South West London Secondary Schools, I am stumped.

[QuintessentialShadows]

My mind is spinning with the schools "of choice", and I am hoping somebody with actual knowledge will tell me a little bit:

St Celia
Ashcroft Technology College
John Bosco College

Christs

Gunnersbury Catholic school for boys

Wimbledon College

Kingston Grammar
Ibstock Place
Emanuel School
Kings College Wimbledon

I have a spread sheet, and I am trying to jot down important info, and plan visits. But I just feel that my mind has frozen, and I reach for coffee and chocolate, and neither help....

[QuintessentialShadows]

When is RPA open day, do you know?

[greengrape]

RPA open day is Wednesday 3 October 6.15-8.30pm. But they also have open mornings Tuesdays and Thursdays 9.10-11.15am, until 25 October.

Christ's open evening is Wednesday 26 September 6.30-9.00pm.

[Elibean]

I might actually go to an RPA open day....so that I can compare it this year and next year, to see what direction its headed in and how fast, iyswim? I did speak to one of dd1's classmates' mums today - who has a Y6 boy - and she wasn't keen. But I'd like to see for myself.

Quint, Emanuel sounds interesting - my neice is looking at it, along with Putney High and Latymer. I would look at it for dd1, and she is very keen on art/design so that all sounds good! Not remotely sporty though

[singersgirl]

Feedback from new RPA starters from DS's year very positive so far!

[basildonbond]

weirdly, the one child I know at Ashcroft started there part-way through Y9 after having been 'asked to leave' his previous school because of a string of incidents of appalling behaviour. He is a real oddball, complete non-conformist and he loves it at Ashcroft - much happier than before ...

[Elibean]

That's encouraging, singersgirl

[QuintessentialShadows]

We will definitely go to both RPA and Christ open days.

We went to Gunnersbury last night, and my son loved it. However, we did not get to hear the headmasters address as my son became really unwell with bad stomach cramps and dh ended up taking him to A&E. (Turns out he has a bug)

But it is a long way to travel from here, two buses, I reckon it will be over an hour each way. We will apply, but it is heavily oversubscribed, so we may not be in with a chance.

[QuintessentialShadows]

To be honest, I would love for RPA to be a fab school, it has beautiful grounds, and is nearby! It is encouraging to hear good feedback, Singersgirl.

[dippingbackin]

Barry - interested to know why you wouldn't want to work at Ashcroft having only been there for the open evening?

[QuintessentialShadows]

Totally loving St Cecilia after our second open day visit. The boys also liked it. It is growing on me.

[QuintessentialShadows]

Did anyone else go and see Hampton School today?

[florenceuk]

Have been to Hampton before - what did you think?

[QuintessentialShadows]

We really liked it. I am wondering if it is too posh. Had the same feeling regards to KCS, so have not registered there yet. Also all their school trips seem forbiddingly expensive. Not sure I can afford to fund my son going to places like Brazil, Borneo, Egypt, etc. Their coach is over £300 per month, and Lunches over 200, so in all, it seems very pricey. They also say 75% of their students are selected from state primary background.

[JetJungle]

Quint, lunch and coach charges are per term and not per month (still expensive, but not as eyewatering).

I pick and choose which exotic trips to send my son on. No way does he go to them all. He fully accepts this and there is no problem with he fact that he does not do them all.
Most of the parents I have met from Hampton are in the same boat i.e. working hard to afford the fees and having to decide what they can and can't afford.

My son was from a state primary.

BTW have you considered St Marks in Hounslow?

[QuintessentialShadows]

That is reassuring to hear Jet, did your son take long to settle?

It occurs to me that in a school like this, it takes over your life and becomes your life. The family unit will just be a place to eat supper and sleep!

Not sure how I feel about that?

Did you have any feeling of losing your boy to the school?

[FamiliesShareGerms]

Quick question,if I can slightly hijack the thread: when do you need to start seriously deciding which secondary school to aim for? DS is only in Y2, so I know we've got a while. But a couple of his school friends are starting tutoring for entrance exams already (!!) and the whole pre-registering for exams thing presumably means you can't just start at the beginning of Yr6...

[castlesintheair]

FamiliesShareGerms, For independents, unless you are trying to get in at 7/8+ you apply usually in the Summer/Autumn before the 11+, so start of Year 6 or end Year 5 if you are that organised. Some schools offer the 10+ so you apply for that in Autumn of Year 5. Personally, unless you are sitting the 7/8+ I don't think you should be worrying about which school or tutoring in Year 2. (My reasonably bright but extremely lazy DS started having some tutoring in Feb of Year 5 so just under 1 year before 11+ and term-time only. Any more than that and I think he would have spontaneously combusted.) For Grammars you usually apply in Summer of Year 5 and sit sometime during start of Year 6. State secondares you apply via council in Autumn term of Year 6. HTH.

