Offers from Ken Prep, Wimbledon High, Putney High for 4+ 2023

[DoraSK]

Our DD is very lucky to have received offers from KPS, WHS and PHS for 4+ entry.

I am on the other hand in a big dilemma. It is really a difficult decision to make. And I would love to have some input from parents who have sent DDs to these schools recently!

Background info: DD is bright but shy and sensitive, she will thrive in an nurturing environment where she is top corner (or at least feel that way herself), otherwise she might feel overpowered and lose self confidence.

Based on what I have seen on open days and on mumsnet, I have these Pros and Cons that I feel about these schools:

1.Ken Prep:
Pros: Good reputation; Good 11+ results; relatively easier commute to city where me and DH work; friend's got a DD there (year 2) who is happy;
Cons: Heard a lot about the school being competitive and stressful; seems like at least mild bulling is happening and is very common in the school; it has been said by a lot of parent that tutoring is prevalent in the school (although the year 6 girl told me a different story on open day)

2.WHS
Pros: All through without 11+ pressure; I like the vibe of the school; Good A level results in 2022 (although it feels like a bit irrelevant for 4+ entry this year)
Cons: Re the drag queen incident last year, it gives me a feeling that the school is putting a lot of effort on building public images, which I suspect will impede their effort put on academic teaching; I just found out that there are a relatively large number of girls leaving at 6th form but for PHS is another story, makes me wonder why.

3.PHS
Pros: We had a good feeling about the girls being happy and confident on the open day; A very clear anti-bully policy and buddy system; the head of junior school seems to have good relationship with all the girls; Appears to be a bit more academic than WHS
Cons: I read a post from a previous teacher in PHS saying the school cares more about the family background than academic abilities of girls (can not prove the authenticity); when asked if they prepare girls for 11+, the Head firmly said they intend for all the girls to go to their senior school, which makes me wonder if girls sitting for 7+ or 11+ test gets frowned upon or even gets biased treatment if the tests were unsuccessful and they stay in PHS.

Sorry for the long post, but as you can see, it is a pretty difficult decesion to make.

Welcome any comments on any points I've made above, I understand a lot of the Pros and Cons might be based on my own bias and/or limitation.

Many thanks in advance!

I have a DD in WHS junior. She started at reception. We had the choice of PHS and WHS and we chose WHS (closer). We absolutely love the school. The ethos, staff, pastoral care, attention towards the girls, focussing on the right stuff - they have it all going well. The staff are excellent and we've been pleased every year. Most of all the school is very humble and normal and girls wear second hand uniform or coats that are suited to weather rather than school logo ones / the focus of the school is on academics (good focus but not hot housing style), sport and music. It's a happy school with like minded families most of which have 2 working parents (in our year atleast).Very happy with our decision although I can't speak about 11+ or senior school yet.

I'd say look at the commute before you pick as the school run is tricky by car in the Putney/wimbledon patch (as you may already know).

I've got a DD in WHS Seniors and she didn't go to the Juniors so I can't help much on that but she's very happy at the Seniors.
I think KPS is a different sort of school but if I couldn't decide between PHS and WHS I'd go for the easiest journey! Have friends who went to both and would say I get the feeling Putney High Junior parents are possibly a bit 'pushier' and less local as their are school buses and they draw frown a wider area whereas at WHS they are a bit more local.
DD is in year 11 and have heard nothing re drag queens etc- honestly not much time given over to that. General tolerance etc is more the message.
A fair number of her year are moving schools for A level- pretty much all to Co-Ed. Happens every year. Others join. A few got academic scholarships to Kings.

Both WHS and PHS are all through schools, why would you consider 7+ or 11+ for one school and think you'll avoid 11+ pressure in another?
I would choose either WHS or PHS based on your location. WHS seems a bit more diverse in ethnicity with many local families. PHS seemed more nurturing to me. Both schools will give girls the right amount of academic pressure despite being all through schools.

The drag queen incident happened in quite a few schools last year and now the school heads know better about the consequences of holding such events. I wouldn't worry about it at all.

THanks PPs for all of your inputs.

Re kagurazakamum, I didn't write about the avoiding 11+ pressure for PHS because I wrote about all through in WHS already. Not that I would only choose to sit for 7+ and 11+ if going to PHS.

