Relocating, advice on secondary schools in Richmond

[Rose33]

We are relocating to Richmond from the west of England, we are looking for a house to buy so I would like to take this opportunity to ensure we move close to a very good state secondary school. I have two boys who are academic as well as love sports, music and languages. One is currently Year 7 and one is currently in Year 5. I would be grateful for any advice about the best state schools locally.

Your biggest issue is likely to be in getting a place for your Y7. Other than that, try to have a read of the schools chat thread here (long!). Waldegrave is girls only till 6th form, and Twickenham and Hampton academies not universally liked, but pretty much all the others are highly thought of. Good luck! It's a great area to live in.

Thank you for your reply! Does Grey Court School have a good reputation?

I'm sorry I really don't know. I think it does, but have zero experience of it. Apart from the two I mentioned, I think most schools in the borough have exceptionally good reputations. There are definitely people on the schools chat thread who know better than I.

Greycourt is outstanding and oversubscribed, the Head is very impressive. A new Free School nearby Kingston Academy may have reduced the pressure on it's waiting list. It is a slightly cheaper area in some roads for property prices because it is a bus /car ride to train or tube. Well worth going on the Richmond Schools 7 chat thread though. It may be a bit forensic and seemingly hijacked at the moment on one issue but it is widely read and a parent may "uncloak" as well as there being people with more of the relevant stats at their fingertips.

Generally though there is a lot of pressure on places both primary and senior, moving close to a popular secondary to get a place at secondary may put you at a disadvantage on a primary waiting list though Year 5 will be a little easier.

Thank you Heathclif... please can you clarify - is Ham or Kingston a cheaper area because of the distance to the tube/train?

It's Ham.

There's less pressure in Ham on primary places, and in year 5/6 there are places even at the most popular schools in Richmond too (in some cases especially at the popular schools where there are a lot of ex pats and pupils looking at early entry to privates). The Russell school is good, and there are in-year places that come up at Grey Court even in year 7.

Thank you for your advice It is very useful. Does anyone know if Ham is a nice area to bring up a family / teenage boys. Any crime / anti-social behaviour issues?

Ham is tranquil and very leafy - crime does not seem to be a major problem at all.

It's lovely for all kinds of outdoor pursuits; cycling along the river towpath to get to Richmond or Kingston, Richmond Park, Kew Gardens, Ham Common, and Bushy Park and Hampton Court reasonably close as well. Quite a few sports clubs, Ham Youth Centre.

Kingston and Richmond are about equally close, the train to Waterloo takes 20min from Richmond Station. Since there's tube, overground and Southwest trains to choose from, I think Richmond is very well connected.

It's definitely a very nice area.

Sport posted in wrong place. Didn't mean to hijack thread on boys schools!
Will see if I can get it moved.

I agree that most of the schools around here are good, Hampton Academy is improving too. I would avoid Hampton boys school though. Although the facilities and site are good, and there are lots of good teachers, the new Head is a terrible bully. There are about 200 teaching staff. In the past five years, over a third have 'left', some were pushed to breakdowns, some settled, some just got fed up with being marginalised despite years of loyal service and moved out of London. This will have a very bad impact on the continuity of the children's education but the new Head wants cheap, biddable and energetic, not experience. There are some good things about the school, and the boys themselves are fairly happy and make good friendships, but the underlying culture is awful. It is an exams hothouse, the staff are overworked and bullied, and the school is well known to the unions. It used to be a very good and unpretentious school. The mix of parents has now altered and I would heartily advise you to look at Wimbledon or St Paul's, where the boys age more self propelled and there is less parental expectation that everything is spoon fed to the child.. For all that money each year, you could do a lot better! Knibbs comes across as very plausible and good with the parents, and the school is becoming slicker and more corporate every year. Don't believe the hot air and shiny prospectuses.

Hello Rose33, my family and I are looking to move to Ham/Teddington from Lymingotn and have been considering The Russell School and Grey Court School for our Y5 son. I am also wondering what Teddington School and two local primaries, Collis and St John the Baptist, are like. He is middling academic ability and very sporty. I wondered which school your sons have gone to and how they and you are finding them? Have you moved to Ham and if so how is it living there? Thanks for any opinions/ideas.

Please read the OP post. That is asking for advice on state schools, so a long rant about a private school like Hampton is just wasting everyone's time.

Grey Court is a very good state option. One other might be Orleans Park. Results are not as good as GC but have heard positive things from parents there