Chinthurst or Reigate St Mary's Prep School?

[wordlymama]

Hello fellow parents, we are relocating from California to Surrey, and have narrowed down to 2 schools for our children (who will be entering at Nursery and Reception levels next year). We have spoken to both schools and toured both as well.

Would love some opinions on any pros and cons of either schools, and if anyone has preference on which one is a better option? (i know that is a very subjective question, but any feedback would be awesome as we are so far away and cannot travel to the UK right now due to COVID travel restrictions).

Thank you so much in advance!

I think I commented on another thread of yours. Where will you be living? The road between the schools is very very busy in rush hour. You could land up spending a lot of time in the car. Both are feeder schools for RGS. I cannot comment on St Marys but we have had very positive experiences at Chinthurst. It is small, nurturing, has a very family feel and wonderful teachers.

Hi @catscakeandchocolate

Thank you so much for your feedback! Yes I think you did kindly reply to me on another post of mine. I sincerely appreciate it! Was hoping to get some feedback from other parents on St Mary's too, so that i could compare.

We are looking to live perhaps in Leatherhead area. BUT, our location will largely depend on the kids' schools. So we are flexible in terms of where we live, as long as the kids have a spot in a good school.

Regarding Chinthurst, I've heard the school is quite small, does that mean the class sizes are smaller too? Because that would be beneficial for the children.

Thank you so much again!

From what I have heard reception for this coming year is split into 2 classes of 11 children each so class sizes are small and each class has a TA so a ratio of 1-5.5.
Each year group is different so some years are bigger. I think they try aim for a ratio of around 1-10 max. I cant comment on St Marys class sizes.
All in there are about 230 children at Chinthurst so it is small and everyone knows everyone.
Leatherhead would be 30-40 mins in traffic (maybe not as bad as you would go against the traffic flow). Reigate is very very busy and traffic can be a nightmare so possibly the same. If location is flexible you would be better to move closer to the chosen school to save hours spent in the car every week.

Hi @Catscakeandchocolate

Thank you so much for the extremely helpful advice! I cannot tell you how appreciative i am!

One more question, from the websites of both schools it seems that Chinthurst has more facilities than St Mary's? I toured St Mary's when we visited England earlier this year, and some of the classrooms seemed quite outdated... I hear Chinthurst has a pool for the children to do swimming lessons etc? How are the facilities at this school?

Is there any suburbs that are safe and family-oriented that you recommend around Chinthurst school? Tadworth perhaps? I would think Epsom is a bit far as well from the school.

There is a pool with weekly swimming lessons, cricket nets, fields for cricket, athletics and rugby. There is an astro turf court for netball and hockey and an indoor sports centre too. There is also saturday sport every week where they play rugby/netball and cricket depending on season. And fun splash is also on saturday so you can use the pool. There is also a drama studio too and a hall for ballet/tap.
Regarding areas most people live in tadworth, walton on the hill and kingswood. All are safe and family friendly. Some live in epsom but traffic gets difficult from epsom if you are based on the other side of the high street. Epsom downs side is fine traffic wise.

@Catscakeandchocolate - Thank you so so much for the information. Wow, it looks like they have a great variety of facilities - that will very well appeal to both my daughter and son!
That's very good to hear that Tadworth and Kingswood are the areas a lot of Chinthurst families live in, as those are two suburbs high on my list.
I sincerely appreciate your help! :)

Hi. I've seen your other thread too. I do t have children at either but I've known lots with kids at RSM. As they are next door to RGS, I think they use their pool. It's been the Junior school for over 10 years whereas Chinthurst for just a couple of years. RSM is quite a lot bigger than Chinthurst - might mean slightly bigger classes, but in my experience at other schools too small isn't always good. If a class is too small or particularly if a year group is very small it can be hard to get enough children for sports teams, especially if they are single sex sports. It can also mean a smaller pool for friendship and smaller staff and less ability to set children or offer genuine specialist teaching for a wide range of subjects, instead of just things like music, art and PE.

In the end, I expect where you live will determine it. You want to be fairly local - at Prep level most children don't travel huge distances and it's nice to have mostly local friends.

Friends have been pleased with RSM although some frond the green light to the Grammar experience a bit stressful and the only 1 I knew who didn't proceed there, felt like an outsider once it was clear they weren't continuing to RGS...but perhaps that was them and not the school. i don't know. It's generally well regarded in the area and people want to go there. Sorry I don't know anyone who went to Chinthurst and am not even totally sure where it is. Does that mean it's a fair distance to RGS, if you lived near there it would mean a bit of a trek for senior level?

@WombatChocolate Thank you so much for your input! It is very helpful to hear of your friends' experiences with the school. I will definitely keep that in mind. I have also heard that while it is good that some children do not need to sit the 11+ exam, on the other hand it is stressful and may be upsetting to children that for some reason do not receive the early offers. I am trying to figure out what other schools we should put on our short list. We have heard that Kingswood House school has recently become a Co-Ed school and has a good reputation too.

You would not want to commute from LH to Reigate. The A217/M25 is hideous at the best of times, Reigate itself becomes gridlocked and currently the A217 south into Reigate is closed until December. Is there a reason why you are not considering Downsend? There is no 11+ for RGS for those at the linked preps but they may still sift out those who may not be suitable.

@LIZS Thank you so much for your advice. It is very helpful. We are currently considering a lot of schools in the area, and not just Reigate St Mary's and Chinthurst. Our location for staying will be based on the school we choose for our children. It seems Reigate has a lot of options for schools, so we are looking at homes are Reigate area. From the research I have done, i am seeing Reigate is a good area to raise children in? Am I correct?

Thank You so much in advance!

