Eltham College feedback

[mummabear0909]

Hello,

Looking for some feedback on Eltham college urgently - we will be moving for the school but it appears that it’s not a popular choice in the area. We loved the school but a bit confused and concerned if we have missed anything. Would really appreciate any feedback or advice from parents who have kids in Eltham College or have considered it for your DC. Thank you so much!

Hi OP, have you tried asking on local Facebook groups?

Yes I did but didn’t get much

A lot of people in the area pick the grammar schools (Dartford, Wilmington, Bexley etc) and some of them take the coach to Dulwich, Alleyn's, Jags. I know DC who take the train to Westminster and City. Eltham is a good school, but it's not so famous/excellent that it's worth moving for it imo.

We have kids local to us going to eltham college. They were at Blackheath prep. Haven't heard anything negative. The parents all seem to be happy. The school seems to have decent facilities. We went for their open day and quite liked it. DC loves football and unfortunately the school doesn't have football as part of sports curriculum so he didn't want to consider it as a choice. I am not sure if I will move just for the school though.

Thank you so much for your feedback!

Gotcha!

Eltham is a good, solid secondary option and is now co-ed. It’s not as academic as Dulwich or Alleyns and the really bright kids go to the grammars if they can get a place. However, I would say it adds good academic value and the academic results have steadily improved over the years. It has good sports facilities and is fairly easy to get to with school buses from various places. It used to be more sought after than Colfes or Farringtons.

Honestly, I would never consider moving to Eltham area solely for the school - there are very limited public transport options around the school.

Also please check:

https://www.google.com/search?q=eltham+college+negative+press&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari

Rather than Eltham itself why not look at areas like Blackheath or Hither Green - there are school buses available

Thanks for sharing !

Do you mean stay in one of these areas and take a coach to the school?

I have had a son and a daughter go through the school. Son has left, daughter is still there. I think it is a very good school. For every school in the land, at whatever level, there will be people who experience it negatively and people who experience it positively.

It's quite interesting to read the AI generated negative press summary. As a longstanding parent I haven't experienced it that way. The Me Too dossier that was raised by ex-pupils I always found interesting in the sense that these girls had come through a system where they still felt able and confident to raise these issues, albeit when they were a bit older. Parents locally talked about the fact that the same had certainly gone on in other similar schools but the girls still felt fear of retribution even years after they had left. I actually engaged with the girl from Eltham who had lead on the report via her Instagram account to congratulate her on having the strength to make the report and to support her, particularly as the mother of a girl who was currently at the school. She said the same in terms of her peers at other schools. I will say that I think the co-ed year groups have a very different feel to them than the years that came through the school as single sex (having experienced both).

Both my kids got good offers to go to various of the other schools that are an option in this part of London but both actively chose Eltham and have had a great time at the school, with excellent teaching, strong extra-curricular and a good circle of friends. I'm sure you'd find kids in both of their year groups though who would give you a different report. It's a bit luck of the draw in truth - we all think we can choose a certain school and guarantee an excellent path for our kids but there's a lot more to it than that and you can't always plan for it. I have numerous friends with kids at Dulwich, Alleyns, JAGs, Newstead, St Olaves - some of them are very happy, some of them (really) aren't!

Good luck with the decision.

Yes, exactly that. There’s a coach that goes through Blackheath (one of the pick ups is near the conservatoire) and then goes on to the school via Lee. Blackheath Prep is a feeder school for Eltham so lots of EC kids in the area.

I don’t have personal experience of Eltham, I must say. I chose Colfe’s for my children as it’s just a different preference really (and it’s very much been the right choice for my family), but I have friends with children at Eltham who seem to be happy there.

@BadddaBingBadddaBong

AI?
The news site name is clearly written below, and the author’s name and date - really do not look like AI at all! But hope they are!

But it’s also true that I personally know a few families who chose Eltham and are happy, good luck with your decision!.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jun/13/ex-pupils-who-compiled-sexual-abuse-dossier-accused-of-blocking-inquiry

https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/10901398.eltham-college-economics-teacher-had-inappropriate-relationship-with-pupil/

@MamaSElondon the summary was AI generated? From sources around the internet. I didn't mean it negatively it was a descriptor of what had been linked to in the same way I wouod have said "the news article" or "the pdf". I'm aware of all of the stories except for the 2023 teacher story - have no idea what that's about. In fact I specifically said I'd engaged with the author of the dossier. I'm not suggesting the stories are made up 🤷🏼‍♀️

On what basis would you say Eltham is less academic than Dulwich? It’s finished ahead of Dulwich in the league tables (based on academic results) for three years in a row now. It’s clearly a very academically strong school.

@Blackheath1858 Are you joking! :)
I can send you hundred of images/links like this! Even Colfes did better than Eltham in some areas last few years!

thank you so much - this is very helpful!

yes exactly - it seems to be ranker hgher than Dulwich College on the 2026 rankings too - we have an offer from Dulwich College too but DC really liked Eltham

thanks!

Have the offers from DC started to come out already? I thought offers go out on 13th feb 2026

this is for 7+ - they came out much earlier

Understood. Thank you for clarifying. Well done to your DC for getting multiple offers!

thank you so much - very kind of you :)