Private schools with commutable distance to London

[Everymorning]

Hi -
I am a new mum to a new born boy. We are looking to relocate into an area that has great private schools and is also commutable to London. I am not from the UK originally so would love some advice/thoughts if possible please:
We've been doing some research and it seems like there are only limited options -

• Kent (Sevenoaks) seems to be an obvious choice
• Surrey - Esher seems to be possible but not too sure where else?
• Hertfordshire - for haberdashers but again we might be missing other schools there? St Albans?

Also looked into Oxford (Dragon School, Summer Fields) and Cambridge (The Perse) although the train service means commuting to London on a daily basis could be a big challenge so we are almost ruling them out.

I'd be very interested to hear views on what schools/areas we have missed.

A second question is in relation to types of schools - from the list you can see I am considering different types of schools - namely

1. Sevenoaks (seems to be more "modern", academic)
2. Dragon schools (seems to be more traditional and leads to more boarding school route) and
3. Haberdashers/Perse (where a child can stay through from age 4-18)

Frankly speaking I haven't found a great deal of information in terms of how to choose the types of schools, and to even understand there are three types took quite a while already!! It would be so helpful to hear thoughts on this generally too.

Thanks so much!

We considered perse for our sons but felt it was too academic and would fail to produce rounded individuals. It also seemed to expect way too much patent input or extra tutoring which seems a bit odd and state schooly to me. In the end we opted for a very traditional boarding prep (although our children will obviously be day pupils until much older) with a strong sense of community.

The top three things you should look out for are:

1. A good support structure for children who are behind/have special needs and those who are ahead or G&T.
2. A wide range of extra curricular activities (you don't want your child to be capable of littleore than academic achievement). An abundance of scholarships for music, sports, art etc. Is a good indication of a well rounded education.
3. A clear and strong ethos/sense of community. You want and school that feels like a community where you child can feel safe and nurtured as opposed to a glorified day care facility for professional parents. In particular look for schools where staff have a personal connection to the school E. G. Sending their children there, having attended there themselves, being local to the area etc.

Things that raise Red flags are:

1. Schools that make demands: E. G. 'We expect children joining the reception class to be able to do XYZ.' this indicates a disinterest in nurturing children as individuals and is likely a sign that the school will fail children that develop problems.
2. Schools that go from 4-18 they are disincentivised from preparing pupils properly for 13+.
3. Schools with poor facilities. A lack of investment in sporting facilities, art studios etc. Indicates a lack of investment in extra curricular development.

Oxfordshire is quite rich in a range of schools. So is the area around St albans/Radlett. I would recommend D having a look through the good schools guide (it's not great but a good starting point) then go to visit the schools that you like the
Look of.

Haberdashers gas a very bad reputation for producing single faceted children. I would avoid it.

There are various preps around Sevenoaks, such as St Michaels, apart from Sevenoaks itself. Bear in mind that through schools do not prepare pupils for alternative school entrance tests and what suits him, and you, at 4 may not at 11/13. Kent also has state grammar schools which may or may not appeal to you. Esher is very much part of the suburbs and the SW London schools. Guildford might be worth considering (RGS and Lanesborough, although RGS pupils also come from Cranmore et al).

Notre Dame in Lingfield, Surrey might be worth a look

Your baby is a newborn. He might be bright, he might not. Don’t move to an area because you have chosen a really academic school you hope he will get into.

Your baby is a newborn. He might be bright, he might not. Don’t move to an area because you have chosen a really academic school you hope he will get into.

^This. He might thrive in a structured, pressured environment, or that might crush him. He might be sporty, he might be a bookworm, he might be really gregarious and want lots of people to play with, he might be a total introvert and want a small school where he can get to know individuals really well. Later he might love science, or art, or classics and may need a school that's really hot on one of these. He may need specific learning support and need a school really hot on that.

The point is you have no idea. Your DS will be the person he is not a person just like you, or the person you think your child will be. You need to wait and choose the right school for who he really is.

Move to somewhere with a good range of schools that is also a place you would like to live. Do NOT move for a specific school.

Schools can change (or even close) on the turn of a head.
What do you mean by commuteable, one hour half door to door, or a train ride in? It will partly depend on which station(s) your work is close to.
Surrey (generally Waterloo) has a large number of varied prep schools but boys at secondary level is a bit more fraught.
Sussex is less fun on the train but has some nice schools.
Kent I am sure is similar.
You don't know what your DS will be like at 4/7/ 11/13 so don't put all of your eggs in one basket.

Brentwood school? New hall?

Cambridge is nice. The Perse senior school is very competitive to get into. I think it was one space for every four applicants this year, and only the higher attaining kids tend to apply. I think you'd want to be confident that your dc was pretty academic for it to be a good fit and of course that's difficult to predict when your dc is a baby.. Don't know much about the prep school apart from they tend to ask kids who aren't a good fit to leave. State primary schools in Cambridge are mostly great. The Leys is another option for secondary boys..

Northwood , Middlesex for St. John’s/merchant taylors?
Look at bedford fir a commuter town with affordable housing and a huge range of top schools

The Kingston/Twickenham/Hampton area is worth considering. A lovely area to live, very easy to get into London proper and good access to a range of different very good schools depending on your son’s ability - which you won’t know for years. Choose a good supportive prep (Newland House in Twickenham is well-rounded for example) who will be able to advise you on the right senior schools when the time comes.

