Boys' or mixed indie schools near(ish) surbiton

[papalazaru]

We will be moving to Surbiton next summer as a result of a job move. Right now I'm trying to identify schools for my DS who will start secondary in 2013. So far I've got KGS, Reeds, CLFS, Claremont Fan ..... Any more? Where do the boys in this area go to school? I don't want him travelling miles/hours and feel it would be nice to have some school friends at least nearby.

Hampton?

You will have missed the registration date for the January exams (assuming starting year 7 in 2013) though I'm sure the schools are flexible about this.

How academic is DS? Kings College Wimbledon is great but obviously very academic and difficult to get into. Ibstock is another co-ed alternative and also Ewell Castle - all boys. Could get on the train to RGS Guildford from Surbiton - very easy journey as well.

I have sons at one of the schools you mention.
The schools are quite different, and will depend on your child.
Reeds not known for being very academic, but has fantastic sports dpt. Is mainly boarding, a bit of a pain to get to from Surbiton. He would have to get train to Oxshot and walk. Quite an expensive school.
Kgs would be very easy to get to. Co-Ed, so less of the macho attitude some all male establishments have. Kgs is highly academic and full of high flyers. Sports wise if you like rowing and hockey you are in luck ( several gold medal rowing olympians stem from here) other sports not so prevalent.
Hampton, fairly big school, all boys, it does well academically and with sport too. Has very nice grounds. A bit of a pain to get to, but plenty of coaches,mixes with LEH girls school next door.
Claremont is a lovely school, is moving up the rankings in academia, but not yet at the level of schools mentioned above. Co-Ed, not very sporty, excellent for kids with mild dyslexia, have a very good ethos. Amazing grounds easy to get to from Surbiton (school bus) There are a few famous faces among the parents.
Kings Wimbledon. Very academic, easy to get to on train.
St Johns Fantastic school, but is really for boarding, the day pupils seem to miss out a bit.
Rgs Guildford. Listed in the top 50 schools in the country. They are highly selective, looking for a boy who is clever, but independent, who is sporty and wants to join all the activities. A fantastic school but very difficult to get in to.
If you want any more info pm me

Emmanuel is a short walk from Clapham Junction, which is a short train journey from Surbiton. Difficult for parents to attend for concerts etc but v simple if you are working in London as can stop off on way home. Their website states however they will not be taking any additional registrations as 500 candidates have already registered.

Harrodian? Similar journey as Ibstock but catch public bus from Barnes Bridge rather than school bus.

Radnor house in Twickenham?

Really bad luck not to have received news of transfer a month earlier when registrations were still open. Good luck.

What about sending him to a prep school as they might have spaces with boys leaving for 11+ schools and then he will be able to sit common entrance at 13 for KCS etc? Shrewsbury House might have space.

Thanks everyone. I know the timing is a nightmare! Some schools I've contacted have been helpful and will arrange for him to sit the tests at his school here despite having missed the cut off and others have said wait until March for the second round of exams.
DS is very bright in the language arts & science, not so much maths :( I think his tests will look pretty spiky. He is not sporty AT ALL - although he does swim pretty well.
I think Harrodian is a bit too far out, same with Ibstock and Emmanuel so I'll call KCS, St Johns and RGS tomorrow.
Radnor House looks very interesting - not sure how easy it would be to get to from Surby though....
Ahhhh decisions decisions - and I feel like I am flying blind as we haven't even visited any one of the schools!

Sorry Eastpoint - just saw your post about prep. The nearby ones to Surby are put off by his lack of French and Latin. So have either said 'no thanks' or that we would have to tutor him over the summer to bring him up to speed. Danes Hill have been helpful though.

Which language does your son do now? If he is at a reasonable level of Spanish he will be able to pick up another language easily as he will be used to learning vocab etc.

My DS played Danes Hill at rugby when he was younger & it seemed a happy school with great facilities.