Just that I would like a choice, if DD shows strong academic potential at that age, I would not want to deprive ther chance for her to pursue even better school. I didn't get the strong opponent idea from WHS Head about sitting for 11+, just from PHS.

I myself definite do not want heavy tutoring for DD, only wants to try if she shows natural talent. (Why did I try KPS at first place you might ask, that's because I thought it was a prep school that really frees parents from tutoring. ---Naive, I get it now. )

I know nothing about these schools (north Londoner) but I'd say if you have offer from a decent school that goes the whole way through, grab it. Currently prepping for 11+ next year and the process is utterly awful and puts hideous pressure on kids no matter how much you try to shield them from it. You can still look at other schools at 11 if you think your DD would be a better fit at a different school, but it makes the world of difference if you know you don't have to move. And even at a school that preps them for 11+, you'll still be doing tutoring and working with her heaps yourself if you go that route.

That makes sense. I doubt any head at a through school will say they'll help out with 11+. "Well, some girls do leave for various reasons.." is probably the most you would get. It's just their job.
You won't get the prep-school type of support you get in WHS or PHS, but the schools do understand, that at the end of the day, it's just a decision based on the child's best interests. I personally would rather have a good back up (very good ones in your DD's case) and still go for it if DD shows potential.

We will move according to the school we choose, ideally 10 mins walk from school.

Both schools are around 1 hour commute time from our offices, so not really a big different re locations. However PHS offers wrap around care till 6:00pm while WHS only offers till 5:30 pm, that is a big plus.

For two working parents, 5:30pm pick up is really very struggling. I'm wondering if most parents in WHS try flexible working or hire part-time nannies to do the pick-up?

Thanks.

I am also inclined to choose from WHS and PHS.

Half an hour matters a lot when DD is young. I know the feeling of rushing back to school after work hoping to be on time and my DD won't be the last one (she didn't seem to mind though).
That said, have a look at your commute journey. WHS is very close to Wimbledon station which has a very good link to central and west London. Not sure about Putney station, suspect slightly fewer trains..? Tube is not as nearby.

I use the after school wraparound but only on 2 days, most days I manage to pick up after clubs/activities at 4.15-4.30. On the 2 days that she does go to after school it's a very long day from 8.20-5.30 and my DD is quite tired. They do have several clubs at lunch/after school even before they've reached the after school club. 6.00pm pickup would be very late for a young child (even more if they've had a before school club). School life is quite different from nursery, they have busy days full of learning, PE, activities, playtime etc.

One key difference between the schools is that WHS has an on-site pool and swimming is an integral part of school life. My DD swims thrice a week. They also have swim squads etc. if swimming is your thing then it's definitely a plus.

Dont want to hijack your thread but have you considered Holy Cross at all? My 4 year old got offers from both HC and WHS and can't make up my mind! WHS's location and overall reputation makes it a great choice, but Holy Cross just seems a bit "warmer".. more like a family.. but much more inconvenient for commuting to central London post drop-off.. touch choice ahead!

I know HC as I have visited and have friends children going there. Very warm school with great pastoral care, the drop off and pick up system is fabulous. Teachers can vary year to year, class to class, but that applies anywhere I guess. Good support for various levels of ability too. Office staff including admissions is just lovely.
WHS felt somewhat less personal in my opinion. School head was very up for 'competition' saying it is what our children needs realistically. I don't agree.
However I would go for an all through school unless you are really keen to have your DD do the 11+. Sadly it is reality. And also if you need to commute to central London it's a no brainer.

Thanks a lot, appreciate your input and agree. HC definitely feels warmer and the campus is beautiful. The convenience of WHS - together with the already well known reputation - might just tilt the scale. Another ten days to decide! Thanks!

Oh, WHS always struck me as a warm and humble school. But I guess it is quite big so doesn't get the family feeling quite easily?

But I understand your feeling. Always will be a difficult choice. Sometimes I wish DD only had one offer so I don't have to choose. 😂

If you want to spare your DD from the 11+ mayhem I would go with PHS. If you want her to have a shot at the top tier seniors (St Paul, G&L), Ken Prep is more academic and will give her a fair shot.

Can't speak for WHS!

