Please tell me about KGS

Ps there is no size fits all. Not every school is right for every kid or every parent. I am pretty relaxed about it and trust the school. I can’t help thinking how bloody lucky they are to be so privileged to go to such amazing schools (as I write out the cheques every term through gritted teeth!). My partner is not from this country and he cannot believe the facilities and extracurricular opportunities they have. That’s what you pay for. Lucky things. Some people will always find something to moan at.

You know which school is right for your child. You sniff it when you walk in. My DS and DD go to different schools and I knew immediately. My DS is at KGS. He is a sporty boy so adores the sports - he lives on the sports field. He is not super duper academic and the school pushes him nicely. Indeed the homework does seem pretty light honestly so I don’t know where this hothouse results thing comes from and frankly that is what I am paying for anyway. If they don’t get good results then I would be a bit peeved. His friend group seems lovely. Mobile phone thing - well yes it is prevalent but then phones are and will be from now on. They have to learn to deal with it. It’s not an issue. Anyway this school suits him down to the ground. A different school for my DD. You know.

Yes, really love the fact it's co ed. Both children have made great friends with the opposite sex. I forgot to mention netball too.

I like the phone policy. You don't see the KGS kids' instagrams full of shots of them at school posing in the toilet / secretly taken at school like other kids. Mine both come home with plenty of battery, they wouldn't have if they were on them all day. Phones ARE useful - lots of great apps, can quickly look something up in class, check emails/tasks etc all on line. I like they can quickly text me if they have forgotten something or want to check if i can do xyz without hiding in the toilet to do so.

I like that the girls & boys grow up together as friends.
I like that there are lots of sports team and not just the superstars get to represent the school in matches. Yes there could be a wider variety of non ball sport options and the pavilion at the sports ground needs a re-vamp / more indoor sport facilities would be great.

In yr 7,8,9, homework is light ime. My dd had more at (pushy state) primary.

A focus on results - surely that is important? I think the balance they have is right.

I like the urban location and the independence they have.

I have a DS in year 11 & a DD in year 9 - both at KGS. I am really happy with the school. Both came from our local state primary. That was not an issue. I love the urban location. It makes the school easy to get to. The children can go out with their friends in Kingston on Inset days/ weekends.

Re the teaching, I have been happy on the whole, some excellent teachers & some average ones. I love that they are focused on results. I am partly counting on this focus to get the best possible GCSE results out of my rather lazy but bright DS.

Re sports, my two are not super sporty so can't really comment on that.

My DD is at KGS and absolutely loves it. The phone policy is liberal (or modern depending on your point of view) and the theory is it will teach them to operate in a real world which involves tech. She says they are cracking down on the kids who want to play games but most only use their phones to text to tell their friend where they are at lunch etc.

She hasn't been there long enough for me to have met any subject teachers but the work she has done seems engaging and at a good level although not very challenging so far - a gentle start I think!

She's not a sports mad kid so it's hard for us to judge there except there seems like a massive amount of it- I'm not sure what's missing that you wouldn't have known about (ie rugby) before applying.

Overall she loves the school so far and I've been really impressed with the communications and the overall culture of the place from the teachers, other parents and older kids. I don't have anything to compare it with but so far feel I would highly recommend it and it seems a great place for DD. Definitely hoping to get her sibling in!

I have one of each and I'm very happy with the school.

My daughter loves the fact she does the same sport as her brother - there is no gender bias unlike other schools. Hockey, cricket, tennis, football, rowing is all strong. They don't have rugby or gymnastics etc as some of the single sex schools have, but I like this.

I've also found the teachers to be good- some very inspiring, some just good, much the same as any school.

I do agree about the phone policy but just this week they have bought out new (or maybe it was a reminder) guidelines about phone use eg cannot be used in corridor, dining hall and only in class when directed by the teacher. The pupils are also being encouraged by staff not to use them at lunchtime, and to take up clubs instead. My children have joined clubs at lunchtime, so it hasn't been a problem so far.

The guidance the children get at kgs about this and a variety of things is very great and I really appreciate the pastoral side, and it's clear it's not just about the academics. The communication from the school is also good I find.