I've just had a look at the overground map, what about Hampton Court School? That goes through to 16 and he would be joining the middle school (9-13yrs). It is only 2 stops from Surbiton & 5 minutes walk from Hampton Court station.

When I say he learns Spanish - that's a very loose description..... I'm not sure he can count to 20!

What's the skinny on Hampton Court House? It seems unusual and quirky but quite interesting.....

Ewell castle? Be interested to hear views as its not in the good schools guide.

Ewell Castle is for the less-academically-able child, shall we say.

St George's Weybridge is not far away, and co-ed very popular, not my cup of tea personally.

Easiest indies from Surbiton are:
KGS - mixed - very near you.
Hampton - boys - school bus direct from Surbiton
Kings - very academic - boys only - train to Wimbledon. This is an Eton group school.
RGS Guildford - boys only - very academic - train takes 45 mins

I have a friend whose children thrived at Hampton Court school but many people are very critical of it. It's not conventional.

There's also Emmanuel, Whitgift, Radnor House, Claremont, Halliford, Reeds, St Georges. We're spoiled for choice of good indies round Surbiton. You'll find somewhere, I'm sure.

You've missed the deadline for 13+ too now, as it had to be submitted at the same time as 11+. But you're only a few days past the deadline for several of these schools. I'd be really surprised if several schools weren't sympathetic and extended the deadline for you. You haven't missed any exam dates.

St. John's, Hampton and Halliford - how easy are they to get to from Surbiton? Does anyone know if they run school transport?
I also like the look of Radnor House but they definitely don't have transport and it doesn't look so easy to get to.
Do 11 year olds travel by themselves on public transport to school anymore? I know I did but that's a while ago now ;). We live in a quiet, sleepy suburb so I'm not sure how dreamy DS will cope - probably have to pick him up from the bus depot a few times :)
Thanks again for all help with what must seem like daft questions .... This is so trcky to do from overseas so all insights are very welcome.

yes 11-year-olds take public transport alone to school.

St Johns have a bus from Wimbledon www.stjohnsleatherhead.co.uk/coachservices

Hampton have numerous buses, including one from Surbiton: www.lehs.org.uk/uploads/1/LEH_Coach_routes_PDF_page_1.pdf

Halliford appear not to have one: www.hallifordschool.co.uk/the-school/travel/. Suggested route would either be two public buses, or a train to Walton-on-thames from Surbiton then a bus.

Quite a few local boys go to Halliford, the school bus goes from the Hampton Court Way, or you can pick up the train from Kingston - lots of boys including my neighbours do.

DS's prep is quite near Radnor, his school runs a bus this way in the mornings but the 281 bus runs from Surbiton to Twickenham, and he gets that home, with other boys who live this way. The buses are very frequent and fairly quick, it's not a bad journey if you're near a bus stop.

I have looked at the school buses for St Johns,Epsom and CLFS for DD at 13+, we are Long Ditton and they all seem to go from around the Shell Garage on the Hinchley Wood bypass very early, and come back quite late. It's not walkable to Surbiton so you would have to pick up or he could catch K9? to Surbiton. I've pretty much ruled these out because of this, and have resigned myself to boarding fees if DD wants to move. But, they are all really good schools.

The KCS bus runs through Ditton Hill (DS starts there next September). St Pauls/Colet Court also run a bus through Long Ditton and Surbiton. The Hampton bus also runs along Ditton Hill, but only stops at the top of the hill, one of the many reasons DS chose KCS.

There is a lot of choice and you will find other families in the area making similar journeys that you can share lifts with.

Everyone I know with children at Radnor is very happy with it, there is a huge amount of respect for the staff who have set it up from local preps etc. It may be a good option for you because being new its unproven, so less popular than the established schools, but long-term it will do very well. It is "boy heavy", by virtue of replacing a boys school and being opposite a girls school.

Racing Heart has given you a pretty good list, all I would add is I would bold and underline the "not conventional" for HCH.