KCS, RGS or Hampton

Just to add my bit - we live near Esher and my son has gone to KCS since he was 8. He would get the school bus in and I would pick him up on the days I could. From Esher the journey is less than 20 minutes by car (longer on the school bus). From Day 1 he has absolutely loved the school and we are so pleased for him. We have found it a very nurturing school but yet firm enough so that the boys know the boundaries of behaviour and what is expected of them. My son is now in Lower Fifth and cannot wait to be back in school with his friends.

It's funny my two have loved the fact they can socialise after school in Guildford-in those good old days when you could! It is a lovely town centre and has other facilities the boys can enjoy like the Spectrum-they often meet up in half term etc. These are all things I didn't even think about when choosing schools!
My DS loved Hampton but when we took him back he realised he would be on a coach for a long time each day. I also couldn't just pop over if they needed something or where ill etc. So I think journey and social side are the two most important factors. The academics are amazing at all the schools.
Once you put your deposit down you won't give the other schools a thought-that is how I felt and I know my DS was really happy with the choice he made. Just think how lucky you are to have such an amazing choice.

Not that I think it is a deciding factor in your decisions, but I am a little bemused at the description of Guildford High Street as concrete.

Springisnear

The school said state/prep split in Year 7 is 40/60, in September the Junior School will join the new Year 7 so obviously the state % will be smaller

Could I ask you to explain what this means please? I am rather confused about the KCS situation for Y7 and Y8? Is it no longer the case that their own junior school Y7s and 8s are kept separate from the relatively newly formed Lower School 7s and 8s and only come together in the senior school at Y9, along with those doing 13+

Does what I’ve typed even make sense?

@Esher2021, you say your house is dividing, which is DS's preference? It is so hard as both are amazing schools but if you'd be happy with either, I would be tempted to just go with the one he likes best....

Agree too though with @springisnear's advice to try both train journeys/walks to school. We have done the journey to both our school options this week - not that we've been able to do any more than look at the outside of them but DS was visibly excited at the airiness, amount of space and extent of the grounds at the Hampton site, and less excited about RGS. It definitely compounded my gut feel that of our two, Hampton is the place for him.

(Although I did point out to him that a walk through a town centre back to the station would potentially yield the ability to nip into Caffe Nero on the way home to pick up a snack but no, he wasn't swayed. Which says something, actually, as DS LOVES a Caffe Nero snack).

DS joined KCS in September. Didn't take RGS exam last year as it clashed it KCS!! I had a look around RGS and was initially keen to apply as the chance of getting a scholarship might be higher than KCS. I even wrote to ask RGS admissions if they could schedule another test date for those who took KCS exam on the clash date. They didn't entertain the request :)

So we had to choose one school between the two for the entry exam, as we would have chosen if two offers were received, and we couldn't be happier. DS came from a one-form entry state primary and he loves his senior school. The school said state/prep split in Year 7 is 40/60, in September the Junior School will join the new Year 7 so obviously the state % will be smaller.

Both schools are excellent and have very good public transport connections. I would suggest taking the train to school for a full journey and have a feel. It's very important as children this age see school as an extension of their home life, they don't see results/destinations/prestige etc. Personally being in London I would only send DS out to Surrey for school if he has acres of greens to roam around, not to a town centre school. The walk from station to school for RGS is through concrete commercial high street, the walk for KCS is through leafy neighbourhood streets.

Again both schools are excellent so take the journey and go with your gut feel.

@Esher2021 have you come to a decision? We haven’t. We’re going to go to KCS tomorrow to see what the journey time is like. If we go with KCS DS will probably need to go on the train as we are quite far from the nearest coach pick up.

I was hoping someone might have answered my query about when KCS became more popular as it was only a few years ago that children at my DS current school went there if they didn’t get in to RGS.

My nephew went to RGS on an academic scholarship and DS went to KCS on one. In both cases it has not made a difference and is pretty much forgotten about when they get there (apart from the tiny fees reduction). I wouldn’t base my decision on this if I were you. Is there anything your DS particularly enjoys in terms of extracurricular that might be better at one school?. My DS is a keen footballer so that was a deciding factor for him in choosing KCS whereas his cousin played a lot of hockey which I think is more of a major sport at RGS. Drama is particularly strong at KCS but not as good at RGS (I think hardly any of the RGS boys do gcse drama while it is very popular at KCS). A levels versus IB is also a huge factor...If your DS is very STEM focused then he will probably be happier to do A levels but if he is an all rounder that favours essay based subjects but want to keep a “hand in” math and science then IB is a good choice. And finally do you want girls in 6th form? Some boys really don’t care and are happy to be single sex all the way but others can benefit from an introduction to girls prior to uni. In terms of culture I think RGS feels very Home Counties and the demographic reflects this. KCS is a bit more diverse - lots of boys with parents from other European countries, South Africa, the US, Australia etc - it reflects the London melting pot demographic. According to my DB, RGS parents tend to be more traditional doctors, lawyers and accountants. Either way I don’t think you can go wrong though as they are bothering fabulous schools (as is Hampton!)

If it's a whisker, please listen to what your ds prefers. We didn't with dd's secondary because we thought we knew better: spreadsheets and objectivity and stuff. She did two years at LMS (hated it), three years at Notre Dame (compromise because her friends were hating Surbiton but it was healing), year at KCS because she wanted her bro's footsteps despite our reservations but MH and anorexia gripped, then two wonderful years at WHS. It all turned out ok in the end.

