Haberdashaske girl Vs Latimer prep school

[Aichko2018]

Hi Everyone,

I hope you're enjoying the summer break. I need to enroll my DD for 7+ and we are thinking to enroll her into 2 schools in North (NLC & Haberdashaske?) and 3/4 in the South as her brother school is there and we would like to move in the south to reduce his commute (LEH, Bute, Putney high school & Latimer prep?). I found out that the test for Haberdashaske & Latymer prep is on the same day so we need to choose. I know that Haberdashake is supposed to be a good school academically with a good pastoral care but don't know much about Latimer prep. If you had the same dilemma or know something about those schools which could help on the decision making it would be very appreciated!
Have a nice day!

Do you mean Haberdashers Aske's in Elstree? If you will be living in South London, have you calculated long her journey to school will be?

What about looking at Alleyn’s or Japs? Great schools and not as far!

Where are you planning on living? These schools are all fairly far apart. Are you only considering all-through schools (until 18 years) or would you consider prep only? You need to pick an area:
South East Dulwich/Greenwich/Blackheath = Alleyn's (co-ed), Dulwich College (boys), JAGs (girls)
South West Wimbledon/Clapham/Putney/Fulham= Wimbledon High, Putney High, Bute House, Latymer Prep, Kensington Prep, Lady Eleanor Holles

Also where is your DS at school?

Habs girls is lovely, very nurturing, not many places at 7 (6-8 places) but I think not so many applicants. But you need to sort out your geography first, surely?!

You simply can’t live in south London and send your child to Habs. The journey simply wouldn’t be possible. Habs has an extensive coach service but it’s in the middle of the countryside, you can’t get there on public transport. The children are all N London and Hertfordshire, there are no south London children. NLCS is more accessible but also a ridiculous choice if you are living in south London

you can’t get there on public transport

I tried once, on the one occasion I missed the coach. As a teenager, not as a 7 year old.

Tube to Edgware, bus to Radlett then I walked from there. The last half a mile was along a footpath. Total journey time: 2 hours.

Agree you can’t send a child to Habs from south London. And agree with trying Alleyn’s and JAPS.

Thank you for your comments. We're actually in north west and Habs have a coach service at the top of our road. So if she has an offer at Habs we will not move.

Summersunflowers I have not contact Alleyns or Jags which i like very much as it's in the south east and my son school is in barnes so I am looking on west or south west vicinity.

Thank you violetFlamingo. At the moment my daughter is at st Mary's hampstead and is enrolled for 7+ at NLCS, LEH, Bute house, Putney high. And I need to decide between Latymer, Habs & South Hampstead.

We're actually in north west and Habs have a coach service at the top of our road. So if she has an offer at Habs we will not move

OK. That sounds sensible.

Thank you all for your answers. To clarify we are in NW and if my daughter does not get an offer in the south schools we have a back up plan for the north. Also if we move her from her actual school it has to be for a very good. Hope it makes more sense for you. The move in south will depend on the offer she would have. We will definitely not living in south and commute in north that what my son is doing now (without complaining) and the reason we thought of moving.

Yes, but if you have one in a north London school and one in a south London school then one is going to have a pretty long commute. So as you’ve committed to your DS in a south London school I would suggest sticking to south London schools and moving! I went to a non-local school and it was pretty miserable having no local friends.

He has 3 friends locally who take the school bus with him. But as the school is far from us we only go to the compulsory events.

If your dd is bright you will probably get offers from most of your listed schools including LEH, far fewer girls are sitting the 7plus than 5 years ago, LEH has 48 ish spaces at 7 and has to fill them to keep their Prep school full, this year they took several from the waiting list and were offering places in April/early May.

Wow!Does it have less demand than the past? And what could be the reasons?

*I tried once, on the one occasion I missed the coach. As a teenager, not as a 7 year old.

Tube to Edgware, bus to Radlett then I walked from there. The last half a mile was along a footpath. Total journey time: 2 hours.*

You’re not selling it as a great commute 😂. There is actually one boy I see walking there every day, it’s a long old trek.

OP if you’re on a coach route then sounds fine

Re demand in SW London, the general thought is that the decline/closure of the preprep's (Athelstan House) and the change of others (Jack and Jill) to 11 means there is less of a fashion for moving at 7. Surbiton High has pretty much dropped entry at 7, you now enter at 4 or 11 and the other years are dependent on space. Also the state primary schools in the borough of Richmond are so good that there isn't much need to move to the private system before 11 to get into LEH, Putney etc.
Of course for preps like Bute there is still much competition at 7.

But as the school is far from us we only go to the compulsory events.

All the more reason for finding a school for your DD in the same area and moving closer yourselves, then?

Unless you prefer not to be any more engaged with your DC's schools than is strictly necessary, of course.

Ok it makes sens. We moved here a year ago and my daughter missed the 4+ and we didn’t know that my son would be at St Paul before basing in NW.

Practically it would be the best option for us!

Sunshine5050, Richmond is one option if we move in SW, and per your comments I could just put my daughter in state schools then?
Lot of the schools which were on our choice start at year 6 and we thought if we wait 4years before the move it doesn’t make sense so we’re looking for the best options at 7+. What could be the ranking of the schools there?

JAGS and Alleyns have an extensive coach service (together with Dulwich) so don't be put off by the SE postcode. They are very easily reached from SW London.

If you have clashing assessment dates, then you ask one school if your DC can attend on the 'late sits' date. You may not need to choose between them (for this reason, at least)

Anothernewt thank you for this info! I was attracted by them but had not put them on the list because of the post code. For the moment I have a clash between Habs and latymer prep and per latymer prep no alternative would be offered. So I was about to drop Habs. I don’t have the dates yet for Bute house and i am bit afraid of a clash as we’re booked for 07/08 & 10 January for LEH, latymer and Putney high. Will check now for Jags & Alleyns.
Thanks again for all your comments!