Lyceum, City of London and the general question of travel to a private school - would you?

[BadSkiingMum]

We have the option of a place at the Lyceum but need to commit to it ASAP.

We like the school, but it is not that convenient for us logistically - not that close to either of our workplaces, nor our home. Could be managed, but would always be an issue.

It would take maybe 45 minutes to get there, 15 minutes or however long we needed to spend there dropping off, then 30 minutes for either one of us to get to our places of work. In my case I would be going in the opposite direction as I work slightly further out of town, but would probably end up doing more of the taking and collecting. On the other hand, I know that most of the parents are very much City based.

Pros:

Small nurturing environment
Good results at getting children into senior school
Staff and leadership seem quite sensitive to children's needs
Music

Cons:
Not convenient
Harder to arrange wrap-around collection if needed
Really don't like the lack of outdoor space and the very urban feel
Foundation stage seemed a little formal for my liking

In short, is it a school that you would 'go out of your way' for?
Also, what are the experiences of the pros and cons of travelling to fee paying schools - have you found it to be worth it?

Thanks.

That's a loooong way to go to school. I can only see the point of the Lyceum if you work in the city, tbh, it's not the kind of school people cross London for, generally.

Though obviously it depends what your other options are. I'd have to be convinced that all the other options were Knife Crime Central before I'd commit to a setup like that. Since you ask.

Ditto to Ada. Why would you travel out of your way to a school with no outdoor space?
And I've just had a look at the leavers' destinations and they're really no different (or if anything slightly worse) than the destinations of those at my dc's state school who try for selective schools (be they private or state). Last couple of years at this non-outstanding school I can think of City Girls, Highgate, NLCS, Camden Girls music place, Latimer in Edmonton etc.
And Godolphin & Latymer hasn't been a state school since about 1975...
Having said that friends' kids went to the Lyceum and the parents were v happy. Didn't stop them moving out of London 'for the schools' mind you.

Watching this with interest. We are down for the Lyceum although DS is only 14 mo so no decision needed yet.

Wouldn't do it, the thought of no outdoor space is awful, and rooms with no natural light. And tho the music is great I was naively shocked at the amount of time spent on 11plus prep. Rush hour travel is no fun for kids.

Have just looked at the list of exit schools on their website, and it's not massively impressive - none to the obvious North London selective state schools like Latymer or Henrietta Barnet or QE Boys. None to Westminster or St Paul's Girls, or Wycombe Abbey.

Some of the schools they do send pupils do will take pretty much all comers, and are generally considered backups for the less-academic child.

Which might be fine, and entirely the right destination for that child, but does suggest that the Lyceum is not worth going out of your way for unless you love it for its own sake. Plenty of state primary schools have a more impressive leavers' list, if you're after academically prestigous secondary schools. And if you really want the hot-housey prepped for super-selective secondary thing, then you may be signing on at the wrong window.

Not only will you spend your whole week doing this crazy commute, you will be traveling all over London to parties and playdates at the weekend! I would not do it unless the children were old enough to go on a bus service.

What are your alternatives Bad? If there is one that is more convenient, more outdoorsy and has good standards I would go for that but the fact that you are considering Lyceum suggests you haven't found such a place!

Yes, what are your alternatives? How bad would they have to be? Any state school will be more outdoorsy as they're not allowed to have no outside space. And even if not as purportedly 'academic' as Lyceum then surely if you spent a small fraction of the time you're saving on commuting doing some reading, times tables, etc then your child would do as well?
I get the feeling these City schools like Lyceum, Charterhouse, Dallington etc are private for the sake of private and seem less intimidating to the parent looking round for a school with a three-year-old with the parent forgetting that their tiny child will soon be much bigger and could well outgrow these tiny places.
I always thought if I was going private I'd want somewhere nurturing, small, non selective, non pushy. But now my children are older I think no private school can be as inclusive and embracing as a state school, so if I were going private I'd want ruthlessly academic and guaranteed to get my child into best secondaries, ie I'd be opting for somewhere like the Hall. Which surprises me...

Highgate? Further north enough to have a bit of a greener feel?

Thanks for all your messages. Coming back to update the thread.

In terms of alternatives, we are not 100% sure about our nearest state school and any alternatives have very strict church going criteria, which as we are a multi-faith family does not really work for us.

Highgate, yes, I looked around and loved it! But we applied for the 3+ test and didn't even get a place on the test...Boo! May try again at a later date.

We have just moved away from New York City, where our children attended a school with no outside space apart from a rooftop playground. I loved the school and so did they, but they now go to a school with a big field and outdoor playgrounds and I can't tell you how wonderful it is.

I think a lack of outside playing space is a really big disadvantage, and the Lyceum has so many other disadvantages for you as well. I wouldn't do it.