11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi

thinking about sending DD2 to an Indi but the 100k I would need will come from the mortgage...
plus that money would be needed to get hopefully all 4 DCs through university

Lots of you must have had the same dilemma, which way did you go and why?

G

Hi - are you looking at primary level and senior level or just one of these?

You say DD2 - have you already got some experience of state schools?

It is a lot of money ... big mortgages, working longer than you may have thought you would...

y7 to y12
ds1 and dd1 are at grammar sch, somehow I think dd2 won't make it (and that to get in an indie it is easier than getting in a grammar, which might not be the case of course)

fair enough - the dilemma that many find themselves in. There is a much wider range of indie schools (academically ) than grammar schools.

for example where I live the GS is the hardest to get into then the indies, though some indies elsewhere are harder to get in - at least they are looking for different things...

comes down to the fact that you know the GS route and will have to do some visiting to look at a range of indies.

re the fees - they are a pain and variably crippling. Many schools have monthly Direct Debit schemes which can help with spreading the money across the year. There are other "extras" - make sure to check up on these.... Another option is indie for 5 years then state sixth form?

And do check that the independent is better than whatever other alternatives you have - they aren't all good just because you pay for them! And an independednt school that is easy to get into needs to be very carefully looked at, IMHO,

Watch out for the resentment of the children who are not getting the "money" invested in them.

They always know what their sibling is costing their parents.

And what they are missing out on because of it.

And also think about the guilt factor for the one the money is being spent on.

Why cant this thread just be on how to pay than trying to lecture OP on how and who to spend his/her money on.

Sorry but I get annoyed everytime a thread goes into indie vs state when someone has genuine concerns.

agreed sherry - I suppose one of the reasons for asking some of the questions is trying to find the attitude and views of the OP to indie education - is it something the family have always done or is it for a particular reason - are they "first time buyers?" .
I find that some people feel an indie is a good school that they happen to pay for whereas others feel that it must be good because they pay for it. Paying the fees can feels very different dependant on the circumstances.

No lectures that I could see. But the OP sounds very uncertain, and does raise the issue of the money that will be used for fees being the money currently earmarked for putting all the dcs through university. It seemed sendible to broaden the discussion - I think that's what the OP was asking.

And there are people who, if they are only sent children to grammar schools make assumptions about the other options available - independednt must be good, state must be bad. An independent school that is easy to get into may very well not be a good option - I know people who have lived to regret not being aware of this.