Wimbledon High or Putney High?

[SWMom39]

Please advise us on the WHS and PHS... Our DD has been offered a place for Reception in Sept from both WHS and PHS. We have done some research but still do not know which one to choose. We visited both and like both schools. From our research, it seems PHS has better academic results than WHS (but this may not be the case as WHS also has very high academic results)? DD is not very sporty and it seems PHS is more suitable for girls who love sports? I heard WHS and PHS can "suggest" kids leave after primary if they think the kids cant catch up ... So we are worried that if we send DD to PHS and she is not very sporty, she may be asked to leave after primary.... Does anyone know anything about this?

A 4 year old who is not v sporty is rather different from a 10 or 11 year old...you can encourage your daughter to take part in sport at school and in your community. Make it easy and enjoyable to start with, and she will progress with practice.
I have never heard of a school asking a child to leave because they are not sporty enough; academics , now that is a different thing and I have no idea what the situation currently is at WHS & PHS.

Also, although a very long time ago, I was at PHS and about the least sporty person you can imagine. No problem. I got lots of reports saying Tumfy tries to the best of her ability

My DD attended PHS, junior and senior schools. She was very happy and did very well. I wouldn't worry if she is not sporty as there are plenty of other things, incl music, chess etc.

Personally I think the differences between PHS and WHS are exaggerated and I would choose the one with the easiest journey. We chose PHS as we could walk there, initially together and on her own for secondary school.

Remember that the GCSE/Alevel results are a reflection of how selective the schools are 5/7 years ago. If your DD is clever, she will leave either school with a string of good results, because both teach that well.

WHS has much better sports facilities with own pool and netball courts a short walk along the road (they don't have to bus all over the place).

If you are counselled out (ie advised to seek another school, gently and with plenty of warning at least to begin with) it will be on the basis of academic fit, not level of sportiness.

For the prep years, one thing that will matter considerably is ease of journey to the school. Both now, when you will be doing it with her, but also long term for when she will do it alone. Neither school has parking, new head at WHS tells off parents about inconsiderate on-street parking, congestion around PHS can be severe.

Just want to add I wouldn't let a swimming pool affect my choice of schools. Pools are so expensive to run that most schools rent them out to other schools so their own pupils hardly ever get to use them!

Thanks All. Jeanne has a very good point regarding the journey. For us WHS will be more convenient. If we choose PHS we will need to drive. WHS seems to be more local but we do not have any ideas about how diverse PHS is... Do you know?

I strongly advise you to chose the more convenient option, it will make a huge difference to your life at every stage, it's so much more pleasant and easy for you and your child not to have to drive to school

Hi there,

I live in Wimbledon and have 2 DD at PHS (Y1 and Y4). They are both very happy. We are mixed family and I can confirm that it has never been an issue. My older daughter is not into sport at all. She has found her niche which the school is supporting and she has flourished since joining the school this year (she was at different school in Wimbledon previously). There is quite few girls at PHS from Wimbledon. Travel is easy and in secondary school they go on a bus which is only a short journey.

Hi WimbledonKat, do you drive to PHS everyday? How is the journey?

The school run is not bad. It takes us 10 min in good traffic. At the end of Y4 each girl and her parents have a meeting with the HM to see if the girl is "on track" for the senior school.

Choose on the basis of geography. It's a very fine balance and for a 4-5 year old the benefits of school close to home outweigh anything else. At 11 you can reconsider (although you wouldn't get girls going from one school to the other which emphasises how closely matched they are). WHS also has a fantastic new head for the Senior School who is really making some positive changes. Most girls come from the local area (not all) which will certainly make life easier - otherwise you'll always be in the car for play dates etc.

Absolutely true about the parking by the way... But WHS girls get plenty of swimming, a lesson a week and optional free out of school lessons.

My daughter is at Putney High (and loves it) and my son is in a school in wimbledon so I drive back and forth every day - the drive is rarely a problem for us. Nonetheless I would still put your daughter in the school closest to you - playdates, clubs, nativities, even coffee mornings will be easier. In my opinion both of the schools are great so your daughter will be happy in either.