Quint, I know several boys/children at Hampton, KGS, Latymer and they all seem to arrive home (Richmond) around 4/4.30 so not too bad? I've heard the biggest shock is adjusting to homework especially if they come from state primaries but by end of Year 7 they are pretty settled. As I've probably said before, I've never heard of an unhappy boy at Hampton. Wistful sigh.

I'm pleased to hear good things from new joiners at RPA. I think in a couple of years it will be the (state) school to be reckoned with in the area. The marketing is something else: my Year 6 DS is going to spend the afternoon there on Monday "doing sport". A great tactic for luring them in imo.

[JetJungle]

No feelings of losing my boy to the school as such, but certainly losing him to homework! He has a busy sporting life, which helped ease him into the new school but it also meant that we had to be super organised to juggle school, homework and sports commitments.

My DS found the first few weeks overwhelming (they get a lot of homework) and there were tears once or twice, but it was more about learning to be organised then any actual issue with settling into the school. I helped him plan, prepare kits, schedule times for sports and school work and I still check his homework planner everyday which really helps. He is heavily reliant on our Google calendar (he sets reminders that sound on his mobile).

I know it sounds like hard work but I think time management is such an important life skill, and I am glad he is getting to grips with it now.

Families, I can only talk about Hampton, but I started preparing my son in Y5 for entrance at 11+ but it does depend on which schools you are considering. Hampton also has an entrance at 10+ which you may have to start prepping earlier for, I am not sure. When I say prepping all I mean is getting DS to do some Bond papers.

[marriedinwhite]

No to tutoring. Our DS went to KCS after Y3 when he was 8. We did not tutor. He went from a state primary. IMO if they can't get into schools like KCS or St Pauls without tutoring then you should be looking somewhere less academic. DS has never felt in the least bit pressured and I would say homework has never been remotely onerous. Once in the senior school (13) he has never been home before 4.45 and on a training/match nights much later.

There was a comment about not wanting the school to take over a boy's life. School is such a large part of a boy's life that if you are not happy enough for the school to take over, you shouldn't send the boy to that school. It doesn't take over life entirely for us, but we have a girl too and I would say that the organising involved with keeping on top of the requirements of two different schools and two very different children, does take over to a large extent. It is very time consuming but we work full-time and there is a limit in relationt to the extent of our involvement.

[greengrape]

Agree on tutoring, I don't know anyone in DD's state school who has had a tutor before Y5 - aiming for two or three terms' practice for 11+ tests - unless they needed specific catch-up, or help with dyslexia etc. There is often plenty of free enrichment available, e.g. clubs, Mathletics, Battle of the Books competitions.

For school choices, the trend seems to be: just keeping an eye on local schools (like RPA or other improving schools), doing a few visits Y5 and visiting with DCs in Y6.

[QuintessentialShadows]

My sons tutor usually takes children who wants tutoring for entry into an independant secondary from Christmas Y5 onwards, and term time only.

We opted to tutor him to bridge the gap between him and his class mates. We had been away for 3 years, and he had to start over in Year 1 (Norwegian school is Y1-Y7) aged 6 as this is when they start school in Norway, the school refused to let him into a class above his year group, as they wanted him to be with his peer group as he was not socially mature enough they felt. He was in a mixed Y1 and Y2 so completed Y2 work, but they did not want to move him up to Y3 at the end of the first school year.

He had completed Y2 Maths curriculum by Christmas the year he joined his class, and then they started holding him back. This meant that when we returned to the UK, he was literally just at British Y3 level. He ended Y5 above national average for everything, as he is a bright boy who understands concepts very quickly. With the help of a tutor, and lots of reading he was able to catch up fast.

But I know some parents opted to take their children out of the school in Y5 and moved them to independent schools, so they could stay on there until the 13+, avoiding the issue of 11+ entrance exams.

[FamiliesShareGerms]

Thanks all. I find it really sad that 6 yo are being tutored. And to be clear, these aren't kids who are struggling to keep pace, or super bright kids who need some additional stimulation, they are normal kids who are being tutored in order to get them into a good secondary school...

We are certainly not going to go down that route. And will put worrying about schools off for a couple of years!

[MrsSalvoMontalbano]

QS - have not read the whole thread, so apologies if i am repeating something or mentioning somewhere you have discounted. And you probably don't want an even wider choice . Have you considered 'The Hall' in Wimbledon? I know two boys locally who went there (we are in Sheen), they were lovely boys, not very confident, and not terrific social skills, and would not have enjoyed a more robust school - they have thrived there. Also Emmanuel - brilliant school - DS was offered a very attractive non means tested scholarship there, and we would have been delighted for him to go there, but he wanted to go to his elder bro's school... (Which as it sems to eb the only ne not on your list, I am now worried and fearing may be the coke-head one you referred to - would be grateful if youcould Pm me the law - I am not a libel laywer, promise!
DS has good friend at Ashcroft, nice boy, loves it there.

[MrsSalvoMontalbano]

sorry the name, not 'the law'

[QuintessentialShadows]

MrsSalvo, I have never heard about The Hall, but will check it out now! Thanks!

6 year olds need to play!