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

How the Independent Sector compares in examining its pupils at pre-prep and prep stages

Enabling schools to understand how well their pupils are performing against a national standard was the original purpose for SATS whilst providing an important opportunity to identify pupils needing help to achieve those standards.

The results of the tests are used to analyse primary school performance across the country, with the Department for Education producing league tables showing schools that are performing well compared to those who are struggling.

These exams can be very useful for parents, helping them understand where their child is positioned compared to the average results achieved by others and can also help in pinpointing areas of strength as well as weakness. It can highlight any difficulties they might be facing in their learning process and for these to then be addressed.

SATS as a force for good in schools

Looking at the concerns around SATS there has been much comment about the stress on pupils taking the tests. There is also the argument that the results do not reflect the many other subjects being taught outside of the core subjects, or the contribution and quality of extra-curricular activities at the school. However, SATS provide an important introduction to testing before pupils move into secondary education and GCSEs. Critics say the league tables encourage competition rather than collaboration between schools but there is proof that these tables help drive up standards and increase local accountability.

SATS were not designed to be high stakes tests and it is usually down to the skill and diplomacy of the teachers to use these tests as a force for good. Most schools do not advocate a high pressure build up to the exams with many advising against too much preparation and indeed advocate focusing on outside or fun activities away from study as a way of preparing.

The link between state and independent education

So, what is the link between the state sector and the independent sector? Independent schools are free to set their own curriculum and to choose which exam qualifications students take. They are not constrained by government and have the freedom to operate in the what they consider to be the best interests of their pupils. Many independent pre-prep and prep schools do not use SATS, but often utilise annual standardised assessments such as (CAT or CEM tests) to monitor student progression. At pre-prep pupils are assessed for their overall development, including social interaction, play and speech. To gain a place at the top prep schools applicants may face entrance tests in English and Maths, an interview and sometimes an IQ test. Whilst at prep school, pupils are often focused on preparing for 11+ or 13+ exams depending on the choice of senior school. There is a belief that this preparing for high-stakes tests sets pupils in good stead for future national qualifications such as GCSEs and A-Levels. This said, there are prep schools who do use SATS for monitoring and as a way of standing out amongst local state schools in their area, and demonstrating their value above the state system.

SATS at both Year 2 Year 6 correlate to the exams taken by prep-prep and prep school students at 7 and 11 as it offers the advantages of introducing formal testing as a pathway to the next stage of education and gives students the experience of formal exams – although at aged 7 these are very low stakes tests and marked internally. In addition to taking externally or internally set entrance exams for senior schools, prep school students often take Common Entrance exams across all subjects at aged 13 for entrance to the top senior schools.

Advantages of state and independent testing

One of the advantages of testing at both state and independent schools is that it prepares children for the next stage of their education. Primarily SATS have been designed to assess progress and expected skillsets at certain ages, and focus less on the ability to recall learned subject-specific knowledge. Conversely, those assessments taken in the independent sector in order to attain entrance to future schools are often knowledge-based and high pressured. This is the first opportunity for most UK pupils to sit formal, high-stakes exams in subjects such as French, History, Geography and Latin. It is often a perceived advantage that this process encourages private schools to ensure their pupils are ready for exams as and when they come with detailed revision practice, timed assessments and additional subject support where required.

It really is a case of managing expectations so that pupils do not view examinations as a negative experience but a way of helping them achieve their potential.

 

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This article from Alistair Montgomery – Director for London-based education consultant, Gabbitas, first appeared in the Spring 2020 edition of School Report