Academic prep schools - Sutton London and surrounds

[WestLondon7]

Hello all. My ds is currently in a pre-prep in central London, in Reception. We are thinking about moving into catchment areas for the south west London grammars for when he changes schools at year 2. Can anyone recommend good prep schools in these areas? Ds is not sporty, fairly academic and shy, so whilst we could consider all boys, have a slight preference for mixed at this stage of schooling. Thanks!

If you want a prep school near Sutton there isn't much choice, (Homefield Prep) or you can go for state primary plus tutor instead.
If you want a prep school near Kingston/ Tiffin there is more choice -
Rokeby
Surbiton Boys
Shrewsbury House (until age 13 only)

Milbourne Lodge in Claygate - mixed up until 13 but you can leave at 11.

Plus more - Park Hill etc.

A move to the Sutton area is more complicated than it looks if you are aiming for the Sutton grammars only.

I have heard very negative things about Homefield Prep (mostly on MN), so have discouted that. I understand that there are a few postcodes around Sutton/cheam which place you in catchment for the Sutton grammars plus the likes of Wallington and Wilson.

I have heard of Westbury House, Banstead Prep, Aberdour - would be interested in opinions on these schools too

And Ewell Castle …

Ewell Castle isn't academic, it's a great school but not a feeder to grammars etc. Westbury is small, I'm a fan of small schools but you will need to do most of the entrance "work". The Study in New Malden is a option too.

To clarify I mean at Westbury House
you will have to be involved in the 11plus preparation.

Ah i see…interesting as WH seem to market themselves as a hothouse prep for 11+ exams!

Know more than one family who have had bullying issues handled badly by Aberdour.

Would Chinthurst be too far out? Downsend? Freemen’s? All around Epsom/Tadworth/Ashtead.

@WestLondon7 , that may be the case, the school is owned by the same group that own The Study in New Malden which does have a good track record at 11. My own dc went to a prep school owned by the previous owners of Westbury House. Westbury House also has a good head. But it's not in the same group of preps as Rokeby, Shrewsbury House which is probably what you envisaged. Unfortunately the whole process for what you seek involves lots of school open day visits and lots of checking postcodes with catchments!

Thanks all!
I heard that chinthurst is very sporty and my DS is not so, similarly Freemans seems to have a bad rep for pastoral care (based on my readings on MN).
Am also a single parent so looking for a prep that is fairly reasonable in price, though keen for ds to try for grammars…too early to tell at this time, we’ve been told he should aim for the academic schools at 7+ but I’m aware that 11+ for grammars is ultra competitive.

Most of the Boys' Sutton grammar places are not dependent on catchment. Wilson's has no catchment (186 places); Wally Boys only has 15 of 150 places ring-fenced for certain postcodes; SGS reserves 75 places for boys from certain postcodes (SM1-SM7, KT4, KT17, CR0 4, CR4), with another 60 places on score only. Tiffin boys' catchment was a massive 10km last time I checked.

So you can easily be eligible for all with decent travel time and not be in Sutton itself. Admissions criteria could change by the time your DS is in year 6 though.

The entrance exams for the Sutton grammars (and I think Tiffin too but less sure on that) are based on KS2 English and Maths curriculum, like the SATs. Although practice papers sometimes seem to go into KS3 a bit, but that may be the hysteria around prep/tutoring rather than the schools' entrance papers themselves. No VR/NVR.

If you definitely want a prep school, you could look east around Purley. I don't know enough to recommend one, but there are bound to be feeders for Whitgift and Trinity, Although this would discount Tiffin.

@BumbledBee thank you.
Just to optimise the chance of getting a place, I believe there are a few magic postcodes which will allow application to all of these grammars and they seem to be sm1-sm4.
I am keen for a prep as there is a possibility he may go onto an indie at year 7 if he doesn’t get into a grammar.
I’m also a single working mum so unfortunately so not have as much time as I would like to do all the 11+ prep with DS, so that’s another reason for a prep school (though I am aware I will need to do some work with him)