Emanuel School (Wandsworth)?

[TracyPilgrim]

The West London school search continues! We have visited Emanuel twice and found it such a welcoming, creative and happy place. I actually like the fact that is not a hot house with a A* mentality. But at the same time that's exactly what worries me! My concern is that I've heard people calling it "the most expensive comprehensive in South West London". But the school says their academic level is getting higher every year. Any parents out there with children at Emanuel? I guess what I'm asking is whether academic children are estimulated enough and catered for.

I can't answer your question directly, but here's what I know FWIW.

I think many people still use Emanuel as a 'back-up' at 11+ but send their DC to more academic schools if they pass for them. This obviously affects their intake. I know the school stress that the academic level is increasing, and I'm sure it is, but it is still the less academic children from my DC's primary that go there. The more academic still choose Alleyn's, JAGS, Latymer etc.
My DD sat 11+ at Emanuel a few years ago and was offered a Foundation Scholarship (50% off fees) which we turned down.

That said, I do know 4 or 5 people with DC in the school and they are all happy with it.

HTH and that other people come along with more direct experience.

Emanuel may be described as "the most expensive comprehensive in South London" but I am not sure that is a negative.

Instead I think it reflects the lack of state alternatives. You need to live within a stone's throw to get into Graveney, and be pretty devout to have any chance of the Oratory or Greycoats. I suspect that many of the parents who send their children to Emanuel would not if they felt that there were a good state comprehensive available to their child. Many pupils come from good state primaries, most live within two miles radius. People pay because they dont feel they can get the education they want from the state sector, but they can from Emanuel.

My understanding is that the school has been improving consistently over the past five years or so and has shed the poor reputation it once had. The school is cheaper than most of the alternatives named above and very generous with scholarships. This means a solidly academic top set, including children who have turned down offers from more "prestigious" schools. From what I hear the school is also aware that many parents are paying for is a discipline, order and purposefulness that is felt to be missing from some local schools in the state sector.

I know at least a couple of DC who almost certainly should have got into one of the bigger name schools but who did not and went to Emanuel as a fall back, to discover that they are delighted with the school, its down-to-earthness and the way it encourages participation.

Things are changing very fast and the pressure on places in South West London means that places at Emanuel are no longer seen as the fail-safe fall back they once were, particularly for boys. The impression you seem to have gained of a happy and creative school is a general one. I would not worry too much about what others say. I assume that recent GCSE results will give some evidence of what is happening within the school. I am pretty certain that people are now looking quite seriously at the school who might not have done a few years back.

needmoresleep you make some very good points. However, it is not the case that Emanuel is cheaper than the Dulwich schools I mentioned, in fact it is more expensive.

I like the school except they don't do football only that dreadful Rugby thing... off my list for that reason at the moment.

When I was in London, the school had a not particularly academic reputation, but was thought to be on the way up. That was a few years ago, but what I've heard suggests it remains in exactly the same situation.

I don't know anyone who had it as their first choice, but people who have gone there have been satisfied with it.

Most comps would be pretty pleased with Emanuel's results. Westminster and St Paul's would not. Horses for courses.
From the Good Schools Guide:

Seems to be steadily pulling its socks back up again. Results now higher at A level than they were five years ago,
with 84 per cent gaining A, B or C grades. 39 per cent gained A* or A at GCSE. Head ?not in the least interested
in league tables? and has withdrawn from them. He feels that he is giving his pupils a far broader, all-round
education than exam results alone can possibly show

Thank you all. They do indeed have generous scholarships. And yes, the football thing is a shame. DS likes playing it and is not interested in rugby at all. But I think they do cricket in the spring and he would enjoy that. Besides, he already shows very very clear signs of his future living not coming from his football skills. :) So not a major worry. It's virtually impossible to find the perfect school anyway, it's a balance.

I went to look at it at the September Open Day just passed. To be honest I wanted to like it as for some reasons it would be a great choice for us, but I think I have come to the conclusions it would not be the right choice for my child.

Random experiences/thoughts: I do agree it is a back up choice for a lot of children, although people who go there seem v pleased with it, IMHO. I believe it is attracting a lot more applications than previously. DS would wee himself with excitement if he saw the climbing wall with a cave in it. Nice facilities. The girl who showed me round was absolutely lovely and I would be v pleased with a child of mine being that nice. I chatted to the headmaster who also seemed very pleasant (although I would not say "aspirational"). Fantastic library - one of the nicest I saw. A reservation for me is that I had an extremely odd conversation with the chaplain who heard me expressing surprise to the girl showing me round about the compulsory chapel attendance (I think it is effectively an assembly). He asked me (fairly aggressively, I thought!), whether/why I had a problem with that - apparently there is an opt out but only a v small minority re Jehovah's witness or Jewish, I think he said. His view was that "most people were basically CofE, or should learn something about it" . My dcs are at a non denominational school, and in fact their mates are a mixture of all denominations and none (Jewish, Shinto, Hindu, Catholic to my knowledge). Not sure we know any practising CofE. I am lapsed Catholic and DH a big fat nothing so cofE not really our thing. Blimey I don't have a problem with it at all, but I felt it was a bit "in yer face"! (Won't choose a school on that basis, though!)

