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Original poster

SW London schools: info on Graveney, Chestnut, Hurlingham etc

167 replies

PForParent · 28/02/2025 07:56

I would like to get some thoughts on secondary state schools in the Wandsworth area.

We are ruling out single-sex schools, and super-strict schools like Ashcroft.
Private schools or moving to another area are not realistic options, for a multitude of reasons.

Our priority is to find a reasonable balance between a school which is reasonably rigorous, but not to the point that it crushes kids' spirit with petty, capricious, unnecessary rules and punishments. Eg think of the scandals at Holland Park School or Mossbourne, with well-documented cases of emotional abuse.

Our impressions so far:

Graveney: seems great if we can get in with the test (we appreciate it's not easy).

Chestnut in Balham: seems less academic than Graveney but still a reasonable balance.

Ashcroft: never ever ever. Detentions for cycling to school? Please. And the supposed "catch up" if you miss a day is bs: they simply put you in a detention room, there is no teaching. Way too much homework: the kids we know who go there have given up all their other activities, have stopped reading, that's really extreme.

Hurlingham Academy in Fulham: Impressions were good. Seemed a reasonable balance. Some doubts about the school not having sixth form.

Saint Cecilia: we know many families whose children are happy there. But it seems one of the least academic, and with very little homework (the opposite problem to Ashcroft)

Harris Wimbledon: very mixed feedback. Some say it's a very good and very academic school, some say it's far too strict.

Harris Battersea: very mixed feedback, but in the opposite sense to Harris Wimbledon: some say it's good, some say it's not academic enough.

Southfields Academy: terrible impressions. The kids seemed feral. It seemed the least academic of the whole list.

When sharing your thoughts, please:

  • respect our preferences. If Ashcroft or a single-sex works well for your kids, I am very happy for you, but don't try to convince me to send my kids there. If someone asks for a Chinese restaurant you don't tell them that Indian food is better :)
  • please try to take into account not just your personal experience, but how someone else's experience might differ. Eg our kids are reasonably happy at their primary, but I'll be the first to say it's one of those "my way or the highway" type of schools, and it's not a good choice for anyone with any kind of special needs

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! Thanks a lot!

OP posts:
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PatientVesta · 31/03/2025 14:43

spoodlesee · 31/03/2025 11:13

There was an article about Harris Wimbledon this morning in the DM.

I went to have a look now and it seems typical DM tabloid sensationalism. I will ask a parent I know some more details about it, as it seems the article is only listening to the mother's side.. Who live streams an argument with the school? Surely you might film as evidence (questionable), but live stream? I'm not surprise the school took action...

Camisqui · 31/03/2025 12:55

Mnjmnj · 29/03/2025 11:15

I know of families with children in CG and Bolingbroke, both seem excellent schools and the kids are doing well. The parents I know are happy with their choice. My childnren have been/are at Graveney. Mine have thrived there, despite coming from a fairly small primary - it’s a big school but split with the juniors largely on one side and seniors in the other. The 6th form has been excellent and very supportive (mine have completed/are completing/will chose 4 A levels, all STEM based). Very much a mixed community but I like that. It is true if you’re child is academic they will definitely thrive but as far as I’m aware (I haven’t checked in years) the less academic pupils still achieve better results than some other local secondaries. For what it’s worth I come from the lower social-economic end.
Realistically I think most schools have some problems but if your child is supported at home they will do well in the choices you are leaning towards.

I’ve been exploring this website and am amazed by the wealth of information available. As a new parent applying for secondary schools, I’ve come across some details about Graveney School but would appreciate info on how its system works.

  1. Class Allocation
  2. If my child secures a place through the proximity criterion (rather than the Wandsworth Test), will they be placed in a separate class from those who qualified via the test?
  3. Or are all 280 Year 7 pupils mixed together, with classes formed randomly?
  4. Grouping by Ability
  5. If classes are not random, how are pupils grouped? Is it solely based on the Wandsworth Test, or do SATs results also play a role?
  6. Does the school use streaming (general ability-based classes) or setting (subject-specific ability groups)?
  7. Movement Between Groups
  8. If classes are streamed (e.g., higher, middle, or lower ability), can students move between groups if their performance improves?
  9. Support for High Achievers is this streaming?
  10. Are there additional opportunities (e.g., extra classes, clubs, or accelerated learning) for academically strong pupils?
  11. Other Details

Thank you so much !!

spoodlesee · 31/03/2025 11:13

There was an article about Harris Wimbledon this morning in the DM.

