Can anyone 'rank' the SW London selective schools

My anecdotal evidence re St Johns would just be from a few people whose DS are going there 13+ and it was the only one locally they could get in to and were previously expecting to send their DS further afield boarding somewhere.

rosehippy - I meant that RGS and Hampton appear to have stepped up a gear or two in terms of competition to get in. Really bright boys who previously might have stood a reasonable chance of getting an offer have been unsucessful. People are travelling from further afield to go there, so increasing the pool of applicants.

St Johns - well, not everyone got an offer letter who sat, and their exam results are pretty strong (80% of A Levels A-B, 50% A/A).... Not a hot house, but a bit unfair as the "nice but dim" destination, surely?

So you are saying SPGS is the best school ever even though you don't have kids there? I assume you went there in the 70s and that's why you say you are biased. And then you say that PHS/WHS are dismal based on your experience 40 years ago and some second hand tittle tattle.
Wow, what an informed poster you are, we should all take your word for it shouldn't we? Whereas I actually have dc at the schools you are slagging off and many years of recent experience. Mumsnetters, decide who you believe.

I don't think that the greater number applying for sports scholarships at Whitgift above has much meaning. It's just more parents trying it on with an over-inflated opinion of their child's sporting ability. I've seen this first hand and heard it from DS coaches - some of the boys put forward for cricket for example will end up not even making the schools B team let alone being offered a scholarship!!

Funnily enough, I can grasp clunky sarcasm. I wasn't commenting on the historical relevance of your view, merely the claim that it was based on 'personal experience' when you have none. You only ever made external visits.

You don't know where my children are or have been at school.

You asked for my opinion, I gave it, if you don't like it, that's fine.

Just scrolling through thread again - noticed the rank order that other posters have put local boys schools in - if you have a bright DC it's always worth trying for one lower down the list for chances of getting a good scholarship - quite a common ploy at our prep - I know of one who sailed through Wilsons paper (which was tough) and them sat Whitgift - these things can work in your favour

But are your children at WHS/PHS? Obviously not and therefore it's just second hand gossip on your part.
You don't seem to understand sarcasm either - I was pointing out that my 30 year old experience was no longer relevant. I spent several days at SPGS, visiting, exams, interviews, looking around post offer, and concluded it wasn't for me. 30 years later I can see it wouldn't be the type of place I'd like to be a parent at either.

So your personal experience is from 40 years ago?

Some of it is from the past, and some of it is from the present as I have two children.

My personal experience of SPGS is from 30 years ago so it must be even more relevant. I turned down a place there because the girls at open day were so nasty to the others and it was full of anorexics. A friend who went there hated it.

So your opinion is based on no experience of it whatsoever. Rather, negative stereotyping based on fear and assumption.

The rate of anorexia at St Paul's is no higher than other girls' schools, and girls' boarding schools generally generate some of the highest rates of EDs.

I know a lot of current pupils and some recent leavers & they have all been very happy with it. But it's not a school for everyone & that's fine.

For % with A at A level you also have to look at entry. For instance KGS requires an A* in gcse maths to study it at Alevel .LEH only requires an A. Most state sixth forms require a B so the cohorts are different

"Informal rumblings based on how boys I know fared at the recent 11+/13+ exams are that RGS Guildford is becoming super super selective. Hampton is not far behind. "

Becoming? They have always been selective, but nowhere is as selective as the super-selective grammars, just because those are free and the private schools cost £15-£20k/year

"St Johns take a broader look at candidates and offer accordingly."

The (old?) head told me that they cater for the nice-but-dim. There's not really a thing of 'broader look'. The private schools with best results get many applicants per place and can discard all but the brightest. The other schools don't have that luxury and will take a less able student simply because they would have empty classrooms if they insisted on 120+ CAT scores. Quite a few private schools are effectively non-selective.

From our local big 'oustanding' state I know of only 2 boys who passed local Grammars. Even in my DS prep numbers passing for Grammars has halved.

Tourbillon - the delights of mumnet...

Agree of that summary of local schools - bar this year was way higher even for KGS which in previous years might have been considered a safe back up - just on hearsay from friends even very bright kids from
local state schools have struggled - all very worrying developments. Whitgift is always a 'safe' one to try but one friend told me that about 150 boys applied for sports scholarships there - always popular and it's getting harder to get them.
As are bursaries btw.

Goodness me. This thread has really descended since I last read it. Racist stereotypes about bright kids at Tiffin, and now I feel really gloomy about such snooty attitudes from SPGS parents!

