Selective and non selective Surrey schools

[DaniCK]

Hi, I am really hoping you can help me. I am at the very beginning stages of looking into private secondary schools.

I have come up with a list of reasonably local to us schools which I believe to all be very good. But where I need some help is just determining which ones are the selective and non selective schools, which are real academic hot houses that require excessive tutoring. I will probably be ruling the extremely academically pressured ones out as that doesn’t appeal to me. (I believe these to be Hampton Boys, Tiffin Boys and Kingston Grammar).

In an ideal world we would like a school that will push our son to his full potential but also offering a really well rounded extra curricular (he’s not particularly sporty) in a happy environment that will allow him to thrive.

If you could give me any feedback on some of the below schools in regards to a) what the entrance exams are like, and b) just general idea of what the school is like, this would really help us start to narrow it down to which schools we should look into further and go and visit.

Thank you so much.

Hampton Boys
Tiffin
Kingston Grammar
Epsom College
Reed’s - Cobham
Halliford - Shepperton
St George's - Weybridge
St John's - Leatherhead
St James - Ashford
Radnor House - Twickenham
Daneshill - Oxshott
Downsend - Leatherhead

Any reason Claremont Fan Court is not on your list?

It really depends on where you’re based, what your son is like as a person and academically as well? What year are they in now - how are they doing? What type of school do you want as they are all quite different?

I would say that the schools with really competitive academic entrance exams in addition to the ones you have listed are:

Epsom College, St George's and St John's - tutoring will be required for these schools.

One of my children went to St John's and it is very academic and quite sporty. It is also big on drama and it is also quite a big school both in terms of numbers of children there and the physical size of the school and it's fields. Fabulous facilities. I felt parents were kept at a distance eg no attending sports days - and so difficult to know who to speak with if you had any problems academically. All pastoral concerns go through the house master. Lots of very wealthy parents at this school - as also at epsom college and st georges - so can be difficult for your child to find their "tribe" if you are not of that background (like me!!).

I have a child at Downsend too - much prefer it to St Johns - it has strong academics but is not a hot house at all - it's very well rounded. My child is bright and is being gently encouraged to stretch himself with lots of positive encouragement from teachers which really helps to build children's self esteem. The school is very good at inspiring children and encouraging their inquisitiveness and the pastoral support is very good too. it is not a massive school in terms of physical size - so facilities are not as good as St John's. However, it has a very good selection of lunch time and after school clubs and a swimming pool and performing arts theatre. Downsend is opening a 6th form this September which will be off site in Leatherhead. I find the teachers very approachable and parents are welcomed into the school for things like sports day. My child is very happy there and has a lovely frienship group.

So it really depends on your son. If he is very academic and competitive then he will flourish in a more selective school. If fabulous facilities is what you are also after then somewhere like St John's would fit the bill. If, however, he isn't and needs a bit more gentle handling, guidance and encouragement to be his best then Downsend would fit the bill. I am afraid of the other schools on your list I have no experience of them. So i would suggest going for open days and getting a feel for the school and asking lots of questions.

I hope some of my ramblings are uselful!!

This is super helpful and exactly the kind of feedback I’m looking for.

my son is not particularly competitive or sporty. He enjoys trying lots of things like coding club, rock club, drums, street dance, but he certainly isn’t gifted in any of these areas, he just enjoys doing things as hobbies. Academically he is reasonably bright but definitely needs encouraging to reach his full potential. I think somewhere like Daneshill sounds much more suited to his personality. I will definitely look into this school further and add it to the list of schools to visit for an open day.

thank you so much

OP do you mean Downsend rather than Daneshill? Although I would go and see both..

Best wishes xx

Yes, sorry I meant Downsend! 😀

it’s a bit generic but here is a rough idea of those schools and where they sit in terms of academic intake:
Hampton Boys - very selective
Tiffin - very selective
Kingston Grammar - very selective
Epsom College - very selective but easier to get in to if you are happy to board
Reed’s - Cobham - fairly selective
Halliford - Shepperton - more selective than ST james but not as much as reeds , at johns etc
St George's - Weybridge - fairly selective
St John's - Leatherhead - fairly selective
St James - Ashford - not very selective
Radnor House - Twickenham - more selective than st James but not as much as reeds, St John’s etc
Daneshill - Oxshott - don’t know , sorry
Downsend - Leatherhead - don’t know , sorry

Look at the whole school including its ethos, the feel of the school, the teachers, the children and other parents etc to get the right school for your child . What’s good for one child is not the right environment for another and exam results are not the be all and end all.

Daneshill is a prep school so no use for secondary.
Downsend - New head incoming in Sept.
You don’t have City of London Freemen's, Reigate Grammar, Royal Grammar School (Guildford) or Cranmore on your list.
Nor do you say which bit of Surrey you are looking at. There can be quite a bit of distance between some of these you've listed depending on where you live.
Quite a few go up to Kings in Wimbledon (v academic though).

second adding Claremont Fan Court to your list, and depending where you are in Surrey, Ewell Castle perhaps? Both gently selective.

Have you looked at logistics for all these schools as that’s a pretty big area.

Worth looking at Cranmore too as goes all the way through now. It's very sporty but also lots of music and drama so there is space for everyone. Smaller nurturing school with nice ethos and local feel rather than a " south London " school like Epsom and St John feel to be now.

I wouldn't look at St John's Leatherhead. There have been a lot of bullying issues there recently. Also the new Head is extremely strict I'm told and not dealing with bullying at all.

Yes I've heard similar - school is going downhill. Good Schools Guide not writing great things about it anymore.

St George’s Weybridge is a fantastic school and it sounds like your son could benefit from their huge array of lunchtime clubs and after-school clubs! It is all rounded with incredible sports and great academic results and mental health is a priority and kids thrive. The main thing that stands out to me is the teaching staff as enthusiastic and passionate. My son is in year 9.
However, if you’re coming from Teddington /Twickenham areas the coach system is not good at the moment. They allow over an hour for the journey which only takes 25 minutes to drive there directly. They need to prioritise sorting out the coach system to this particular area and then this school will definitely tick all boxes.

Can you share what year group this is? I wanted my children to go there so this is interesting.

Re St John’s - I wrote the good schools guide review. I hope it’s ok to say on here, do read it & visit yourself. It’s here: https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/uk-schools/review/st-john-s-school-leatherhead (you do have to pay to access)
A change of head always ruffles feathers & not all schools suit all families.. I wouldn’t say we gave it a bad review by any means! Good luck & do check out our reviews for other schools you’re considering too.

Hi could you share details we are looking for sept 26 entry. Thanks