Selective prep schools with 9+ entry?

[Squaresquirrel]

Wondering if anyone knows any selective schools in or around London that has 9+ (year 5) as an entry point?

On my list there are MCS Oxford, Dulwich and KCS only.

TIA!

In all honesty I don't think you've got a chance at MCS or the like being average in comprehension etc. They are going to take only the very bright and achieving across the board. I too think you're probably better off with a traditional prep that takes a wider spectrum of children and see how he develops. If his achievement bumps up by senior school then you can look at the likes of MCS but as you describe him now I think he'd really struggle there even if he did get a place. I think you do need to consider the sports issue as well as most preps will have mandatory sports. They will host a range of teams and so long as he's willing to give it a go then it will be fine but if he hates it altogether then that could be an issue....

I agree that ultra selectives are probably not the right place for him. On the other hand, I am also hesitant with the totally non-selectives. We do have some non-selective traditional preps relatively commutable. Their destination lists are almost indistinguishable.
If we decide to move solely for schooling, it’ll have to be for a school ‘better’ than available options. E.g. is there a boys prep (that he can get in) better than lockers Park? Is there a co-ed prep better than Westbrook hay/ashfold/swanbourne? Is Abingdon worth the move if Berkhamsted or even Bedford is (relatively) closer?
I have been trying to ask myself these questions for a while and running in circles. How to define better to begin with and there’s not just one school that suits one DC I believe. Any thoughts or experiences welcomed!

Btw he is non-sporty in the sense that I don’t see him in A or probably even B teams for big team sports like football, rugby but he is an active boy and willing to participate. Exposure has been limited so far.

How far off what you want are the local schools?

We’ve seen about 10 preps locally and some were 90-95% there but not 100%. We started looking further afield to see if we could find the perfect school that we’d move for. However, once we started thinking about the unheaval, costs, housing stock and prices elsewhere, commutes, losing some of the local amenities we love etc it soon became apparent that actually the 95% there school is absolutely fine.

lol I'm in a grammar area too. I'm not too sure about finding the 100% school. E.g. some seem to tick the boxes but then they're by a motorway, for example (a big no no). Or their leaver destinations aren't to our liking. Or if their further out of London, then moving close to them would limit our senior school options. So it might be that our wish list is a little too long. We'll probably go with Royal Russell which I mentioned above but the 5% wrong is that's it's an all-through school and we'd prefer elsewhere for senior school + it's a 25 mins drive in rush hour.

Comforting to know I am not alone!

OP, so what are the compromises with your local options?

It sounds a bit like you feel you 'ought' to send your DS to a 'destination' school? That mindset is easy to succumb to in the South East bubble- I know, I've been there.

My son is 9 and late summer born. He was late to take to writing and isn't particularly good at the major team sports.

We lived in commuter-belt Berkshire when he was a pre-schooler and I thought he should go to a destination school (Habs, The Beacon or Caldicott for prep maybe). I thought maybe we'd need to move or board him at senior school so he could go to MCS- or Winchester if he wasn't that bright .

However, we were unexpectedly shunted out to Dorset by a job move. I cannot tell you how glad I am DS is at an un-pressured rural prep where he spends his time climbing trees, playing cricket and putting on plays. He's so gloriously happy, and that is breeding confidence, motivation and a love for learning. Thankfully, he will be able to go to a fairly laid back 13-18 senior school, where I hope that will all continue.

There is no doubt in my mind he's streets ahead- in his learning but more importantly in his mental health, than he would have been in an aspirational, results-over-journey focused school.

I think what I'm trying to say is choose somewhere you feel he'll be ludicrously happy, rather than where he 'should' go, because the rest will follow.

If you’re in n bucks can you get to bedford? The harpur trust schools are very well regarded.

@reefedsail that’s such a lovely post. I dream to be in that position. Instead stuck in London rat race for schools.