PatientVesta · 31/03/2025 10:42

Yes, these stats are all an indication, but they do not define what the school will be specifically for your child.
Again, Graveney is a much larger school, has been going for a lot longer than Harris and has the selective stream, which inevitably puts their stats higher.
Looking at all the available schools, we thought Harris Wimbledon was the best option for our child. This is not to say it would be for another child with a different profile or socio-economic background.
At the end of the day, your feel for the school is also a huge factor isn't it, so you just have to go to all the open days.

11plusNewbie · 30/03/2025 22:27

77summers · 28/03/2025 17:48

We have an awful time at Graveney and I do not wish it to anyone.

If your kid is neurotypical and on the extension classes, you may be ok. However as mentioned before the SEND dept is awful, including TAs and are not supporting the families at all. The current interim SENCO is unresponsive, and part time, the previous one was the same, it seems this has been going on for years. They can’t even follow their own policies and definitely do not support SEN students as they should. Some staff has very old views of SEN.

It’s an academy wannabe grammar, with a mixture of old fashion management with new academy structures and you won’t know who is who in the organisation chart, which means you are having to ask who is this person or this other.

The principal is one of the most unapproachable people, I’ve seen from all the schools we have visited. You can see the lack on empathy and understanding of how to manage a school as she was never a teacher, worked in educational policy development. There is an arrogance of having a reputation and being secondary, which seems to meant, you can be treated with disrespectful and arrogant.

Bullying is pretty bad too and not dealt with at least you can proof is on CCTV. Also a distinction of how the punishments are apply, basically there is double standard.

Some teachers are nice however others are not so great, mind you, it may be because they are not supported by the management and teams around. You will have a tutor that won’t contact you if problems arise and then all will blow up in your face at once. Then they want meetings at the drop
of a pin.

even when you have been trying to reach them. You will have a meeting and nothing will change.

The communication with families is pretty poor too. Many teams not working together, only went they had to cover up.

The standard of knowledge on the classes that are not extension is quite poor on some forms, which means some kids get pretty bored. It’s obvious kids got tutoring to pass the Wandsworth test to get in, and you will get emails advertising tutoring from external providers. Out of the blue they will make the CAT test on the 1st term and from there they move kids around classes on the start of spring term, some kids are demoted from the extension classes at this point.

Frankly we are also looking for a new school within Wandsworth but all the above names are not great for different reasons. Even private education is not that much for choice particularly if you have to factor SEN.

in the private side, have you looked at LPS and Thames Christian ? they seem to have a different take, and some kids with SEN seem to be doing really well at both

11plusNewbie · 30/03/2025 21:33

spoodlesee · 04/03/2025 09:02

https://www.headteacher-update.com/content/news/falling-rolls-will-wipe-1bn-from-school-funding-across-england/#:~:text=Regionally%2C%20the%20analysis%20finds%20that,the%20South%20West%20(6.24%25).

@PForParent yes it's based on headcount which is the issue.

The big question for me is if the opposite trends of i) fewer families going private after the VAT hike and ii) falling birth rates and families leaving London (many primaries have already closed) will offset each other or not

Anecdotally I would say no, despite the clamouring re VAT, PE fees have increased massively over the last few decades & people can still pay. Plus the demographics in certain areas is changing, eg much wealthier families moving in. People who traditionally would stay in are living further out because of house prices/school fees.

we haven't had the full effect of the private fees increase yet, the fees that families are currently paying include the VAT minus some concessions but those fees were calculated and announced to the parents before the Oct budget where the employers NI and pension contribution increase were announced. It's less clear whether the Business relief loss, has already been integrated in the fees, I don't think so as I believe it's was not firm at that time.

Original poster
PForParent · 29/03/2025 22:20

@77summers Yes. What I meant was:

if the school isn't great academically, but doesn't treat your child badly, you can compensate

if the school is good academically, but treats your child badly, it is much harder (when at all possible) to compensate for that

OP posts:
77summers · 29/03/2025 18:40

@Mnjmnj "Realistically I think most schools have some problems but if your child is supported at home they will do well in the choices you are leaning towards."

