Plan a Private School Education from Birth
UK FamiliesPlan a Private School Education from Birth
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If you have a pre-school age child, you have a great opportunity to map out their education.
Studies (and common sense) tell us that education has a huge influence on life chances. So the better education you provide, the better chance your child has of flying the nest into a successful, healthy, and fulfilling adulthood. Job done, a comfortable and undisturbed retirement can one day be yours.
To get to that point requires planning and adaptability. Even if you are not yet sure about an independent education for your child, it is worth having a decent overview of the entrance points, procedures, and finances involved. This will help you map out an initial plan, and understand where and when the forks in the road are going to present themselves.
This guide will take you step-by-step through planning your child’s independent school education in the UK. Of course, many of the key priniciples are the same for overseas school systems or even the state system in the UK.
However, there are also some crucial aspects that are completely unique to British independent school applications. So if you are even considering going down the private school route at any stage, be sure to understand how the land lies and plan ahead.
Here’s what you need to know:
Planning Your Child’s Private School Education From Birth
1) The Ages and Stages of British Private Schools
The first step for you as a parent is to understand the UK independent school system. Your child’s age and stage will always dictate when you need to start applications – and some application deadlines may be earlier than you might expect.
Take in our “Age and Stage” table below, then figure out when your child will be joining each year group. For example, a child born between Sept 1 st 2022 and August 31 st 2023 will start Reception Class in September 2027.
| Age (on Sept 1st) | Year Group | Stage | Curriculum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-2 years old | Nursery | Nursery | N/A |
| 3 y/o | Pre-School | Nursery | Early Years Foundation |
| 4 y/o | Reception | Pre-Prep | Early Years Foundation |
| 5 y/o | Year 1 | Pre-Prep | National Curric, Key Stage 1 |
| 6 y/o | Year 2 | Pre-Prep | National Curric, Key Stage 1 |
| 7 y/o | Year 3 | Prep School | Key Stage 2 |
| 8 y/o | Year 4 | Prep School | Key Stage 2 |
| 9 y/o | Year 5 | Prep School | Key Stage 2 |
| 10 y/o | Year 6 | Prep School | Key Stage 2 |
| Senior School Entrance Point 1 | |||
| 11 y/o | Year 7 | Prep School or Senior School | Key Stage 3 |
| 12 y/o | Year 8 | Prep School or Senior School | Key Stage 3 |
| Senior School Entrance Point 2 | |||
| 13 y/o | Year 9 | Senior School | Key Stage 3 |
| 14 y/o | Year 10 | Senior School | Key Stage 4 (GCSEs) |
| 15 y/o | Year 11 | Senior School | Key Stage 4 (GCSEs) |
| Sixth Form Entrance Point | |||
| 16 y/o | Year 12 | Sixth Form | A-levels, IB Diploma, BTEC or equivalent |
| 17 y/o | Year 13 | Sixth Form | A-levels, IB Diploma, BTEC or equivalent |
Once you’ve mapped out the timelines for your child’s ages and stages, you should set important reminders for each entrance point. Don’t worry if you don’t know what these mean yet – you’ll know what is going on by the time they pop up on your phone! By setting these key reminders NOW you will make sure you don’t miss anything important.
Put the following reminders in your calendar now:
| Date | Reminder |
|---|---|
| 2 Years before starting Reception Class | Decide on Reception school (Age 4+, Reception Class) |
| Start of Year 1 | Start Prep school (Year 3, age 7+) investigations |
| End of Year 1 | Consider an Ed Psych (Wisc IV) assessment |
| Start of Year 2 | Submit Year 3 Prep school applications, if applicable |
| End of Year 5 | Start Year 7, age 11+ AND Year 9, age 13+ (Yes, really!) investigations |
| Start of Year 5 | Register for 13+ pre-tests if required |
| Start of Year 6 | Submit Year 11 registrations |
| End of Year 10 | Assess options for 6th form |
2) Planning Finances for Your Child’s Private Education
It obviously softens the blow that fees are spread over 13+ years but, unless money is no object, planning your finances is certainly advised. It’s imperative to take a long term approach – you don’t want to blow your budget early and struggle to find your child’s education in the latter stages. Be sure to check out the The Top School Guide on independent school fees for more tips on how to get the best possible value.
It’s crucial you understand that the greatest influence on price of school fees is NOT quality, but location. School fees differ between regions in similar ways to house prices or the price of a pint. If you’re at all familiar with life in the UK, you’ll get the picture.
Do not let the fees of private schooling put you off! Many people mix and match using the state and private sectors to save money whilst getting the maximum bang for their buck. We’ll give you an example strategy plan for this towards the end of this guide.
Family planning may also come into play at this point as, if your first child gets to go to private school, you can bet any younger siblings will have to go too!
Finally, when thinking of finances, pay particular attention to factors such as work, travel, and where you plan to live. These will all have a great influence on your finances, child’s education, and your entire family’s work/life balance.
