Mix and match state and private education

State primary school can work well for an able child who finds the three Rs relatively easy. At the other end of the scale, those with significant special educational needs, particularly if they have an EHC (Education, Health and Care) plan, will get one-to-one support for free (though you will probably need to fight hard for this). 

Those in the middle may be the ones least well served in a busy primary school – as much psychologically as academically. In a typically cash-strapped state primary, a hard-pressed teacher with a mixed-ability class of 30 children often simply doesn’t have the resources to focus on this middle group.

Some parents choose to use the state system for the early years only, changing to a prep school at 7 or 8. A parent with an under-confident, just-getting-by child may decide it’s worth making sacrifices for the extra attention that a private school can provide. 

How do you compare state primary schools?

If you want to check how a state primary is performing, one of the more useful data indicators is the percentage of pupils in year 6 (10 to 11-year-olds) achieving at the expected standard in their key stage 2 SATs – the level that would be expected from the majority of children in a good prep school. These figures are are published in national performance data and you will find them on The Good Schools Guide’s school pages. However, bear in mind that they probably show as much about the demographics of a school’s intake as the quality of teaching. 

Some oversubscribed London prep schools make little allowance for a child who cannot read and write as fluently as candidates from more results-driven pre-preps. You may want to consider coaching at home if the prep school you’re aiming for sets a high bar. Country preps and less pressured schools, on the other hand, may delight in taking youngsters who need the nurturing of small classes to help them progress quickly.

Moving from state to private school

Many independent schools, ever mindful of those A level league tables, are increasingly keen to attract the brightest and the best. Much of the emphasis of the 11-plus entrance test is placed on academic potential, which is generally gauged by verbal and non-verbal reasoning tests (English and maths are also commonly assessed).

Academic potential alone, however, is not the only factor. For parents keen to make the transition, the right preparation is important. Many choose to hire a tutor (or tutor their children themselves) from the middle of year 5 (for many schools, leaving this till year 6 is too late!) to solidify their child’s literacy and numeracy and prepare them for the unfamiliar verbal and non-verbal reasoning tests. Alternatively, many prep schools welcome pupils aged 10 or 11 to train them up for senior school entrance at 13 – although this mostly applies to boys’ or co-ed schools and is complicated by senior schools’ increasing tendency to pre-test in year 6 or 7.

The high-flying City of London School for Boys, for example – which has always had a broad intake in terms of means and social class – takes half of its 11+ entrants from the state sector. Even academically and socially elite private schools such as Westminster School and St Paul’s Girls’ School are eager to attract the ablest 11-year-olds from the state sector into their own or allied prep schools.

Such is the desire from schools to bring in big brains, a number of secondary independent schools which begin in year 9 pick out the brightest children early on, offering places which come with bursaries to fund a few years at a prep school prior to joining. Harrow School, for example, offers full funding (including two years at a prep school) to boys from the local area. Eton College has a 13+ scholarship for those who have attended a state primary and has an established track record of awarding these places to boys from inner-city, working-class backgrounds.

Of course, moving to independent schools which are not academically selective can be a comparatively easy process. The school will want to meet you and your child to make sure you’re a good fit. There is usually some kind of assessment too; not necessarily a formal academic test to decide whether or not to offer a place, but something practical, written or verbal (or a combination of all three) so the school can get an idea of the child’s character and understand where strengths and weaknesses lie. There’s also the small matter of being able to afford the fees. But assuming everything is fine on these fronts and that the school has places, the move from state to private should be relatively straightforward.

Moving from private to state school

For those families who have high-performing local state secondary schools, particularly grammar schools, the approach is often to concentrate expenditure at the primary level by paying for prep school. Success at getting a grammar school place for year 7 will usually depend on your child’s performance at the 11-plus entrance assessment, and often also on your home address relative to the school.

Gayhurst Prep in Buckinghamshire sees about 40 per cent of its leavers head to one of the popular local grammars. Holmwood House in Essex loses half its pupils after year 6 (the school goes to year 8) to Colchester Royal Grammar and Colchester County High and the school actively helps prepare them for the 11-plus assessment.

However, if you feel your child doesn’t have the raw material to compete in these schools’ immensely cut-throat entrance exams – there are no interview assessments at this age – their interests may be best served by staying put in the private sector. It can be a bitter pill for some parents to realise that even an expensive prep school education won’t guarantee entry to grammar school, but you can try again later. Many grammars admit again at 16+ and you may feel your child can give a better account of themselves with GCSEs under their belt.

You may alternatively have chosen private primary school education because you couldn’t get a place in a good state primary, but have an excellent state comprehensive down the road. In which case, save your money and be thankful. For most secondary school admissions, the only hoop you need to jump through is the geographical/catchment one. For faith schools, it may also be necessary to demonstrate regular church attendance and proof of baptism.

Parents are sometimes concerned that moving from the rarefied air of prep school to state comprehensive will be a difficult transition for their child. Comprehensive schools have a comprehensive intake. There will inevitably be children from a broader range of backgrounds than at your prep school. However, birds of a feather flock together and your children will gravitate towards what feels familiar. Whether it’s the hard workers, drama kids, sport stars or lesson bunkers (hopefully not this one) there will be plenty of each and your child will likely find their tribe soon enough.

Moving from state to private school for sixth form

Over recent years, governmental and social pressure on Oxford, Cambridge and other Russell Group universities has resulted in state schools gradually increasing their application success rate and a simultaneous decline in the numbers from independent schools. That being said, places still disproportionately go to children educated at private school, just less so than before. In 2025, 93 per cent of UK children were state educated but they accounted for around 70 per cent of new Oxbridge undergraduates. Understandably, some view the growing success of the state sector (and diminishing success in the independent sector) as a trend and worry that sending their child to a private school for sixth form may actually place them at a disadvantage when applying to Oxbridge. However, for the time being, the leading independent schools still have remarkable rates of success with Oxbridge and other top universities. They also have staff experienced in applications for the best universities around the world, something far less common in the state sector.

Of course, university offers are mostly made before A levels are sat, but the still disproportionate rate of admission among the privately educated does suggest that independent school polish can tip the balance at interviews.

Independent school sixth forms often have scholarships for those with talent in music, art, sports or academics, so transferring to the private sector at this stage can make financial as well as scholastic sense.

Moving from private to state sixth form

However, there are reasons for making the switch in the other direction too. Many move to state sixth forms and colleges for a greater range of A level options, perhaps a change from boarding school, a wider social mix of friends and a broader experience of life. The wave of highly selective state sixth forms – see Harris Westminster and London Academy of Excellence – which arrived in the 2010s, have excellent track records when it comes to Oxbridge.

Sometimes a move after GCSE is an opportunity for a pupil to make a fresh start and can revitalise interest in academic work; a move from single-sex to co-ed can also be a source of motivation (though sometimes a mixed blessing). Catchment areas become more flexible at this level, as do religious schools’ requirements of church attendance.

There is no single right answer. Some children flourish by remaining in one sector throughout their education, while others benefit hugely from moving between state and private schools at key points. The best decision depends on the personality and academic level of your child, family finances and the schools which are realistic options where you live.