Despite having lived in London for six years, I am still a foreigner in this country and having received my primary school education in Finland, the UK school system is completely alien to me. I had expected children’s education to be, as so many things in London, highly competitive and expensive, and I was not wrong. But my struggle starts from the simple basics of getting grips with the terminology – what’s the difference between a nursery/childminder/nursery school/preschool/reception/pre-reception/primary school/secondary school/middle school/senior school/high school… I mean wtf?? 😫 And when I finally understood that public schools are actually private schools (aka independent schools) and that the actual (free) public schools are called state schools, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. And yes, I even misunderstood the year my daughter is due to start school – it’s 2022 not 2023! Geez..
Just in case there is someone else out there who, like me, is completely clueless about the topic, I thought to summarise here what I’ve learned since I first started looking into the schooling system at the end of the summer. Note: the below applies to my borough in London. I’m not even trying to guess if there are regional differences.
In the UK, children are expected to start primary school the academic year they turn five. So since Maia was born in December 2017, she is expected to start in a reception class in September 2022, when she is 4-years (and 9-months) old. In comparison, in Finland children start primary school the calendar year they turn 7, before which they spend a year in preschool (which I’m not sure is compulsory). There are no state (free or subsidised) nurseries here so at least until your kid is 4-years old, you’ll need to cough up the cash to pay for childcare, which come in various forms, all which are expensive (nursery, childminder or a nanny/aupair) or to stay at home to take care of her/him yourself. But if you prefer to carry on hemorrhaging cash aka having your child educated in a private school (aka public school, lol), do not wait until he or she is 4-years old!! In fact, if she or he is already born, the chances are you’ve missed your window and there are 50 kids on the wait list. You see, private (aka independent) schools like to lock you, the fee-paying-parent, in as soon as possible and they guarantee admission to their prestigious primary school by getting your child into their nursery/nursery school/pre-reception class. Great business model, is all I’m saying.
I don’t have anything against either private or state schools (I’ve actually gone to both), I just want what’s best for my kids (and is within my budget). But as so often with parenting decisions, it’s hard to know what the “best” is. Private schools don’t automatically offer better quality education (although class sizes are often smaller) compared to highly ranked state schools and so paying an extra £15 000- 20 000 per year doesn’t even guarantee quality. Also there can be cultural differences, which are even harder for me to evaluate not having grown up here. In my understanding the pressure and competition amongst students in the most prestigious private schools can be tough. Do I want to expose my 4-year old to that? On the other hand, the variation between different state schools in London is high when it comes to quality of teaching and the students’ test results etc. And there are numerous additional factors to consider: I am all for cultural diversity, but I would not be pleased if the majority of my daughter’s class did not speak English and it’d take most of the teacher’s attention and effort to help these children (because that would obviously be time away from teaching my daughter anything).
If only it was “just” a matter of deciding on which school to send her to… But it’s not. Spaces in “outstanding”-rated schools in London, both private and state, are in high demand. While there may be some selective private primary schools (?), the schools I’ve looked into are non-selective and the toddlers aren’t (thank goodness) assessed – their admission depends on proactiveness of the parents: how early did you register your child and to how many schools? Remember, there’s a non-refundable registration fee of ~100£ every time. Oh you moved? Too bad. 🤷♀️ Admission to state schools then? By luck, unless you live literally next door to the school and have the older siblings in the same school.
In my understanding you are allowed to apply to three state schools in your catchment area (remember to check the catchment area before you buy your house. Also check the “heat map” of the area regarding admission to a specific school) during the winter/spring before your little bundle of joy is meant to start reception class. Sometimes also state primary schools have nursery schools attached but in our borough they don’t guarantee entry to reception.
The good news is that there are a couple very good state primary schools in our area to which I will apply when the time comes. But how to hedge my bets in case Maia doesn’t get admitted into any of the good schools or ends up allocated to one a ridiculous distance away? Well, I’ve decided to register Maia to a few private schools’ nurseries which would guarantee entry to their primary school as well. The first school I approached turned me away saying I’ve got no chance and shouldn’t even bother to get Maia wait listed. I was gutted (and annoyed). The second one I visited last week and I got Maia on a wait list for a nursery school. This school has the option of doing mornings only during the first year (2020-2021) which would work well for us if I stayed at home a bit longer with baby brother. This way Maia would have playmates and fun activities every morning but still the chance to come home for lunch and afternoon nap. In the meantime, I’d get to focus on the baby and maybe even get some housework done (?). And most importantly, Maia would have a place in the primary school (for a price) and we would have a back up plan. The downside is that little brother could not follow Maia’s footsteps until he was at least 2.5-years old which is the minimum age for nursery school. This means that if I return to work before that, we’d need a full time nanny again (that’s nanny pay + school fee – yikes!). Or alternatively we’d need to find another nursery for him but I’m not too keen on having a 1-year old in full time nursery…
A colleague of mine, mum of two, made a good point when she said that most private schools have afternoon clubs which might workout cheaper and more convenient (and fun for the kids) compared to the “state school & afternoon nanny”-combo. Depends on the number of kids I guess… but food for thought.
Below is a timeline I created per Maia’s age and calendar year (she was born in December 2017) to make sure I’m not confusing the years again. This is just one alternative plan, though.
2018/0-1Y: I stay at home on maternity leave #1
2019/1-2Y: We have a full time nanny while I work full time (pregnant for the second time)
2020/2-3Y:
- Spring 2-2.5Y: I stay at home on maternity leave #2 with baby brother and have the nanny to help with Maia
- Autumn 2.5-3Y: I’m still at home on maternity leave #2 with baby brother and Maia attends nursery school in the mornings.
2021/3-4Y:
- Spring 3-3.5Y: Either I’m at home or we hire again a full time nanny for baby brother and Maia attends nursery school in the mornings
- Autumn 3.5-4Y: Maia starts full time (9am-3pm) pre-reception class in nursery school
2022/4-5Y:
- Spring 4-4.5Y: Maia is in full time (9am-3pm) pre-reception class in nursery school
- Autumn 4.5-5Y: Maia starts reception class either in the same private school’s primary or in a state primary (is she gets into a good one). Baby brother is old enough for nursery school (9am-12pm). We need a half day nanny if I’m working full time.
2023/5-6Y:
- Spring 5-5.5Y: Reception class of primary school
- Autumn 5.5-6.Y: Maia’s Year 1 of primary school. Baby brother starts pre-reception at nursery school
2024/6-7Y:
- Spring 6-6.5: Maia’s Year 1 of primary school. Baby brother in pre-reception class
- Autumn 6.5-7Y: Maia’s Year 2 of primary school. Baby brother starts reception class in primary school
…And so on.
One other thing to keep in mind is that some private schools are girls/boys-only schools. Since we will (all going well) have a girl and a boy, in one scenario they could be going to different schools. What a logistical nightmare!!
I’m a bit stressed I’m not going to lie… But I do feel a bit better prepared or at least better informed now! And yes, I Googled why elite private schools are called public, see below! 😊
“Public school, also called independent school, in the United Kingdom, one of a relatively small group of institutions educating secondary-level students for a fee and independent of the state system as regards both endowment and administration. The term public schoolemerged in the 18th century when the reputation of certain grammar schools spread beyond their immediate environs. They began taking students whose parents could afford residential fees and thus became known as public, in contrast to local, schools. By the late 20th century the term independent school was increasingly preferred by the institutions themselves.”
– britannica.com
xoxoxo,
Sini