@sandybayley - yes I thought those comments about the boys never going out were a little odd as I think it’s a hugely social school. In fact Andrew Halls always makes a point to reiterate to parents in the 6th form that the kids shouldn’t be going out to parties on both Friday and Saturday and avoid going out the day before a competitive sports fixture. I do think the catchment and geographic spread is a lot greater than it perhaps was 10 years ago but they are all quite happy to travel to Wimbledon to meet up....or to any location where someone’s parents are happy to host a large group of them! I would agree they don’t go out midweek though as they are indeed very busy with extracurricular or homework.

@Yossahughes - thanks for verifying my comments! I was a bit bemused to be told by a non-KCS parent that I was wrong and that my teenagers couldn't be doing what I knew they were. I like the school very much and it's been great for all my 3 DC.

The thing I always say on these threads is that these are all great schools so if you can, stay local. If your child gets into KCS, Hampton and RGS they will do well at any of them. So make their life easier and stay local. If we'd lived in Hampton the boys would have gone to Hampton if they'd got in.

I think that the girls coming in 6th form integrate very well - the boys are so thrilled to have females in their midst they spend the first few weeks slightly in awe which is quite funny! They are a pretty talented and intelligent group of girls so they can hold their own - there are some quieter one too so I don’t think this puts them at a disadvantage as I get the impression that the boys genuinely want to get to know all of them. I would definitely want my add to consider it for 6th form.

In terms of “going out” when DS arrived at 13 it was all pretty much sleepovers, gaming and the odd trip to the cinema or the trampoline park. This graduated to small gatherings at people’s house by the time they got to 15 or 16 and hanging out on the common in the summer before 6th form. By 6th form I would say the majority are having gatherings with girls and the Common is pretty popular (although covid may have impacted this as meeting outdoors was the only option over the summer). DS doesn’t hang with the party crowd and I would say he is a pretty much middle of the road type of kid when it comes to socialising so I think he is fairly representative ....I think the socialising is mainly about meeting up with girls as opposed to going out to drink etc. Of course there are some boys who don’t really go out at all and that’s absolutely fine ...and the ones at the other end of the spectrum who go out too much!! I would say that compared to some other independent schools in the area the KCS boys are quite late starters when it comes to “partying”.

Reading your post again @Goingcrazy101, people send their boys to Kings. I don't recall kids ever being sent there. But yes even less than a decade ago it was straight home Monday to Thursday, mainly because practices meant they were home at 5.45ish.

Friday nights and holidays, much time was spent at either The Wimbledon, Hurlingam and Riverside Clubs.

Sorry @Goingcrazy101 that's just not true. Lots of local kids at KCS right now. Very many parents, ourselves included, choose it because it's an outstanding school and on our doorstep.

Point taken @Goingcrazy101. I'll shut up now. I'd be interested however to know why you chose not to send your boys to KCS?

May I add that dd is younger than ds and we still have many friends with younger boys at KCS, and remain in touch as friends with some senior staff, so aren't wholly out of the loop.

@GeorgiePorgieOrgie, it’s a pretty straightforward commute, and lots of boys do it. From London Road station it’s about a 10 min walk to the school.

The train journey becomes part of the social scene, especially as they get older and more interested in mixing with the GHS and Tormead girls doing the same commute.

Hi I just notice lots of comments from people who no longer have kids at the school or went there themselves in the 80s or 90s: I think when talking about Hampton and KCS experiences of both schools are only relevant recent tbh. KCS in particular has really changed and the type of boys getting in has really changed. The school bus which now transports from all over London means that kids are not actually particularly local generally. I genuinely don’t see any of them hanging out on the common - ever. I say this as someone who knows a lot of boys at the school and lives locally. My boys are at a different local school and DS2 has an offer for Hampton.
I would apply the same to any school: while nostalgia is great all these schools have become far more competitive.
IME with DS1 no socialising other than what’s app group chat goes in term time. Kids are far too busy with extra curricular and school work.
Just a little reality check there.

Ah, panda fwiw ds was also exceptionally musical as well as sporty. At about 11 he had to decide which way to go because there wasn't time for music and sports practice. He went for sport. Music and drama at KCS is exceptional.

It's all so long ago @jumpalicious. My re Ollerton when ds joined at 8 was that "classics" was largely Ancient History at that stage. DS was always enthralled and first degree was classics but I seem to recall the 11+ intake were not disadvantaged.

I don't remember ds doing much home work pre 6th form tbh but I know some had to just to keep up. DS scraped middle position without really having to pull his finger out and that's as it should be I think. However the school did not push him for Oxbridge because he only got 6 A* at GCSE and when he pulled off 44IB points he had a gap year to apply.

We’re in claygate too and don’t know whether the journey to RGS would be too onerous. Does anyone know whether it’s a completely knackering commute?

@Hopeful201 totally agree with you about ease of journey!

@Jumpalicious thank you, yes I was able to look round Hampton at an Open Morning back in pre Covid days! Really liked it, great lively vibe, was impressed by the head, and the boys seemed down to earth and cheerful. RGS was similar.

I think my issue is that all these academic independent schools are 'sporty' to some extent or another, you can't get away from it, the competitive, high-standard sporting opportunities on offer are a big part of why many parents go down the indie route. But we just don't have sporty kids! For us the attraction of Hampton /RGS is far more about the academics and other extra curricular opportunities than the sporting ones, we applied in spite of the sports rather than because of them, if that makes sense (I realise that probably sounds mad to anyone with a sporty child though).

My two are at RGS and doing very well, it isn't a stuffy school. The Head is really nice and cares about the boys. We had the choice of similar schools but chose RGS because it was nearer. They are all great schools, your DS will do equally well at all of them. I think the most important thing is ease of journey as it is also about the social life later on!