Thanks all for sharing your thoughts. The discussion here in itself has really helped me get my thoughts together.
@reefedsail, thank you for taking the time to put together such a positive and lovely message. I indeed went through and subsequently over a phase of destination-focused search. While realising DS is not ready for super selectives as he is (he may or may not mature/pick up further down the line), I would still like somewhere that provides beyond just a nice school for nice kids.
And to answer @JojoSm2 also, some local options may even have good behaviour missing. DS had taster days in a handful of schools including one where his lovely buddy steered him clear of some older boys at lunch break and another where two boys in the class he would be joining used languages like ‘stupid’, ‘baby’ towards him and another boy in the class. The second school I actually really liked and planned to choose it. I may be too naive to think this is not common.
@Perch, Bedford is about an hour’s drive in good traffic otherwise it’d be one firm choice!
Abingdon and Bedford are so far two schools that I have visited and liked (wish there were girls there). No similar candidate on the non-through school side yet...

It might be the wrong side of Oxford, but maybe look at Cokethorpe- it is coed

OP, did you report ‘stupid’ and ‘baby’ to the school? Unfortunately, even in the loveliest of schools, children don’t behave well all of the time. I’d say it’s about how schools deal with such behaviour.

somewhere that provides beyond just a nice school for nice kids

Provides what?

St. Hugh's might suit as a co-Ed prep. They aren't selective but they do send their top set to very selective senior schools. The facilities can't be beat either.

Thanks all for the suggestions. Will take a look at the suggested schools.
@JoJoSM2, haven’t reported yet. It happened fairly recently and there has been a communication gap with the school. But planning to after half term.
@reefedsail, I tried to write something about what ‘beyond just a nice school’ but once it’s written down, it looks limiting to me. Something in between!

I know north Bucks very well. Is Swanbourne not an option? Or Winchester House at Brackley? Or Ashfold School at Dorton? These are the standard North Bucks destinations and are all very good. Do you have a problem with them? MK also has options.

9+ isn't a formal entry point in many schools is it? But if you're considering south London you could look at Eltham College (through to 18 but all juniors go through to senior sch without further exam) or Bickley Park (to 13). You would need to establish if they have any spaces pretty sharpish I'd have thought.

Or wait until 10+ at Whitgift and Trinity?

Sorry for the delay in responding.
@BubblesBuddy, I have looked at these schools. Some are still 40+ minutes’ drive which I am very hesitant about. For Swanbourne, I am wary of some recent complaints about the changes since last year-not sure how representative they are. In MK, the Grove school could be one option but then they had the safeguarding issues identified in a recent inspection report...
@chalkyc2, I am stressing myself out (probably unnecessarily) to move DS sooner hence looking at 9+. His current school has been having various issues. He is in a class with mixed year groups and two teachers sharing the job. The feedback from recent parent evening was so generic it could probably apply to half of the class. (Rant over!)

Well Eltham definitely accept new children in most year groups. My son joined at the start of year 4. The good thing is junior school children are able to enter the senior school without taking an exam. PM me if you want any more info.

Yes - I know the Head at Swanbourne is an unusual choice but it depends if you like what she’s doing. New Heads from a different mould often produce parental reaction because they want the status quo! I would look for myself. Is that your nearest school?

It is. The problem is one can only see so much during an open day/individual visit. I am afraid I won’t get a real picture about the changes/ complaints as an outsider. If the rumours were true, many teachers and children were leaving?

Thanks chalkyc2!

I suspect “many” leaving is an over statement. Its often the noisy few! I think you can gauge a lot from a private visit. You can see the children actually working, you can see if they are engaged and happy. For age 9 onwards, parents won’t want to change. Local parents will only have MK schools to consider. They are not the same as Swanbourne.

I have seen this before. No one likes change and that includes some teachers too. It still comes down to what you like and what you want. My other choice would be Winchester House. How far is that? It took me 35 mins to get to DDs prep due to traffic and other some mums were similar. It’s not unusual and Winchester House has optional occasional boarding I believe.