Private Primary Schools in Sutton & Surrey excellent 11+
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Private Primary Schools in Sutton & Surrey excellent 11+
Hi,
My husband and I are planning on moving from central London to Surrey or Sutton for the education of our twins, boy and girl.
We are flexible with areas; we are solely basing our search on being close to an academically excellent private primary schools that have a high number of children of moving to Grammar schools (or another excellent private secondary school). Ideally we would like our children to go to Grammar schools to ease the costs in the future.
We are hoping the early investment in private primary education would give them the best chance of getting into a Grammar school.
We looked at South Cheam as it's within the catchment area of the Sutton Grammar Schools e.g Nonsuch Girls Grammar School.
What's the best way of searching for excellent private primary schools that prepare for 11+ exams?
Thanks,
My husband and I are planning on moving from central London to Surrey or Sutton for the education of our twins, boy and girl.
We are flexible with areas; we are solely basing our search on being close to an academically excellent private primary schools that have a high number of children of moving to Grammar schools (or another excellent private secondary school). Ideally we would like our children to go to Grammar schools to ease the costs in the future.
We are hoping the early investment in private primary education would give them the best chance of getting into a Grammar school.
We looked at South Cheam as it's within the catchment area of the Sutton Grammar Schools e.g Nonsuch Girls Grammar School.
What's the best way of searching for excellent private primary schools that prepare for 11+ exams?
Thanks,
Re: Private Primary Schools in Sutton & Surrey excellent 11+
Hi. You haven't had any replies so I thought I would kick off.
I'm afraid I have no knowledge of Surrey specifically.
My knowledge (such as it is) is restricted to the North London areas.
However in this area generally the private schools do not prepare children specifically for the 11+. Some children do go to grammar schools from various local private schools but these children tend to have been tutored separately on top of their private schooling.
Attending a private school locally does not appear to confer any advantage to children in terms of grammar school place attainment (there may be other reasons why one would choose a private school but that does not seem to be a relevant one).
In our local grammar schools the vast majority of places go to state school educated children. (I don't know the proportion of places achieved by state vs private school applicants. It would be an interesting statistic to hear. Obviously more state educated people apply).
In terms of finding out who gets places from the private schools I guess the easiest way would be to discover the destination of the school leavers. However many people who choose private primaries go on to choose private secondaries and so you will not really be able to discover who could have gone to a grammar school had their parents chosen that route.
I'm afraid I have no knowledge of Surrey specifically.
My knowledge (such as it is) is restricted to the North London areas.
However in this area generally the private schools do not prepare children specifically for the 11+. Some children do go to grammar schools from various local private schools but these children tend to have been tutored separately on top of their private schooling.
Attending a private school locally does not appear to confer any advantage to children in terms of grammar school place attainment (there may be other reasons why one would choose a private school but that does not seem to be a relevant one).
In our local grammar schools the vast majority of places go to state school educated children. (I don't know the proportion of places achieved by state vs private school applicants. It would be an interesting statistic to hear. Obviously more state educated people apply).
In terms of finding out who gets places from the private schools I guess the easiest way would be to discover the destination of the school leavers. However many people who choose private primaries go on to choose private secondaries and so you will not really be able to discover who could have gone to a grammar school had their parents chosen that route.
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PurpleDuck
- Posts: 1586
- Joined: Sat Jul 24, 2010 10:45 pm
Re: Private Primary Schools in Sutton & Surrey excellent 11+
The private primary schools in Sutton area that I am aware of go all the way through to year 9, so prepare for the Common Entrance at 13+. There is no reason for them to prepare children for 11+ and facilitate their leaving two years early.
It felt like I hit rock bottom; suddenly, there was knocking from beneath... (anon.)
Re: Private Primary Schools in Sutton & Surrey excellent 11+
B/G twins is a tricky one!
Seaton House for Girls is probably the best for girls. Over the last 3 years of published results I think that 31 out of 55 girls have left to go to either Wally Girls or Nonsuch, with more who have passed but been on the waitlist.
In my experience fewer boys locally leave from private primary schools/preps to go to Grammars. Parents seem to be more swayed by the senior independent schools, especially where sport is important to a family. Boys schools can be more testosterone fuelled places, even amongst the parents. But in my experience of a local boys prep it was viewed that only the families who couldn't afford an independent school thought about the grammars. The schools will to a certain extent still prepare for he grammars, but the main issue is that the exams are a term earlier than the independent schools which tends to be their main focus.
So Homefield, Cumnor House, Priory Park would all have some children aiming for 11+, but a minority. Surbiton High have a reasonable number each year - 26 to grammars in the last 3 years. I don't know of equally successful co-ed preps which focus on the grammars. But I do know parents who have opted for different schools for their B/G twins.
