Help deciding on Secondary School Year 9 Entry - Shortlist of Caterham, Hurstpierpoint College and Lingfield Notre Dame

[ameliethree]

Hi, DS1 is currently in Yr 7 at a small local prep school - just going through the headache of options for entry at Yr 9. He is academic, scholarship level but doesn't fair well under pressure - better being a big fish in a small pond. Think have narrowed choice down to Caterham, Lingfield Notre Dame or Hurst College but are struggling to pin down further. We are hearing that Caterham is becoming increasingly focused on league tables and wonder if that is at the expense of an 'all round' education...Only seem to be relatively old posts about these schools so just wondered if anyone had any recent experience? Hurst would have to be a flexi-board option due to location, something I never dreamed I would consider, but DS is keen to try. Any advice/opinion would be really appreciated!

Caterham is very strong on its "co-curricular" activities and seems to emphasise that as a balance to academics. LND has a new head who seems to be putting resources into making the school more attractive to boys(sports, CCF etc), certainly not as academically tough as C but achieves results from those who are - your ds may have a better chance of getting a scholarship there. Hurst seems all rounded. Is he musical, sporty, social and if you can't choose how about logistics fo getting to and fro especially if you have other dc to consider ?

Hurst is quite some distance from Caterham and Lingfield? If they're all much of a muchness, I'd choose the one closest. Long journeys just wear our little darlings out (and us!)