For much parents support their children at home, if the schools are not supporting them and ignoring them, like is the case at some, because they want to get rid of certain students do not meet their criteria and didn't want them in their school in 1st place, is difficult they can thrive in an unwelcoming center. These sadly happens a lot in Academies and in particular with the most vulnerable children.

terrifiednewbie · 29/03/2025 15:38

Camisqui · 26/03/2025 10:35

Do you know during which months families typically find out if their children have been accepted into Grammar Schools or private schools? I’d like to know when the waiting lists are most likely to move so I can plan accordingly

Show quote history

The grammar school results come out the same time as the other secondary (ie national offers day). If you're in the area where OP seems to be (based on the schools being mentioned) then the only grammar options are single sex

Original poster
PForParent · 29/03/2025 15:34

@Mnjmnj Realistically I think most schools have some problems but if your child is supported at home they will do well in the choices you are leaning towards.

Academically, yes. I am strongly convinced that family background is one of the most important factors driving how well or not kids do at school. Which is why the great results of grammar and private schools must be taken with a truckload of salt: they select kids who'd have done well anywhere.

In terms of social life and emotional wellbeing, however, no, not in all schools would kids who are well supported at home do well. An environment where bullying or emotional abuse are rampant would take its toll. Some of the stories told by ex students of Mossbourne and Holland Park school are chilling.

I have read most of the very long thread on Mossbourne and emotional abuse; one comment which stuck with me was that it is easier to organise tutoring if a school isn't great academically, than to organise and pay for psychological support if the school allows emotional abuse (not all that damage can be undone). And if you can't afford tutoring you're even less likely to be able to afford a child psychologist (and good luck with the NHS)

OP posts:
Mnjmnj · 29/03/2025 11:15

I know of families with children in CG and Bolingbroke, both seem excellent schools and the kids are doing well. The parents I know are happy with their choice. My childnren have been/are at Graveney. Mine have thrived there, despite coming from a fairly small primary - it’s a big school but split with the juniors largely on one side and seniors in the other. The 6th form has been excellent and very supportive (mine have completed/are completing/will chose 4 A levels, all STEM based). Very much a mixed community but I like that. It is true if you’re child is academic they will definitely thrive but as far as I’m aware (I haven’t checked in years) the less academic pupils still achieve better results than some other local secondaries. For what it’s worth I come from the lower social-economic end.
Realistically I think most schools have some problems but if your child is supported at home they will do well in the choices you are leaning towards.

spoodlesee · 29/03/2025 11:04

It's very easy to get swallowed up by the secondary school obsession in London particularly with many slogging their guts out for a grammar place or a private place. A bright child with invested parents is likely going to do well in the majority of schools.

spoodlesee · 29/03/2025 10:50

I have friends with dc who went to Harris schools or worked in one, not the Wimbledon one. They are quite marmite as some find them too strict & bad with SEN but some sites certainly do a lot of intervention to help the GCSE cohort which my friends appreciated.

spoodlesee · 29/03/2025 10:47

One thing that I would praise Graveney for is their 6th form results. They have lower entry requirement vs a lot of schools but dc still do well.

spoodlesee · 29/03/2025 10:37

stats!

spoodlesee · 29/03/2025 10:37

The state I quoted are published for all schools

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk

For further insight you need to look at individual websites

PatientVesta · 29/03/2025 10:24

My dc will start at Harris Wimbledon in September, so I can't say much yet. I would like to see these statistics, because 1) it is a fairly new school (opened in 2018) and 2) Merton apparently does not disclose all stats like Wandsworth (it is what I heard, but I don't know for sure. We went in the open day, we liked it and we know parents with children there, but that's as far as our knowledge goes for now. I like that they teach Latin too, but this is a personal choice.
The reason we chose it is because there were a limited number of acceptable options: Graveney you need a high score in the WT, which my dc didn't quite get it high enough. But we also felt it was a bit too big and intimidating. I wasn't hugely keen on the headteacher either.
The other options would be the usual St Cecilia, Chestnut Grove and Ashcroft. The latter we dismissed straight away as we really didn't like it. Harris we got a music place and St Cecilia was dismissed due to the poor results. What I heard about it was that pastoral care is good, but it's a school more focused in the "average students", so if your child is bright or more to the bottom, they aren't so good. Chestnut Grove would be a matter of catchment, but as we put Harris as a higher choice we weren't on the waiting list.
Like others said, no school is perfect, but I really hope we made the right choice...