Good luck!
Seaton House for Girls is probably the best for girls. Over the last 3 years of published results I think that 31 out of 55 girls have left to go to either Wally Girls or Nonsuch, with more who have passed but been on the waitlist.
In my experience fewer boys locally leave from private primary schools/preps to go to Grammars. Parents seem to be more swayed by the senior independent schools, especially where sport is important to a family. Boys schools can be more testosterone fuelled places, even amongst the parents. But in my experience of a local boys prep it was viewed that only the families who couldn't afford an independent school thought about the grammars. The schools will to a certain extent still prepare for he grammars, but the main issue is that the exams are a term earlier than the independent schools which tends to be their main focus.
So Homefield, Cumnor House, Priory Park would all have some children aiming for 11+, but a minority. Surbiton High have a reasonable number each year - 26 to grammars in the last 3 years. I don't know of equally successful co-ed preps which focus on the grammars. But I do know parents who have opted for different schools for their B/G twins.
Good luck!
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Daogroupie
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- Location: Herts
Re: Private Primary Schools in Sutton & Surrey excellent 11+
If you choose a private prep that has a senior school they would be very foolish indeed to prepare you for local state grammars. They want you to have no other choice but their senior school.
If they think you want a state grammar they may well string you along and make you think that prep schools are so much better than state schools that you will walk into any state grammar you choose. They know the reality and if that stops you doing any preparation then all well and good because then you will have to stay for senior school.
If you choose a prep that is marketing itself as a feeder for local private schools then they want you on that destinations page to reinforce the image that paying for this prep will get you into the local private senior of your choice.
If you choose a prep that goes to Y8 for 11 plus they don't want you to leave at the end of Y6 and leave them a place that is hard to fill.
As LM says preps don't even start their prep early enough for the state grammars in September.
My advice would be don't waste money on the prep. Go to the largest state primary in the catchment you can find and find some Y6 parents who got a state grammar school place and ask them how they did it.
In North London the local preps do not do well with the state grammars and I would imagine it is the same story in Sutton and Surrey.
I know of prep students getting 90% in Y5 prep school mocks and 40s in Sutton mocks.
They are told that the school mocks are the same level as the Y6 11 plus mocks and they are already at the level to secure a place in the senior school.
But that level is nowhere near the level for the state grammars as indicated by the performance in the Sutton mocks.
"excellent private primary schools that prepare for the 11 plus state grammars"
No such thing in North London. DG
If they think you want a state grammar they may well string you along and make you think that prep schools are so much better than state schools that you will walk into any state grammar you choose. They know the reality and if that stops you doing any preparation then all well and good because then you will have to stay for senior school.
If you choose a prep that is marketing itself as a feeder for local private schools then they want you on that destinations page to reinforce the image that paying for this prep will get you into the local private senior of your choice.
If you choose a prep that goes to Y8 for 11 plus they don't want you to leave at the end of Y6 and leave them a place that is hard to fill.
As LM says preps don't even start their prep early enough for the state grammars in September.
My advice would be don't waste money on the prep. Go to the largest state primary in the catchment you can find and find some Y6 parents who got a state grammar school place and ask them how they did it.
In North London the local preps do not do well with the state grammars and I would imagine it is the same story in Sutton and Surrey.
I know of prep students getting 90% in Y5 prep school mocks and 40s in Sutton mocks.
They are told that the school mocks are the same level as the Y6 11 plus mocks and they are already at the level to secure a place in the senior school.
But that level is nowhere near the level for the state grammars as indicated by the performance in the Sutton mocks.
"excellent private primary schools that prepare for the 11 plus state grammars"
No such thing in North London. DG
Re: Private Primary Schools in Sutton & Surrey excellent 11+
OK, was looking into this exact topic myself!
My summary of my findings
1) States don't prepare
2) Homefield loses about 25% to grammars and does prepare (from the horses mouth)
My summary of my findings
1) States don't prepare
2) Homefield loses about 25% to grammars and does prepare (from the horses mouth)
Re: Private Primary Schools in Sutton & Surrey excellent 11+
I'm afraid Homefield doesn't prepare. The kids that pass the grammars (and yes there are always at least 10 or more that do) have been heavily tutored by extremely pushy parents. And that's from the horses mouth. If you consider an after school lesson in VR and NVR tutoring preparation for the grammars that's about the extent of their attempt to prep their kids for the exam.
The boys are not on Level 6 Maths or English at the end of year 5, which is basically the minimum requirement for a superselective Grammar in Surrey.
The boys are not on Level 6 Maths or English at the end of year 5, which is basically the minimum requirement for a superselective Grammar in Surrey.
