Day or boarding options close to SW London for chorister's next steps..

Yes, what she said

It's a nice enough place but absolutely no comparison to King's/Dulwich/the Whitgift Foundation schools, academically or facilities-wise. I don't think your ds sounds as if he would get what he needed from it.

Oops a few too many 'really's there ...

If you're even in the ballpark where you're considering schools like Kings and Westminster you really don't need to bother with Emanuel - it is really not particularly academic and to be honest it's not really got anything about it that would make me want to pay the not inconsiderable fees

The children from dc's private primary heading to Emanuel are pretty much all from the lower sets unless there's a particular reason why parents have picked it eg older sibling already there

I didn't even know choral scholarships at Oxbridge existed until DD applied and got one from an Oxford College. Not a chorister but good all round singer, good leadership skills, very adept at persuading others to participate and didn't apply to the most well known colleges.

Trinity would seem an obvious choice. As well as the massive attraction of the Choir, it is a very friendly and unpressurised environment which still seems to manage to get excellent results out of the boys... I can understand a bit of a wince at the commute though, it's not the easiest place to get to.

Whitgift? Lots and lots of boys from SW London. Music is big and getting bigger and 'robust' boys thrive there. I wouldn't bother with Emanuel tbh...

Though, if he can walk to King's you probably just need a fallback option!

Tuppeny I know of choral scholars (including KC Cambridge) from state (not even ex choristers) and private schools. As long as he continues vocal training and is lucky enough to have developed a good voice then I imagine the type of school won't matter for his chances. What is a different issue is whether he wants a school with a strong chapel choir. He might however prefer to spend more time developing music theatre or other types of repertoire. As you know more than most a high level chapel choir is a major commitment at school and at university.

Choral scholarships at Uni are not usually worth a great deal - even Oxbridge. Usually meals and music lessons, they don't help with entry either.
But if he has a good voice as an adult male, has continued training then he will have a good chance (even more if he becomes a bass).

Does the head of his current school have advice? Presumably he has experience with senior schools suited to ex-choristers? I would also ask the parents of current choristers at his school as they generally have good insight into senior schools and info on scholarship availability.What instrument your DS can offer makes a difference too.
As for choral scholarships to uni, I know nothing about this (so really shouldn't comment) but I would imagine this would depend somewhat on what happens once his voice changes and how much support he will get at his senior school to maximise the potential of this future voice. I personally would opt for a school with excellent support for a musical child, focussed on the individual child's needs and willing to advocate for that child, whether or not it is a "name" school (not saying you're doing that, but thought I'd throw it out there).

I was going to suggest Trinity too.
My DS knows of an ex-chorister there at the moment (St Paul's I think).
I'm pretty sure that students have gone on to get choral scholarships in the past.

Needmoresleep I think Westminster may be a bit too much like the life he is living at the moment. I don't think the boys who get in struggle with the work but the time taken for the academic focus, Saturday school and high level music inevitably leaves less time for other stuff.

I don't really want to start a debate about a specific school, however I don't think boys entering at 13 necessarily feel much pressure at Westminster.

Entry is sufficiently competitive at that point that boys who cannot cope easily won't get in. Those who are anxious and pressured, and there are some, were almost certainly like that before the age of 13. There are some who are so insanely clever that the rest look ordinary. Great is you like a culture where clever is the norm.

GCSEs aren't that demanding and unlike other schools, there is not much focus on competing against peers to be top of the class or win prizes at prize day. And you can drop maths at A level. Our experience was that there was plenty of time to work hard and play hard. Because it is run as a boarding school, a lot happens after school or on Saturdays.

Have a go. If he gets a place he will be fine. If he doesn't don't worry.

Westminster will be pressurised although more from the children than the teachers. Choristers are remarkably good at focused concentration and fitting a lot in so usually can cope very well with the pressures of intense school life. However I wonder whether after the intensity of a chorister life time and an environment for your DS to develop other potential interests might be more valuable long term than going for the most academic school. At Westminster he will not have much time left (with Saturdays school) after academics and music commitments. That's fine if he wants to be a musician but he may have other strengths that would be a shame for him not to discover.

If you don't want a hot house, don't look at Brighton!! It is all about grades.

If he wants somewhere musical have you looked at Christ's Hospital? Music is very important and popular, but it's not a school for everyone!!

Westminster is not just about the maths so don't rule it out. They have a huge number of excellent mathematicians, but subjects like History or Art, English, Philosophy and Languages are also very strong. Indeed a good proportion of their Oxbridge places were in non-quantitative subjects. Most students seem to be good musicians and there is a lot of both school level and house level music happening. The sport focus is on participation with a good range on offer, so something for everyone and the new sports hall has made a real difference. Girls in the sixth form dilute the maths focus a bit as well.

Latymer Upper like musicians, have a strong music department and are expanding their bursary offer. They take about a dozen at 13+ and though entry is competitive, the academic range is wider than at the very selective schools.

Lancing is a good school and has an excellent reputation for music. The chapel is amazing, boarding houses are all pretty standard, absolutely brilliant art acilities, good mix of boys/girls, day/boarders. Saturday school with compulsary chapel attendance twice a term, (If I recall correctly?) This was an aspect of the school DS wasn't happy with. Academically its not as strong as Brighton, although it still pushes its pupils. More expensive fees than Brighton, bursaries were available when we looked & didn't feel we would need to jump through too many hoops to get one.

Brighton isn't as well known for music. May be a bit too hot-housey for you though not in the same league as say Westminster. It is an extremely popular school with Londoners as its an hour maximum via train. Lots of Brighton pupils get on at Croydon according to DH. More day pupils, boarding becoming increasingly popular. No Saturday school. Again here the bursar is amiable & willing to discuss finances so doubt you'll have any problems on that count.

We were originally looking for day schools & so didn't even consider Kings. It probably would have suited my bright, sporty, likes-to-try-his-hand-at-anything DS. When you look around the schools, don't think of your 10 year old being a pupil there, but think of him at age 14. Would he want to be restricted at a school with Saturday school (for instance?) or where there's limited facilities for the things he enjoys?

Are you sure you not Winchrster "bursary material"? I believe they take your other children into consideration. Ring and ask. Mind you I have to say with 70/130 doing math pre U at Win Coll not being a natural mathematician might not be great for your DS.