Mixed private day schools in Central/South London

[BoringSchoolChoiceNickname]

Looking for secondary schools for DD who's currently year 5. A few appealing state options, but none of them are guaranteed. Local school seems good but not right for DD - she's got a lot of academic potential and needs a school with a critical mass of high achievers.

So looking at private options as a fallback position. Most obvious choice is City Of London Girls - their website says if you've got straight level 5s at end of year 5 then you've got a good chance of getting in and DD should probably manage that. The problem is that DD really doesn't want to go to an all-girls school - she's very geeky and gets on better with boys. Also we have a younger DS who would ideally go to the same school, although he's got high functioning autism and is currently struggling badly with education so his secondary school options are way up in the air at the moment,

What (if any) are the good mixed sex academic private options? I just can't work it out.

Alleyns, Emanuel, Epsom College (have buses), Latymer Upper (Hammersmith), probably missed loads but it's a start!!

Where are you located?

Milkshake beat me to it - I was going to say exactly the same!

We're south of the river in zone 2 - commuting north into the centre is rather easier than going out but we could manage anywhere on the bottom of the Northern Line, or somewhere with a school bus.
Hammersmith would be a really tough commute, which is why we're not thinking about St Pauls Girls.

What's Alleyns like?

Put the school post codes into the TfL journey planner and you will surprised where you can get to. All sorts of odd train routes across South London. If you try with different times you will also get an idea of how frequent the services are.

People get to St Pauls GS via a direct train from Clapham Junction through Olympia. Wimbledon High, though all girls, can be reasonably easy via tram if you live near it or a rather odd train route that cuts across Clapham, and is probably less competitive than City.

That said there are not many mixed schools. Ibstock in Roehampton is another but I have no idea how you get there. Harrodian involves Clapham Junction to Barnes Bridge, but there is only one train every 15 minutes.

Thanks need - According to my journey planner, SPGS is 55 minutes - Ibstock place is 1 hour 10. Alleyns or COLSG are just less than 3/4 hour which is pretty much the limit to what I'd think acceptable for DD (Graveney is 50 but a very easy journey, and if she got in there we'd probably move).

We're half an hour from Clapham Junction so commuting through there doesn't really work.

Any tips on Alleyns anyone? It's not been on my radar for some reason.

Alleyns is definitely worth a look round - really bouncy lively Head (just came to our prep school to as one of a panel of Heads for 'Question Time') and a flourishing, solidly academic school with hundreds of clubs & societies. Made a very positive impression on us.

My older children have between them over 100 friends at Alleyns (they are somewhere else) that they were at primary school with. I am also a fan of Emmanuel too.

I've never heard a bad thing about Alleyns, and it's absolutely one I will be considering for my youngest DC. Though that is some time off yet as she's not even in Reception

Graveney's my local state currently, and Bolingbroke Academy is taking their first intake of children (Year 7) this September which will put me slap in the middle of two secondaries.

Thanks everyone - will definitely give Alleyns a serious look - the coach service would be handy too.
Still surprised by how little choice there is in practice - loads of single sex secondaries but very few mixed. Personally I've fallen in love with City of London Girls and I'm very keen on Greycoat, but I don't think it's reasonable to push DD into single sex if she doesn't want it, and she's a bolshy wee thing, like her mum I can't see her playing dumb in class so the boys will fancy her - no power on earth will stop her sticking her oar in.

yy to Greycoats - I had lots of friends there, it's still a great school. If you do go the single sex route, then you also ought to look at Francis Holland and JAGS as well. And, of course, the Putney/Wimbledon/Streatham & Clapham/Surbiton High Schools for girls.

I'll look at Streatham & Clapham, and perhaps Putney (Surbiton's a messy commute) but have the feeling she'd be wildly out of her social depth with the Sloane Rangers of Francis Holland - not sure it's the right place for a middle class (not Upper Middle) geek.

Francis Holland's not that bad at all. I know (well my DDs do) quite a lot of girls there and they are definitely not up your arse Sloane Ranger twats (DD1's eloquent words there). I think (personally) that Streatham is a more socially rounded school than Putney and I would pick that over PH - and I say that as an ex Putney High pupil, albeit a lot few years ago

Thank your DD for me aunting - that's exactly the sort of judgement I need. Still not sure - but the big advantage of FH is that it has open days all year round, so can check it out in April

Ok then - Putney High is known as Slutney High.... There's plenty more 18 and 17 year old DD judgement should you require.... (and my 15 yo DS for that matter)

Hmmmm, perhaps there is such a thing as too much information

Forewarned is forearmed and all that. DDs say that PH is the only one that's full of shocking tales after hols and weekends, so worry not about the rest.

