Would you move in year 6 to be in feeder for secondary?

[Deanofvenice]

My child currently attends a private prep school as I work there.
There is an excellent secondary school in our town, where I would love her to go but you must be in a feeder school to get a place.
Would you move your child in year 6 so they can get into the secondary?
If I leave them at the private school we have the issue of having to try and find the money for private senior, hoping we might get a scholarship etc which is never a certainty!

Yes if they have spaces

There is space. I guess I just worry about joining a school in year 6, friendships, bigger classes, less sport. But maybe it is worth it for the great secondary.

Year 6 is a horrible time to move especially if she's settled and happy. The time to move her was year 4 or 5 at the latest.

It's risky now because if she's unhappy it could impact her learning and that's a problem in yr 6. I don't think I would unless the alternative is really dire.

Feeder schools are quite unusual nowadays. Have you checked the secondary schools admissions criteria. Is attending the primary school definitely high up the list?

@Smartiepants79 thanks, yes I've checked and spoken directly to the school. Feeder school is key.

Yes I definitely would

I would

Bigger classes and less sport are generally a feature of state secondaries…

Year 7 is far more of an issue than 6, I wouldn’t hesitate to move my dc. Their learning and friendship groups all change in year 7 anyway 🤷‍♀️

Why do you need to move schools at all OP- just apply for a place and start in year 7? If you live in the town/area and it’s the local authority state secondary you can get a place by applying? It’s the same as in-year applications, they’re not coming from feeder schools?

I would. But I’d aim to move earlier than year 6. Year 4 latest I think. Year 6 is the fun year when they are all comfortable with eachother and celebrating being the ‘leavers’. It seems a shame to move at that point & I can’t imagine it’s easy to settle in to a yr6 class.

If I was going to this it would be in Y5. If they are happy and you are happy with the school I wouldn’t move schools.

No primary will willingly admit a child into year 6. It's SATs year and they don't want an unknown quantity messing up their stats.

You need to move them in Y5.

I am surprised if a secondary school only takes children who attend feeder schools. What if it is undersubscribed from those feeders? – it would have to fill places from other applications as it is not going to be allowed to have empty spaces if parents have listed it above any other school they qualify for.

But yes, there are certainly schools where going to a feeder gives priority. Is your DC in year 6 now @Deanofvenice? I am assuming not as you would have had to have applied for secondary months ago, so moving now would presumably mean the feeder school aspect did not count? If they are year 5, and you intend to move them, why not do it now?

Er, yes they do. Routinely...presuming there's space of course. And not all children in the UK even do SATs for that matter.

We moved ds2 schools in the January of Y6, in 2021. School was unphased and SATs weren't even a consideration seeing as they weren't doing them.

Loads of kids move in Yr6 for similar reasons. Get ti know peers in area before transition

Thanks everyone. I have checked admissions info carefully. Only children from feeder primaries get a place. In fact not every child from feeder primaries gets a place, it then comes down to distance (not an issue for us). It is a very popular secondary and there is more than one feeder. So if I apply for year 7 entry from my child's current school my child will not get a place.
No primary can refuse entry into year 6 if there is a space as far as I am aware.
Yes they are in year 5 and yes I probably would move them now if that is the decision we come to. We originally thought we would do private secondary (with a realistic shot of a scholarship) but VAT/ cost of living etc. has changed our plans.
I'm aware of bigger classes etc at state secondary of course but as we are choosing state for secondary this will be a feature whatever school she goes to. There is a state secondary option she could go to which does not require her to be in a feeder but it is much further away and it is not comparable at all with our local secondary in terms of behaviour, results, sports provision, facilities, extra curricular etc.
Thanks for all your thoughts.

Is there a time limit on the feeder schol? For us you had to be there for a year before application which was a bit of a worrying wait as moved into the area at Easter in Yr5.

We moved in Y6, it was a forced move because of VAT but turned out to be an advantage as DC got the feel of the senior school before joining it from the feeder prep.

Have you mot already missed the application deadline?

No time limit for feeder school no and child is in year 5, so no I haven't missed secondary application.
Thanks @Ubertomusic yes I wonder whether one positive would be that she would then know some children going into year 7.

I think if you want the secondary you should do this. Move them ASAP (you say they are in y5, so I would do it now). They'll meet others heading up to the same secondary and it might make the secondary transition easier. The other reason to do it now is that you've found out there is a space. If there is only one space in y5 and someone else moves into the area and takes it you'll have missed your chance.

I agree that a move now, if you’re going to do it, would be the best idea.

Last point very pertinent. In order for your DC to get a place at that (or any) state school, you have to make a formal application for it. At any time, someone else may do this - if that makes them the only current applicant for a single space, then that space has gone. If, when you apply, the school finds itself with more applicants than spaces available, those applicants must be ranked according to the school's oversubscription criteria and the place(s) offered accordingly.

Also, the idea of requesting a mid-year place is that the applicant wants / needs it now - the school will (or at least, should) expect that any place offered now will be taken up ASAP. You may be able start after the February half term break, but the place should not be held open to the start of year 6 from this point in the year.

So, you need to apply now (to minimise the risk that the place will have gone to someone else by an earlier applicant), and be prepared to move your DC as soon as the place is offered. If you really don't want to move your DC until next September, then you need to check the earliest date that an application will be processed for that start date (I am familiar with a system where this is the May half term, but I know that some have a later date). By which time, of course, any place(s) available currently may already have gone.

Yes. She will be upset and miss her friends but ultimately she will be fine. This is why I wouldn’t put my DC in a private school if I couldn’t see it through.
ETA: Apologies, I didn’t mean that to sound harsh and have just seen your update about change of circumstances/VAT etc. I went to three different primary schools and settled well in all of them.

Not harsh I agree! But my situation is a little different as I work at the private school. It is therefore cheaper for her to go to the private school than a state primary because I don't have to pay any before school/ after school care/ lunch etc. We can afford for her to stay where she is but it is the next option that is then difficult. VAT has not only made already expensive fees even more expensive but has meant that school are now massively cutting their bursary/ scholarship funds too.
I think as many suggested it is better to move her sooner rather than later. Thanks for the advice.