Vita Et Pax

[ExcitedMummmy]

My son will be starting year 5 in September, very bright boy, currently in a state school. He has private tuition to prepare him for 11+. I am considering starting him at Vita Et Pax as they have said they concentrate heavily on 11+. Is your child attending or attended Vita, any views / opinion would be much appreciated. I want him to be challenged and not just plod along. Should i just carry on with private tuition in a state school? We live in north london so do have good schools around.

I don’t know any parents who attended Vita, but I do think one of the most important things at 11+ is normalising the experience for the child Being surrounded by other children on the same learning journey makes a real difference.

Prep schools tend to be much better at managing that—they know how to prepare children in a way that helps them handle the pressure. I’m not against tutors at all; in fact, a good number of these parents even top up prep school preparation with tutoring. They are all competing for a fraction of the same seats.

But having a school environment that actively supports 11+ preparation is a real advantage.

If you’re considering Vita et Pax, I’d strongly recommend reading the most recent inspection reports and gathering feedback from a range of parents. These sources highlight several areas where the school is working to improve, and it’s useful to be aware of them before making a decision.

moving to Vita et Pax doesn’t necessarily remove the need for external tutoring—many children who later moved on to selective secondary schools were supported by tutors outside of school. For some families, staying in the state system and using the equivalent cost for tutoring has been a more effective option.

It may also be worth visiting a few other schools with stronger recent inspection outcomes to compare what each environment can offer.