Hello, we have offers from both WHS and PHS and frankly I’m finding hard to decide. We absolutely loved HC as well and had DD not had an offer from an all through school school we would have gone there. I really liked the head mistress and the school ethos and the beautiful grounds. Leaning towards WHS because this will be easier logistics wise as we are Wimbledon based … tough decisions 😞

I am turning down Ken Prep tomorrow. It is too early to decide if DD has a shot at St. Pauls. If she is not, I don't want her to struggle through 11+. Maybe we will try 7+ again at Bute and Ken Prep, which should tell more about her abilities than 4+ assessment.

Re Wimbledomama, yes it is difficult to choose from PHS and WHS! One thing I am not sure about WHS is that I found a lot of new employees of WHS on Linkedin. Anyone knows about the turnover rate of the teachers in WHS and PHS?

Hi there. I have a DD in y10 in WHS, (joined in y8) and she is extremely happy there.

Teachers are really great (if pushed, I'd say the only dept we're a slightly disappointed with, is Spanish). I haven't hear of any specifically high turnover among teachers on our year's chat group, so I doubt there is any specific issue. (I experienced such an issue in our state primary and, by god, it could not be missed or ignored!)

Her friends in WHS are the most lovely, clever, relaxed and fun girls.

We are still thinking about what to do in A level - considering CoEd - but we'd miss the lovely atmosphere if WHS.

We also had to choose between WHS and PHS and it came purely down to a personal gut-feeling, when visiting. I don't think you can go wrong really, either way. Also, PHS and WHS are part both part of the GDST, so they must have similar approaches to education, similar contracts for staff etc. Both are small (100ish and 110ish girls in a year) caring schools.

Anyways, I'd say it's a nice dilemma to have, enjoy and well done! 😊

Thanks Bidibidiba for your reassuring post! I am so drawn by the school's value in play especially in the early years!

I am just wondering if girls in year 10 still go to the wilds a lot? I'm assuming they focus more on academics at this stage right?

Another key difference I found in WHS and PHS is that PHS devide girls into ability groups straight from reception, while WHS is more relaxed. Wondering as the girls grow, does WHS actually try to stretch the girls academically?

Both schools very similar academically at 4+ and have 2 classes in each year. I would have thought it's very hard to divide by ability in Reception?

I still don't think its possible to predict academic outcomes at 4- its all about being compliant, chatty etc. Most importantly is age. I'm not sure if they still have birthdays up on the wall but when I looked round PHS they did and about 80% of the birthdays in reception were Sept- Dec.

DD's in Y11 at WHS- would concur with everything @Bidibidiba said (although happy enough with Spanish!). DD has quite a few teachers now that taught her in Y7 and Y8 which she likes and they really seem to know her.

Go with your gut feel

oh, I'm not sure if I can help on you on this, as I don't have experience with the junior school nor the PHS one...

I have the feeling that in secondary it's quite a different story in a selective West London girls' school ... as the students stretch themselves and have a "high achiever" mindset anyway. So there are sets in Math only. The school pays great attention to how they report on the girl's progresses, to avoid too much comparison/competition between them. And it's a good thing, in my view. And there are millions of opportunities to explore different topics in clubs, co-curriculum, scholarship program, etc.

Re. the wilds ?! like forest school? Err.. no, I don't think so. 😂 But there is the DofE. and the Eco-commity etc.

thanks for your answers!

In junior school WHS has this Wild girl program where they bring the girls to Wimbledon common once or twice per half term, which is so exciting! But yes, Senior school should be a different story.

@invigilator your comment about birthdays made me smile. So far none of my DS summer born friends (boys and girls who are not 4 yet) got offers from selective preps. All DCs got bright intelligent well off working professional parents.

Congratulations to @MrsJackie ,@DoraSK and @Wimbledomama , our DD has offer from WHS, PHS and Ibstock. So difficult to decide, between PHS abs WHS, we really like WHS but it has the longest commute (c. 35mins in traffic), felt it is less pushy vs PHS. Not sure as a working mum if I can survive the stress of school run both ways everyday. IPS we have heard story of detention for the smallest of things like forgetting to tie up hair/ left behind stationary etc, so not quite sure if that is what we want for our child. Good problem to have to choice but tough to make decision! Good luck! I hope I don’t end up throwing a dice to decide 😅.

@Garfield007 , go for PHS if it's nearer, think of the play dates and birthday parties. The 2 GDST schools teach the same curriculum so it's seems mad to drive further for 1.