Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Hampton School vs Westminster

36 replies

Cheessy · 06/05/2016 15:48

Help and advice is needed desperately! DS has been offered a place at both schools at 12+. Westminster school is great but financially twice as heavy as Hampton (Hampton also offers a 25% scholarship). Westminster is such a great name but Hampton seems to be very efficient and its results are very impressive. DS is not a sporty but rather "quirky" type fascinated by the computers, technology, etc.

OP posts:
Original poster
Cheessy · 09/05/2016 14:41

Pensivepolly, thank you for your feedback. May I ask you whether he commutes to school daily or is boarding? From where we are it takes about an hour to get to school in the morning and another hour to get back... Seems to be quite a long journey for a 13 year old. Boarding is not considered for financial reasons.

OP posts:
pensivepolly · 09/05/2016 14:19

Our son attended Westminster, and he (and we) cannot say enough wonderful things about it. Everything about the school is first rate, from teaching to the facilities, and it provides unlimited opportunities for a child who is eager to stretch his/her mind and abilities. The student body is diverse in its gifts, and every single student seems to be incredibly bright and capable. My son formed lifelong relationships there with both peers and teachers. A certain kind of person can flourish at Westminster. But the competition and the pressure to perform are intense as well.

Original poster
Cheessy · 09/05/2016 14:12

yes, that is exactly why we can't make up our mind... H seems to be moving up the league tables quite aggressively, which proves they are really really good.

OP posts:
cakeisalaystheanswer · 09/05/2016 13:39

I hear similar stories from W parents but if its too much money he can't go. There will be similar boys at Hampton just not so many of them and he will be one of the clever ones but that could actually suit his personality better, if he went to W and was just average he might hate it. The advantage of a big school is that you will always find like-minded friends and I am sure he would do very well at Hampton.

Original poster
Cheessy · 09/05/2016 11:37

Thank you cakeisalaystheanswer and cavedescreux. Yes, Westminster surely would be a great choice if not the cost of it. We are trying to assess the investment (which is huge for us) against the value it can bring to our boy in the future. Being quite a cabinet style, he is not eager to hold the conversation on anything which doesn't refer directly to his interests. In a way, it is natural as he is only a teenager. The hope is that, being surrounded by the utterly intelligent boys he will eventually become more "rounded" and acquire the ability to find new interests. people we talked to about it all say that W is so much more than just an education. I wonder whether I am not getting mesmerized by a big name and Hampton can well provide all the same .....

OP posts:
cavedescreux · 09/05/2016 10:51

From your location and description of your boy - Westminster for sure.

cakeisalaystheanswer · 07/05/2016 09:19

You could stay where you are for Westminster and he could commute in and he would be surrounded by very similar incredibly bright boys and be very happy, although he will moan about Saturdays. Westminster does seem to be one of those schools that lives up to his reputation and for the right boy it would be an incredible experience. It is a lot more successful with Oxbridge entries than Hampton, usually 90+ against 25-30 but is does have a large intake at 6th form whereas Hampton doesn't and prides itself on everyone staying.

Alternatively you could move out Hampton way and save a fortune on school fees. It is a big school with a much wider ability range than Westminster, but there will be a group of similar boys who will be having a Westminster type experience unaware that there are rugby matches etc going on. He would be one of the brightest, the geeky ones. I have only known a few very bright boys go to Hampton and they do stand out in their year group but that can be an advantage and there is a lot for them to do. Hampton does very well at Maths and science Olympiads, they won the senior maths team twice in recent years but I think Westminster were joint winners with another school last year.

If it wasn't for the difference in fees I would say Westminster, but if its too much money Hampton is going to be an excellent choice as well.

Original poster
Cheessy · 06/05/2016 21:37

We are in NW London but can move, it is not an issue.

OP posts:
Original poster
Cheessy · 06/05/2016 21:36

Not at all:). He is not into drama or art. He likes science and maths and reads a lot. Studies computer programming outside of school and can turn any phone inside out in a split of a second :))

OP posts:
cakeisalaystheanswer · 06/05/2016 18:13

I mean other than quirky, because computer quirky can easily be fitted into Hampton. Is he into drama, anything else?

cakeisalaystheanswer · 06/05/2016 18:12

They are a very long way apart and VERY different schools, we looked at both. Where are you based? and what is your DS like?