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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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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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Original poster

PForParent · 28/02/2025 21:58

Isn't Kingsdale in Dulwich? That would be a bit too far

OP posts:

Roomgigi · 28/02/2025 21:34

St C - last year if you were Christian the distance was 7005 metres
Have you considered Kingsdale?

Wimbledonmum1985 · 28/02/2025 21:28

Roomgigi · 28/02/2025 21:21

Where do you live? You cannot possibly have a reasonable shot at entry to all these schools
The Harris academies, Southfields and St C are all undersubscribed so make of that what you will

I believe St Cecilia is oversubscribed actually. It wasn’t on my radar but my DC know of children there who are all smart, hardworking and doing well. It has a good reputation.

Original poster

PForParent · 28/02/2025 21:27

Harris Battersea is undersubscribed.
Harris Wimbledon and St Cecilia are not.

As for distances and admission chances:

Graveney: we know we'd only get it if our kid does well in the Wandsworth test

Chestnut: if she gets in the top band of the Wanndsworth test, then our chances are good as the max distance for the top band is always greater. Plus there are specialist places for art and languages

Hurlingham: should be able to get in, but catchment might tighten after they got their outstanding

Harris Wimbledon: hit or miss: some years she might have got in, some other years not

OP posts:

Roomgigi · 28/02/2025 21:21

Where do you live? You cannot possibly have a reasonable shot at entry to all these schools
The Harris academies, Southfields and St C are all undersubscribed so make of that what you will

Original poster

PForParent · 28/02/2025 20:03

@WHM0101 You raise a very good point. I noticed something similar at our kids' primary, where the difference between the classes of the two siblings seem to be down to just luck, and not to anything the school did differently

OP posts:

WHM0101 · 28/02/2025 19:53

@PForParent I've been to a school with much better results than S. and during PE lesson pupils were pushing each other in front of the parents who came to an open morning, and PE teacher was shouting at everyone on top of his lungs. At this moment I realised that quality of intake matters as much as availability of triple science, at least for me.
Consider walking around H. Battersea or Hurlingham after school to get the feeling. But I don't think you'll be in the catchment for Hurlingham from Wandsworth or further away anyway.

Original poster

PForParent · 28/02/2025 19:39

@onestepfurtheragain
I don't need to run my choice of words by you.

I stand by my choice of the word "feral" to describe the worst behaviour I have witnessed, out of all the schools visited.

You are more than welcome to disagree with said choice of words.

If you'd like to contribute to the topic of the post, I shall welcome your feedback.

If you'd rather continue in all the pearl-clutching you deem appropriate for the matter in question, please ignore me and my thread. Thank you.

FWIW, I am all about balance. Draconian schools like Mossbourne and Holland Park can hide deeper problems (see the scandals of rampant emotional abuse uncovered) and can cause long-lasting psychological scars.
But schools with no discipline are environments which are not conducive to learning.
Again, it's all about a reasonable balance.

OP posts:

onestepfurtheragain · 28/02/2025 19:12

@WHM0101 Then say that - "I wasn't impressed with the behaviour at the school." <-- that would do it.

WHM0101 · 28/02/2025 19:05

PForParent · 28/02/2025 18:56

@WHM0101 Yes, but is that the data at the beginning of the school year or at the end? Ie is it before or after taking into account in--year transfers?

No idea. "Pupils joined this secondary school in year 7 from the following primary schools:" .

But I'd assume you should be at the feeder school in October of Y6.

WHM0101 · 28/02/2025 19:00

onestepfurtheragain · 28/02/2025 18:53

'Feral'? They're kids, who likely have had a very different start in life to yours. Children. Not animals. Jesus.

Though it wasn't me using this word, I don't want teens pushing each other in the streets, playing gangstas, shouting and swearing anywhere near my child. Their live story is not my concern.

Original poster

PForParent · 28/02/2025 18:56

@WHM0101 Yes, but is that the data at the beginning of the school year or at the end? Ie is it before or after taking into account in--year transfers?

OP posts:

WHM0101 · 28/02/2025 18:55

PForParent · 28/02/2025 18:47

Tank you, that's very interesting. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this data.
Can you help me understand how to interpret it?
Does that show the students who were admitted by August? Or does that include in-year admissions, after the August admissions were finalised??

Show quote history

This is data for all the children who got Y7 places in B.
B. gives priority to children from certain primaries, so if you want to get to B., you should transfer your child to one of their feeder primaries before Y6.

Original poster

PForParent · 28/02/2025 18:54

WHM0101 · 28/02/2025 18:50

@PForParent I agree about A.'s unnecessary strict rules that can be a deterrent for normal families.

There's a very long thread on Mumsnet about Mossbourne, and a few on Holland Park Schools. I don't think we can add much here, plus it wasn't the topic of my post, but anyone interested in the issue can search mumsnet for those threads. My view is the same concerns apply to Ashcroft, too.
I totally get it that not everyone agrees. Such is life.

