Hello all,
Name change but not a big poster normally! Would really appreciate any insights and pls bear with me as it's a long post!
Dh and I have been holding off moving house for the last couple of years as we have one ds and we wanted to see where he ended up after the 11+. He sat for four schools and we are lucky enough to have four offers, all for schools we love. We are booked in for offer holder tours but aware that people are on waitlists so anxious to get started on decision making. Location isn't an issue as dh and I run a business together from home and can move. Fees also not a consideration as with just the one dc we feel we can stretch to whichever school ds ends up at. We absolutely loved all the schools, for different reasons. Ds has always said he would prefer co-ed but was really impressed by DC and loved how warm and welcoming Trinity was. He has scholarship offers from both DC and Trinity. Alleyn's and Brighton College were the schools we originally all thought were perfect for him, but now wondering that a move to Brighton is a big commitment in the sense that if for any reason it didn't work then there are a lot more options for ds in London and once we move we won't be able to up sticks so easily next time. Impressions we got were that Alleyn's is a bit 'snootier' than the others. Nothing tangible, just some of the kids and parents we saw around. The teachers seemed nice but ds said they weren't as warm as some of the others, ds's words were he got the impression Alleyn's wanted you to show why they should take you while the others seemed to be trying to make ds feel like he should pick them iyswim. In other ways it's suits ds perfectly, academic, co-ed, very good on drama (ds very into his drama and has performed professionally). Trinity we loved but not so keen on Croydon and wondering if they will stretch him as we don't see ds as a boffin but he was apparently one of the top scorers in the entrance exams. Thought the teaching staff were exceptionally down to earth and warm and the dealings with the school very efficient. Dulwich seemed very cool in a good way - a good mix of kids and felt there was a real spark and energy to the school which is hard to say no to! Brighton seems like a really impressive school, incredibly efficient as well as warm and welcoming. They made a big effort to get to know ds and academically we were told he sat squarely in the middle of the cohort, which I think could be a good thing as there's enough there to encourage him to push himself without struggling along at the bottom. We want somewhere with a big focus on drama and co-curricular as ds is big on hobbies and we don't want to send him somewhere that homework pressures mean he doesn't have time for his interests. One thing we noticed is that the London schools have a far larger variety of co-curricular clubs than Brighton. Sorry for the long post but we are genuinely stuck and also very keen to make a quick decision. Any views on any of the above schools very much appreciated!
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Secondary education
Choosing between DC, Trinity, Alleyn's and BC
17 replies
aggapang · 14/02/2018 19:18
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