Experience of Dulwich Prep, Blackheath Prep, Pointers, Ducks, Colfes

[Usernameoflotsofnumbers]

We’re looking at potential schools for our DS and wondering if anyone could share their experience. We don’t know anybody with children at any of these schools and are relying on websites and open days.
Obviously most of these schools will require an assessment which he might not pass anyway. But I’d like to hear about people’s experiences to form a clearer view about finding the right place for him.
I understand that these schools will have different levels of academic achievement. I’m interested in how they deal with potential issues, should any arise, like behaviour, bullying, and any difficulties with learning. DS is doing very well at his nursery so I don’t have anything in mind in particular, but it’s a long term commitment and we want to find a place that’s nurturing, supportive and works in genuine partnership with parents.
I’d be very grateful for any thoughts.

I have friends with children at DUCKs and Dulwich prep and all are happy there with no concerns around the points you raise.

DUCKs is co-Ed and only goes to 7 at which point the children sit the 7+ for various senior schools. Transfer to Dulwich College Junior school is not automatic and many don’t get in. The only complaint I’ve heard from parents is that the school is too gentle and doesn’t prepare the kids for the 7+ exams as much as they’d like. Take that with a grain of salt.

DPL is all boys and goes to 11/13 so quite a different proposition. It’s quite a sporty school so a boy that wasn’t into sport might not enjoy it as much.

Hope that helps

As parent of an extremely unsporty DPL boy, I wouldn't say it was particularly sporty. They do make sure all the boys get to play fixtures by mixing around the E, F, G etc teams. But there are tons of non-sporty things going on.

It has its flaws for sure, but I wouldn't necessarily decide for or against it on the basis of its sportiness.

FWIW, they are tough on behaviour and bullying, they come down on it like a ton of bricks, and they have a full time counsellor so good on pastoral care. Learning differences, you as parent have to push for it, they won't say outright, we think your son should be tested for ASD, dyslexia, ADHD etc (and that's probably fair enough). But once you have a diagnosis they are quite responsive.

LondonGirl83: thank you, that’s very helpful to hear about DUCKS. I’m surprised that many boys don’t get into the DC Junior school. They haven’t published the statistics for last academic year yet but in previous years it looked like at least 70% of boys would go there. Definitely something to bear in mind as 7+ is awfully soon after 3+ or 4+.

PenguindreamsofDraco: Thank you so much for your reply. It’s great to hear that the less sporty boys can find their place as well. Would you be able to share what are the potential flaws?

The emphasis on exams and assessments jumps out at me. Certainly once they get into middle school (years 5/6) there are so many tests - and so much preparation for ISEB/11+/13+. I know they have to, they're a prep school (and exit results are of course gleaming), I just find it quite dispiriting. But that's not so much a flaw with the school as with the system!

To be fair, most boys seem to take it in their stride. the school seems to keep a balance.

Thank you for your response!
That makes sense - there is so much pressure in the system.
I guess lots of practice could equally stress the kids out or normalise the process, depending on the delivery.

Such a minefield choosing the right setting with all that in mind. It’s not so much about which school is ‘better’ but more about finding the right fit for the particular child, and these things are not easy to see on (often virtual) open days! Thanks again for your input.

@Usernameoflotsofnumbers where are you located for all these schools?

I am similar to you with Ducks and DPL but have discounted Colfes due to their inflexibility on being able to visit the school (all tours and events booked up etc). But that is for entry next year and they may have more events for later entry.

Unoriginal43 - we’d need to commute either East or West. Re: Colfe’s we haven’t been able to see it so far and the virtual event was cancelled. A lot of good reviews on here though.

Has anyone heard anything about The Pointer School under the new Head? We really liked the family atmosphere, small size and good results despite no special selection at intake. But it would be good to hear from people who have the first hand experience.

Have sent you a pm.

@PenguindreamsofDraco my child also goes to DPL (just started in nursery) and we love it so far (albeit some things I may disagree with that seem more uppity than anything). It would be good to hear about what you think their flaws are and what you also love about it. We are debating if we move our son to a co-ed school from 4. Right now that is my main only issue with DPL as I worry he won't know how to socialise with girls properly and that is so important to me.

They're now linked with Sydenham Girls @Boymum1984, the idea is that they will do loads of activities all the way through to 13 together, which would be nice.

I love that it is a genuinely caring school. Mrs Macdonald-Tuckwell (head of lower and middle) knows and really cares about all the boys. The pastoral side is excellent. If you have a really bright boy (I don't ) they are very good at stretching them. And the clubs and activities are brilliant.

I don't like the fact that it now has to get the kids ready for 11 rather than 13, but that's hardly their fault!

@Boymum1984 if you don’t mind sharing the things that you disagree with that would be very helpful. We had our assessments at DPL and Ducks and now waiting to hear back for 4+ entry.

