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Original poster

Tonbridge or Charterhouse?

31 replies

violetsareblue11 · 12/08/2014 15:07

Hi all! I'm new to Mumsnet and this is my first ever thread and it's about a topic that my family and I have been thinking about for a fair few weeks. I apologise in advance for the length of this piece of writing! I have two DS's and one DD. DS1 has finished his first year at Eton College and adores it! DS2 is ten, and it's getting to the time where we've looked around some senior schools in the past year and DS2 is headed for pre-assessments this school year! DS2 decided after looking around Eton that it wasn't the school for him- her said it seemed too stuffy for him, and he couldn't abide the tailcoats. DH and I were slightly saddened by this as it would have been lovely for both boys to have sort of shared a school experience and of course it would have been easier having both sons at the same school for several reasons, but there was no use in pushing DS2 to go to a school he didn't want to go to, it'd just make him unhappy! I'll sum up DS2 briefly: he's super sporty and also very academic- and so we had to search for a school that could give him stimulation in all areas. We then looked around Winchester (which DS2 didn't like and he said "because it doesn't seem like a school where sports play big part"). We went on to look around Tonbridge and Charterhouse- both of which appealed to DS2 and he came away from the tours buzzing and I have to say DH and I were also impressed with both schools! So we applied for both schools, and DS2 will be sitting the pre-assessments during Year 6. He would then go on to go for scholarships at these schools providing he was offered a place as there's no way we could scrape through with paying half of DS1's fees for Eton (he's on a bursary) as well as DS2's for a school such as Charterhouse or Tonbridge and of course for DD's prep school and then whatever senior school she goes onto. I might also add that the headmaster at DS2's prep thinks we should go in for another school such as Radley and try to get onto the Wardens List (of which I think the chances of that are very slim!)not a back up, and also has said to us he thinks Charterhouse is too macho for DS2 and Tonbridge won't stimulate him enough, so even though I know DS2 loves both schools- the head' swords still linger in my mind somewhat! So to sum up, the objective of this thread- all I want to know before DS2 slogs through the pre-assessments for these schools is: does anyone here have any experience of Tonbridge or Charterhouse at all- and I want all experiences, warts and all- although preferably not the horrid horror stories I see spurting out about the likes of Eton sometimes! I hope I haven't sounded pushy in this thread, I just want DS2 to be happy but at the same time not to put himself in a school where he won't be stimulated or will struggle with his image! I'd love some experiences from any of you with either schools! Thanks!

OP posts:
Original poster
violetsareblue11 · 12/08/2014 19:15

summerends as I don't know Radley too well, so don't know why DS2's head teacher said that but I know that the head thinks DS2 would do better at a school where there's more sport on offer for him and where there's more "structure". I'm not sure myself, we may take a look around Radley and whilst DS2 seems to like the look of it's website (and a few boys in his year are going to go there) we're all unsure. Do you have any experience of Radley?

OP posts:
summerends · 12/08/2014 18:36

Just to add that I'm a bit puzzled why your DS2's head teacher should think he would n't be stretched at Tonbridge but would be at Radley. Plus Radley is also rather macho.

summerends · 12/08/2014 18:31

Does n't sound as though he would have much problem getting onto the Warden's list for Radley with his credentials and an enthusiastic reference from the headmaster.
If sports are his priority and he likes winning at them he should certainly consider it. There is a new warden starting (who I suspect will be unpretentious and may try to diversify the intake). Although there is a wider ability range they certainly have the capacity to stretch and have excellent teachers.

happygardening · 12/08/2014 15:47

Yes I felt that when I went round, there are about 40% day boys which is a shame.

grovel · 12/08/2014 15:43

Tonbridge is a whole lot less pretentious than Charterhouse.

happygardening · 12/08/2014 15:34

I looked at Tonbridge (many years ago) for my very bright fairly sporty (but not a team sports player) DS. I really liked the head who'd come from SPS and I thought he'd created a modern forward thinking boarding school that didn't appear stuffy. If we'd lived closer and could have managed weekly boarding then I would have added it to our short list, but as the head admitted basically there were no full boarders I didn't. It does have a very sporty reputation and many of the bright top sports men at my DS's prep used to go there The sporting facilities are pretty impressive. The CE pass mark then I think was something odd like 64% we're going back the best part of 7 years I was thin then and less grey then. Its certainly very selective if not super selective. They also I believe offer bursaries.
Charterhouse does have a very macho reputation don't know how valid this is but that is the general view it again is weekly boarding and would be considered again marginally less academic than Win Coll Eton et al.

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