Primary School Series: State vs Independent Schools
As if looking at local primary schools isn’t challenging enough, what if you throw independent (private) schools into the mix? Some thoughts on state vs independent schools.
In the U.K., you can either attend a state school, otherwise known as public schools in the U.S. Alternatively, parents can opt to send their children to a private fee-paying independent school. Oddly, some prestigious independent schools in the U.K. are called as “public school”. I’m sure there is some historic explanation for this. Here I will simply refer to government-funded schools as “state schools” and private fee-paying schools as “independent schools.” In this primary school series post, I will give some insight on the admission process for state vs independent schools.
Admission Process for Local State Primary Schools
In the U.K, the local council coordinates the admission process for local state primary school. Typically, state primary schools will host an open morning in the autumn to allow parents to visit the primary school and meet the Head Teacher. It’s a hot topic amongst pre-school parents. You’ll hear parents exchanging notes and views on specific schools at the local playground, cafes, and nursery drop-off.
Parents will select their top six local state primary schools in order of preference by the mid-January deadline. The popular and highly-sought after state primary schools have very small catchment areas. Most councils will publish some data based on the prior year’s schools admissions to give you an indication on the number of siblings and catchment areas. Furthermore, third-party websites such as Locrating.com are useful in reviewing statistics on each school.
Bear in mind, the local council’s duty is to provide your child with a place in a local primary school. They will follow a rigid criteria which will vary. However, the local council are not required to grant you your first choice. That said, if you live within the catchment area, most likely you will get into your top two choices. But, I have heard stories of parents getting their third, or even fourth choices. I suppose the lesson here is to be realistic and put down schools that are within your catchment area. If you are lucky with multiple options, then count your blessings and carefully weigh-up each school. You should definitely list your top six choices to avoid getting a spot at an underperforming school. Then, keep your fingers crossed until you receive an offer letter in mid-April.
Admission to Independent Private Schools
Admissions to private fee-paying independent schools are based on a selection process depending on the age of the pupils. At the primary level, independent schools have Pre-Prep (Reception to Year 3) and Preparatory (Year 4 to Year 6), followed by Secondary School (Year 7). Some independent schools are “through-schools” taking pupils from Reception all the way through to Sixth Form college, whilst others start from Year 3 onwards. The Good School Guide is an excellent place to start with tons of useful information on different schools.
In addition to the annual Open House, independent schools usually host a number of smaller group tours throughout the year for prospective families. Independent schools can set their own admission calendar and criteria. Generally, registration deadline is usually in late September or October, followed by an assessment in November. The assessment varies by the ‘point of entry,’ which are the following: 3+ for Nursery, 4+ for Reception, 7+ for Y3, 11+ for Year 7 and 16+ for Sixth Form.
The assessments for 4+ Reception are conducted in small groups where children listen and respond to a story, match letters and words, identify shapes and colours, and free play. If I am correct, I believe the children are assessed by their quartile group by birth month. This way September-born children are not assessed with summer-born children to ensure fairness. Assessment for independent schools vary from a relaxed and friendly approach to more academically rigorous. It all depends on the ethos of each school.
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
Parents will receive an offer letter for independent schools by late November. This is well before the state primary school application deadline in January. Parents must accept and pay a deposit by December/January to secure a spot for your child for the next academic year. Some parents are even happy to forfeit the deposit later, should their child get into a highly-rated local primary school.
Attending an independent school is a long-term financial commitment. Another thing to bear in mind is independent schools seem to have longer half-term breaks than local state primary schools. Based on our visits, it seems that most of the independent schools we visited strive to have well-rounded pupils. The place emphasis on balancing academic rigor with a range of enriching extracurricular activities. Therefore, there is a strong emphasis on co-curricular programmes with numerous after-school clubs and sports, which forms part of their extended school day.
What’s Next?
What’s next? Well, being pragmatic parents, we are considering all options on state vs independent schools. As such, we are looking at both local state primary schools, as well as independent schools in south London. I remember dreading this whole primary school process when I was pregnant with Lady Yeya. At the time, my niece was four years old and going through the whole assessment process for school in Hong Kong. It is a big decision and lots to think about. Hopefully, more food for thoughts.
Also in this series:
Primary School Series: US vs UK Educational System
Primary School Series: What to Look for at the Open Mornings
