Leaving private school for state 6th form - experiences?

[WomensRightsRenegade]

I did ask this once before but it was quite a while ago now so I was just wondering if this was something more people were doing/ thinking about doing?

Thanks to the VAT increase my son had his bursary halved (from 100pc) and it looks like it’s about to be reduced further or removed. I guess they have no need to rush confirmation seeing as they will know parents will do almost anything to avoid moving schools for year 11. It’s all been quite nasty really. Seeing behind the gloss and the taglines about how they care for the boys like family has been illuminating.

Anyhow DS is utterly heartbroken at having to leave when he is so happy. He is very talented musically and was so looking forward to continuing in the ensembles and taking Music A level there. It’s going to be an agonising last year as he can’t even let anyone know he’s leaving until April. No local sixth forms to us even offer Music A level and the nearest college is a lottery system.

Are other people facing having to remove kids against the child’s will? I am so worried he will always think we could have found a way, even though he’s said nothing to us except that he understands the situation totally. Academically I’m sure he’ll be fine if he works hard, but socially and musically it feels like it could be a very abrupt end. If I could go back in time I would never EVER have accepted the bursary. This was always the risk.

Do you think that someone entitled to a full bursary would be in a position to take out a loan for 2 years private school feels?

Would you consider state boarding? Peter Symonds in Winchester for example offers music A level.

Lancaster Grammar is another state boarding that offers it

Round here full bursaries are offered up to household incomes of £70ish k

Has anything about your financial position changed since your DS started at the school? It seems unusual for there to be such a significant change without at least a meeting with the Bursar. Have you asked former a meeting with her/him, perhaps with the Head of Music in attendance too? One option you might be able to propose is a payment plan so that your son continues for the Sixth Form but you pay it off over four years or something. It would be unusual but it might be acceptable to them.
Otherwise, is it worth looking at one of the boarding schools which offer 100% bursaries? You may meet their criteria for fee support. If your son is as talented as he sounds, then music tuition may be included too.
However, it is worth bearing in mind that a lot of schools are having to cut costs at the moment and a lot of schools are functioning without a bassoon/double bass/French horn/tuba player, perhaps bringing in a local teacher and paying a session fee if one is really needed for a piece.

Both of mine left private to go to a dedicated state 6th form college. 6th form was just too expensive. They were fine about it as they liked the idea of wearing what they want and it having a less ‘school’ feel about it. They stayed in contact with their old school friends throughout. One has graduated uni and one is still there and they’re still close friends with their old private school mates.

Rather than a 6th form at a state school are there any separate state 6th form colleges. Some (like the one mine went to) had a whole music and performing arts building.

Could he earn some money tutoring/ part time job etc? Due to personal allowances he will not pay tax on first £12570 of his income so it will stretch further than if you work on top of your jobs. Could maybe ask in school if there are any jobs that he could do. It might mean sacrificing some time spend in extra curricular activities outside of school though but life is often a balancing act.

I’ve had a very musical child at state school, who did A levels in Maths, Further Maths and Physics. He’s now just done his first year at Uni doing Engineering and is playing in the Uni ensembles (and loves it). There are great state schools out there where your DS will fit in fine, with excellent music departments. The state schools music departments are as good as the highly regarded private schools in our town (if not better), with County ensembles opportunities too.
You might need a house move OP. Rent your house out and rent near a good state school for 2 years??

No direct experience but agree with PP that there are definitely state schools with good music departments and ensemble groups - my son goes to a local comprehensive that meets this criteria. But to manage expectations of it’s the same near you, the school are clear that most of their 6th form places go to children already at the school and unlikely to get a place if you’re not at a consortium school (our friend and neighbour who’s son is currently at private doesn’t expect him to get a place for that reason). So do check if that’s the case too at your local schools (music or not) and if so you might be better looking at 6th form colleges.

good luck to your son. It sounds like the school have behaved badly.

I should have also said that, whilst it may be an exception at your school, a lot of children do tend to go state for Sixth Form whether for the cost, a different range of A levels, the additional freedom or because they didn’t get the grades. Most Sixth Forms have a lot of children joining so your DS won’t be the odd one out on arrival. You may well find that, whilst children having previously left your DS’ school after GCSEs, the VAT impact will change that. There will be others who have had their bursaries cut no doubt and even those on full fees will have seen a 20% (or thereabouts) increase which they may be struggling with.

Surely universities are wise to the ‘advantages of private for GCSE then switch to state at A level when the classes are smaller and the less academic pupils have left’ plan.

I thought universities looked at ‘always state educated’ rather than ‘has ever been state educated’ and indeed look at whether the particular state school typically sends children to university or not as a reference for a particular student’s attainment.

It’s possible to do A level music remotely via the Trinity College junior department- info is on their website. Worth a look if its a fourth a level and he’s academic as then you only need a college that does the stem ones. For post grade 8 students out of school ensembles are often a better level anyway- do you have a local youth orchestra or could you look at holiday courses?