Informal rumblings based on how boys I know fared at the recent 11+/13+ exams are that RGS Guildford is becoming super super selective. Hampton is not far behind. St Johns take a broader look at candidates and offer accordingly. Whitgift keen to encourage state students and have a scholarship process to support that. KGS bar seems to have gone higher than last year. Not many local DC sit for Tiffin anymore, parents are opting out of the stress and high failure rate. Tooting Graveney is becoming the alternative destination.

In my experience girls, parents and staff at SPGS consider all other schools dismal.

If its the previous years KGS had 40% A at GCSE compared to 80 at KCS. they are a long way apart because they have a very different intake not because either is doing anything wrong.

I am loving the PHS/WHS are dismal comments! Seriously Manon? Two of the best schools in the country and you are rubbishing them based on an experience from 40 years ago. Only on mumsnet.

And no I'm not a fan of KGS either, but neither am I fan of KCS. Both are unfortunately due to where they are located smaller than some of the schools further out of London. I guess it depends on what you're looking for...

Just providing a link for the tables I was referring to - trouble is they are all different...I think this one is 2016 though - I was referring to A*/A grades:
www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/multimedia/archive/00354/LONDON_354976a.pdf

Just for the record I'm not a league tables fan...but I guess they are a decent gauge of things. As you say, it really depends on the year...

So your personal experience is from 40 years ago? My personal experience of SPGS is from 30 years ago so it must be even more relevant. I turned down a place there because the girls at open day were so nasty to the others and it was full of anorexics. A friend who went there hated it.

I know plenty of parents at WHS and PHS who rave about it. I am one. I don't know anyone who doesn't like it, and I know loads of parents and girls.
Both schools do very well for their pupils. Above all they are happy schools, which SPGS certainly wasn't 30 years ago (but that counts, right?)

I went to the junior department of PHS in the 70s, got into PHS & WHS senior but chose to go elsewhere. There's just a slightly dismal mediocre feeling about them both - compared to Guildford High which propelled itself up the league tables. I don't know why PHS & WHS haven't similarly improved, given the calibre of the girls in the area, & the fact that there's not much to challenge SPGS in W. London. I think they just lack vision. Whereas for boys, WM & KCS offer comparable alternatives to SPS. (KCS is much better now than it was in the 80s, although it was always a nice school).

I have friends with daughters at both & they're not overly impressed.

I'm interested in why you feel WHS and PHS are "dismal" -, not something often said about these schools! Do you have actual experience or are you going on hearsay?

If she's very bright I would go for SPGS but I'm biased, and you may need some extra coaching from a state primary.

In second place I'd go for Guildford High - easily accessible from Wimbledon.

Third place LEH is a better school than PHS & WHS - which are still slightly dismal (imo) & the music is much better. I also would choose G&L over either of those two - rather more interesting.

As regards the co-ed request - you could consider Epsom College. And also Sevenoaks - which is doable transport-wise: 17 mins Wimbledon -> Waterloo & then 30 mins Waterloo East -> Sevenoaks.

Any questions about St Paul's please feel free to PM me.

Similar in what way Wimbles?

KCS GCSE results were 76.3% at A, down from the previous year (DS's year is full of slackers), and KGS had a huge increase up to 53.4% A from the previous year. It is hard to compare 6th forms because of the IB and KCS having the best results in the UK but looking at Oxbridge places KCS had 57, KGS about 5.

KGS's GCSE results have actually been pretty similar to Ibstock's over the last couple of years, KGS have a more established 6th from so their A level results are slightly better, but that is a school actually on par with KGS results wise.

I am not a KGS fan mainly because of it's site but I do think you have to credit the school with adding some value. If KCS and KGS were admitting pupils of a similar ability the entire SLT of KCS would be making millions in consultancy charges. To my mind the biggest attraction of KGS is it's size and all the extra opportunities being in such a small year group offers to it's pupils.

Sorry just reading back through thread I would add Trinity was traditionally the more academic compared to Whitgift - this year apparently the exam was harder than W but I've heard that W is really improving academically - they are very different schools so do visit them to get an idea.

Hampton is also now tough and considered one of the academic ones.

Truth is there are no easy rides and of many bright boys who found the exams super tough this year - it's really hard on them.

SET for Sutton Grammars was much tougher too - I really don't know where it's all heading but just feeling worried for dS2 already!

Having just looked at the list that cakeisalwaystheanswer posted of local boys schools and having also just sat the 11plus for some of these schools with DS1 I would add don't underestimate KGS it's got a lot tougher to get into and has results certainly at GCSE that are very similar to KCS.