ being spent on school fees.

your decision but I’d probably advise you to opt for the comp.

We chose comprehensive. Dd1 was offered a bursary for independent (we could easily afford the payments) but due to dyslexia and at the time delays dd2 would not have got a place even full fee so we turned it down. Ironically dd2 found her groove and got higher marks than dd1 by 18! She also got a bursary for state boarding (specialist)

We also felt that we could spend our money to enrich the girls lives rather than me working long hours and money being tight

I would say keep an open mind and don't get ahead of yourself.
We ended up sending ds to a local comprehensive that we would never in a million years have considered when he was Y1 2 or even 3 at primary. Then it rapidly improved, lots of people who had not considered it sent their dc there and the school continued to improve.
We always thought we would send ds to a local (very good) private school or a super-selective, but ds ended up not liking the selective and we ended up not liking the Head at the private school! So we looked at the comprehensive and liked it and more importantly ds like it.
He did very well, 11 Grade 9's at GCSE, 4 x A* at A level and he's at Oxford.

We were in a grammar school area and my DD1 passed the 11+ and got a place.. however, I declined it as it just doesn't sit right with my moral compass . She went to the comp . Remained friends with her GS friends who did go (it was sooooo important to their parents - literally ALL they could talk about from year 3 at primary..) .. her friends parents spent £££ on tutoring which in the end decided me that GS was about how much money you have to 'get them through' and not based on merit..

DD went to Durham with 2 of her former GS friends and 3 mates from the comp..

I feel smug and vindicated that GS is just private school paid by the state for the highest earners and needs abolishing completely.

How dare any government decide who deserves great education based on the ability to tutor your way through exams !

@cantkeepawayforever you put it really well - this is exactly what we try to do.

my concern is the falling pupil numbers which is an issue in certain London boroughs. It hasn't yet fed through to secondaries but it soon will. The problem with falling rolls is how funding is based on headcount. I think it will create more division between schools with the good ones becoming even more desirable & the ok ones perhaps declining.

@Lotsofthingstoconsider do you think your DD’s comp was impacted by the fact that there was a nearby grammar? Doesn’t really sound like it was but presumably a lot of bright kids who would otherwise have been in class with your DD at the comp probably went there instead?

@beeswain that’s great and I know you are right about timing. It’s hard though to know when is best to move house if we are going to have to. We have a younger DC as well and if we are going to move would ideally be before they started school to minimise disruption.

There are always loads of threads on mumsnet about where is best to live for schools/teens and our current area is never mentioned!