Yes Reigate is nice with plenty going on (normally) although you need a decent budget to be central with parking etc. Housing market moves very quickly. The High Street is struggling a bit though, too many eateries and niche or chain shops. Can be a bit cliquey according to which school and sports clubs are attended. Station and train service to London are due an upgrade.

I am a fan of Reigate. It’s v charming but I agree that the high street is more eateries and nice shops + upmarket boutiques + upmarket cinema etc rather than a practical sort of town centre. We’ve got family there and enjoy a visit or sometimes will pop out for dinner etc. Traffic isn’t great as people travel from a number of areas.

Priory Park has a lovely playground, the heath is lovely and generally stunning coutryside as it’s on the edge of the Surrey Hills (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

@LIZS Is Reigate going to get some new train lines?

I think they plan to redo the platforms and increase number of direct London trains.

@LIZS and @JoJoSM2

Thank you so much for the information regarding Reigate. It sounds like a charming place to live from your descriptions. We have added this suburb to our shortlist of places. It is also good to know that new trains are being added to commute to London too. I have also heard from family friends in Surrey that the Traffic can get a bit much in this area, but we will be hopefully looking to get a home near the children's school.

Thank you once again!

With regards to trains, Reigate isn’t great for commuting but Redhill station has great links, especially if commuting to the City (the financial centre). From parts of Reigate it’s just about walkable. Alternatively, a short car/bus/bike/electric scooter ride.

@JoJoSM2 that's very helpful to know! I have seen Redhill on the map too. Are the surrounding suburbs of Reigate (like Redhill or Caterham) safe and nice areas to live?

Thank You!

Redhill and Caterham are generally safe but like most larger towns(including Reigate and Leatherhead) areas vary. Town centre in Redhill is finally undergoing a significant refurbishment but it will take a while for new shops and eateries to follow. Caterham is still under discussion and more run down currently.

I do wonder if Redhill will ever take off with all the nice stuff in Reigate next door.

Caterham is still under discussion and more run down currently.

Don’t imagine it to run down/dodgy and somewhere to avoid. Nothing like that at all. It’s clean/green/safe and considered ‘nice’. It’s just that if you’ve got £££, Reigate has an expensive feel to it with more expensive shops and nice restaurants. Cobham also has an expensive feel to it and is popular with Americans.
Oxted is another town with good commuting that you could consider, feels villagey and the town centre IMO feels fancier than Caterham or Redhill but not nearly as expensive as Reigate. Not much congestion + a leisure centre etc.

Mind you, if you want a ‘suburb’ rather than a town, you can check out my postcode SM2 (South Cheam and South Sutton, edge of London). The vibe is very similar to American suburbia with tree-lined roads and large detached properties. Coutryside is on the doorstep but you also get Nonsuch Park and things like David Lloyd (premium health club with indoor and outdoor pools, indoor tennis courts etc), lots of sports clubs and stuff for kids to do. Cheam Village has a selection of useful shops and some restaurants and cafes. Sutton town centre feels pretty budget but there is a designer department store too + some nice restaurants and a lovely cinema etc. Renting isn’t easy as it’s owner-occupied with long-term families.

Oxted might be worth a look, Hazelwood is nearest prep school also up to age 13. More of a Reigate profile than either Redhill or Caterham. Good links to M25 and regular train service to London(on East Grinstead line). School buses for secondary age to Caterham School, Sevenoaks, possibly RGS now. Nice properties near Master Park or towards Limpsfield.

I don't have experience of these schools so can't say which is better. However I would say that if you like Reigate St Marys you would be best off living in Reigate itself as your children would then have local friends and you would not have to spend too much time driving them to and fro to school.

@LIZS @JoJoSM2 @myrtilles - your advice is so valuable! and helpful in deciding which areas to look at. I'll definitely look into the additional areas you all mentioned above.

I have since also been recommended Hawthorns School to look into. I was concerned in case my children do not get a spot at Reigate Grammer from Reigate St Mary's. It's too early to tell which way they will be inclined since they're both so young. I heard that Hawthorns is a well rounded school and also send their children off to good senior schools as well?

Thank You so much for all your help! As i keep saying - it is so immensely helpful!

The Hawthorns has a good reputation and is in a lovely rural setting. As you say you would then be able to keep your options open for secondary, which seems to generally be moving from 13+ to 11+ entry. After Hawthorns children move on to places like RGS, Caterham or Dunottar. Reigate would still be a good place to live to access any of these schools. Nb my children have not been to the schools but I know people with children at them.

We did a tour or the Hawthorns. The grounds are lovely but there’s a hum from the motorway nearby. The teaching I saw seemed a bit of a mixed bag but there were some very lovely and helpful teachers too.
One thing that really stood out was how very very homogeneous the school seemed. I doubt you’ll find many nationalities there but I supposed that could be a bad thing or a good one if you want a full on English experience whilst living in England.

I've known international families at Hawthorns - US, SA etc - although
I would say Caterham is more so. RSM/RGS is a more of a traditional local independent feel. Hawthorns has pupils from Oxted, Caterham, Horley, Chipstead, Redhill and Reigate whereas RSM tends to be more local to Reigate area. There are other smaller independent primaries around - Micklefield, Oakhurst Grange et al - but would be concerned about committing long term in current financial climate.

@myrtilles @JoJoSM2 @LIZS Thank you all for your very helpful advice!

I have managed to get virtual tours booked in for the school above and am looking forward to seeing what each one has to offer.

I did however hear that Hawthorns tend to encourage children to stay until the 13+ exams, and do not really prepare kids too well for the 11+ exams. I'm a little concerned about that TBH.

Thank you so much once again!