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Original poster

Mixed private day schools in Central/South London

36 replies

BoringSchoolChoiceNickname · 03/02/2012 17:34

Looking for secondary schools for DD who's currently year 5. A few appealing state options, but none of them are guaranteed. Local school seems good but not right for DD - she's got a lot of academic potential and needs a school with a critical mass of high achievers.

So looking at private options as a fallback position. Most obvious choice is City Of London Girls - their website says if you've got straight level 5s at end of year 5 then you've got a good chance of getting in and DD should probably manage that. The problem is that DD really doesn't want to go to an all-girls school - she's very geeky and gets on better with boys. Also we have a younger DS who would ideally go to the same school, although he's got high functioning autism and is currently struggling badly with education so his secondary school options are way up in the air at the moment,

What (if any) are the good mixed sex academic private options? I just can't work it out.

OP posts:
AuntingCarse · 03/02/2012 20:22

Francis Holland's not that bad at all. I know (well my DDs do) quite a lot of girls there and they are definitely not up your arse Sloane Ranger twats (DD1's eloquent words there). I think (personally) that Streatham is a more socially rounded school than Putney and I would pick that over PH - and I say that as an ex Putney High pupil, albeit a lot few years ago Wink

Original poster
BoringSchoolChoiceNickname · 03/02/2012 20:17

I'll look at Streatham & Clapham, and perhaps Putney (Surbiton's a messy commute) but have the feeling she'd be wildly out of her social depth with the Sloane Rangers of Francis Holland - not sure it's the right place for a middle class (not Upper Middle) geek.

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AuntingCarse · 03/02/2012 19:37

yy to Greycoats - I had lots of friends there, it's still a great school. If you do go the single sex route, then you also ought to look at Francis Holland and JAGS as well. And, of course, the Putney/Wimbledon/Streatham & Clapham/Surbiton High Schools for girls.

Original poster
BoringSchoolChoiceNickname · 03/02/2012 19:12

Thanks everyone - will definitely give Alleyns a serious look - the coach service would be handy too.
Still surprised by how little choice there is in practice - loads of single sex secondaries but very few mixed. Personally I've fallen in love with City of London Girls and I'm very keen on Greycoat, but I don't think it's reasonable to push DD into single sex if she doesn't want it, and she's a bolshy wee thing, like her mum I can't see her playing dumb in class so the boys will fancy her - no power on earth will stop her sticking her oar in.

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AuntingCarse · 03/02/2012 19:04

My older children have between them over 100 friends at Alleyns (they are somewhere else) that they were at primary school with. I am also a fan of Emmanuel too.

I've never heard a bad thing about Alleyns, and it's absolutely one I will be considering for my youngest DC. Though that is some time off yet as she's not even in Reception Grin

Graveney's my local state currently, and Bolingbroke Academy is taking their first intake of children (Year 7) this September which will put me slap in the middle of two secondaries.

TRL · 03/02/2012 18:56

Alleyns is definitely worth a look round - really bouncy lively Head (just came to our prep school to as one of a panel of Heads for 'Question Time') and a flourishing, solidly academic school with hundreds of clubs & societies. Made a very positive impression on us.

Original poster
BoringSchoolChoiceNickname · 03/02/2012 18:47

Thanks need - According to my journey planner, SPGS is 55 minutes - Ibstock place is 1 hour 10. Alleyns or COLSG are just less than 3/4 hour which is pretty much the limit to what I'd think acceptable for DD (Graveney is 50 but a very easy journey, and if she got in there we'd probably move).

We're half an hour from Clapham Junction so commuting through there doesn't really work.

Any tips on Alleyns anyone? It's not been on my radar for some reason.

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Needmoresleep · 03/02/2012 18:23

Put the school post codes into the TfL journey planner and you will surprised where you can get to. All sorts of odd train routes across South London. If you try with different times you will also get an idea of how frequent the services are.

People get to St Pauls GS via a direct train from Clapham Junction through Olympia. Wimbledon High, though all girls, can be reasonably easy via tram if you live near it or a rather odd train route that cuts across Clapham, and is probably less competitive than City.

That said there are not many mixed schools. Ibstock in Roehampton is another but I have no idea how you get there. Harrodian involves Clapham Junction to Barnes Bridge, but there is only one train every 15 minutes.

Original poster
BoringSchoolChoiceNickname · 03/02/2012 18:01

We're south of the river in zone 2 - commuting north into the centre is rather easier than going out but we could manage anywhere on the bottom of the Northern Line, or somewhere with a school bus.
Hammersmith would be a really tough commute, which is why we're not thinking about St Pauls Girls.

What's Alleyns like?

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PartySmants · 03/02/2012 17:55

Milkshake beat me to it - I was going to say exactly the same!

milkshake3 · 03/02/2012 17:52

Alleyns, Emanuel, Epsom College (have buses), Latymer Upper (Hammersmith), probably missed loads but it's a start!!

Where are you located?