Private schools near Epsom

Another vote for Ewell Castle. My son goes there and I don't know anyone who would consider him a 'non-achiever'.

The great thing about the school that it is not full of children with judgemental and overbearing parents.

Yes I have issues with this school and the incalculable damage done to my DC there. Nothing I have written is libellous. The facts I have stated are true, eg about the inequity in the sporting provision, the poor safeguarding, the tutoring. I am not being flippant, I am deadly serious.

Wow @epwell you got issues.

What you have written Is libellous and downright nasty and shows how unhelpful it is to ask for advice on mumsnet. There’s always a parent with an axe to grind with no sense of perspective.

Op you have to go to the schools And ignore any flippant labels, they are not helpful.

I used to work at Epsom College.

I doubt that it is particularly hard to get in - they have the full range of academics.

It's a very full on school, though, so you'd have to buy into their boarding ethos (even as a day student).

My DS went to Downsend and hated it. He left a few years ago now. He just didn't fit their mould.
He went on to St John's and thrived. We're not at all religious.

Aaaaah, I didn't realise that there were fewer girls than boys in Surrey and surrounds. Who knew? Your position is unsustainable, there are plenty of girls' schools in Surrey and beyond who can play fixtures. When I looked at it, in some cases the boys played fixtures against mixed schools, or boys' schools with associated girls' schools, but the girls didn't play that school or the associated school at all. In my view, a toxic combination of laziness and an inherent sexist culture at the school meant the girls were treated as lesser sporting creatures. It calls itself co-educational, but it really isn't.

The issue with girls and sports is not just down to the school, they have to have OTHER schools to play against. So it's impossible to run lots of teams if there is no competition for them. It was what has held some schools back from offering sorts that have not traditionally been for girls - no one to play against.

Thank you for demonstrating so clearly (although I am sure unintentionally) the sense of entitlement and arrogance that pervades the school, the children and the parents.
The Freemen's child is, in my experience, a bully and if you don't fit in then god help you, as the teachers and other children most certainly won't, the children out of fear of being bullied themselves, the teachers because they can't be arsed.

I can tell you with 100% certainty, as I did a statistical analysis of the sporting fixtures over a 2 year period, that in the junior school the boys play more fixtures than the girls and play more inclusive fixtures where they take all of the boys - the girls will play only the top teams or leave 2 or 3 girls behind on a regular basis. The boys use the pitches year round, the girls only get to use them in the summer.
I agree with you that it is a very insular community and if you are not part of that you will have issues. The parents in the know pay the staff for tutoring, thereby establishing direct and profitable relationships which the staff will not imperil by disciplining the child. They also arrange for tutoring for the entrance exams, sometimes even by the teachers who mark said exams.
Their safeguarding standards are woeful - medication goes missing on a regular basis, at least it did for us.
All in all a pretty dreadful place, but I'm sure that it suits you down to the ground.

On Freemen’s I have currently got children at various levels throughout the school and completely disagree with Epwell . Pastoral care certainly wouldn’t win any awards but there does seem to be a culture of pupil helping pupil and there is a school counsellor who is seemingly well liked and my children’s form tutors are wonderful. There are some staff who are disliked by the majority however the majority are lovely and have a passion for their subject. I must emphasise the difference between seniors and juniors is quite defined. My DD loves it and I can barely recall my anxious little mouse in the confident young woman I know today. Sports provision is spotty in some areas (fencing is brilliant and the teachers do try but a smallish school without sports scholarships will always struggle to perform) but at least in my recall neither gender is favoured, especially now the head of department is a hockey specialist with league experience. It is certainly a traditional school and fairly insular many people have relatives who were pupils or teachers and even a fair few teachers who were pupils. There’s also development in facilities and I can’t wait to get my children into main house again. Have a tour, all schools have people they work and don’t work for. But to concede one thing to Epwell there is a Freemen’s child and those who don’t fit that type may struggle.

Some years ago now but DS went to Kingswood house and it was back then an amazing school. They were the first to support ds to achieve and he got a very good grounding. We moved area and left the school due to this.

I would visit and see what you think..

This is my advice. Visit the schools in and around Epsom with and without your child in tow.

See what the school lessons are like, how the kids behave and assess quietly the quality of teaching provided. Read the published official school inspection reports too but remember not to depend wholly on those however. Ask other parents about the local secondary schools too at pick up time etc. Find out as much as possible in advance and make notes.

Trust your gut OP as well. If possible view some actual homework done and enquire about school events and school trips and so on. Do also remember to inquire about school clubs, exams and observe lessons quietly on a normal school day.

Have a list of schools to inspect and evaluate. Check out the website of the school in question in order to learn more. Read beyond the lines of communication, consider whether he would make progress and be happy there or not. Look beyond the glossy fancy exam results, in other words really dig deep for useful information on the school in consideration here. See if you can find out more about what happens day to day.

Get hold of articles about the school. Research to your heart's content.

I wnet to blenheim, loved it. I have a masters now from a good uni, so you know...

I live locally and have two sets of friends with children at Downsend. They all seem very happy with it. I hear a lot of talk about music and sport and there seems to be plenty going on.

The GCSE provision is fairly new, so I don't know anyone that has stayed on beyond age 13 yet. But one set of friends has younger boys and they are intending to keep them there for GCSEs as they are very happy and see no reason to move.

On a very practical level, they have building work going on at the moment (to enable the expansion up to age 16) and the traffic in the morning is pretty awful as there are three other popular schools, all in very close proximity.

Downsend is a lovely school. Whatever they do, they do well. The music is inspirational. The pastoral care is excellent. I'd recommend it wholeheartedly. Sport is really inclusive. Go and have a look round. The kids and the staff get on really well. Avoid Freemens it is absolutely bloody awful. Bullying rife, pastoral care non existent, the staff are, in my experience, uncaring, bullying, vindictive and mendacious. Sport is poor, and deeply sexist - the boys get a much better deal than the girls.

Claremont Fan Court in Esher? Might be too far?

I would think Epsom College or St John's Leatherhead. Both will stretch your son and are probably both very similar. We are agnostic and considering both as well as Reeds for our son.

I don't think Epsom College is that hard, relatively speaking, to get in to so definitely worth looking at. None of the Dcs I know at St John's are remotely religious so def worth a look too.

I agree St John's is a Christian school but not super religious at all. You may visit and see what you think. What about Whitgift and Trinity, too far?

Is St John’s a faith school? The only child I know there is from an observant Muslim family!