Life After Joining Independent

[MissionGrammar]

Thank you everyone
it will be a tough decision for me, around 150K for 7 yrs
we have scholarship from northwood college but I wish I could get the same offer from other schools I mentioned.

[streathammum]

Do you have any other DC, MissonGrammar? That might influence your decision somewhat. You might be able to scrape £20k a year for one child but £40k for two looks very different. Good luck with your decision.

[streathammum]

Do you have any other DC, MissonGrammar? That might influence your decision somewhat. You might be able to scrape £20k a year for one child but £40k for two looks very different. Good luck with your decision.

[MissionGrammar]

Yes, I have another DC aged 3,
I keep thinking, if my DD does not go private then 1st year I can have bmw, 2nd year Merc, 3rd year Audi

[Guest55]

I'm unclear why you are considering a Private school when your name is 'MissionGrammar' - have you abandoned your mission?!

[MissionGrammar]

my dd has passed grammar schools except HBS
but I doubt we will get any grammar school from south harrow
waiting for 1st March now

[anotherdad]

In Bucks? If so, I doubt it. Have a look at Sally-Anne's sheet of projected distances of allocations.

[Ladymuck]

There are certain years when it is easier to move than others, especially between independent schools. There can be a lot of movement in year 7 and 9. I can't say for your local state options - it really does vary so much, and there is very limited movement with grammars.

I've always looked at the commitment in terms of blocks of years. You can usually move easily enough at the end of year 8 or year 9, but you need to be in the same place for years 10 and 11. Then for the 2 years of 6th form that is a new choice, and in fact many options, including grammars, open up again at this stage. A school may have some form of hardship bursary available to get a child through to the end of a school year, or exceptionally to the end of an exam period (eg from say mid year 10 to the end of year 11, but it is better to ensure that you have access to savings which would allow you to cover this.

At present there is far more demand for the more selective independent schools near London than there is supply. It is easy to forget that 10,000's of state school places have been added in London in the state sector to cope with increased demand, but scarcely any in the private sector. In many case scholarships are thinner than they once were, and for those who have too much income to be eligible for bursary assistance, it is rarer to find that a scholarship will make the difference.

[expatgirl]

I speak from experience of trying to get one of my DC into a North London independent girl's school after year 7. It is occasional places you are looking for. We registered at a few to make sure we had options as at the time we didn't know which would be fruitful, but in reality, only a couple of the schools finally came round to say they have any individual places and it is worth her her sitting entrance exams (thankfully one of them was her first choice anyway !). The others take the registration fee initially but then eventually let us know no student had left the school so no places were available (but then they just keep our registration on for 16+ entry list (incase we may be interested at that date).