Grammar Schools which can be applied from Ealing

[Cholmly]

Hi. My son is preparing for 11+ exam and we live in Ealing. Since it is registration period, I need some advice.
Ealing is far from any grammar schools and I want to know which schools we can register.
I put his name on Queen Elizabeth which doesn't have catchment area, and Tiffin which is closest but 15km away from us.
Friends at school are not taking exams and I don't have enough information.
If you are in Ealing and know which schools we have better chance to apply, could you let me know?
Thanking you in advance.

It's not just where he 'can' apply for but whether he should. Think about practicalities of how he will get there, journey time friends in area etc.

Have you looked at the Slough consortium schools? You might be able to apply and be awarded a place but best to look at the individual entrance criteria of each school.

I grew up in Chiswick not a million miles away. Tiffin boys is excellent, 65 bus is the one you need.

It's not about applying, it's whether he'd pass and then maintain his academic performance. The travelling will affect his ability to keep up with the academic pressure of a grammar school.

I live in a grammar school area and in the past 2 years I've heard of 5 suicides. Plus lots of MH issues due to the academic put on by the school.

You need to consider whether your ds is academic enough to sit the 11+ without intensive tutoring. If he can, then he's bright enough for grammar but if he needs intensive tutoring to pass then he'll need it to keep up. Then he's against more brighter and academically gifted boys which might affect his MH.

If he gets in then I'd seriously consider moving nearer to the school because 2 hours plus journey times will affect his study time.

TFL is telling me is 33 minutes on the bus.
An hour or so's travel time to secondary school is very standard. Tiffin boys is a very very good school. The poverty of ambition in this place depresses me sometimes.

Have you checked that you are within the priority area for Tiffin? I am not sure that Ealing is close enough. No boy living outside the priority area has been offered a place since it was introduced into the admissions criteria, ie they can easily find 180 clever boys who live within 10km of the school. You might be better off applying to the Sutton grammars that don't have this criterion and moving if you get in.

@Goodskin46

35 seems pushing it unless you are quoting non school time journeys. I posted on thread earlier and actually checked route times as I wasn't sure how far it was - it def looks longer than 30 minutes if you look at school times - more like 60. Journey time increases massively between leaving now and leaving at 7am which Presumably is more likely.

Like the pp I think it's an important factor. My daughter has a boy in her class who travels from east London out to Surrey for school every day. He was late every day at the start of y7 and leaves at a ridiculous time. I don't see how that is fair on anyone.

We are in Kent, lots of DCs travel more than 10 miles for grammar school. Most secondary school DCs leave between 7 and 7:30am IME. Obviously leaving home before 6am is unsustainble.

I think ot also depends on the complexity of the journey a single bus doesn't seem too bad to me.

Tiffin boys is indeed a very good school, but given where OP lives, there is no chance her son will get in, as she's not in the inner priority area and no-one from outside it has been given a place since they started the priority system.

Thank you very much everyone, many useful information.
We've been thinking of moving for many years but waiting to see where my son goes for high school. Planning to move accordingly. So the only issue is which school accepts more students from outside prior area.

I will check Slough schools. Although it's hard to see which one of those 3 schools (except Catholic school) has better chance.

Sutton looks good as they accept some students from outside.

Tiffin is very confusing. School admission criteria used to say if you are outside 10km, you won't get a place. This year, that bit is removed. Still hear you need to be close, but I know some people go there from Ealing.

I need more research.
Thank you.

Tiffin's Admissions policy for 2023 does still include that comment - see p.11.

www.tiffinschool.co.uk/_docs/admissions/Admissions%20Policy%202023.pdf

And their document showing where places were allocated also explicitly says that in 2020, 21 and 22 no places were allocated outside the inner priority area.

www.tiffinschool.co.uk/_docs/admissions/Patterns%20of%20Admissions%202022.pdf

Honestly, there is no chance you will get in from 15km away. If some boys do go from Ealing, it's because they got in before the area was used, have an EHCP that names the school, or got in on appeal (though no appeals were successful in 2020 or 2021 either)

Wilson's School (Sutton borough) has no catchment criteria. Lots move into the area after securing a place. I believe they have new criteria for music aptitude and football aptitude too (and long-standing for pupil premium). Boys still need to meet a certain academic standard though - generally harder to make the cut than the other Sutton Grammars.
www.wilsons.school/admissions/year7admissions/aptitude/

Sutton Grammar has 60 places on score only, 75 in-catchment.
I think Wallington Boys have 15 places ring-fenced for Sutton borough and the rest no catchment. Worth checking policy as it was 3 years ago I looked into all this!

St Olaves Grammar in Orpington (South East London) also has no catchment but isn’t really a practical commute from Ealing. The elevenplusexams forum has lots of information on the grammar areas.

Where do you live?
When I looked a few years ago the 10km limit cuts through Ealing Northfields is ok but not much further north!
However as said Tiffin is extremely competitive to get in.You need back up plans.
How about the newish state Ealing Fields School? Part of the excellent Twyford Group. You would need to live within about half a mile to get in.

Thank you very much for more messages.
I will consider Slough and Sutton in addition to QE, resulting moving to closer place when we know where he goes.

I also heard Twyford group is very good state schools. Again we are out of catchment, so will try language/music scholarship.

Thank you all for your advice!

Langley Grammar would be the closest to you - quite an easy journey too!

Langley to Ealing is most certainly not “easy” as a twice daily journey. Horrible for a child.

My DD has been doing it more or less the opposite way - Year 10 and 11 - am just using her ability as my yardstick!
The train (Elizabeth Line) is full of students going to school
I agree that some children/ teens can't cope with a lot of things nowadays due to over sensitive/ helicopter parenting.

It’s 25 minutes on the train from Ealing Broadway it appears. Then it’s an 18 minute walk from the station to the grammar school. So with a walk in Ealing (probably) you are looking at nearly 1 hour with waiting time. I’m not saying anyone is a snowflake and neither should you and goodness knows what helicopter parents have to do with anything. However it’s quite a long journey at the end of the day when DC might want to do after school activities. Let alone prep and eat! It’s full on.