OP posts:

onestepfurtheragain · 28/02/2025 18:53

'Feral'? They're kids, who likely have had a very different start in life to yours. Children. Not animals. Jesus.

Original poster

PForParent · 28/02/2025 18:51

@marilynmonroe "My kids go to Southfields and I'm sorry that your impression was that the kids were feral. It's not like that at all. My kids are doing well there and their pastoral care is fantastic."

Thank you for the feedback - collecting diverse feedback was precisely the reason for this post.

The behaviour I witnessed during the visit at Southfields Academy was the worst of all the schools. However, I understand that the show a school puts on during an open day is not necessarily representative of what truly goes on behind closed doors, so I want to keep an open mind.

Could I please ask you to elaborate a bit, on how you are finding it, on how it seems to you vs other schools, etc?

Many families frown upon it for the simple fact it is never oversubscribed, but Holland Park and Mossbourne show that a school can have a good reputation and have all kinds of other problems.

OP posts:

WHM0101 · 28/02/2025 18:50

@PForParent I agree about A.'s unnecessary strict rules that can be a deterrent for normal families.

Original poster

PForParent · 28/02/2025 18:47

WHM0101 · 28/02/2025 10:07

This one is for Bolingbroke, some people succeed in securing in-year places in feeder primaries.

OP posts:

Original poster

PForParent · 28/02/2025 18:44

@11plusinLondon That's very interesting, thank you.
May I ask what differences you have noticed between Graveney and Chestnut? I understand that Chestnut divides into sets for maths only, whereas Graveney for more subjects. Opinions are divided on this.

@WHM0101
Personally, kids that gave us a tour of A. were lovely, but if the child is not very confident, he might not appreciate their approach to discipline.

It's not a matter of confidence, but of the potential impact of certain environments. I welcome strict but fair rules but hate petty capricious ones. Just look at the cases of Holland Park Schools and Mossbourne: two supposedly outstanding schools, where emotional abuse was rampant. Thanks but no thanks.

@RosesAndHellebores
On the basis of your observations you have already narrowed it down to Graveney or Chestnut Grove so I don't really see the point of your post.

?? No, I haven't. Hurlingham and two Harris are very much potential options. St Cecilia wouldn't be the first choice but it's a potential plan B so still interested in hearing feedback on that, too.
I am not sure how relevant someone's experience in 2009 would be today, to be honest. And I couldn't care less about classical languages, that will certainly not be the main criterion driving the choice.

OP posts:

Original poster

PForParent · 28/02/2025 18:39

"It was literally in your question"
@WHM0101 Thank you, my bad. I got confused because I think you mentioned some single sex schools

OP posts:

marilynmonroe · 28/02/2025 12:32

I've lived in the area for many years and lots has changed. It takes time for the community to change its mind on school once they get a reputation. I have friends who's children have gone to Graveney and they are mostly happy but if your child has any problems then their pastoral care is not very good and neither is their SEN dept. They seem to be only interested in results.

Chesnut Grove has improved lots and i would say it's on par with Graveney. They seem to do lots of school trips which sound amazing.

My kids go to Southfields and I'm sorry that your impression was that the kids were feral. It's not like that at all. My kids are doing well there and their pastoral care is fantastic. They work closely with CAMHs and offer counselling without any waiting. Both my children have used this. It's a very mixed school and I think that puts people off but it shouldn't. Their exam results are improving year on year.

I also have friends who kids go to St Cecilias and they rate it highly too.

ButIDontLikePeas · 28/02/2025 11:22

Every time I think MN has reached peak ridiculousness, here comes someone who thinks the quality of education is "bad" in SW London because of the lack of a classical language (which the vast majority of state schools dont offer given the shortage of teachers for core subjects, let alone classical ones) and on knowledge from 16years ago - before the DC in the OPs question would even have been born.

OP, if you don't want single sex, faith or private schools, I think you've answered your own questions. Probably worth getting on Balham or Tooting mums FB group and asking for current real life experiences from parents with DC at those schools.

FWIW, I grew up outside London, in a fairly affluent northern part of the country but with only one state secondary school in a 12mile radius plus a couple of private schools that were well out of reach of my parents (and who probably had never even heard of a bursury). No classical language, no triple science (we did dual award). I did 3 x MFL GCSEs, 2 x MFL A Levels and 1 x MFL degree. Not studying Latin certainly didn't harm my life choices or career. Even after discounting faith, single sex and private schools, you still have a choice of 8 different schools listed in your OP. What a great position to be in compared to probably the vast majority of all other parents in the country. You sound like a mum who values education, which counts for a lot and I'm sure your DC will have absorbed your values. Has your DC been to visit any of the schools with you? Do they have a preference?

WHM0101 · 28/02/2025 10:37

Harris Wimbledon