Move schools or stay put?
Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2017 3:30 pm
Hi everyone,
I am wondering 1) what advice you would give if you were this person's friend and 2) whether you would actively give the advice or just be there as a sounding board?
I have a very close friend who has 2 children at an independent school. The older is currently in KS4 and it is too late for her to move school. I would describe her as above average in terms of ability (probably would get a string of 6s in any regular school and maybe a couple of 7s and a couple of 4/5s) but has a poor attitude and not a great work ethic; she is now stuck in a cycle where the school expects a poor attitude and therefore, with less than 25 children in the entire year, it's quite difficult to change/improve things. The family are paying through the nose for the (non selective, very small) indie and are also paying for 4 tutors in the hope that she will get good enough grades to go to a different 6th form college, currently predicted mostly 4s and 5s, maybe a few 6s. They are very unimpressed with the standard of teaching (as am I when I've seen their work; I know scores of secondary school teachers, many of whom teach at more challenging schools and the standards are generally far higher).
The younger child is less able but has a much better attitude towards work. Dc2 is in KS3 and they attempted to move him to a better indie but did not succeed because of the academic requirements. Dc2 is good at certain subjects but is currently predicted 2s and 3s in other subjects; there is no suggestion of a SEN and it is more that he does not seem able to access/understand these subjects (it's such a small school that there are only 3 classes for most subjects so very few teachers; also even the bottom sets have quite a large spread of abilities) with the teaching that is being provided.
All my teaching friends are adamant that ds2 would do far far better at a state comprehensive with more staff available (and better quality of staff/teaching) and more resources to be put into children who are struggling.
My friend has always said their local comprehensive is no good and that "no one" sends their children there; they live in an area with a high number of private schools and every single one of their friends is at an indie. Websites and Ofsted reports are often misleading I know but it appears that it takes a higher than average number of PP children and children with EAL (unsurprising maybe if those who are able all go down the indie route) - however the results are really very good and the Progress 8 is average but on the + side. Behaviour is described as good and they are particularly good at pushing the more able and the weakest; reading between the lines, maybe the average child gets overlooked a little. It looks as though places do come up from time to time. On the internet it looks like a genuinely good school.
Friend is gutted that dc2 has not got into other indie. She does not expect him to be able to get into any 6th form (other than staying in current school as their requirements are low) because of the likely GCSE results. She doesn't know what to do; she has a couple of months to try and make a plan. She wishes now that she had sent both dc via the state system. She would have saved £100k+ so far. But she is scared of moving dc2 into the state system at this stage in case it doesn't work and because she is worried that going from a school of less than 130 children in the entire school (minus 6th form) to a school of 1500+ would be too big a jump. I think they are a bit paralysed by the need to do "the right thing" for dc2, feeling very much (not necessarily fairly) that they have failed dc1 to an extent.
1) What would your advice be? Stick it out, pay for tutors and hope for the best? (Money not really a problem). Or move dc2 and see what happens? I think they have spoken to the school about the teaching over and over again without any change.
2) This is my closest friend. We get on very well but have profoundly different children and parenting styles. I have to be quite careful what I say, particularly because I am so lucky that my children are happy and settled at schools where they are doing well. I have stopped "giving advice" and moved towards a nodding/listening/"hmm, I'm so sorry" response because I don't want to upset the friendship - but I don't know if this is one time it's worth stepping out and advising actively?
I am wondering 1) what advice you would give if you were this person's friend and 2) whether you would actively give the advice or just be there as a sounding board?
I have a very close friend who has 2 children at an independent school. The older is currently in KS4 and it is too late for her to move school. I would describe her as above average in terms of ability (probably would get a string of 6s in any regular school and maybe a couple of 7s and a couple of 4/5s) but has a poor attitude and not a great work ethic; she is now stuck in a cycle where the school expects a poor attitude and therefore, with less than 25 children in the entire year, it's quite difficult to change/improve things. The family are paying through the nose for the (non selective, very small) indie and are also paying for 4 tutors in the hope that she will get good enough grades to go to a different 6th form college, currently predicted mostly 4s and 5s, maybe a few 6s. They are very unimpressed with the standard of teaching (as am I when I've seen their work; I know scores of secondary school teachers, many of whom teach at more challenging schools and the standards are generally far higher).
The younger child is less able but has a much better attitude towards work. Dc2 is in KS3 and they attempted to move him to a better indie but did not succeed because of the academic requirements. Dc2 is good at certain subjects but is currently predicted 2s and 3s in other subjects; there is no suggestion of a SEN and it is more that he does not seem able to access/understand these subjects (it's such a small school that there are only 3 classes for most subjects so very few teachers; also even the bottom sets have quite a large spread of abilities) with the teaching that is being provided.
All my teaching friends are adamant that ds2 would do far far better at a state comprehensive with more staff available (and better quality of staff/teaching) and more resources to be put into children who are struggling.
My friend has always said their local comprehensive is no good and that "no one" sends their children there; they live in an area with a high number of private schools and every single one of their friends is at an indie. Websites and Ofsted reports are often misleading I know but it appears that it takes a higher than average number of PP children and children with EAL (unsurprising maybe if those who are able all go down the indie route) - however the results are really very good and the Progress 8 is average but on the + side. Behaviour is described as good and they are particularly good at pushing the more able and the weakest; reading between the lines, maybe the average child gets overlooked a little. It looks as though places do come up from time to time. On the internet it looks like a genuinely good school.
Friend is gutted that dc2 has not got into other indie. She does not expect him to be able to get into any 6th form (other than staying in current school as their requirements are low) because of the likely GCSE results. She doesn't know what to do; she has a couple of months to try and make a plan. She wishes now that she had sent both dc via the state system. She would have saved £100k+ so far. But she is scared of moving dc2 into the state system at this stage in case it doesn't work and because she is worried that going from a school of less than 130 children in the entire school (minus 6th form) to a school of 1500+ would be too big a jump. I think they are a bit paralysed by the need to do "the right thing" for dc2, feeling very much (not necessarily fairly) that they have failed dc1 to an extent.
1) What would your advice be? Stick it out, pay for tutors and hope for the best? (Money not really a problem). Or move dc2 and see what happens? I think they have spoken to the school about the teaching over and over again without any change.
2) This is my closest friend. We get on very well but have profoundly different children and parenting styles. I have to be quite careful what I say, particularly because I am so lucky that my children are happy and settled at schools where they are doing well. I have stopped "giving advice" and moved towards a nodding/listening/"hmm, I'm so sorry" response because I don't want to upset the friendship - but I don't know if this is one time it's worth stepping out and advising actively?