King's college school vs St John's college school. Cambridge.

[glane]

Dear all,

We are moving to Cambridge next year and looking for a prep school. We are between St John's and King's because the location suits us better. I am a little worried because despite being very bright, our DC is very sensible and doesn't cope very well with a lot pressure or extremely rigid curricula. We thought these two could be suitable since he is very musical, but I'd like to know if they are academically challenging enough.

Does anyone have experience in these schools?

Thank you very much!

I use to live in Cambridge, do you actually have an offer of a place at either school and has your dc had a taster day at both? They are so different in ethos that often you can make a decision. If you are planning to be in the area long term ask locally about the massive proposed roadworks/ changes to Madingley road near grange road lasting 2 years - traffic chaos!

Didn't attend these schools myself, but my mum was head of a core subject at Kings.

It seemed like a nice place for the kids. Some of the parents were very OTT with the pressure. I remember mum saying she had one girl in tears because she'd got 96% rather than 100% in a test. She said her parents would be angry with her for that. That was one isolated case though.

Music is good there, but there used to be a bit of a music divide between the choristers and the rest. I don't know if it's the same head of music though anymore.

The grounds etc always struck me as very nice too.

Cambridge is a lovely city to live in (I obviously grew up there) Some very good schools. What I would say though is that the private schools were often filled with the children of city workers or academics whos kids weren't as clever as them. The really bright kids I knew went to Parkside for secondary and then Hills Road for 6th form.

Hi @glane ,

I've posted on the other thread that you've visited:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/local/4648660-st-johns-college-school-vs-kings-college-school

As you can gather, I did not have a good experience with St John's. The school prides itself on a cosy environment but provision is poor in the older years. They do not manage the transition to senior school well and quieter children tend to be overlooked.

Good luck with your decision-making.