Here are some average figures to help you plan:
| Typical annual day fees in 2023, paid in 3 instalments | |
|---|---|
| Pre-School | £3000 |
| Pre-Prep | £9000 - £20,000 |
| Prep School | £10,000 - £25,000 |
| Senior School | £15,000 - £30,000 |
| Sixth Form | £18,000 - £35,000 |
3) How to balance work, family, and your children’s education
This section of the guide assumes that your child and their future is the centre of your world. During the early years, your child will tend to need you, or a main care-giver, more. As their world grows and they get older, there will be times when you can feel completely redundant!
To the greatest extent possible, use the above Ages and Stages chart to first map out your child’s education plan. Then, fit your work and family lifestyle around this.
For each stage think about:
- your financial requirements
- career plans, including locations, logistics, and hours
- preferred lifestyle. Many of us revisit the town/country debate as our family grows
- time together. Make sure it is quality time where you can give each other your full attention. The trick is to balance the time you benefit from being together with the time you benefit from being apart – and this is unique to each individual family.
One final and extremely important point: Continuity is great for a child’s education so, where possible, it is better to move home around a natural break/entrance point, rather than making a disruptive move midway through senior school. Moving during GCSEs or A-levels, for example, is nothing short of a nightmare. If moving is an option, be sure to read the Top School Guide relocation guides.
4) Set Out Your Child’s Education Plan
Now you can put points 1-3 together, and make your very own education strategy for your child. Remember to use the “Ages and Stages” table as the foundation for your plan.
Here are some examples which you can adjust to your own situation, and add your details of finances, logistics and personal preferences.
Example A) The economical state/private mix and match strategy
You might want or need to utilise the state school system, particularly if finances are of concern. You’ll want to be sure that your child’s state school is at least bearable. And remember that the state school provision of extra-curricular activities (sports, art, music, drama) is very limited when compared with private schools. So you will need to make arrangements outside of school hours.
| Stage | Plan |
|---|---|
| Nursery (Age 0-4) | Stay in the city. 1 parent works full time, one part time. Move out of the city by the summer approx. 15 months before child starts Reception Class. Move to a county with state (free) grammar schools. |
| Pre Prep (age 4-7) | Child to go to a state primary school. Parents/grandparents focus on saving money and taking active role in child’s education. Supplement school with fun home tuition, music and sports clubs. |
| Prep school (7-11) | Child to join suitable private prep school. Both parents to work FT and use school’s wraparound care. |
| Secondary School (Age 11-16) | Aim for 11+ grammar school entrance. If unsuccessful, consider local private school options, or boarding/relocation if funds permit. |
| Sixth Form (Age 16-18) | Aim for the most suitable boarding school, giving your child a 2 year boost of focus and independence before adulthood. Parents retire to the Med (!?). |
Example B) A London hothouse strategy
This is self-explanatory. It is the school strategy for competitive and driven families who want to push for academic success.
| Stage | Plan |
|---|---|
| Nursery (Age 0-4) | Stay in London. Both parents back to work full time. Choose most expensive nursery/pre-school which feeds straight into the Top Prep school. |
| Pre Prep (Age 4-7) Prep School (Age 7-11) | Child attends a Pre-prep and Prep School with high levels of progression into top-ranked London senior schools. |
| Secondary School (Age 11-16) | Aim for progression to a Top Day senior school in London. Consider a top but less-competitive weekly boarding school outside of London as a back up (if child cannot get into a top London day). |
| Sixth Form (Age 16-18) | Remain in top London day 6 th form. Or consider moving to a boarding school strong in particular subjects of interest. |
Example C) The Boarding Enthusiast’s strategy
You can introduce boarding at any of the main entrance points. The following strategy is for families that want or need to go down the boarding route as soon as possible.
| Stage | Plan |
|---|---|
| Nursery (Age 0-4) | Stay in the city. Both parents work full time. Child spends long days in a top private nursery. |
| Pre Prep (age 4-7) | Family move to more rural commuter town. Both parents commute for work so use school’s wraparound care. Child spends long hours in idyllic private school set in vast grounds. |
| Prep School (Age 7-13) | Child starts weekly boarding at the same school at age 8. Parents spend most weekdays living in the city, and come back at weekends to spend time in the family home with their child. As they get older, the child starts to spend more weekends as a full boarder. |
| Secondary School (Age 13-16) | Enrol in an elite boarding school age 13+. Child is a full boarder. Location of school is irrelevant, quality is paramount. |
| Sixth Form (Age 16-18) | Likely remain in the same senior school, unless a change is obviously required. |
Keep in mind that the above templates illustrate ways to maximise the potential of each educational stage.
In reality, many families just choose a local all-through school and go from there – and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Make a strategy and be flexible
Once you’ve made your strategy you can confidently begin your child’s education. You can find more Top School Guidance in our school applications or ultimate boarding guides.
Once your child starts school, keep an eye on things and be flexible and responsive to their changing academic and personal needs. Every child is different and one of the many benefits of a private education is that you can adapt and tailor your child’s education to fit their needs and interests as they grow.
Top School Guide can help
If you need any help planning your child’s education, or need a hand at any stage, please just get in touch. Top School Guide offers families a flexible range of services and would be delighted to hear from you.
