Teddington school, any parents with children there

I don’t know about Teddington school. SRRCC mentioned previously is excellent, all 3 of mine have been there, youngest currently in year 7, DC2 just completed GCSEs. I also have a lot of friends with kids at St Paul’s in Sunbury, as we did primary there.

I note that Hampton High has waiting lists, I would not send a child of mine there.

I have never been to Open Day at Tiffin Girls and they have not had the OFSTED yet. The only concerning thing I heard from mums is about the mental health support at that school. Otherwise they don't complain:)

@crimped

SRRCC is an outstanding school with a great pastoral care, great results and strong discipline. I must have spoken with dozens of parents from there. St Paul's Sunbury have even better GCSE results and it is pretty amazing given that they accept at an admission point kids from a very varied background and their GCSE results are equally good as Orlean Park that has a catchment point from rather affluent part of the country.
But these are school for practicing Catholicsm

Tiffin Boys have fantastic GCSE results with 80 percent getting grade 7-9 at GCSE English maths and 98 percent getting grade 5+. Progress 8 is not that impressive though.

Only " Good" school lucky to have oustanding boys.

I think Tiffin's GCSE results should improve from this (or maybe last) year onwards because they changed the entrance exam to include English and Maths rather than just reasoning (which was too coachable). I know multiple boys who got in with no tutoring after the change, but none before. They are the naturally bright ones who don't need to be pushed. Two that I know of who didn't get in on the old style paper, but later joined the sixth form were in the top third of their A level classes, even though they'd done their GCSEs at comps.

Happy to answer as long as you will into account that it is only my subjective opinion:) . And I apologise if somebody has different feelings as I don't intend to hurt them

I went to the Open Day last year. My guide was a y7 boy. Listing it not in the importance order:

1. The school needs paint. As compared to other schools I have seen, Tiffin school looked " very tired". The wall posters and decorations were coming off, class tables were wobbly and eaten by time. Only one round building looked good. I guess all schools have money issues but at least they could make sure that what stickes to the walls looks decent.

1. My guide was running to toliet every now and again and at some point he said that he really needs to sit. We found a bench and started talking. He has some psychosomatic digestion issues. At the beginning he was reluctant to talk about it. I didn't know how to cheer him up but in the end he said that it started just with 11+ and that there is an ennormous pressure he experiences from school and his familly to perform well. I believe that Universe is talking to us we just not notice it at times. I listened this time:). I realised that to be so called academic kidnis not enough, it also has to be a psychologically tough and resilent + fast and engaged, switched on boy to feel great at this particular grammar school.

1. I know some Tiffin mums or friends kf those mums. They describe that mental health is a huge issue ( anorexia in T girl school and self harm etc). It is very competitive environment and expectations are high. There are some naturally unvelievabmy brilliant kids that get there and there are some that went through hours and hours of 11+ preparations to pass the test and get in. Ambitious as they are it is difficult to keep pace with those who naturally get it all easily. ATiffin mum told me that her son has twice a week tutoring to keep up and as she claims half of the kids have tutors after school.

1. I am not keen on one gender schools at all. I understand that there are some opinions that they will better focus academically in one gender school but for me the social development matters equally as academic growth. He is not sourrounded by many girls in his private life to compensate it as he doesn't have a sister.

1. I read latest OFSTED report. It was downgraded from Outstanding to Good. There are several criteria to make the total. For those criteria where it was downgraded to Good the description indicated that the teaching, teachers preparation and expsctations of the ciriculum is just Good and not Outstanding. And those brill kids there deserve the best teachers to inspire. The Oustanding stayed only where there is achievement ementioned; naturally, as it driven by the hard work of boys. It is average provision by the school that is lucky to have outstanding boys. I think a lot have change with the change of headmaster. Progress 8 is much lower as compared to Tiffin Girls.

1. Public transport to school for us would be complicated. I find their uniforms hideous ( but this is very personal opinion about the taste). And there is something about the ethic origin of the students. I would like my son attend school that is as the society around him. Because some parents with roots in some countries push and push for their kids to get in as if it was life and death, and the school admission is very fair, it results that the kids are representing specific ethnic groups at large. And I would like my son to see London diversity as it is. Not narrowed.

Apologise in advance if somebody doesn't agree with me.

