Our team of highly skilled education consultants here at Gabbitas in London answer many questions of concern to parents about educational options for their children at state and independent schools. Here are just four examples. Don’t forget to contact us for free and impartial advice.

 

Q

How do we decide whether our child is best suited to a prep school that finishes at Year 6 or Year 8?

A

A well-chosen prep school will provide a solid foundation for a child’s academic career. It will play an enormous part in determining the options available to them when it comes to senior school and will prepare them for a smooth transition. If consideration for the prep school is intrinsically linked to the senior school, one must look at the intake ages at the desired senior school. Does the senior school provide entry at age 11, age 13, or both? This is vital not only so there is a smooth flow from prep to senior, but also to avoid a ‘small fish in big pond’ scenario whereby an unprepared 11 year old may be overwhelmed by the additional demands and expectations of their new environment.

If the child is assessed as being confident and ready, then a prep school with progression into a senior school at age 11 would make sense. If there is doubt, however, then a two-year gap can be a useful testing period.

There is never a ‘one-size fits all’ solution to choosing the best prep school for your child, and that’s what makes my work so interesting. From our experience, the best decision ultimately relies upon an unbiased (and unemotional) perspective on a child’s abilities and needs. Every family has a different set of circum­stances and its my job to understand them and advise objectively. Some parents are surprised to hear that their first choice prep school might not be the best place for their child to thrive and prosper, but with hindsight they are always grateful they took good advice.

Catherine Kelsey, Director of Elite Clients

Q

My daughter’s schoolfriend has told her that she is already being tutored for an entrance exam for our preferred senior school which they will sit in 2021. Is this over the top or are we falling behind?

A

First of all, don’t panic! It’s very easy as a parent to worry about what other families are doing but common sense will tell us that each individual child should be treated as just that. What we would suggest you do is take a look at your child and decide whether there are any areas that a private tutor could help you with. If the entrance exam is written by the school it will normally focus on verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, Maths and/or English. If the school uses the Common
Entrance, core subjects are Maths, English and Science. If your child is at a prep school, then the school should have already given your child some coaching. If your child attends a state school then it might be sensible to prepare your child.

In either case, use a good tutor agency who can provide an objective assessment test and a mock interview so you can understand where your child is now and recommend a plan of action. And although starting a year in advance seems excessive, it’s never too soon or too late to start: remember, preparation is everything!

Kirsty Reed, Lead Tutor Consultant

Q

There is a lot of talk about gender and diversity at our school gates, in the press and in general. How are schools changing to adapt to this new environment and how can we as parents help?

A

Whilst it is positive that increasingly young people feel comfortable identifying as who they wish to be (straight, homosexual, non-binary, trans, faith, no faith etc), with this comes a responsibility for schools and families to understand what this means for their young people.

Written by educators, educational specialists, consultants, diversity practitioners and parents, Inclusion Matters is the first resource of its kind to provide background information on English state and independent schools’ statutory obligations under the Equality Act 2010. It offers practical questions in an easy-to-use checklist format to help empower parents and carers to consider and discuss a school’s commitment to LGBT+ inclusion. More and more young people are rejecting the rigid boundaries that society puts on gender labels. Schools need to catch up in order to provide an environment that young people can thrive in. Encouragingly, steps are slowly being taken; last summer saw the first independent school participating in the Pride March in Brighton, a growing number of schools are embracing the need for inclusion training for staff, and more schools are providing non-gender specific uniforms. But there is still a long way to go.

The Inclusion Matters guide is available online at diversityrolemodels.org.

Helen Semple, Senior Consultant, Executive Team

Q

A family at my son’s school recently became the guardian family of a nine-year old girl from Thailand. I have a son the same age and am interested to find out more about what it involves, the rewards and how it could affect my son.

A

International students who study in the UK should have a UK-based Education Guardian appointed by their parents to represent their child and act on the parents’ behalf in the event of an emergency. Some families choose a family friend, but many families now appoint a professional Guardianship Agency to find, check, approve, support and monitor their Guardian Family.

Guardian Families come in all shapes but most importantly they will all be ‘caring families who like the idea of supporting an overseas student in the UK. Guardian Families also need to be homeowners and provide a room with some space for clothing and a desk for studying and they will be paid according to the amount of time a student stays with them.

Having a younger child should not be a concern as the agency you choose should work hard to ensure you have the right student to fit in with your family. So whether you would prefer a similar aged child so that they can grow up together, or an older child who can act as an elder sibling, it can work to suit you. It is a wonderful experience for UK families to participate in, and to know that you and your family have helped a young person to settle in and make the most out of their UK school experience is a rewarding achievement. Friends are made for life.

Danielle Flood, Student Support Services and Guardianship Manager

 

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This article from the education consultant team at Gabbitas, first appeared in the Spring 2020 edition of Absolutely Education

“Prep Schools” seem to be a peculiarly British invention. The clue is in the name, preparatory schools are there to prepare pupils for entry into many of the UK’s top public schools.

According to the IAPS (Incorporated Association of Preparatory Schools) there are over 600 schools in the UK that fall into this category, educating children from the age of 8 to 13 (Yr 4 – Yr 8). What each school offers varies enormously some are single sex, others are co-ed, some have senior schools attached, others have pre preps and some are stand-alone schools.

Many are day schools but others offer full or weekly boarding, some have less than 100 pupils and others have nearer to 400 but, for all their differences they have one main focus – to give a child the best possible start on their educational journey.

So what is the role of a Prep School? 

A Prep school is there to prepare its pupils for entry into any number of different senior schools in different parts of the country, this is normally through Common Entrance, a centrally set exam that is marked by individual senior schools.

Prep schools are good at identifying and preparing their pupils for scholarships across a wide range of disciplines, academic, sporting, art, drama and music too.

Prep schools are there to advise parents on the ‘next move’ to senior schools. It gives parents a chance to delay the choice of a senior school and to know that the choices they make for their child will be guided by experts.

Prep school Heads have a wealth of knowledge about various senior schools. They understand about how each school has a different ethos and expectations and which schools will bring out the best in certain children.

Prep schools are fully versed in which schools pre-test pupils and the different transition times for different types of schools, there is no chance of missing out on a place because of a missed deadline.

Most Prep schools offer flexibility on boarding and day options giving families the chance to start as a day pupil and move into boarding as the child grows up so they can be familiar with being away from home before making the leap to senior school.

Prep schools tend to be quite small and have a family feel to them, this cosy and familiar environment means children are known individually and can be encouraged to achieve their best.

By being a big fish in a small pond, children have a chance to take part in everything, which is a good preparation for the greater competition there will inevitably be at ‘big school’.

Prep schools provide a unique environment to preserve childhood and to instill the essentials of an all round education before the onset of adolescence.