Latymer Upper, Radnor House, Emanuel, Ibstock Place.... Which one?

[QuintShhhhhh]

Youngest son is quirky, independent, head strong, creative, good at maths, loves science, interested in biology, bilingual, and struggles with English literacy. He is not really into team sports, he is a gymnast, loves running - but not county level. Shudders at the thought of coming anywhere near the water of the Thames... (rowing is definitely out)

Which of the above schools would be a good match for him?

Latimer Upper is extremely tough to get into at the moment so if his academic profile is a bit uneven that might be on the aspirational side

Emanuel does value rowing a lot but I don't think it's compulsory- nowhere near as academic as Latymer (cue Emanuel parents coming on thread to say it's full of geniuses really ). The children who went there from dd's prep were on the whole the less academic ones

Radnor House is quite a bit smaller, not much outside space - we know a quirky boy there who was happy to start with but has got less so as he's moved up the school

Ibstock Place I know v little about but doesn't your eldest go there in which case surely you'd have a pretty good idea if it'd be right for your youngest?

Ibstock. Definitely.

We are happy with Ibstock for ds1, uncertain for ds2... A lot can happen in the next few years though. It is quite strict and focused, and creativity is only in reality available for those who really excel, and shine in auditions, or fit in to peergroups with "go get it attitude" to set things up themselves, or have played instruments for years, or have a portfolio of artwork ready. The school mold and shape what is already there, as opposed to nurture budding talent and keen interest.

Radnor House backs on to the Thames, so if being near the water poses a problem then you can cross this one off the list. I know happy kids at Radnor, Emmanuel and Ibstock. Don't know anyone at Latymer, but understand it is one of the more academically selective ones. If your child is in need of learning support - Ibstock is not great at providing it. Emmanuel would certainly be worth a visit.

He does not need learning support as such, he is just "national average" in literacy, and struggles with grammar rules relating to apostrophes, speech marks, and punctuation. He is confused by French, English and Norwegian use of apostrophes, accents etc. He will sometimes use grammar that is creative rather than correct. But if Latymer Upper is very academic, then it may not be the right school for him. I am just trying to look for schools in a good commutable distance from our home.

He has no problem being near or in water in general (neither pool, nor the sea), he just wont go IN the Thames - I have tried explaining that the water is not merely dirty, it is going through muddy ground, but he is a bit of a hygiene freak at times... It just means a school with heavy focus on rowing may not be a good idea, not if the rowing is compulsory.

Having said that, I am also looking at state options, and I like both RPA and Christs.

Sorry to be nosy, but how old is he and which entry point are you looking at and when?

Any particular reason why the Dulwich schools don't interest you/seem a good fit for him?

He just turned 10, we are looking at 11+ entry for Y7.

Dulwich is quite far from us!

Is my maths right - 11+ entry in September 2016?

If so, then don't get your hopes up for Emanuel. As they interview every candidate properly, they cap applicant numbers at 600 and that figure has already been reached. You can however go on a waiting list to register, but I have no idea whether that list is likely to move. But do look round it, as it'll be useful when you're comparing schools.

He is registered with Emanuel already, and been to one of their activity days.

I have a child at LU and the rowing is not compulsory.

I don't think rowing is compulsory at any school and quite often have waiting lists to join. If you are looking at Ibstock and Radnor have you considered Hampton too.

I did not like Hampton. We went to see it for our oldest, and I found it too aspiring, too toffee nosed and unfriendly.

How about Kew House Senior which is at Kew Bridge?- only open 3(?) years I think so no exam results yet - people speak highly of the headmaster

Thanks, I just checked their website, I like the sound of if! Will definitely go to an open day!

Quint, dd is starting at Kew House in September - she/we looked at several West London schools and that was the only indie she really wanted to try for.

For us, the Head was impressive - grounded, great principles and understanding of child development/education. For her, the obvious happiness of the kids there and the highly techy/design surroundings tipped the scales in its favour.

I'm not scared of new ventures, I don't necessarily look for the stats and 'track records' when choosing a place for my child - though as the Head was previously head of an outstandingly successful state secondary, he does personally have a track record. But it is a new school, with no GCSE results for people to compare to other schools - so obviously some parents feel differently. I guess its horses for courses.

Thats good to know! I would love to hear how she gets on.

How did she find making the presentation and being interviewed in a group?

I have a quirky DS at Radnor in the L6. We've been there since it opened and he loves it. There is rowing but its not compulsory and PE isn't dominated by team games as they do cross country, self defence and judo as well as football etc- certainly worth a look?

Quint, she enjoyed every minute. She chose to talk about sewing/design and brought things she'd made, photos, and prepared a short talk about why she thinks textiles is an important subject in schools, why being able to sew is useful in today's world (all from the point of view of an 11 year old, not half as sophisticated as it sounds!). The group leader was clearly skilled at putting kids at their ease - she asked the group (four kids) some maths questions, got them to read out loud, encouraged them with their presentation etc.

I think, in fact, that the experience of the presentation helped clinch dd's decision that it was the right school for her. She was scared beforehand, but came out buzzing to the extent that she was convinced she had a place - which led to massive disappointment when she didn't! Luckily she was top of the waiting list, so all is well.

Oh, jolly good that your dd has an interest it is worth talking about!

My son is interested in teddy bears. Real bears, saving the arctic from melting, but mostly chemistry, as he wants to blow up things. He is a possible liability in any lab.... I was logged into my amazon prime, and he has ordered 2 meters of FUSE cord, along with citric acid, baking soda, and some essential oil for making a bath bomb, as he says "mum, that is a pretty clean bomb to make!".

He loves running and cross country, so still worth looking at Radnor!

Milbourne Lodge in Esher welcomes the quirky boy. It still has a pleasantly bonkers air despite the faint aroma of Cognita in the background.

Quint he sounds very cool. Let me know if he ends up heading for KH and I'll warn dd to stay away from the lab (though if bath bombs are involved, I shall fail).

We're thinking of Latymer Upper for our DS next year. Has anyone any thoughts on the school in comparison to the others OP listed?

Gottodash,
I have a DS at LU and very happy and busy. It's a lively stimulating school for a bright curious child. They're given a lot of independence from day one. Emanuel is a lovely school, great art and music, and it will probably be less pressured. No experience of the others.

Thanks Choselatymer - that's good to hear. We'll visit the school in Septembet.