Hampton

I agree with the above and especially the comment that essentially if the school has offered to you then they expect your DS to do well there. DS has been very happy there and there is a complete mixture of types, though I would say not that big a range of abilities! They work you hard but then throw in homework holidays. I like the lunchtime clubs and if you're ever there during the daytime it's fantastic to see all the boys out on the 3G or the other courts. DS went from 20mins homework a week at primary to about 2 hours a night!

We're very happy with it, football has been great and cricket has already started. I would caution that it's easy to say there are A-E football teams for example, but the C-E teams hardly play a match compared with the As and Bs, and with the standard quite high it's not that easy to make the As or Bs. But having said that all the matches have been great, I expect DS to play c.20+ matches over the 2 terms which is pretty good; the Ds and Es probably 3-4 matches. Rugby was less popular, I would guess 3/4 boys opted for football.

Should have said, DS is very happy at Hampton. Came from a state primary without knowing anyone (as do many of the first years) and felt at home very quickly.

DS in Y7 at Hampton. We had different concerns last year as Hampton can seem an overwhelmingly sporty type of school and DS while bright, is no athlete. As it turned out this hasn't been a problem at all. While they push sports and encourage everyone to participate (A-F football teams, A-C rugby = everybody!) There is an appropriate level for everyone.

My point being that Hampton has pupils who excel in so many different fields from art, music and poetry, to sport, science and maths, that it's easy to look at any one area and worry that your DS might struggle. However, and this was made very clear at the new parents meeting in the summer, no one is expected to be brilliant at everything.

Trust the selection process. They know what they're looking for, and if your DS is offered a place, it's because the staff know that they will thrive at Hampton.

If you get an offer than your DS is certainly able to keep up I would think. I haven't heard of sixth form cull for Hampton, in fact I never read anything negative about Hampton. We chose City over it in the end because they offered us an academic scholarship, which coupled with the already lower fees of City made a substantial difference, but Hampton was our firm favorite throughout this 11+ process and it was a very difficult decision.

Thank you Pearlmummy for asking the question! We r also considering and would love to hear abt some real experiences, in particular how they deal with kids in differing sets of abilities. From all I've heard and read, it's a highly academic school with multiple prize winners and Oxbridge capable kids. But what if you are not there yet? What do they do to help you or is it a case of focus on the top set kids and leave the rest to keep up/ get out?