Thanks @PenguindreamsofDraco I did know that they are linking up with that school but I wasn't sure how much interaction they would really get. Thankfully nursery is co-ed but I didn't realise reception was only boys which is sad because of my childs closest friends in nursery is a sweet little girl. It would be good to know what you like about DPL and what you don't

@Unoriginal43 we love DPL so far (albeit we are only a month or so in) but its amazing how fast my child is learning and he is loving it! He had never been to nursery before as we've always done nanny shares but he hasn't turned back since he first walked in. The other families are lovely and their children. The school does appear to be super nurturing which is what I wanted for my son and the academics side is just a bonus for me. We also signed him up for swimming classes through the school as its been IMPOSSIBLE to get swim lessons anywhere else in London and gave us a chance to see the other school location which has amazing facilities. Tbh the only thing that irks me about the school atm is that they have certain events for parents including little performances that the children do and they ask us not to bring younger children. Now I understand why having younger siblings (eg babies) can sometimes been disruptive but being an early years school I find this a bit unfair and hypocritical. It's a minor issue in the scheme of things but this is supposed to be a family school.

@Unoriginal43 i also forgot to add that I met another mum at swimming who has two sons. One in the nursery and the other who came from DUCKS. I mentioned that I liked that DUCKS was co-ed and she said she really liked it there too but she wasn't going to send her youngest because they have to move at 7+ and not guaranteed to get into the College and she said for such a young age it was quite stressful for her son and many of his friends to do all the exams and prep to move schools and that she wouldn't want to do that again. She said learning became a chore and not fun for them and at this age school and learning should still be fun.

@Boymum1984 From my experience of DPL (some years further down the line), socialising with girls has not been an issue at all.. All the boys seem to have turned down fine and perfectly sociable. Of course some of them can be shy, but I've noticed (in clubs, outside events etc) that they are all perfectly comfortable playing with girls as much as boys..
The school is very very nurturing and having gone through the 11+/13+ process, I'm glad we picked DPL and not one of the super-pushy London prep schools.

@DPLMom thanks so much. This is super reassuring and helpful. We are really happy with the school so far and hope he continues to thrive there. What is the drop off like at the other main school location?

@Boymum1984 We don’t do drop offs as we use the school coach, but I’ve heard it’s pretty bad! You may have to get in really early / park on the parallel roads / slow down and let DS out by himself! If you are nearby, it’s better to walk or cycle and the school is really encouraging parents to do that.

Very helpful!
Are many parents local? I’ve seen the coach map and students for all the Dulwich schools come from a wide range of areas

@Boymum1984 Ducks have literally just shared that they have now got an official agreement with Dulwich college junior school that if boys on assessment at 4+ Are strong will receive an offer for 7+ entry without having to go through the assessment process again.

@Unoriginal43 Most parents are indeed local. I would say around 15-18% in each year group take the coach and come from Bermondsey or Kensington or Clapham or Canary Wharf.. And around 5-10% take the train to come from Beckenham etc. Others are all quite local and tend to walk/cycle to school. I know only one parent who does car drop offs every morning. There's a very useful location map on Classlist and you can see where everyone lives!

just thought would add something on BP and Pointers... are you living in Blackheath or Dulwich? Personally wouldn't commute from early years - but that's your call?

Mine were at BP. there is a new head since so culture is shifting for the better i think. It's a v competitive school - focus is on being best at everything - but he seems to be focusing on wellbeing and reinstalling some of the family atmosphere that had been eroded. Mine were both v happy there and have gone on to excellent secondary schools - they pride themselves on strong 11+ results. Bullying policies were pretty strong - no issues that i was aware of.

Pointer was traditionally more expensive and less academic. Lots of people who didn't get BP went there. But the results have been getting stronger. Old head was a real marmite character and the emphasis on Christianity won't suit all. He still owns the school too so it lacks the governance the other schools you list have.

Colfes seems to be great all rounder - kids routinely go right through from 3 to 18. Not as strong academically but bright kids get good results. Nice grounds. Strong sporting emphasis.

Guess location is one key decision but also whether you want single sex/coed and whether you want a school that goes to 7/11/13/18. They offer very different atmospheres - you ahve to work out what you prefer?

were local as based in Honor Oak Park and in our class I think we are one of the more local ones. It's about a 10 minute drive to the early years (20 in bad traffic). A lot of other families come from Streatham, Clapham and Sydenham.

Thanks for your post ChandlerBong - very helpful.
The competitive vibe is a worry about BP - although, like you said, the new head seems to be veering towards a more balanced approach.

We’re considering all these options as we just don’t know where our son might get in… DS is a happy, ordinary little boy - I have no idea if and where he might be offered a place.

We’re not that concerned about the academic output of each school as I think that a reasonably bright child will do well in any school so it’s more important for us to find a place that will support him should he need it later on. We want a place that will help him develop curiosity and love of learning and emphasise being kind over being ‘the best’. We discounted another school in the area, as the open morning was all about results and it seemed that the kids were under an awful lot of pressure that I didn’t think our DS would respond to well.

Pointer appeals in that sense, and also there’s no assessment. We’re not religious though and I’m not sure how that would work in terms of the focus on Christianity.
We also need to consider sibling policy for our younger DS.

Thanks for all the responses. No open day can provide as much insight as opinions of current parents. Many thanks.

@Usernameoflotsofnumbers have you applied to all the schools?

Unoriginal43, no, not all of them but we are considering all of these as possible options.
Good luck with the assessments!

the other Blackheath one is Heath House - v small though with no outside space of its own...

Agree entirely that a bright kid would do well anywhere.

Also think that testing kids at 3 or 4 is nonsense.....