We had to make a similar move due to finances. Ours was a very sudden, no notice move. It was incredibly tough for my ds.
Things they found particularly tough:
The size of the place - going from knowing everyone in the school to a school 8x larger where they don't even know half the children in their own year group. Also the busy corridors and staircases.
The shouting - From a very quiet school where every child wants to be there, to hearing children kicking off and teachers shouting in corridors.
Locked doors - From a totally 'open' school where you can wander in and out of each building and classroom if you needed to find a teacher / access resources during lessons otr free time, to a school where corridors and classrooms are routinely locked during lessons and only teachers can unlock doors.
Lack of contact with staff and regular supply covers.

It has been tough. It is what it is though, and there was no choice. I am incredibly proud of ds for adapting and making the most of the situation.

Gosh. You must take up practically all the very few full bursaries available! But that’s not what this thread is about.

Loads of young people leave Indies to go to state 6th form especially around Cambridge and certainly in my area. As there is usually a wider catchment I find in hard to believe you don’t have one with a good music department within reasonable distance. I understand that it’s harsh now but realistically he will have to move on after 6th form anyway so often it doesn’t hurt to get used to change. I agree with looking at state boarding option. Hockerill for example has a phenomenal music department and if you live near enough offer flexi boarding.

If Music is his thing, then isn't there a myriad of external examinations and private tutoring available to probably offer him better training than A level?

Lots move locations for 6th form and whilst it's disappointing the bursary has fallen, what a fabulous opportunity your DS has had up to now.

University will be a move "into the wild" anyway, so a change now is only 2 years early. Me and my children all found College a fabulous springboard into work - OK we came from dire and average Comprehensives, but change will be on the cards reasonably soon for him.anyway.

Not the main point of the thread but why can’t he let anyone know he’s leaving until April? That seems particularly odd and will hardly help him process the move as a positive.

You say you have posted about this before. I guess I can see why you have not fully explored other options until now (have you in fact exhausted the meetings with current head and bursar? Still seems tiny chance in your OP which actually will not be helping at all as it’s the hope that kills you and stops you from contingency planning) but when you have found some attractive choices he will begin the all-important mental pivot. Bit like having to move from a much loved family home. It’s always grim until you slightly fall for the next place and then everything seems totally ok after all.

My DCs have had to move schools and countries a few times - forces families often do. It is glib to pretend that every child will react in the same way but it’s a basic human instinct for most decently balanced NT people to adapt pretty quickly to new surroundings and crack on. I was always amazed by how fast the waters closed over the last place we had been.

I have a musician who came up through the state route, with county ensembles and then junior conservatoire to extend his opportunities.

You should definitely explore your closest Conservatoire to see if he can join their JD - will usually be weekly on a Saturday and will offer a combination of individual teaching and ensembles.

Also research the various national youth ensembles, which typically meet for residentials in holidays. Can be expensive but iirc there are bursary schemes.

County youth setups are a bit hit and miss but again, unless you are extremely remote, there will be something within travelling distance.

Finally, good adult ensembles will often welcome 6th formers, especially in in-demand instruments. Scan adverts for concerts to find out what ensembles exist and contact them. They may meet weekly / fortnightly and are usually very very cheap.

If he sings, there is the option of finding the best cathedral / church choir locally - the best offer subsidised singing lessons.

It can be a shock to the system for those used to the ‘all inclusive’ nature of private school music - and it can be upsetting if eg a much-beloved teacher does not also teach privately (though JD often asks young people to only have lessons with their staff) - but it is possible to assemble a very satisfying musical life that prepares the young person either for studying music as a performer or finding the ‘recreational music tribe’ at uni and beyond.

A state boarding school that offers music? Does somewhere like Christ hospital offer it?

Could you get a job in the private school to get chalet fees?

Music A level is definitely doable privately, if he really wants that. But he might be better off prioritising his STEM A levels and doing music for fun as A level is not the most exciting musical experience ime. Not sure where you are in the country but there are excellent bands, orchestras and choirs all over the place, including semi-pro standard if he is good enough. It will be a bit different from having it all organised in school and doing everything with his friends and being pivotal in that familiar community, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing at his age. If he chooses this option then that presumably makes the choice of 6th form easier, just down to preference from those where he has a chance of a place.

Have you double checked the terms and conditions attached to the bursary to see if it allows the school to reduce and withdraw it arbitrarily like this? I suspect if other parents knew a school might withdraw or reduce a bursary half way through GCSEs they would opt for alternatives that don't carry that risk. They certainly ought to publicise that fact so that parents know the risk they run.

My son moved from a private school to a state FE college as his school did not have a 6th form. For him it was very successful - he was quite quiet and shy, and whilst the school had suited him when he was younger the FE college provided the ideal bridge to university by getting him used to a larger environment and working with a more mixed group of his peers.

This makes me so angry. Labour are vandalising children’s educations for no reason, spiteful bunch.

After 5 years of private school for free, you could find a way to pay for the final two! The school aren’t being ‘nasty’ if they can’t afford bursaries any more