Are more of you planning to move your DC from private to state for 6th form now?

[WomensRightsRenegade]

Apologies but just wondering this? My son is going into year 10 at a school he loves, but we are realising that even with a generous bursary, the 20pc VAT will mean it’s impossible for him to stay for 6th form.

I know it’s a transition phase anyway, but he will be very upset to leave as historically not many kids at the school have left then.

Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.

@Biscuitsneeded - 'It's not a coincidence that state school students do better at university than private school students with the same entry grades.' - where are you getting that information?

@Mouseykitty https://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/news/state-school-pupils-do-better-at-university-cambridge-assessment-research-confirms/#:~:text=State%20school%20pupils%20do%20better%20at%20university%2C%20Cambridge%20Assessment%20research%20confirms,-05%20November%202015&text=Research%20by%20Cambridge%20Assessment%20%E2%80%93%20a,with%20similar%20A%20Level%20results.

I moved one of mine to state 6th form a few years ago. Worst mistake we ever made. She would have done considerably better academically at the private school. Hey ho. I really think 6th form is when a good private education matters. For others we did state until year 9 then private for gcses and 6th form, which I'd totally recommend.

(And they've all done really well at university as well)

I suspect it depends on the individual schools (both state and private).

Yes, of course. In our case the state school didn't work well for dd. It was a mistake.

I think you need to remember to apply to several (as back up schools), hopefully get some conditional offers then wait like the rest of us for results day. Accept the conditional for one on the understanding that you may have to wait several days to enrol and current students and academy trust students do get priority on results day. Make sure you then reject the other conditional places as other students will want to take them up. You then have a week to organise yourself for the first day of college

The teaching at my child’s supposedly outstanding 6th form ranged from poor to good (however, the good teacher was constantly off sick!)

Teaching at our 2 private schools is uniformly excellent.
We’re sticking with the private, but if you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it…

but teaching at private is often below the standard of teaching at state

You’re deluded if you think they don’t look at the course of education, not just A Levels.

Bit difficult to explain away why they have GCSEs recorded on the LRS along with their A levels, though.

Why do you think that? Is it just something you’ve heard.
90% of teachers my three have had at independent schools have been far better than their state counterparts.
We keep trying state and it’s always far far worse than the indie options..

@Dontmesswithmyhead I’m not deluded. It’s based on real offers made by Bristol to ex private school kids. They absolutely knew where they sat their GCSE’s, but the sixth form was on a short list of targeted secondaries to increase access to historically disadvantaged schools - which trumped all else and they had lower offers than their mates at the old private school. Some posters here have found the Bristol access pages I’m referring to and can understand the point I’m making. I’m not saying it’s all universities or all courses or all state schools. Just the current situation for the state school nearest to us and one of the many reasons we’re considering moving DD. The school could well be off the access list next year if Bristol wises up to the ruse and/or they might start weighing where GCSEs were sat, like Durham does.

I've a lot of experience of both, and know many teachers in both. It is often the same teachers, but a lot fewer teachers in indie schools have qualifications and experience. And the standards are just a lot lower

for example, lots of indie schools only teach iGCSEs, not proper GCSEs, and so on

What years are they currently in? I can’t work out how this makes sense, the fees won’t come in this Sept so if the eldest is currently Y10 they should be able to complete Y11?

@combinationpadlock - I'm sorry, but that's simply not true IMO. It's not just my own and (fairly) wide-ranging friends' experience of teaching standards in different sectors informing my view here, but let's think about the different environments for a moment - teachers at private schools tend to be better paid, work with better resources, have less challenging classes (smaller, possibly academically selective), less admin and longer holidays. If you are an absolute expert in your academic subject and want to teach, what are you going to opt for?

Of course, there are brilliant teachers in state schools and crappy ones in private schools - but there is (unfortunately) some truth in 'you get what you pay for.' It's unfair, and I don't want to cause a pile on of people defending state school teachers - but I am friends with a lot of teachers in both private and state schools and they have said this themselves. Of course there exceptions, but to say 'teaching is better in state schools' is totally naive.

I agree. There are good state schools and bad state school, as there are good private schools and bad private schools.

Unfortunately, a lot of parents with DC in private schools mistakenly think that state schools = poor education.

DD was state educated. Achieved a raft of As and A*s at GCSE and As at A level, then a first class STEM degree from an RG university. As did a lot of her peers from her school.

Most teachers will have taught in state and indie schools during their career. Do not sure how they get better in one of the other.

You WILL NOT get a lower offer by moving to state school (except maybe Bristol). You will not have more chance of getting in to any particular Uni. Not unless you've suddenly acquired a few contextual flags.

Very off topic. But this has reminded me of a friend who picks up extra work as a tutor, and who spoke to a private school parent looking for a tutor. once the parent found out she was a state school teacher she said that she wouldn’t be a good enough tutor for her Y7 daughter as she is privately educated. Made us laugh as we all went to the private school her daughter is at.

anyway, on topic, I think moving for 6th form is a very natural point to move & can have a lot of benefits. Lots move locally as no state school has a 6th form, so they all change about, and the local FE college is outstanding so a fair few come from the private schools.

private school teachers are not better paid with better resources and less challenging students, what makes you think that? Mostly, state schools have better pay and conditions. Also, state school students rarely speak to you like they own your soul.

@combinationpadlock - you've obviously got a bit of a chip on your shoulder about private schools if we're going to slag off the students here?

Private school teachers are often better paid and the resources are better simply because there is more money there for salaries and facilities - it's hardly rocket science!

No. The state 6th form ds had a place at, is 30 miles away and they cancelled the bus. I can't drive him there every day.

I could try to get him in to a school over the border in the next county but they don't have a great reputation, so ds will stay at the independent. The class sizes are small, the teaching is excellent, ds has a 50% scholarship, the teachers know him and the chances are vat won't apply for the first year. So he'll stay.

They are where I live. Of course private schools can be a lot better than state- that's why some state schools get lower uni offers, to recognise disruptive,.large classes. Teachers might be great but spend a lot of time on crowd control.

Most of the time, private school classes are smaller, however the largest child to adult ratios I have ever come across have been in private schools, which have stayed fully open with such teacher shortages that state schools would have legally had to send a year group home

Private schools mostly have smaller classes, but lets be clear about what is being paid for. Smaller classes and richer class mates. Nicer building, better sports facilities. That is it .

State schools have higher academic standards at GCSE, ( many private schools don't even teach proper GCSEs, just iGCSEs) as well as better pay and conditions for teachers.