Thanks for your responses. Tomskip - I suppose the things that appeal are the smaller classes, facilities (& being properly funded), potential exposure to sports /activities that would be of interest, a commitment to educational achievement & hopefully teaching staff who have capacity to speak to parents if needed (my sister is a teacher at a grammar and is run off her feet). I hate the superiority thing. My husband and I both went through the state system - his a very crappy school and mine didn?t really support me to achieve, asking ?why do you want As??. It?s tricky - I suppose I have an idea of what an independent school might offer without having gone to one and a not brilliant experience of the state system which might not be representative!