Best Catholic Secondary schools around Bromley, Orpinton, Croydon, Sutton - BOYS

[sea74]

The subject says it all.
Do u know the best ones in this area?

[Leeds2]

There is St John Fisher in Purley. Friends' sons seem happy there, although no personal experience to relate.

[Caoimhe]

Was just about to say John Fisher! It is in Purley but falls under Sutton Council. It has feeder primaries though and is also very, very sporty.

[Caoimhe]

BTW there are no Catholic secondaries in Bromley (I think the closest falls under Lewisham) and John Fisher is the only Catholic boys' school in Sutton.

Croydon has Coloma (girls only), Thomas More (boys and girls and with a very mixed reputation) and St Marys which has a poor reputation.

[sea74]

And were are good secondary catholic (mixed preferably, but i have boys so i am not interested in girls-only schools) in south greater london?

[florist]

Depends where you are but you can get to The London Oratory School from Croydon in short time - many boys from there go to the Oratory.

[sea74]

Oh i'd love that!
Is it tough to get into the oratory?

[Caoimhe]

There is a Jesuit school in Wimbledon which is supposed to be good.

What about Bishop Thomas Grant in Streatham?

[sea74]

Dont know anything about it. What do u know? Is it good?

[Caoimhe]

Results are good - I know it is a school chosen by several at my nephews' Catholic primary. Academically it is not as hot as the Oratory, though.

Are your boys at a Catholic primary? That can be pretty important for some Catholic secondaries.

[sea74]

Oh yes, they are at primary cathilic school. We are catholics...apart from my husband.... ;)

[catchertrain]

There is also st Joseph's in beulah hill. it is ok-ish though not great.

[catchertrain]

The London Oratory is tough to get in - go a lot on the ref from your parish priest. Do you help out at church etc? - may be a good time to start

[florist]

Sea47 it is no more difficult to get into The London Oratory School as any other school providing you meet the criteria. It does offer a strong academic curriculum but it is so much more than that - above all it has a strong nurturing/pastoral side to life there and the boys there seem to have fun.

[dobby2001]

In Bromley you have Bishop Challoner, excellent exam results for GCSE and A Level this year - but private not state.

[Caoimhe]

How could I forget St Joseph's - the son of a neighbour goes there!! I think it has improved quite a bit in recent years - it used to suffer from Catholic parents all trying to get into John Fisher and leaving the less sharp-elbowed to go to St Joseph's but I think views are changing.

Dobby is correct, of course, that there is a private Catholic school in Bromley - I jumped to the conclusion that you wanted a state school. Bishop Challoner is a lovely school.

[Rache101]

what about St Dominics? It is the 7th best college in the UK, it is reallyy good, the average A level grades are A* A A

[Lilymaid]

The Jesuit school in Wimbledon is Wimbledon College. It is within walking distance of Wimbledon Station.

[penelopewellingtonbowes]

John Fisher is far easier to get into than it was during the 70's or 1990's.

In the 1990's the school was well known for it's infamous selection policy; the school no longer selects it's pupils but only takes the most practicing Catholic boys.

It's still a very good school, results are strong-but as it can no longer cream-off the best boys as it did during the selection policy, makes it harder for the school to compete with Whitgift, Trinity and Wilsons.

The school was always receiving complaints about the interviews and tests when I had my boys at John Fisher. Selection made it a very popular choice for parents, but also one of the most controversial schools.

[penelopewellingtonbowes]

I should also had that selection at John Fisher (Purley, Surrey) was banned in 1999 by the recently elected Labour Government.

That meant, no exams, tests, interviews, previous school reports or written statements. In response, Fisher introduced the points-system to try and maintain the profile of it's intake.

[littlecrystal]

Does anyone now how is St.Joseph's nowadays? Getting better or not? I have heard they had some bullying problems in the past....

[sony767]

My son started year 7 this September at St. Joseph's. We are not catholic but I was drawn to the school because of the schools ethos. They re very good in Maths. If your child is in the top set, he works at a year above and starts Maths GCSE's a year early. They have excellent sports facilities, playing fields, a swimming pool, etc. we are not local, so wasn't sure what to expect, ie the type of boys that go there, etc. so far I am happy, the head seems to do a good job with discipline. Sure, there is the odd fight That my son tells me about, but to be honest that probably happens in most schools. I would recommend going to the open evening to lern more.

[littlecrystal]

Sony767 thank you and I surprised that you are not catholics and got in. I found on their website that they are looking to hire several staff members - now if they are not expanding, then why would they need 6 or 7 new staff?

[singsongz]

Watch out. Zombie thread!