spoodlesee · 29/03/2025 09:05

Is it my comment you don't get @PForParent? I was responding to a post about differences in sets & different experiences. A lot of London is like that but I think in a school like Graveney it is more pronounced because it does attract parents who often would chose private & you will find that a lot of the dc who get in based on test score will come from a fairly narrow background. And for distance criteria the catchment is unusually small for a state school.

77summers · 29/03/2025 09:04

5 years ago GV was in an scandal about discrimination:

https://www.wandsworthsw18.com/#!pages/shared:common:ldrswandschools005

We found that the school is far too big to be able to manage the amount of the students, and it's on the border of two areas of Tooting completely different backgrounds.

The Home Page

https://www.wandsworthsw18.com/#!pages/shared:common:ldrswandschools005

Original poster
PForParent · 29/03/2025 08:52

@PatientVesta Graveney has 3 groups: extension, enrichment and endevaour.
So do they use streams or sets?
Or are these 3 groups streams, but then they also use sets within each stream?

@PatientVesta What can you say about Harris Wimbledon? Are they strict but reasonable, or strict and crazy like the various Micaela, Ashcroft, Mossbourne, etc?

I don't get the comment on Graveney and the 1.5m house - isn't most of London like that, anyway?

OP posts:
spoodlesee · 29/03/2025 08:00

I'd say the problem in the area are not people living in 1.5m houses at all, it's rather the opposite - people with no education who never cared to get a job. Generations of them. Not the best role models for their kids in any aspect.

Yes, inequality is definitely the fault of the feckless & poor 🙄

spoodlesee · 29/03/2025 07:58

If you look at results though some of the comments do not tally.

Looking at disadvantaged pupils at Graveney; 54% achieved grade 5+ in english & maths vs 27% in Harris Wimbledon & an Attainment 8 score of 44.9 vs 43.1.

Looking at prior attainment the middle cohort had 70.3% grade 5+ & attainment 8 score of 53.9 vs HW 51.1% & 51.5. And then if you look at low attainment Graveney had a progress 8 score above 1 with 30.3% getting grade 5. Whereas Harris was 11.4%.

I just compared to Harris as it was mentioned & whilst they may really push the top stream looking at results they clearly don't just ignore the rest.

WHM0101 · 29/03/2025 07:56

spoodlesee · 28/03/2025 23:42

@spoodlesee I have family who went there & enjoyed it. And I know dc there who are happy.

said that in every school there will be differences between the top set and the bottom set

I think this is true but I suppose the differences are exacerbated in boroughs like Wandsworth where you have such inequality eg some dc living in 1.5m houses

As far as I am aware most schools test dc in the first term of yr 7 & it is true that dc can move up or down but again is that unusual?

I'd say the problem in the area are not people living in 1.5m houses at all, it's rather the opposite - people with no education who never cared to get a job. Generations of them. Not the best role models for their kids in any aspect.

PatientVesta · 29/03/2025 07:44

What I heard from Graveney is corroborated in this post. It is a great school if you are in the extension, but not so much if you’re not. They are definitely wannabe grammar and they definitely downgrade students that don’t make the effort.
My friends child got in through the Wandsworth test and was also downgraded because of that, despite being very bright.
I suspect their good results are a reflection of this practice, if you select the best students to start with.
@77summers my dc is going to Harris Wimbledon. Not sure this is an option for you due to catchment (and they are oversubscribed).

spoodlesee · 28/03/2025 23:42

@spoodlesee I have family who went there & enjoyed it. And I know dc there who are happy.

said that in every school there will be differences between the top set and the bottom set

I think this is true but I suppose the differences are exacerbated in boroughs like Wandsworth where you have such inequality eg some dc living in 1.5m houses

As far as I am aware most schools test dc in the first term of yr 7 & it is true that dc can move up or down but again is that unusual?