The rugby thing puts me off too...as would that conversation with the chaplain, given that we are all atheist!

It's a difficult one. We did think long and hard before turning the scholarship down-in the end we just didn't feel it was the right fit for DD.

I too have heard that application numbers are up. I wonder what effect the new Bolingbroke free school (opening next year) will have?

It's a very old school (originally opened in the 1500s and part of the Westminster foundation), so the Chaplain and level of observance will probably turn out to be one of those weird historic but ineradicable quirks.

I sort of agree, EW, re the CofE trust/foundation point but I think with a bit of finessing a school could get round that if it wanted to and I didn't get the impression it wanted to. Which is absolutely fine, it's just another reason why it is not neccesarily the right school for us.

For us, my Ds is particularly rubbish at football enjoys hockey and I'm not sure they do much of that. Plus they said they have a big emphasis on drama and he is very science/history orientated (which the Head said in his talk were not their absolute priorities) and it is not the right school for our younger dd (she's a Malory Towers kinda gal!) so throw in bit of assertive chapel going and I think we probably won't apply.

I do think it is a good school though - its just not right for us.

Really? Chapel is compulsory? The boy showing us around, also extremely nice, said he was an atheist and allowed to opt out but that he attended because he loved just sitting there, chilling out and hearing the singing. It did sound to us as if it was optional. That said, he was not white english.

Neither DH nor I practise religion but are delighted that our son went to school with compulsory chapel. He understands what he has chosen not to believe, he "gets" biblical references in Eng Lit/Art etc and he loves a lot of God-inspired classical music.
I'm on the side of chucking some God at kids and letting them make up their minds. Firstly, for the reason above and, secondly, because most teenagers IME will not think about spirituality/ethics/meaning of life unless prompted.

Grovel, that was sort of what the chaplain said. And I don't think I disagree, in many ways. I think because my dcs current school is non denominational (and strives to be obviously so) it was a bit of a different angle for me. And I was caught a bit unawares/ felt pounced on by a chaplain saying "well, why exactly do you have a problem with regular chapel?" (to which one answer is "where do I start"), but I agree it could be very enriching and that the CofE is not exactly the moonies or a weird proselytising cult.

When you weigh up all of the things about a school, it is just one thing in the balance, isn't it?

SonorousBip, indeed it is only one thing. I would add that in the crazy world our teenagers inhabit today I like the idea of them having 20 minutes of quiet from time to time. A session in chapel feels different to an assembly whatever you may/may not believe.

My DS is at Emanuel, year 8 and very happy. Academically it covers all the ground that his sister's single sex high achieving school does.
What I like about Emanuel for my DS is that it understands and works with the raw material of the pupil intake. They don't give up or roll their eyes at pupils who don't 'get studying' immediately. They know boys in particular develop in fits and starts, and in leaps and bounds. They also, very importantly, recognise that a school is far far more than an exam factory and that preparing a child for life is as important as inspiring them academically. I would not call Emanuel 'posh' - which is maybe why it attracts the 'South West London comp' description. I would say the teaching is very good, and I can't see what harm half an hour once a week in the chapel does them. Surely a time for contemplation whoever you are or whatever your beliefs.

we know lots of dc at Emanuel and most are very happy - on the whole they are less academic than dc we know who are at the more selective schools, but the top sets move at a reasonably brisk pace

however, we are lucky enough to be in the catchment of an excellent state school, so Emanuel would have to be offering an awful lot more than it does to make me feel that the hefty fees could be justified

peachyicecream thank you for sharing your first hand experience, it certainly confirms everything the school promises to be.

My son went to Emanuel because no chance of getting into more 'academic' state or indy schools. I was v sceptical but have to say it is a very good school - top set children do well and they work hard with lower set ones too. So maybe it is like a successful comp - except you pay ! Lack of football the only drawback -he does rowing but footy would have been good. Chaplain is actually one of the nicest and best teachers there in my opinion, maybe he was having an off day!

Emanuel School
Year 6, known as Hill form 48 pupils
Registration for September 2020 start is now OPEN and will close at 12.00pm on Friday 18th October 2019.
www.emanuel.org.uk/admissions/10-plus-entry/