Overall, I'm very happy and would recommend

I am not feeling it re KGS. I have two there. I am just curious if there are any other parents unsatisfied. The iphone/device policy is an utter disaster. Promotes overuse under the guise of using it responsibly, it is by far the most liberal policy of any school I have checked into, having spoken to a lot of other parents. Teachers use the devices in class etc., they're encouraged to use it in fact. For an 11 year old! The teachers seem pretty universally medium to at best solid, but no one particularly stellar. They are absolutely lockstep on academics and do nothing more than teach to the test/GCSE, have seen no creativity whatsoever in engaging the kids. Finally, whoever said they have a variety of sports must have only sons, because with daughters the choices are highly limited. If you're a girl and you like hockey or rowing or netball, great. Otherwise, its an uphill struggle to figure out how you'll be supported in your chosen sport. In short I am struggling to see where the sell is given the urban location as someone above noted. Sorry for venting. : )

Can’t recommend it highly enough and I love the urban location. The students travel independently to and from school and can meet up in Kingston at weekends etc.

The Head is amazing!

I hope you love it as much as we have.

Looks like there will be a few of us from here! I'm just filling out the form for DD :)

Congrats @jkhj ! Fab news

Congrats jkhj! Welcome you and your DD to the KGS community. Great it was the school your DD preferred and that you are reassured. Your DD will love it!

Congrats jkhj! Welcome you and your DD to the KGS community. Great it was the school your DD preferred and that you are reassured. Your DD will love it!

KGS is an urban school, like many others. The site is small, but the benefit is that it remains a small school community and they can't go over numbers. You get an excellent education and pastoral care, with beautiful sports fields a school bus away over Kingston bridge. Also, as others have said, transport links are excellent - they don't need to provide school coaches to and from school.

I dob't know Harrodian well, but it's a very different kettle of fish and no where near KGS!

It’s really a very noisy and congested part of the world. The school is tiny and have you seen their playground?

Why not try for Harrodian? That’s not far from you.

Oh and people like @Longtimelurker are not parents at KGS . See other thread....

Located on a motorway

Lol. Are we talking about the same school! The nearest motorway is about 15 miles away. And what on earth is the problem with a ‘state school’ (Tiffin school - one the the hardest selective schools in the country to get into) being over the road. Jeez....

KGS isn't located on a motorway! More of a busy one-way system.
It is sandwiched between tall terraced houses (I'll give you that one!).
Tiffin is over the road.
It is very near the station and bus garage - great transport links.
Close to the shops - always handy when they get older
It is a marvellous school. DC absolutely thrive there.

It is possibly the most claustrophobic inde in London and SE. It is located on a motorway, sandwiched between terraced houses, and across from a rather large state school.

What made you choose it?

Class size varies widely by subject and seems to get smaller as they go up the school. About 25 in most classes in yr7. actually they are in half classes for the practical subjects and languages are a fair bit smaller too as based on choices.

How do KGS set children for maths and other subjects, class size, amount of homework

They are set for Maths in January of yr7. 2 A sets, 3 B sets and a C set iirc. So half the year are effectively middle set.
Not set for other subjects until yr10. except Latin. Those that continue it in yr9 (you can drop it end yr8) are split into a top set that do Greek & Latin and the others who do Latin.

Class size varies widely by subject and seems to get smaller as they go up the school. About 25 in most classes in yr7.

Homework - yr7, about an hour a night though depends how conscientious your dd is.

Lots and lots from state schools - ask the school for % if you are concerned but personally i wouldn't let that worry you - your dd got in from a state school, she will be fine.

Echo everything the others have said about sport, drama, oops etc

I have a DC there who loves it and came from a state primary. Your DD will certainly be amongst clever children, but so will she be at the other schools. It's a general transition to secondary. Even if she's not in the top set, all the kids will do well. I honestly see no difference between prep and state school kids in terms of the setting.

There is a good balance between state and private kids, but as others have said, it really isn't an issue. KGS is known as being one of the most down to earth indies in SW London, often with both parents working to pay the fees, and I haven't seen anything so far to go against that