With private schooling set to be more expensive than ever before it is a perfect time to really consider what is the best route for your family. State primary has been an increasingly popular choice for London families with many families choosing to send children to ‘state till 8’ or increasingly all the way through to 11 years old. Most areas of London offer a higher percentage of outstanding state options at primary level- these schools will often be performing in the top 10% of the country in reading, writing and maths and will also often benefit from an active Parent teacher associations (PTA) who work hard to raise money to enrich children’s experiences at school. At some of the best state primaries there can be very little difference to the average independent school and the facilities can sometimes be better. Over the years we have both taught in state and independent schools and nurseries and now have our children attending both state primary school and independent schools giving an insight into what is on offer from both sides of the fence. From our experience over the years we feel the key differences between state and private at primary school level in London can boil down to 5 key areas: