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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Wilsons/Wallington/Whitgift

52 replies

AngelEyes46 · 03/06/2012 20:40

Can anyone tell me - my sil is looking at the above schools - her ds is in year 5 - been tutored for the last 6 months. Top within his primary for maths and science, goodish at english. Is musical but not particularly sporty. Also looking at whitgift but would be looking for some type of scholarship.

OP posts:
SheBlackhawk · 04/06/2012 00:34

If he is musical, have they considered Trinity? Whitgift of course is also excellent with music. They say Wilson's is very academic, very hard to get a place.

gazzalw · 04/06/2012 07:05

What particularly do you want to know? Don't know anything about the public schools (Whitgift or Trinity) although there was a long thread at the beginning of this year that you could search for. However, DS passed all three 11+ exams he took for SGS, Wilson's and Wallington and has a place at one of them so ask away....

Think all the grammar schools are sporty as well as academic. We have had to rate our son's sportiness for his school!

SoupDragon · 04/06/2012 07:11

If he's musical I would think about Trinity. There are scholarships for both academic and musical ability plus bursaries (as there are for Whitgift). I think trinity is the one generally considered "best" for music.

I don't know anything about Wilsons or Wallington really. We turned Wilsons down for DS2 (wrong school for him).

Original poster
AngelEyes46 · 04/06/2012 10:55

I thinks she's worried that her ds may not get any of the above schools. With the grammar - his tutor says that his maths is fine but he needs to think quicker - does anyone know about this? I know a lot of dcs enter into the exam and a lot pass (and I think her ds would) but what should he be aiming for at this stage, i.e. should he be getting 100% from practice papers? I will tell her about Trinity (I always thought that Whitgift was better for scholarships). The independent schools - I know she would be over the moon if they got but would have to be with a scholarship - does anyone know what Whit and Trinity go up to? If all else fails, she has either Riddlesdown that they live more or less next door to which is a good safety net - any views? or John Fisher - they are RC but her DS was baptised late so she is concerned about.

OP posts:
Hardboiled · 04/06/2012 11:25

gazzalw you had to rate your son's sportiness for his school? This is what scares me about this boys grammars, DS is not sporty at all and doesn't like the male rough stuff - rugby he will hate for sure. Do you think all the three grammars you mention are the same? What about the geeky types who prefer to sit at the piano, surely there are some around those schools...? Would he be eaten alive?

Classicsgirl · 04/06/2012 12:23

Our son is not at all sporty and is heading to wilson's with a non sporty friend this autumn. I gather from past parents that although sport is very valued, contribution in other fields is equally rated. There seems to be a lot of music and we've already been given details and email of the head of music so we can get lessons arranged upfront. So I wouldn't rule it out on that score...!

SoupDragon · 04/06/2012 12:31

Scholarships at Whitgift and Trinity go up to 50%, but it would be an exceptional boy who got the full 50%. IIRC you can combine different scholarships (but I am a bit hazy on this) and you can definitely have a scholarship and a bursary.

Obviously the pot of money for these is limited and not guaranteed.

Hardboiled · 04/06/2012 12:32

Thanks classicsgirl. That's reassuring. I'm hoping, dreaming, really next year to be in the lucky position of choosing between a grammar and an indy with a scholarship... she dreams on If that was the case it is the music, drama, etc that would decide it for us.

SoupDragon · 04/06/2012 12:34

I imagine that rating your son's sportiness is only to ensure that the "delicate little geeks" don't get shoved in with the A team rugby players :)

As an aside, there is at least one boy in DSs year at T who sits out rugby in the library :o

Hardboiled · 04/06/2012 12:40

Oh yes Soup...That's where DS would be if they'd let him. Table tennis on the other hand...Grin

Hardboiled · 04/06/2012 12:42

BTW Soup...We visited T and loved it sooooooo much.

gazzalw · 04/06/2012 12:46

I actually think the rating sportiness is to ensure that the houses have an equal mix of sporty vs non-sporty to make it fair. Our DS is not very, very sporty but he does like sport. But I did comment that it is rather subjective to rate one's own children given that some parents consider their children to be gifted at everything and some might be a lot more modest about their children's achievements!

Having been to a grammar school myself, as did DW, I would say that they are all big on sport to be quite honest. Used to have sports colours for excelling pupils. That is not to say that a child who is not very sporty will be at a disadvantage, just that they are keen on making the most of all of a child's talents - and all the better if it's a sport in which they can bring the school glory!

Metabilis3 · 04/06/2012 12:56

Well, my DD1 is at a Grammar school and although the sporty kids get their space, it's fine to be most decidedly not sporty. In fact I'd say the majority of the kids in her year group aren't sporty.

gazzalw · 04/06/2012 13:06

I would expect the sportiness factor to be less of an issue in girls' schools than for boys though, wouldn't you?

SoupDragon · 04/06/2012 13:08

Yes because girls don't do things where they may get sweaty or have to exert themselves. Hmm

Metabilis3 · 04/06/2012 13:23

It's a mixed sex school. :) DD1 is veryactive but her sports - swimming, surfing and bashing her siblings- aren't done at her school. And she is dyspraxic so she can't do ball games or stick games at all really (most lessons they get her to run laps round the outfield so she can't hurt herself or anyone else and she loves that. She's not a 'runner' like I am - she doesn't run unless forced to - but she is fit so she can easily manage a moderate canter for half an hour/40 mins with no worries)

gazzalw · 04/06/2012 14:14

Er no, but all recent sports drives seem to have been aimed at encouraging girls to do more sports, so assume there is a proven issue about girls not engaging in the same way that boys do...

Ladymuck · 04/06/2012 14:52

When you say musical, what sort of level are you talking about? At Year 5 this can mean anything from constantly rapping through to Grade 5+ on several instruments. Would household income mean a bursary is a possibility - Whitgift foundation are relatively generous on these. If they earn too much for a bursary but not enough for the full fees then do not visit the indie schools - the music at the grammar schools can never compare I'm afraid.

The entrance exams for Wilsons & Wallington are pretty time pressured to be honest, there are plenty of bright boys who don't pass but still get good scholarships at Whit & Trin. As the exams are fairly tough, and of course you can only get an offer from one state school, the differences between sports and music are more negligible than you might think.

Date of baptism (ie

Hardboiled · 04/06/2012 15:10

the music at the grammar schools can never compare I'm afraid
That's a direct answer. Anyone with a different experience?

Metabilis3 · 04/06/2012 17:05

Well, my DD1 hopes to do music as a career. To be fair she doesn't just do music at school though and her first study instrument she doesn't actually learn at school. I went to a comp but all the years above me were grammar and several of the girls I knew at school went on to conservatoire and are still professional musicians today. Equally, I know several people who went to private school and who now make their living from music (ranging from performers to composers) so, the only thing you can take from that is that it's impossible to generalise.

Metabilis3 · 04/06/2012 17:07

Ah, sorry. That was obviously a specific question about those 3 or 4 schools rather than grammars in general. My only direct experience of music at those schools was being roped in whenever Trinity wanted to perform Noyes Fludde. Grin

SoupDragon · 04/06/2012 17:51

Speaking only from experience of Trinity, the difference musically I think would be the lessons they offer "in house" (for a fee though) and the seemingly endless array of opportunities to play in some kind of band, orchestra or quartet. And the choir.

SoupDragon · 04/06/2012 17:52

When I say In House I mean you don't have to do the lessons outside of school time as the teachers come in to teach on-site.

Hardboiled · 04/06/2012 18:53

Do grammars have in house instrumental lessons?

Metabilis3 · 04/06/2012 20:35

@hardboiled Of course they do. As do comprehensives too. The difference with Trinity of course is that it isn't even the best school for music in it's own road. Grin Wink

I mentioned above that my DD1 doesn't learn her first study instrument at school - that's only because she has lessons under a regional scheme (we don't live close enough to London for her to do a Saturday conservatoire thing). She does learn her second and fourth study instruments at school though. (the third study is also done outside school but this is due to personal preference as much as anything).

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