Habs vs Westminster vs St. Paul’s Boys

@Glassofmerlot , how did your ds get on with Westminster 7+?

There's nothing "out of date" about what I typed there - it all still stands up factually.

This is out of date. Progression through is not an issue unless it is clearly not the right place for them, which would be the case anywhere. And StP’s have always managed more boys out than W in my experience.

In terms of prestige, SPS and Westminster are certainly higher than Habs, just depends if that is important to you or not?

What I mean is, if you check it for SPJ, you get 70% now, whereas the numbers used to be more or less comparable with Habs.

I’m not sure what you mean by the “gap widening”? All I have to go on is the data published on their website, which includes a comparative table for A-levels grades since 2018. It appears to show that 2022 results were better than 2019 results.

Isn't the gap widening regarding the A level results vs 2019?

*TAGs from 2021 I should have said.

What’s wrong with the recent results from Habs? As far as I know they’re continuing a rising trend (excluding CAGS from 2021).

are you worried about the recent results from Hab's and the decision to leave league tables?

It's worth pointing out that Westminster / WUS is not all-through and you're not signing up for 11 years uninterrupted at the 7+ stage - i.e. the Year 6 boys at WUS sit the ISEB 11+ pre-tests, along with all the external candidates applying for 11+ entry (i.e. wanting to join Year 7 at WUS). WUS boys then sit written papers set by Westminster (senior) School in January. Westminster School - as in the senior school - look at the ISEB results and the written paper results before deciding on whether the WUS boys can progress from Year 8 at WUS up to Year 9 at Westminster. While the vast majority do progress to Westminster School, it's not unheard of for some boys to exit at that point.

@Glassofmerlot Why don't you just choose a school that suits him now? Plenty of boys leave WUS at 13+ and I'm sure at St Paul's too. Things change a lot in that time space. It sounds like Habs would best for him now to be honest. He can travel/board when he's 11 or 13 so a move then is completely possible.

It may be a stupid point but I do hope the OP has visited these three schools in person, along with their DS, and isn't just going on the comments on here alone - with no disrespect to the insights on here.

@CrankyP Rugby is not offered in plenty of schools and given the fact a great deal of parents don’t like the idea of contact sports it may not put off the OP. Rugby is is a sport that most talented players start at primary school at local clubs which is not a barrier preventing him from trying it out.

@BookwormButNoTime i take your point with those two A levels, but (and this is not widely known until you are there) the enrichment programme does provide opportunities to continue to study subjects at AS/A level. My DD has continued with a specific (and not popular) language she did not choose and was not officially available for A level in these sessions as an example.

But the school does not offer Computer Science or DT at A-level (but they do at GCSE) and their subject blocks mean that my daughter couldn’t actually do the subjects she wanted to.

We personally loved the school but we felt their academic offerings were restrictive and geared towards the more traditional subjects. That may or may not be important to the OP. It’s not a slur on the school.

When you talk about "caring about sport" it's a relative comparison. At St Paul's, all boys play rugby for a least a term. You've got big thumping great lads trouping around with studded boots on. That's all unthinkable at Westminster. They don't even provide rugby. It's not bothered with the notions of uniformity but it's a pillar of the Establishment through the Church and the monarchy connections. Some independent schools really push sport especially since it engineers school spirit and the parents/alumni value it and imagine their boys in the first 15/11. If you've got a mixed ability cohort, that makes sense. Westminsters want to be in the intellectual premier league and they are picking the best fit from the hugely talented group that apply.

I have a DD in 6th at Westminster. It is incredibly diverse at all levels in the school so please ignore the poster above who declared it to be ‘the least diverse’ ditto the arts and sports provisions. Yes rowing is important to the school but so are the other sports including football. The arts programme is outstanding and offers great opportunities for those who want to be a little bit involved to those who want full immersion. Re arts A levels, there is a strong mix of courses plus cultural enrichment which makes the school stand out. It is also a school in which pupils are free to explore and understand why different viewpoints are held across society without being cancelled for doing do. This is one of the main differences my DD has found since joining from another super selective London school plus just how far ahead some of the boys at the start of A levels are in some subjects as they have not been taught to pass exams but the actual subject IYSWIM. The ethos of giving back to the community via timetabled volunteer work is also something we value as a family. The timetabled well-being classes are also valuable in helping the youth of today navigate changing times. If you have a genius in computer science or robotics, he will be fully supported at Westminster with or without CS A level.

That said, 6 days a week schooling is full on so Westminster is not for the faint-hearted Pupil (or parent). I’m also not sure I’d move for any school really, but they start early and finish late at Westminster so consider this when making decisions for 7 year olds and also the impact it has on you as his parent in terms of the commute.

@Twilightstarbright I was thinking of that but QE is very sporty and really not very diverse.

Based on this, QE boys might be a good fit for him at 11+?

Just to add that if your DS is 3 years ahead in some subjects then you really need to speak to all 3 schools to see which would really support him as he will probably be ahead of many of his peers. WUS for example will not give your DS tailored work that is for example a year ahead or let him sit in lessons with other year groups. Will your DS get bored perhaps? I don’t know how SP or HABs are in dealing with gifted pupils.

While the entrance tests may be testing for curriculum two years ahead, the boys actually do go back to times tables and the like when they join Year 3.

If you want to really dig into the philosophies of these schools, Westminster is committed to an idea of a classical liberal education predating the collective Victorian notions of schools I think pioneered at Rugby about discipline and sports creating school spirit. Westminster is about individualism and individual responsibility like you would see at an elite university and it’s a 6 day a week boarding school that day boys and girls work their lives around. They do care about sport but only rowing and cricket and then only because of the commitment to tradition. St Paul’s is more into these ideas of collective school spirit built on high achieving in sports and high academic standards. It’s a boys school with boys on site from prep to A level. Of course you can be, like most boys, not sporty. My feeling is that tradition means a bit less at St Paul’s since it has moved multiple times and the buildings have been or are being progressively completely replaced in recent years. Its student cohort is more locally sourced and it’s definitely a 5 day a week day school not a boarding school even if they have it. Can’t comment on Habs but my guess - without knowing anything- is that it fits in the mould of St Paul’s. Sports, music, resources, excellent results, educating local boys, without being constrained by a site which is UNESCO world heritage listed and treats boys more as boys.

I would also say Habs based on what you have said.

Based on your update I think Habs is genuinely your best choice.

As others have said, these are all great schools and the differences between them are ones of emphasis more than anything else.
Some sweeping generalisations that may or may not be helpful:
Habs is probably the most diverse, Westminster the least.
Similarly, Westminster is the most like the stereotype of the English public school, an urban Eton if you like. Quite quirky. Habs the least.
All get great results. Habs more of an exam factory, Westminster less - more focus on critical thinking, creativity, independent study- things that A level (arguably) rather discourages.
St Paul’s has a great site with extensive playing fields, swish new buildings, and the river.
Habs probably has a higher proportion of boys specialising in STEM subjects.