Thanks so much. You certainly gave me a lot to think about in terms of areas and very helpful advice in terms of not moving just because of one school and will really have to see how my son develops first of all. Commutable to London to me is one hour on train max (ideally 40 minutes to London with another 20 minutes or so to travel to the City, which will make the journey just over an hour which I think is manageable).

Perhaps the best strategy now is to register with quite a few pre preps and decide which one suits DS better. I heard children need to go to corresponding nursery in order to get to certain pre preps (I know each school is different but generally speaking is it true?) hence I want to think about it now. How competitive is it to get into these pre-preps?

DairyisClosed
I am not very familiar with the exams system for private schools. Does this mean if you are going to a school like the Perse (say starting from pre prep), then most likely the child will stay there till 18 and won't have the chance to go to another type of school (say Sevenoaks or Harrow as examples). Sounds like schools like the Perse do take students from outside (hence its "competitive, one in four students gets in") but once DS starts there, chances are he will stay there.

Thank you again!

I wanted to add Kew/Richmond to the list. In particular Kew has a lovely village and community feel and it is commutable and you have plenty of good preps, including Unicorn, Broomfield House, Kew College. Chiswick also worth considering.

@DairyisClosed Haberdashers gas a very bad reputation for producing single faceted children. I would avoid it.

based on what exactly? limited knowledge of the boy's school but for the girls the junior is very laid back, almost no homework, huge focus on resilience and a multitude of free after school clubs covering just about anything you can think of. single faceted is the least accurate description I can think of!

@Everymorning schools will only prepare for their leaving point. A 13+ prep will give you no help to leave at 11 (and may actively stand in your way). A through school like Habs will give no help for the 11+, but the advantage of a through school is that you don't have to do the 11+. A prep will give you no help for the 7+. etc etc

@everymorning perse (and schools like it) do informal assessments for children aged 3. Then formal exams at 7+ and 13+ (also called Common entrance). While schools never openly admit to this ir is common experience amongst the people I know for a prep school that fed into a senior school to put less effort into 13+ preparation. It is still better than what a child would get in a state school but if you want your child to go somewhere else at 13 then it is ill advised to choose a prep school that belongs to a public school.

Re haberdashers that is just what I have heard. When I suggested to my DH as an option his immediate reaction was 'Absolutely not, it will make them stupid.' From what I have gathered talking to other people is that ir is public school light focusing solely on exams as children get older, the consensus seems to be that you may as well just send your child to a grammar school. I have no direct experience of it myself and everyone I have spoken to may be wrong (I know a lot of intellectual snobs i am afraid).

Many thanks again. I had a look at our budget (I’d say £1.5m as a staring point) and ruled out a few areas as they are really out of our price range (Kew, Richmond, Chiswick - sorry @Toddleress ).

@ DairyisClosed - St Albans and Radlett look lovely many thanks. Are there any particular pre prep schools there?

@ MapMyMum - Lingfield looks like a nice area also - will look into Notre Dame for sure!

@LIZS - Esher and Guildford looks fine too - if you have any suggestions on particular schools that would be helpful.

@ Hollyandtheiveee Northwood , Middlesex for St. John’s/merchant taylors - this area looks to be a bit out of our price range. Bedford might be a possibility - any suggestions on prep prep schools there?

@ incywincybitofa - thank you, anywhere in particular in Sussex? Havent really considered it - thought it's too far out but very happy to look into.

@ KirstenRaymonde - The Kingston/Twickenham/Hampton - Hampton appears to be more affordable than Kingston and Twickenham (well according to a quick search on rightmove anyway) - will have a look at the schools there too. Again any school names come to mind it would be great to share for us to research.

Sorry to have so many questions – just so new to everything here in the UK and would love to make an informed decision and indeed as everyone suggested, we’ll see what our son is like first! Thanks so much again.

I'm in Herts, and know children at Habs, Merchant Taylor's, St Alban's, Berkhamsted etc and other prep schools that feed in to them.

Met Line to Aldgate is perfectly workable, if a slog. Or you have the option of mainline to Euston from Budget/Watford/Kings Langley etc. Your budget would be fine here too.

It is competitive, but there is a lot of choice.

Bushey, not Budget!

Lingfield Notre Dame has become Lingfield College. Tbh it is not highly academic (often the back up option for more competitive schools at 11/13+) and is less expensive than most. I know some families who have moved their dc from there in recent years as the head has made unpopular changes.

If you're looking near Lingfield, then Brambletye at East Grinstead is an excellent school.

You should look at the guide to commuterland website for train routes and cross reference with the good schools guide.

SE London - Dulwich, East/West Dulwich, Herne Hill, Tulsa Hill, Crystal Palace, Sydenham, Beckenham all within easy reach of JAGS, Alleyn's, Dulwich Prep and Dulwich College, if they are the sort of schools you are after. Also plenty of prep schools in that vicinity.
All have excellent links to mainline London stations within 20-25mins (slightly less reliable from East Dulwich although the London Overground is a short bus ride away).

Hertfordshire has a fantastic array of schools. I disagree about habersdashers, it is an exceptional school, except yes, you do have to be very bright to get in. You also can only enter from age 5, which is year 1. There are plenty of other schools. For example,
you have st albans school, berkhamsted, Aldenham, merchant taylors (which now has a prep, )edge grove, kingshott in hitchin, manor lodge,

There are so many!!

What about the Milton Keynes/Leighton Buzzard area? Cheaper housing than many areas and half an hour on a fast train into Euston (does depend whereabouts in London you want to end up though)

Schools: Milton Keynes Prep/Broughton Manor, The Grove, Swanbourne House, Thornton (girls), Aykeley Wood, Webber Independent School