St Paul and King's

@photoshop of course you would say so. I fully understand. That’s the reason why I said such questions (comparing schools) would only result in responses like these.

@veryworriedmum you already have the answer. no need to dig deeper.

My son will attend Latymer Upper (as I said in other threads), and didn’t apply to any of the 3. Hopefully you find my comments more objective

@2012mom - DS isn't at any of these schools so I have no gripe with the 'pecking orders'. I'm just a parent in SW London with teenagers and know lots of kids at lots of different schools. There is a hype around these schools that is not necessarily totally justified and parents get in a total tizz about them. I had a friend to stay the other day from outside London. Both her daughters are at Oxford- we went for a walk along the river and passed St P- she'd never even heard of it. They are not the be all and end all.

Have you asked the Head of the current school for his/her thoughts on the relative merits of the Senior Schools?

Your username suggests that you are very worried about this though?

They are both excellent schools. Your son will not be disadvantaged on an objective level by going to one rather than the other. Results/university acceptance statistics mean nothing on an individual level- there is only one of your son so all you need to know is that he is in a school that offers him the subjects he will do best at, taught well. Also that the social environment is right for him.

At this level there is absolutely no point in stressing over fine differences so you can reassure yourself that he is at “the best” school.

Personally, I’d be more concerned that a single sex school environment was not ideal for turning out a fully rounded young man. My son is at a highly-ranked co-ed independent school.

OP: see! Not everyone is happy in the pecking order you suggested. There are far far fewer boys travelling from Barnes to KCS then boys travelling from Wimbledon to SPS.

And friends at St Paul's as well as KCS I meant to say.

Go visit the schools, see if you think they're a good fit and go from there. Don't get too swayed by other parents!

There are quite a few boys Barnes way who go to KCS.
OP - I have quite a few friends with boys ( and girls) at KCS and relatives at Westminster. They are all quite relaxed with nice normal kids. But they do say some of the parents and the hype around the schools is bonkers- tutoring is rife and and parts only want one of those schools at all cost - regardless of whether it suits the kids. Similar story with SPGS.
My DS got an offer from St P but I was never keen on it for him. Several boys at his current school also turned it down. His best friend is very happy there. They are very different boys with very different academic interests.

I don’t think you will get any meaningful replies from this kind of questions. You will receive lots of bashing from parents of King’s, who are not happy to be number 3. A bit less but still some bashing from SPS parents, who are not happy to be number 2, though you did say it is a close number 2 . Indeed even Westminster parents may not be happy, as they may consider the school further ahead of SPS.

And indeed you already have the answer! The pecking order you quoted what is usually perceived, in terms of prestige, academics, university destinations etc. You would see boys living close to SPS and KCS traveling to Westminster but not the reverse. You would see boys living in Wimbledon traveling to SPS but hardly any living in Barnes traveling to KCS.

No one can give you any insights, as you already got the answer. There is noting fishy or odd

Sorry which part of the world are you from and what was the previous curriculum?
If you are considering Westminster or St Paul's Boys, you kid is probably the top 5% of students in terms of academic abilities. So you shouldn't really worry about anything. Plus you have another 8 years to university, plenty can change in between. You should have a wide range of choices of schools in London and outside London. The best use of your time would be to get your boy to read more and get a good grasp of general knowledge, fiction, non-fiction, do some sports and other extra curricular activities.

Meant to add, and she began prep end of May in year 5. So all is not lost if you have not started yet.

Where are you coming from? As some countries are behind the UK. You will need to see if your dc has catching up. In this case you will need an 11+ tutor. I suggest signing up to Atom learning and getting your ds to try the mock tests to see the scores. A lot of people that are not from here do not realise how competitive it is to get into the top schools for secondary. I am not from here, but have lived here a while and have spoken to other parents, ones that have gotten their dc in top private schools and ones that have not. My dd just did the 11+ and she got into Godolphin and Latymer.

Marketing really. All great top performing schools. The cultural fit, sports and locations could be a factor. Westminster goes heavy in overseas push for boarding so has higher visibility in overseas market.

Insights into what?
They're all good schools. Some boys apply to all 3. Many don't get into all 3. Boys get into St Paul's and not Kings and vice versa.
Location plays a part- Kings will have less boys from North London and competes with the Grammars. Gut feel is also impacted and I know many a bright boy who didn't apply as they / their parents weren't keen on one or all of the schools.
They are certainly not the be all and end all and don't suit all boys and offers do get turned down.
I don't think one is better than the other.