Eltham College

[Londonuk2001]

Hello,
Has anyone got any experience of this school? It is in good position in league tables but saw some links in this platform which made me rethink about it. My daughter is in JAGS juniors currently.

Thank you.

Interesting @ChnandlerBong - all our middle class neighbours with boys are now choosing Trinity over Eltham even though it is a much much longer commute. They prefer the Trinity ethos and love Alasdair Kennedy who is ex Dulwich and I reckon the best headmaster around.
So the change of ethos at Eltham has put some people off and it is not because their boys wouldn’t get in. It is just not their cup of tea anymore!

Trinity was too far for us but certainly Joe Spence at Dulwich was a major factor in our choosing his school over Eltham

Unfortunately headmasters can change things fundamentally and quite quickly - we have been very lucky with our kids at St Olave’s and Newstead in that the current leaders have been fantastic, after a much worse patch for both schools! So in our case change was for the better.

I do not like corporate style leadership in schools either - I am much more into the nurturing type headmasters who are both understanding of staff, kids and parents - rather than too vision/results focussed. However, some people might prefer the latter.
It is always harder for a school that takes pupils at 7 when academic potential is much harder to assess than at 10 or 11.
I hope for Eltham’s sake that the results of the 2022 cohort are good and that those kids (and teachers) are not under too much pressure!!!

What's wrong with an ambitious vision? Actually, the grades started rising significantly a while back and long before Covid. I think I remember seeing that 8/9 grades in 2019 showed an increase of 30% compared with 5 years prior so that's a very solid upwards curve.

Bit unfair to call it a 'standard' local school. It may not be Westminster or St Paul's but in these parts, it's been seen as the most selective indie option for some time. Head may well be off at some point, but I'd hazard a guess he would at least want to remain to see the first co-ed/female senior school cohort complete their GCSEs, if not A-levels.

Yes, the Head is a very engaging speaker but also approachable.

@brainfog22 there is nothing wrong with ambition. But for a headmaster to passionately advocate single sex education right up until the point he persuades the governors to let him go coed is not great IMO.

girls have boosted Eltham’s A level results for a while and going coed will bring GCSES up too.

I live a few miles from Eltham. I know very few parents who chose it in preference to the other schools mentioned. Those who did were generally drawn in by scholarships- which weren’t on offer from the more selective options.

Yes, agree with mydearsunnnyyyy's comment about the staff - we felt that the head had a cold and rigid attitude when we visited. I also echo ChnandlerBong's concerns about the school over-inflating their grade predictions recently: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/feb/06/labour-seeks-inquiry-into-huge-jump-in-top-grade-a-levels-at-private-schools . The school has just introduced another radical change at very short notice, to award from this year unlimited "priority places" to Blackheath Prep School “ahead of all other candidates” into Eltham Senior School, “thus by-passing the 11+ exams": for sure this would considerably diminish the admission chances of other external applicants. I've had concerns about other bad press as well: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jun/13/ex-pupils-who-compiled-sexual-abuse-dossier-accused-of-blocking-inquiry . On top of all this, Mottingham, the area surrounding the school, is unsafe with high crime rates - not an appropriate place for school teens to go out for a snack after school. Too many red flags about Eltham College for us, we will be seeking a safer and better school somewhere else for our DC.

Yes, agree with mydearsunnnyyyy's comment about the staff - we felt that the head had a cold and rigid attitude when we visited. I also echo ChnandlerBong's concerns about the school over-inflating their grade predictions recently: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/feb/06/labour-seeks-inquiry-into-huge-jump-in-top-grade-a-levels-at-private-schools . The school has just introduced another radical change at very short notice, to award from this year unlimited "priority places" to Blackheath Prep School “ahead of all other candidates” into Eltham Senior School, “thus by-passing the 11+ exams" https://www.blackheathprep.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Eltham-College-Pathway-Infographic.pdf: for sure this would considerably diminish the admission chances of other external applicants. I've had concerns about other bad press as well: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jun/13/ex-pupils-who-compiled-sexual-abuse-dossier-accused-of-blocking-inquiry . On top of all this, Mottingham, the area surrounding the school, is unsafe with high crime rates - not an appropriate place for school teens to go out for a snack after school. Too many red flags about Eltham College for us, we will be seeking a safer and better school somewhere else for our DC.

I visited Eltham College recently and after open day I decide not to apply for my daughter. The comments about the staffs are true - they were not kind to us too. About %70 teachers are man, %80 students are boys - definetely its not right place for my daughter. Also, not good transport links. Meanwhile I know 1 girl who will be joining Eltham Junior next year… I must say she is so avarage in all subjects (her mum even says that). She was on the waiting list and got the place. I dont believe super smart girls would prefer to go to Eltham… they prefer Jags or Alleyns instead.