Private Senior School

[Legoninja80]

We are due to meet my sons current headmaster in a few weeks to discuss Senior School options for him (He’s currently in Year 5)

Anyone that’s been through the process, what kind of questions did you ask at your initial meeting? I’m really lost.

TIA

So is the transfer year for starting in Yr7 or or Yr9?

Are you currently in state or independent?

Currently in a Prep school and looking at Eton or Winchester for Senior School. We’ve been told son would fit and have his choice of any senior school by his head of middle school, but I’m not sure if that’s just what is told to everyone

If you don't already have your own ideas / opinions about what you are considering (I see Eton and Winchester are on your list, but it would be wise to consider alternatives as well), then you go to the meeting and ask what schools they would suggest you look at on the basis of what they know about your DS, and what they think would suit him.

Alternatively, you can do a bit of online research prior to the meeting, and consider the following points to create your own shortlist, to take to the meeting for discussion.

It's good to understand what your red lines are.

Day/Boarding?
How much travel is acceptable to you?
Co-ed or single sex?
Size of the school?
School specialisms?
Academic entry requirements?
Opportunities that are offered, i.e. Sport, Music, Art, Extra-Curricular offerings?
Potential Scholarships?
Sixth Form attached or not?
Siblings?

Thank you @TeaandHobnobs this is super helpful. I’m sure my son is different at school than he is at home so will be an interesting chat.

I’m not sure if that’s just what is told to everyone

In my experience good prep schools do their best to discourage parents from applying to schools their children don’t have a hope of getting in to. (Head teachers really don’t enjoy having their door beaten down by angry fathers and weeping mothers when little Xavier doesn’t get onto the list.) So if your son is happy and thriving you can probably trust that they’re not ‘just saying it’. (But there are always surprises - so definitely consider back up plans.)

In year 5 I’d imagine the important thing is making sure you’re on top of registration and application timetables for the schools you’re looking at.

I found the chat really helpful. I didn’t ask too many questions, I just let the head do the talking as I felt they knew my child really well. I was surprised by a couple of things (she felt sure my son would do well in an all boys environment where as I had assumed co-ed would be better for him for example). I think she was very transparent on what he was capable of - she said he wasn’t at top level so don’t look at St Paul’s but recommended Hampton, KCS and KGS. She knew his likes and dislikes for sport and extra curriculars too so made sure she was recommending schools that fitted his personality and likes. She walked me through timelines, what he’d need to do, open days etc. I would go
in with an open mind about what schools the head suggests and let them do the talking. It’s not in their best interests to suggest a school
that they know your child can’t get into. We ended up taking the straight through route and are taking the 11+ offer from the senior school but really happy still that I had the conversation.