The Hall Hampstead or Alleyn’s Dulwich.....

[Lorzhu]

Your advise/insights will be much appreciated.

My DS1 has “luckily” got offers from both schools which surprised and put us in a dilemma....

ABOUT HIM:
He is a very open minded, talkative, proactive and smart boy mad about maths. He’s been in a a Montessori school since 6months old and is currently in Recpetion room studing with 5 years old kids. So academical wise, I feel he is a bit advanced of same age kids. A sporty boy loves swimming and cycling.

The Hall:
Pros: stunning 13+ result 65% goes to Wus, st pauls, eton, harrow. Not sure about the sibling policy will find out next week. Better commute from school to where both me and DH work.

Cons: We are normal working class family. Both of us work full time. We can afford both kids school fees plus mortgage and a few time holidays abroad but thats all. I just got the feeling that the Hall parents are mostly above that level and live nearby the school which we cannot afford. Pair comparison (at parent level?) might be a pain.

Alleyn’s:
Pros: much better living environment for us, we just paid deposit for a house we all love... because Alleyns offer came a month before the Hall and we didnt expect he would get it..... lovely community and weekend go to places. Mixed sex school and small class till 7+. Impressive sports facility and theatre.

Cons: the school result is not as good The Hall. 11% goes to oxbridge. No sibling priority.

We love both schools but they are completely different. Going to Alleyn’s means we can enjoy a better living space and he can have a wider curriculum and less pressure at school. Going to The Hall means he will likely to get a better academic result but we will sacrifice ourselves in living space and “feel we are not financially as good as other families”....

Sorry for any typos above as i am literally tying while awaiting the kids wake up for breakfast....

Thanks!!!!!!

Sorry, but having just read many other threads this morning from parents who didn't get their preferred choice of state school I think perhaps your post within 24 hours of national offer day is a little insensitive. You certainly can't call yourself a normal working class family. That made me laugh,

Look, read your post again and you will see the answer is right in front of you. You have two amazing options for private schooling, both of which will enable your child to have a fantastic academic, sporty and everything else ! education. As a private school parent I would advise the nearest school as with both parents working it will make travelling for your child so much easier and they will find there is considerable homework at those two schools. Please also remember that children do not always deal well with extra pressure. Good luck.

Thanks! Apologies if I made any sort of uncomfortable comments above as honestlg I wasnt aware of the state school admissions :-(

That's unfair on OP, it's not her fault re the timing on offers day. I suspect, however, OP, your first language is not English or you would not call yourself working class. I'd say if you can move to Dulwich go to Alleyns.

How can you compare exit results from a prep school with a school that goes all the way through to 18? The better academic results thing is nonsense, your son will be taught excellently at either school - the difference is one will be aggressively prepping him for senior school exams, the other doesn't need to. There's no guarantee your soon will be in the 65 per cent that go on to Eton etc from the Hall, just as there is no guarantee he will be in the 79 per cent from Alleyns who don't go to Oxbridge. It sounds like a more relaxed life for you all, whereas The Hall is known to have a very pushy vibe.

Thanks for your comments. Appreciate that. We almost thought Alleyn’s would be the choice, then got a letter from The Hall which made us think a bit more on the options.

You are right that there is no guarantee on the exit result and for us, the most important thing is to ensure he is “on track” of personal development, ie mental health, sports, social skills apart from exams. And I love the parents I have seen in Dulwich they are just nice and friendly.

Thanks again! X

Both are excellent schools and I think you won't go wrong with either. Choose the one closer to where you live, as they are really at different ends of London.

I think you will be sadly disappointed if you think Alleyn's will be less pressure at school! It is amazingly academic, definitely not low pressure!

The hall has just got planning permission for massive work so you may want to check you are happy for your ds to be in the middle of it all and what it will involve

I think through schools are inherently less pressured than preps, because there isn't the same stress about senior schools transfer.

You are looking at two very good schools, and I really wouldn't be concerned one jot about the academic level at either. As you say you want to live around Dulwich, then I would have thought that Alleyns would be a clear preference. What is holding you back?

Is it because you actively do not want a through school? Because that might be problematic if you think you want a CE school, but for those with competitive 11+ or 13+ exams, you'd be OK from Alleyns

Even if you change your mind and want to do a 13+, you can still have Alleyns as a "backup" if you go there.

I don’t think the OP is being insensitive - national offer day was on 1 March but it was for senior state schools only (so at age 11).

OP - both schools are super. My understanding is that there is no official sibling policy at the Hall - it is worth checking whether there is one at Alleyn’s. It is becoming more common for there to be no sibling policy at private schools (which can be inconvenient for the parents).

What's the location of the hall ?!

@Rats82

What's the location of the hall ?!

Belsize Park/Swiss Cottage

If go to Alleyn's means all children will benefit from a better living space, then I would go to Alleyn's. It seems unfair for your younger children to miss out a better quality of life due to their older siblings schooling, with no guarantee their schooling will also be enhanced.

Do check your commute to both schools - the Hall is horrendous traffic near the school around drop off and pick up times - a well known issue for most NW3 schools. There is the cut through from Finchley Road if you are walking from the Tube station but cycles/cars/buses have lots of traffic issues on the nearby streets.