I do think that if one can get 'real' info from girls/boys at the schools or with chums there, that information is super valuable in helping to see the bigger picture. I have DC in Years 13, 12 and 10, so have seen it all and done it for years now - as have they.

Obviously, the academic/pastoral sides are something that have to be perfectly balanced, but the nitty gritty 'what the kids think' stuff is often overlooked and I think it is almost as important iyswim.

Having been London based for ever and a day, with children at primary and many many friends' kids at London day schools, I have seen it all. I am actually so laid back with DD3's education as a result that I know pretty much what I'll apply for, what I won't and what I may look at somewhere down the line.

My road of education with DD3 won't start until the primary apps start in earnest in November for me... I may be back and pulling my hair out then, but I hope I won't!

I have girls at Putney High and don't recognise the school your dd describes. Teenage tittle-tattle I think. There is no substitute for going to see it yourself.

That's interesting Febreeze to hear another view. My DD has just been offered a place at Putney for September. We are waiting on other offers too, but need to weigh up what we have and we were all very taken with Putney so would be interesting to hear what girls there really think. What years are yr DDs in?

I have a DD who joined Alleyn's this year. If your DD is quite bolshy but birght this is a great school for her. Its quite difficult to get into but has loads of excellent clubs, is very sound academically, great atmosphere, good sports and arts. School buses go all over south London from tooting &clapham down to Beckenham. And that makes life so much easier as you don't have to worry !

Fair enough Febreeze - my girls are final two years, so I guess things change the more parties they go to . Though, interestingly, I have friends that live literally round the corner from PH and have said the same thing to me, and that they were terribly disappointed, to the point that they are considering places like Surbiton and Ibstock over and above, which is mad given that it's a two minute hop across Lytton Grove for their DDs.

As I said above, I went to Putney High and I LOVED it. The only thing I loathed was the damn uniform, but this was in the 80s, so I guess it's an acceptable hatred

You need to be sceptical about what they say about level 5s. CLG is hard to get into and the competition is fierce and all the field will be performing at that level. All it means is that is the level where you stand a chance of not being rejected solely on exam. I'm not posting this to pour cold water, just to warn you that it may well be code for "less than that won't succeed".

Alleyns (also hard to get into - over 600 applications this year) might however be a good one for you to investigate. It has a reputation for being one of the schools with a more enlightened approach to SEN, and that could be good for your DS. But they don't have a strong sibling policy.

Thanks meditrina - no offence taken. Realistically, all things considered, I think she's got a decent chance of getting the exam results necessary to get into anywhere except Graveney/Tiffin but decent chance =/= guarantee and she's a bit socially immature for her age, (and summer-born, and has been at a bog standard inner city state primary) so interview will be a big hurdle .....so I think we need to do a lot of bet-hedging.

Definitely will investigate Alleyns seriously, it's sounding like a very good option.

If your daughter is currently in a state school and not in the high ability group with very firm 5A's in Math and English, then she will definitely need tutoring to pass the entrance exams in places like City of London, Alleyn's and JAG'S. AND..certainly, any test at St. Paul's, Latymer Upper and Godolphin & Latymer will be extremely difficult with many Level 6 questions on their math tests. Emanuel should not even be uttered in the same breath as the above listed schools - it is several tiers below the academic standing of those schools and their entrance pass rate is significantly lower than St. Paul's, Latymer Upper, Alleyn's and JAGS - which are fiercely competitive schools. All of the schools, however, are great - even Emanuel...but, Emanuel does not have the same academic rigour that the others possess. Just thought I would add my two cents in...
Good Luck to your DD!

I would second Alleyn's for a bolshy bright girl who enjoys boys' company (have a yr 11 daughter in that mould). It has a very positive, supportive atmosphere and I think that can work well for children who haven't necessarily fitted their school well before, for whatever reason. Lots of kids use the 37 bus and North Dulwich train too, so often travel together. I think most of these schools would look hard at a child from a state primary with all level 5s from year 5. If you apply to three, maybe one a bit less competitive, it isn't unmanageable at all (the schools do try hard to make the experience a positive one) and you up your chances of some good news.

Alleyn's is great. Streatham and Clapham is not in the same league as Putney/Wimbledon/Surbiton, despite also being a member of the GDST: it's much less academic.

Are you a tutor chelseatina? Just get the feeling you're trying to flog something...