Hi Kate,
It sounds like I live near where you live (near Colfes). Do you mind PM-ing me what school your DD now attends? My DS1 recently got turned down for all our local schools and we are sent to one in SE6, which I am not entirely happy about. So we are considering private school too and I have done a lot of research and talked to a lot of people.
St Olaves - Fabulous! Have friends who have kids there and they love it. One of my friend's DDs is painfully shy and she has really thrived and academically, they seem to be very on the ball. There DD1 is 6 next week and she can read fairly fluently. Over half of their kids go to grammar school upon leaving. We are going to see it tomorrow though I have been there informally to pick up my friend's DCs.
The Pointer School (Blackheath) - We went to the 'family' interview with the headmaster. My DH likes him, I am not so keen (he owns the school and is very personally involved, which is great on one hand but on the other, I don't like the idea of the school being very dependent on one strong personality). I also don't like the school space, seems very limited in outdoor space and the inside of the school seems to be made up of lots of interconnecting rooms rather than big, open rooms that I prefer. We were offered a place informally (you have to meet the headmaster to get a place!) but we didn't pursue this.
Blackheath Prep (Blackheath) - Have heard they are very demanding academically. They even do assessment tests on kids entering pre-prep. My DS1 (who had just turned 2 then) didn't pass the 'assessment', which involved the teacher assessing them away from the parents. Not sure I agree with that entirely. Apparently he was expected to know the alphabet by that age! Or some letter recognition anyway. The school had a lovely feel though and I loved it when we saw it. It's got massive open spaces etc.
St Dunstans we discounted because if you live near me, the journey there would be a nightmare. However, if you live near Lewisham, then the train goes from there. Don't even consider driving round that way at the time, it will be stressful to the max!
Riverston is near the Sainsburys in Lee Green. We are going to see this tomorrow. I have heard their pastoral care is very good but their results are not as good as other private schools as they don't assess kids before they enter the school, i.e. they are not selective. I will let you know what I think of that.
I spoke to a local mum who has two kids in Colfe's and she said if you are not good at sports, you are invisible in Colfe's. Probably won't apply to your DD at her age but you might want to think of the future implications if she stayed on there. It just seems such a massive school. When I called last year, they said even their waiting lists are full and they will only consider entry for Year 3... Not sure if that still applies as I am sure people come and go... Good luck! PM me if you want to 'talk'.
A