Sixth Form - Grammar v Private

[Parabolica]

Having a major last minute wobble about sixth form.
My son is at super selective grammar and massively surpassed our expectations with his GCSE results (8.7 point average across 11 GCSEs). Teaching was hugely disrupted during 2 years of covid and his Y10&Y11 exams/mocks weren’t great. Quite a lot of parents were v disgruntled with poor communication, distant leadership and the strikes (the school closed for all of the strike days - even for Y11/13).
We felt so concerned that we started to look at private options at start of Y11. He got a v small scholarship to a well regarded independent school. We accepted the place as felt he was not being that inspired and might not reach his full potential.
Results day threw us a massive curveball and I’m wondering now whether he should stay put esp as Oxbridge/Russell house unis might favour grammar > private.
He hasn’t loved his time at grammar but has friends and I think the sixth form would feel different (it’s Co-Ed). The fees would be manageable but only just.
However he insists he wants to move as he has really bought into the new school (with its lovely facilities and charming teachers).
It might all be too late - both schools start on Tuesday!!!
Any thoughts / insights esp from anyone who had a similar dilemma would be amazing.

Stick with the private as he’s excited and will do better if he feels he has a say. Uni admissions look at where you took GCSEs and tbh don’t think a grammar will make him much more appealing than private.

alternatively sit down with him and really lay the options and pros and cons and see what he says.

Clearly he wants a change so just go with what he wants

esp as Oxbridge/Russell house unis might favour grammar > private."

Have you look at how contextual offer work for each schools? The statement above is not true.

It is depends on where your DC live and where he received GCSE level education. And if the school results is above average (most grammar will be) then there will be no favour considerations.

Have a frank discussion with him about the pros and cons of this in a financial sense. The money can really make a difference to his independence. Sixth form age is a really expensive time as their social life evolves. Aside from the fees, you really need to be looking at whether you are able to support his social life the way his friends parents will be.

I do wish we could somehow squash this myth that universities advantage state school pupils. Some universities do make contextual offers. But it depends on the postcode and performance of the state school concerned. A grammar isn't going to feature!

You also are most likely committed to paying the first terms fees now. I'd move him.

Please don’t worry about Oxbridge- he won’t be disadvantaged either at grammar or private.
They will, quite rightly, take into account the grade elevation he has gained by going to grammar (or private should you choose that) but this isn’t disadvantaging him, it is simply levelling the playing field and comparing everyone fairly.

You offered him the private school, he wants the private school. So let him go.

Oxbridge has been criticized for taking people from grammar and private schools. It resulted in the shift. Now, you will find that they accepted kids from East London underpriviliged areas, children on refugees etc. I personally know an Ukrainian young articulate lady who arrived in Uk as the war began and she was just accepted at Oxford Uni - Journalism studies. She was doing Six forms in Esher college.

Gaming the "contextual offers" is not really something to bother about. Firstly, the universities all have different rules for who gets contextual offers, but it won't be many who would score him differently depending on whether he's at a grammar or private. It might be different if the state school were a ropey rural school where only a handful ever go on to university. Some look at where they did GCSEs, too, in which case moving for sixth form makes even less difference.

And besides, if he did that well at GCSE, there's a fair chance he's not going to need a contextual offer.

But it depends on the postcode and performance of the state school concerned. A grammar isn't going to feature!

Umm...
Grammar schools on the University of Bristol's 'Aspiring Schools' (eligible for contextual offers) list for 2024 entry:

Marling School
King Edward VI Aston
Holcombe Grammar School
Harvey Grammar School
Ermysted's Grammar, Skipton
Dane Court Grammar School
Churston Ferrers Grammar School
Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School
Borden Grammar School

(Well, just from the top half of the alphabet, as am on my phone and I was going boggle-eyed).

So not a simple Grammar / non-selective divide when it comes to state schools. I also have the vague memory that one year I looked at the Bristol list and found my own (now defunct) old indie on it.

But I would also say, go with the indie - it does seem mean to offer it, let the poor lad get all invested, and then say, ooh, actually, we don't need it after all.

Bristol website state:

"You will be eligible for a contextual offer if you apply from an aspiring state school or college. We consider a school or college to be aspiring if it has low average attainment and progression to higher education statistics."

I think Bristol make contextual offers to schools in the bottom 40% for A levels.

If he's invested, stick with your choice.

Bristol are an outlier with regards to contextual in that they include such a huge percentage of schools. DD would qualify for contextual from them and St Andrews, and literally nowhere else. So Bristol is more the exception which proves the rule.

Thank you everyone for all your posts and advice. So appreciated.

Someone mentioned sitting down with him and going through all the pros and cons (which we did more than once) and he was still 100% certain he wanted to move. I made the point about new friends owning villas abroad, getting their own car when they pass their test etc and he says he has factored that in and is fine with the fact he may not have the same kind of £££ lifestyle.

We are definitely on the hook for the first term's fees - direct debits started in August!

All the contextual offer stuff was interesting. Sounds like his Grammar wouldn't qualify (it is super selective) - but round here they are seen as a more favourable stepping stone to Oxbridge/RG. Some people actually move their kids from amazing independent schools to grammars just for the sixth form purely for Oxbridge. Total madness.

Of course DS may not suit or fancy Oxbridge - but I didn't want to rule anything out by accident. My husband feels strongly we should respect DS's choice (especially having done so well in his exams) and to pull out of the move now might derail him. So looks like the move is on!

There will be absolutely no "advantage" from staying at the state grammar in terms of probability of oxbridge entrance etc. The contextual offer system only kicks in for schools with a very challenging intake demographic and historically low progression to higher education. A superselective state grammar will be categorised as basically the same as a private school in terms of the advantage level already bestowed.

Go with your DSs desires. Bombing him into a change of plan at short notice would be hideously disruptive.

Some people actually move their kids from amazing independent schools to grammars just for the sixth form purely for Oxbridge

They have significantly underestmated the intelligence level of Oxbridge admmision officers.

@BerriesPineCones as others have said, Bristol has its own interpretation of contextual offers.
Incidentally, I know two of the schools in your list, and they are both in disadvantaged "post codes". I don't know whether the pupils are too, but that could go somewhere to explain the situation.

Correct. Dd got a contextual offer from Bristol and nowhere else.

I know people in inadequate who didn’t get contextual offers because they send so many children with A-Cs (migrant areas can be like this). So they won’t be offering to selective grammars with a decent pass rate. Bristol is an outlier - most universities are extremely picky about who gets contextual offers.