What are Best Prep Feeder Schools near SW15

[Bellseybub]

Hi mums I hope you can help. I'm trying to do some research on the best preparatory schools for my little girl that has a good feeder record to the top public schools (i.e. Wellington, Marlborough College etc). I live in Putney which is SW15 and wondered if anyone had any good knowledge on schools fairly near by that have a good record in this area. I have been looking further afield at some prep schools in Clapham and Wandsworth with this experience but wondered if there was anything a little bit more local. We are fairly near Wimbledon village and Fulham (Parsons Green) as well as Putney. Ideally I would like it to be co-educational but I am open to all girls school - having been at one myself. Any nuggets of knowledge are very much appreciated!!

The obvious ones would be Fulham Prep or Thomas's Fulham (although the latter only goes up to 11 I think so you'd need to transfer to the Clapham Thomas's if you wanted your dd to transfer at 13)

Wellington and Marlborough aren't wildly selective though so you wouldn't need really intense, specialised preparation

I doubt any will have a direct feeder link. Are you specifically looking for that (and to those schools only) or are you looking simply for schools which send a lot of pupils to boarding schools at 13+?

I doubt you will find an all-girls prep which does this (they usually stop at 11).

Marlborough doesn't seem to have feeders per se, but publishes this list of preps (for info, not endorsement).

Have you excluded them from your consideration (hence looking for other recommendations)?

thanks to everyone for their help and feedback which is really is appreciated. I have looked at Marlborough's recommended feeder schools however the ones I identified are either further away or boys schools. One is in Wandsworth and very selective on living within a mile radius which rules Putney out unfortunately! What we are looking for is a school that will aim to prepare them academically and also prepare them for the entrance test - which some of the schools further away seem to do. Putney has a myriad of independent prep schools however having tried to look up where the children are moving on to, it hasn't seemed to be very public school orientated based on information on the website (eg no reference to any children in last 5 yrs going to either of these schools - hence if anyone knows any differently this would be really appreciated!!!) Does any one know anything about The Study or Hurlingham School?

Thanks for the tips on Fulham Prep - do the children tend to send a lot of children to public school? I have a friend who's child is there and she advised it wasn't particularly impressive - but again this is hearsay - and she may be looking for different things. I know the school is used by Expat firms to place children moving to London as this was was my friend's route in to the school.

Thomas's is on the feeder list but the website is quite limited so any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated!!! I.e what are the facilities / building / teaching like?

Thanks all for your continued help with this thread!! :-)

Oh and sorry... Just to clarify I am looking at schools that send a lot of the children to top public schools at 13!!

We live in Putney and chose Thomas's Battersea for our children after looking round several co-ed schools, both those finishing at 11+ like Hurlingham, Prospect Hse, Thomas's Fulham and those finishing at 13+ like Thomas's Clapham, Fulham Prep and Thomas's Battersea.

For us Thomas's Battersea won hands down because it's a creative, busy place with a real ethos of kindness. We found, and still find at matches, Thomas's Clapham a more competitive place, and it seems to suit plenty of children/parents well, but we felt our children would thrive at Battersea and they have.

I'm surprised that you can't find much information on the website - it's much fuller than it used to be and has a list of Leavers' Destinations by year if that's one of your main criteria. I would urge you to settle on a school which has a wide range of final destinations. When we looked for our first, had you asked us, we'd have said co-ed day was what we were hoping for; he's just received two offers from top boys' boarding schools as that's what he's after ... he's changed a lot!

There's nothing like viewing the schools to get a feel. We knew we wanted the children to go to Thomas's Battersea when we got as far as the entrance hall; we walked in, no child held the door etc which I would have considered bad training except the children whizzing in every direction were so excited by what they were doing and beaming as they sped between lessons that the atmosphere just won me straight over. You could just feel the good cheer and warmth of the place. (Yes, a Yr 6 guide did hold the doors, show us round most charmingly and enthuse about every room/lesson/teacher in the school after that!)

If you're after reasonably close 13+ prep for girls there's not many to look at so set up some appointments for September ....

And for what it's worth, the latest Ofsted Report for Thomas's Battersea, available on the Battersea website under Policies and Reports:

www.thomas-s.co.uk/Mainfolder/Battersea/Policies-and-Reports/documents/Thomass-Battersea-InspectionReport-June-2014.pdf

If you wanted to think out of the box, you could look at Lambrook (near Ascot). It has a bus daily from Brook Green and Chiswick.

Co-ed, flexi-boarding and sends loads of children to major public schools. Much better grounds and facilities than any London prep.

But Ken Prep finishes at 11 so isn't a feeder for the likes of Marlborough and Wellington which Op is after.

Thinking outside the box like grovel you could look at Feltonfleet which runs buses from Putney every day down the A3 ....

I'm assuming your daughter is quite small? I think personally you would be bonkers to drive a child to Chiswick every day to get a bus to Ascot because it feeds in to a school you think your child may want to go to some time in the future.

THere are a lot of good independent schools in Putney and the surrounding area. You are spoilt for choice, really. I think you are right to look at whether you want to move at 11 or 13, which may influence your school choice (although some of the girls' boarding schools have an 11+ entrance). Also, do not discount that some people go for a "through to 11" school because they like it, the standards are good etc and then bridge the gap for 2 years at somewhere like Feltonfleet or a prep boarder. A bit more travel is much more viable at 11-13.

Honestly, I would be looking at a good local school, where your DD will make good local friends and take it from there. All of the Putney independents will be sending children to top independent schools, fact.

Babybarrister - that's not clear from the websites of Ken Prep, Glendower, Bute House. All the girls seem to move at 11 to all girls day or boarding schools, none to co-ed prep schools....parents I know at the girls schools pick girls schools aged 4 for a reason - they don't want boys in the mix educationally at all and rarely consider co-ed options.

Try Newton Prep - They have boys and girls going to Wellington/Marlborough most years.

Kingscote - Newton last sent a girl to M in 07 and a boy in 06 and a girl to Wellington in 09 and it has never sent a boy.... according to their leavers destinations....

2 to Wellington this year - sat and watched them walk across the stage at Leavers Assembly! One girl with a sports scholarship.

Oh sorry -the website is not upto date! OP - broomwood hall is probably another one to consider. All girls from yr3-8 and sends to lots of boarding schools. I'd check out their leavers destinations too whilst you are doing your research.