Sussex House SW3

[Mominatrix]

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of this school? I went to its Open Evening the other night with very little previous knowledge of the school and am unsure of what to think of it - the boys were lovely (well spoken, confident without being cocky), but the snug quarters and the lack of space to burn off energy concern me. Would it be suitable to a bright (well, I would say that) yet quirky boy(not into football and would rather be in a corner building an elaborate model)?

Find our where the boys leave to- can you picture your son following?

Do you live very near? Are you very keen for him to be single sex? Outside space is a problem for most schools in the area, they might use Battersea or Duke of Yorks.

A very traditional school, maybe old fashioned? If you want single sex there are other options too (Wetherby, Eaton House the Manor, Garden House, Colet, Westminster - is he doing the 8+?) or co-ed Thomas's, Newton Prep, Hill House, Knightsbridge. He may not be into football but there may be other sports that he enjoys which Sussex House can't offer because of their limited space. A bigger school may give you more options. I'm a big fan of encouraging some form of exercise as it is important for a healthy lifestyle and stress relief. A school with lots of after school clubs can offer this (ours does clubs ranging from table tennis to rock climbing to fencing to karate, in addition to all the usual team sports). Look around lots of schools before you form your opinions and as Lambethlil says, think about where you want him to go next and make sure they cater for that. Good luck.

Thank you for the responses.

We definitely don't want to send him to boarding school for senior school, so a London day school it has to be. He is sitting the 8+ at other schools (list not firmed up, but probably Colet, Kings/Westminster). I looked at the leavers destinations and was really impressed - 75% going on to Eton, Westminster, St. Pauls or Winchester. He is currently at a school with a Prep, so he has a school if he does not pass the 8+.

We live not too far away, but definitely not walkable distance. My worry is that we are a very laid back family and don't do glitz, and have heard through the rumour mill that it would be tough on boys who don't have glitzy lifestyles - we are financially comfortable, but certainly not in the private jet league!

We had a terrible experience with them, but I can't elaborate. It is uber posh and conservative and has no outdoor space. Westminster would have a wider social mix of parents.

Hi Mominatrix,

I'm the mum of a current Sussex House pupil, and we are very happy with the school. We are definitely not posh. Boys exercise daily with gym three times a week and games twice a week in Battersea Park. Non-sporty interests are catered for with a range of lunchtime and after school clubs ( eg Technical Lego, Chess, Carpentry, Pottery, ICT, Film Club). The art teacher is inspiring, and there's a tradition of building amazing architectural models for the annual Open Day (London Eye, Gherkin, St George's Wharf etc last year). Provided your expectations match your son's capabilities re future schools, the school will try to ensure that you get your first choice.

I would say that with the competition for places at 8+ being so fierce in the schools you mentioned, many parents would be entering their sons for all of the schools (including Sussex House). I've heard that for Sussex next year, there's a record number of over 200 applicants for the 36 places. Good luck!

Thank you for the feedback w8mum. Good to hear from a current parent, and I agree that the art produced is really impressive.

Frightening to hear about the competition to get in, but it seems like it gets worse every year in terms of numbers applying to get into the top selective London preps and I need to stop being shocked by it. The truly gruesome thing is the intense tutoring which seems to be indemic, but that is another topic.

DS really enjoyed his tour of the school and would be happy if he was to attend Sussex House, and I would need to brush up on my packed lunch repetoire.

From what you said about your son, it sounds a good one to have on your list. It is certainly less socially diverse that Westminster (and probably Colet, but that is conjecture) being pretty firmly Chelsea, but I don't feel that it is particularly bling.

I don't think the boys miss out on organised sport - few schools in central London have their own fields, and most use Battersea, Hyde Park etc, as SH do, but they don't have the same scope for informal kick-abouts and larking in a playground in break, hence the extraordinarily wide range of lunchtime clubs. Because of this, parents of particularly talented sportsmen haven't generally targeted the school, but having seen their year 4 A team, they seem more than respectable, so unlikely to be a big issue from what you are saying. You just need to decide if more sedentary playtimes (they sometimes play 5 aside in the hall, but otherwise clubs) are a problem (plus the packed lunch point!).

We had it as our son's number 2 choice, with Westminster #1 and Wetherby #3 - interestingly this is very common combination.

If you are doing the exams this year, I think your shortlist has a glitch - -aren't the Westminster and Kings Wimbledon exams on teh same day?

Hello Michaelahpurple.

Yes, a HUGE glitch as the top two school for us were Kings and Westminster. I am aware of the conflict, which is why there is a "/" beween the two - a real shame as these are the 2 best fit for DS. The choice is made even more difficult by the small intake of King's at 8+ (90 confirmed for 8 places).

Westminster and King's Wimbledon are a long way apart, though, so either one or both of them must be a really long way for an 8 year old to go to school. I know people all over London do it and I know 8 year olds grow up, but you need to think about where their friends will be and where all the sporting fixtures will be - possibly as far the other side of the school again.

The clash is really odd. I think someone told me Colet were on Friday this year, which makes it odder as usuall these three schools fight over the same 2 Saturdays. V tedious - I'm based in Chelsea and people here definitely look towards both, albeit Westminster is handier.

Hello singersgirl. One of the things making us lean towards Kings over Westminster even though Westminster is closer geographically is that we seem to be in a pocket of King's pupils and there are quite a few from my immediate neighborhood who go there. Colet is even closer, hence the appeal despite my wariness of the brutal atmosphere once there.

Colet is having their exam the Saturday after Kings/Westminster, however it would have been much more convenient if the 3 schools could have worked out their exam dates so there were no clashes. From my brief chat with other parents of applicants at Sussex, it seems that all the boys are applying the Westminster, Sussex, Colet AND Wetherby (seems to be the popular back-up choice) - poor chaps, having to do so many exams!

Quite a few do Westminster without Colet because of what you aptly refer to as the the "brutal" atmosphere!

Actually, knowing Colet quite well, I really don't think 'brutal atmosphere' is apt at all. It's all go and fast paced, and it's not a place for academic slouching, but in my experience pastorally it's very good. Perhaps things used to be brutal before the head changed a few years ago; I know that public opinion of schools is often several years out of date.

That's good to hear singersgirl. DS really liked the school at the Open Morning, but I have been frightened off my stories from current parents (indemic bullying, the requisite of a teflon ego to survive and the ability to shrug off criticism, etc), but all boy's experiences are not universal and I do know some boys who are not experiencing these things as well.

I don't think the term "brutal" is appropriate for CC at all! If you walk around the school during lunchtime, you'll see hundreds of boys running around the fields, playing football, climbing in the playground, playing tag or any number of other games. It's a happy, vibrant school with excellent and very dedicated teachers who seem to really care about educating the boys. Standards are high, but the boys who are offered places usually are able to meet those standards and support is offered to boys who might be lagging in a particular area. There are A, B, C, D and probably E and F teams for most sports so just about anyone who wants to play on a team will have opportunities to participate. Similarly, there are two orchestras, so even the boys who aren't superstar musicians have opportunities to perform in ensembles and there are informal recitals for those who aren't in orchestras.
It's a great school for bright, energetic boys who like to be challenged and like to have fun while learning.

Hello, this is an old topic, from what I see. Does anyone have fresh news on admission trends for next year (2025). We submitted our registration form but the school didn't seem to bother with a direct reply so far and I know that the exam for prospective pupils should take place early January?

Thank you