Can you please recommend best grammar of comprehensive schools in London or near by

The grammars listed above are great. Throwing Graveney into the mix for South London. It's a great school, but you have to live on it's doorstep or get a selective place on the Wandsworth test. Also look at Chestnut Grove which has a wonderful art department.

I see DD happy and learning and enjoying a school with dedicated teachers. It just so happens it is a grammar. For every tale of a sad grammar school child there are ones of the comps too, a friend who didn’t believe in grammar but has a very bright girl and chose not to put her in for tests is tearing her hair out over the children who are taunting her DD for liking school.

I've been hearing Waldegrave has lost some of its shine recently - brightest girls feeling bored in lessons, endless "colouring in" homework (in Y10 ffs!), sappy NQTs who just say "I dunno" to parents' questions.

Orleans Park lost its shine a while ago. They haven't even been inspected since 2010 when the current Head was only a deputy, and they've been losing teachers recently, including from the SLT. They've had to increase class sizes quite a lot to make up for being short of funds.

Results are still good at both schools - but that's mostly to do with the intake. I'd still happily send my DD to either of them, but I wouldn't move half way across London to do that.

Grammar schools in places where Grammar Schools are common are no better than good comprehensives in places where they're not.

In other areas where there are super-selective Grammar schools, they are just full of tutored kids who often travel for miles every day. I know of some lonely Super-Selective Grammar school kids who never go out with friends because they all live so far away. In the meantime there are equally bright kids, but probably happier, kids at local secondaries who will do just as well in their exams but without so much stress.

Superselectives (and grammars, and all selective schools) get their results based on their intake.

It is a mistake to see them as the definition of a good or top school. As PP said, they suit some particular kids, but you don't know in Yr 4 that that means your child!

And getting in is part ability, part preparation and part luck on the day. They take the top scores, a single mark counts, the questions on the day, time management in a pressurised exam, and who you are up against on the day. I wouldn't move house on that kind of gamble.

If you are looking at schools like Tiffin / Waldegrave/ Orleans then Greycourt is also an outstanding comprehensive and is in Ham. I only hear good things about it!

"Superselectives" only work for some children, not all. DC1 is still at one but achieved nowhere near the GCSE results he should have done. I think they're fine if you've got very motivated children, but not if they're lazy and need pushing (probably applies to boys more than girls). TBQH, I think he would have done much better at a comp where they were on his case all the time.

Can already see a marked difference twixt DC1's school and DC2's (just started in Year 7 at a comprehensive). DC1 got hardly any homework (ever). DC2 being pushed from the first week. It's how the comps get the results out of their pupils.

So be careful what you wish for!

"Superselectives" are hardcore to get into even for academic DC.

In your situation I would move very close to a popular / good exam results comprehensive.

Charter, a comp in in East Dulwich, a nice family area to live.
Dunraven, a comp in Streatham, cheaper house prices than E Dulwich, good trains on Thameslink and to London Bridge.

Both schools take the arts seriously, especially, perhaps, Dunraven.

Both have small catchments.

hellokitty786 DD did the drama assessment last year without any drama training at all (not so much as one paid for class!). She passed (got 37/50) but I then discovered on another thread that essentially the DC needed to get 50/50 to get places (obviously all those who did had been doing drama/dance for quite some time).

FWIW DD IS a natural actress (and that's not us being blinkered) but obviously didn't stand a chance against those who've done loads of formal drama classes possibly for years.

I felt it was a waste of time/effort and couldn't really see why the school passed 200/250 children across drama/music and dance if there was no real likelihood that most would get places (unless also in catchment). DD had an expectation that she would stand a good chance of getting in - as did we, until we were told that 100% scores were necessary to do so. To this day, even though she's nicely settled at her new secondary school, she still says "I wish I'd got into Glenthorne.'

So for the extra stress, very early start the day of the assessment AND the unfairly raised expectations I wouldn't really bother!

And some DC will be doing the assessments across all three disciplines, and I suspect it will be those 'all singing, dancing and acting' ones who secure the very limited number of places.

Sorry to be negative but best to be realistic methinks.

Hello everyone. Does anyone know what the format of the assessments are for drama and dance to get a place at Glenthorne High in Sutton? My DS hasn't done any dance or drama classes before so is there any point doing them?.

Orpington has St Olaves superselective grammar plus outstanding comprehensive Darrick Wood. Twenty minutes to London Bridge plus direct trains to Blackfriars. Also close enough to the Bexley grammars and some Kent grammars too.

Or, OP, just a little further away from Sutton is Epsom. Lots of secondary-school aged children commute to the 'Sutton' grammars from there, and the town has its own two highly thought of comprehensives too (Rosebery for girls and Glyn for boys).

Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells have good grammars and are less than half an hour (from Tonbridge) into London Bridge. Train services are very good from Tonbridge. Tonbridge Girls is more selective than Tunbridge Wells, but Weald is good too and less selective than either so there's a decent choice.

The Tiffin grammars are no more (or less) super-selective than the Sutton ones though (and Sutton Grammar school has been left out of that list by littlenicky61.

I was also going to suggest Twickenham, if you can afford to move into catchment for Waldegrave, or if she doesn't like the idea of single sex then look at Orleans Park. Both are very oversubscribed so be careful with location. And if she's very bright she can try sitting for Tiffin.

Fast train from Twickenham to Waterloo is very convenient for commuting.

Glenthorne is an Ofsted outstanding mixed comp - their specialism is performing arts and they have fab facilities. You can audition ( dance / drama / music ) for chance of place or apply in usual way. Think they do the fair banding system now where kids take tests and they take a certain amount from each ability band

Kingston has Tiffins boys and Tiffins Girls ( super selective grammar ) Sutton has quite a few grammars too - Nonsuch , wallington , Wilsons and also Sutton high ( private ) .

Waldegrave , Twickenham and Coo be

Waldegrave in Twickenham and Coombe girls near Kingston are both very good girls Comps and if you were in the catchment for either you could also apply to Tiffin girls a super selective grammar .

You may find that the grammars are less traditionally 'hot' on subjects like Art.

And you won't necessarily find that the grammar schools have the best facilities anyway (they don't project the image of having lots of spare cash to flash that's for sure!).

Check out the Sutton/Kingston super-selectives vs SW London 'key public school' threads for lots of comments on how the latter have significantly better drama suites and theatres in some cases, sports halls & grounds, swimming pools.

It is the modern comps (and particularly the spanking new academies) that tend to have 'state of the art' facilities more akin to those considered the norm in the more renowned private schools. DS's grammar school has a very cramped main hall (wich I'm pretty sure doesn't fit all school pupils in 'one sitting'), with ink stains on the wood block floor that probably date back to the 1950s/60s.

I'm not sure that in Sutton the comprehensives have suffered adversely from the presence of the nearby grammars (mainly because so many of the grammar school pupils are not borough-local and would be 'out of catchment' for the non-selective secondary state secondary options anyway). Glenthorne, Greenshaw and Overton Grange are all well-regarded as far as I'm aware.

Upminster has three outstanding schools that aren't selective. One Catholic girls school, one Christian mixed sex school and one non religious comprehensive. Easy travel to London Bridge and better value property than in central London.

Kent has excellent grammars ..Maidstone has 2 girls grammars and is not super selective.

Yes, super selective. People have been known to buy houses there before kids start school to have a chance of going there. Trouble with an area that has a lot of grammar schools is that they cream off the top sets, then those who can afford it, go private, which leaves the comprehensive schools as not really representative of pupil ability. I would think carefully before moving into such an area