Back when I was checking out schools when my eldest was in year 5 (2013), Teddington School was very oversubscribed and the borough had just recently dropped their linked-primary admissions policy (this was before the secondaries became academies and took control of their own admissions). Its Ofsted was Good and it had its new building and people were moving from all over for it. Now they move to Orleans Park or Grey Court catchments instead because of their Outstanding labels. These things are cyclic though. The Ofsted framework has changed and is no longer pegged to results, so all bets are off for the next time they all get inspected. It's much more difficult to get Outstanding now. SRR was lucky to get its most recent inspection in just before the change. I'm curious which, if any, schools will keep their Outstanding status next time. They've all had new heads, which should trigger earlier inspections, but Covid means there's a backlog.

I can't remember exactly, but I think they start setting for maths halfway through Y7. They are not streamed as such - they stay in mixed ability forms, and lessons are with different kids from across their pop. I'm not sure if they use setting for other subjects.

I would hazard a guess that they have a narrower range of ability than most London schools - very few kids who can't speak English, for example - which must make differentiated teaching easier. Remember that pretty much all Richmond schools are largely educating kids who are going to do well anyway!

Hmm, Waldegrave lost its extremely popular head. I haven't heard anything negative about the new head but it might have had an impact. The ex head of Teddington, Kathy Page, is now at Orleans.

And sorry, you're quite right it's 8 form entry. I got confused because they split them into two 'populations' of four forms each. They mix across classes within pop's, but never across.

It is a big school. I think they all are round here. Our primary was enormous.

I thought the Waldegrave intake was 216 girls as they like to have less than 30 to a class, but still have 8 forms. The classrooms are small, so understandable.

I must admit I have never researched Grey Court as it is on the other side of the river.

But I am amazed that Waldergrave squeezes 240 girls from such small catchment😮

Not at all. Grey Court and Waldegrave both take 240 children per year.

>It is 8 forms per year, it takes 240 children.

Omg...huge!! Larger than any other local school!

>The kids LOVE him (possibly because he always invites them to punch him in the stomach)

🤣🤣🤣

It is 8 forms per year, it takes 240 children.

I think it's four forms per year? There's a lot of mixing across forms for different classes.

I think the pastoral care is good. They had to make cuts to pastoral care a few years back but it seems up to strength now. The pastoral care team is well used - lots of kids pop in for chats during the day and there doesn't seem any stigma to doing that.

There's also a guy who works with the more troubled kids who is fantastic. He is ex police, martial arts expert and has interesting patterns shaved into his head. The kids LOVE him (possibly because he always invites them to punch him in the stomach). He has spent a lot of time with my daughter teaching her how to kick box, and also meditation techniques for her anxiety.

In addition, the teachers have been very kind to my daughter. And actually so have other kids - several times when she's been upset older kids have intervened and taken care of her. My dd has complex needs and schooling has been a nightmare, but to be fair that is mostly due to CAMHS and post-adoption support. She herself says that it's a good school and she wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

The new head is called Mr Grills, and I haven't got the measure of him yet though my daughter likes him. I was very keen on the old head so was grouchy when she left. I have only complained to the school twice, once to each head, and was impressed by their response.

Finally, this area is spoilt with good schools and the parents have very high expectations. There is lots of comparing Teddington unfavourably with Waldegrave, the girls school, but if you adjust for the fact that Waldegrave is all girls they are neck and neck in terms of results. In most areas of London this would be the school that everyone was killing each other to get into.

As I say, there's lots of good choices in this area, and also different schools suit different kids, so I'm certainly not trying to persuade you. But I will say that my girl could have picked any school in the Borough (because adopted so priority admission) and I've never been sorry I chose Teddington.

I'm happy to answer any further questions, BTW.

My two girls both went to Teddington (one still there). The eldest started when it was going through a tricky patch, including a bad Ofsted report (which I think was unfair). Then a new HT came in who really turned the school around.

Like every other state secondary, the school needs more money and less teacher churn. A minority of children are a bit disruptive, but theyre not scary. It's a very middle class school and the parents have high expectations. The building is very nice.

If your child is academic she will be fine. My eldest got straight As at GCSE, as did many of the kids I know. She's introverted, and I did worry about her in such a large school, but she never had hassle or bullying. The school seems to serve the bright kids well.

My youngest struggles with learning issues and anxiety and has had a trickier time. The school has been kind, but I do wonder if she might have got better support at a school with more experience of troubled kids, frankly.

But no regrets I sent my kids there.

Ah yes, I am also a great supporter of coeducation and I understand your predicament. I , personally, wasn't impressed with Tiffin boys during the Open Day. But my son has been attending 3 h per week of 11+ tutoring since September and is given loads of homework by the tutor. I had a very positive vibe during the Open day at Hampton Boys. Great school but then it is only boys and it is £7.5 k per term while we have outstanding schools around. I am leaning towards fab Catholic schools that we will put as our top two options.