Rutlish School vs Wimbledon College year 7 advice please

[isa05]

Hi everyone, I’m trying to decide between Rutlish School and Wimbledon College for my son starting Year 7, and I would really appreciate some honest opinions from parents whose children attend or have attended either school.
My son is very sporty and he would like to become a dentist in the future, so obviously I want to choose the school that will give him the best academic foundation and opportunities.
The main thing holding me back is that Rutlish is rated Outstanding, while Wimbledon College is rated Good. I’m wondering how much this difference actually matters in practice, especially when it comes to GCSE results, support, opportunities and eventually getting into university/dentistry.
I visited both schools and had quite different feelings.
At Rutlish, I didn’t particularly like the feel of the Open Morning. The classrooms seemed quite crowded, nobody from the school really welcomed us, and we mainly spoke to two boys who showed us around. I know this shouldn’t necessarily influence such an important decision, but I left with a slightly less positive feeling.
At Wimbledon College, I really liked the atmosphere and the overall vibe. I also liked the facilities, including the swimming pool. However, the fact that it is rated Good rather than Outstanding makes me hesitate.
My son is also very sporty, so I would be interested to hear from parents about sports and extracurricular opportunities at both schools.
Another consideration for us is my daughter. If my son attends Rutlish, there is a cross-sibling policy between Rutlish and Ricards Lodge, which could give my daughter sibling priority for Ricards Lodge. This is important to us because distance may otherwise make getting a place there more difficult.
We also cannot afford to pay for lots of private tutoring, so I would really value opinions about how much academic support the schools provide within school.
If you had to choose again, which one would you choose and why?
I would especially love to hear from parents of boys who are academically able, enjoy sport, and may be aiming for competitive university courses such as dentistry.
Please feel free to give me the positives and negatives of both schools. I’m really trying to make the decision based on what is best for my son, rather than simply choosing a school because of its Ofsted rating.
Thank you so much! ❤️

Both are good schools and get good results. WC sets more homework and seems to set higher academic expectations of the boys in earlier years. Both have active sports teams. Football more so at Rutlish and rugby at WC.

Religion is obviously very prominent at WC in the average school day for obvious reasons. I think they underplay that at the open evenings.

If you want your children to go to nearby schools to each other, consider Ursuline for your daughter. It's a good girls school comparable to Ricards Lodge.

Is there no reciprocal agreement for siblings between WC for boys and Ursuline for girls? I thought they were linked somehow 🤔

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this, it’s really helpful! 😊 My son is very sporty and he would also like to become a dentist, so academics are quite important to us. If you had to choose between Rutlish and Wimbledon College for your son, which one would you personally choose and why? Thank you again, I really appreciate your advice! x

Yes, that’s exactly why I’m trying to make sure I choose the best option for him. I’m also hoping to send his sister to the “sister” school, as having her brother at one of them would give her priority for admission. So I’m trying to think carefully about which school would be the best choice for both of them long-term. 😊

Hello,

Under Ursuline's admissions arrangements, when girls are tied within an admissions category, priority is given to a girl who will have either a sister at Ursuline High School or a brother at Wimbledon College who will still be enrolled when she starts Ursuline.

I have a boy at Wimbledon College. Just started in year 7. I am impressed so far by their level of communication, attention to detail, they have set boys in maths and English straight away (other subjects set in year 8), they identify those with high academic/more able ability, lots of sports (rugby, football, basketball, athletics, swimming, cricket), music, drama opportunities, other clubs. They are a Catholic school so this is part of their day and life at school, however I believe this also gives them that extra strong moral foundation and values that help guide how they live and treat others throughout life (which in this day and age, I think is an added bonus). They are strict - which I think is a good thing. I have no experience of Rutlish but I would recommend WC.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Can I ask why you think it’s only rated “Good”? I’m really wondering about that.

No problem. You'd have to read the Ofsted reports but 'Good' is good enough I think. No school is perfect. And Ofsted only see's what it see's on the day. I always take with a pinch of salt and try and see for myself and speak to as many parents as possible for real opinions. Good luck!

Ofsted tell you only how well the school applies the prescribed policies. The overall results, happiness and effectiveness of the school
are not reflected in this. We’ve chosen a school which is rated Good over another rated Outstanding because of it (way) better gcse results, pastoral care, SEND support and feedback fro
parents and students.
I’d read the ofsted report but not decide on that alone. If the school is good you’ll be able to see what area they are not outstanding in - and how much is it important to you.