Royal Russell School Croydon - anyone know it?

[Schmedz]

Very interested to hear from people with children in the seniors at RR or know children at RR. Is it as good as it appears to be? If you or fairness have children there, what have you found to be the strengths/weaknesses?

[PalomaZen]

I was also at RRS from 89 till 94. It wasn’t particularly academic but I got my GCSEs and went onto grammar for a levels

[z2020]

I have a friend whose son attends RR and he and she are very happy with it. He is into his 4th year there now... has great swimming facilities also also he reports back that their food tech tutor is great.

It is close to other "higher ranking" schools but shouldn't be ruled out because of that.... different school environments suit different children.

[JoJoSM2]

Delices, Glyn is an excellent comp. It’s a personal decision with regards to ‘is it worth the money’. Presumably, you’ve visited both schools so you’ll have an idea where you feel your son is likely to have more opportunities or a nicer experience. Also RR is coed and Glyn is boys only.

[Delices]

Hi we have applied and waiting to hear back re exam results, my son has been offered a scholarship of 15 % , but we live in Epsom and he will get a place at Glyn, an outstanding school, do you think RR is worth the money as we do not earn very much

[NotARegularPoster]

This is the oldest most out of date thread on RRS and should be removed for inaccuracy. Anyone who wants latest information please feel free to message me. I also commented on a recent thread started in Feb 2019 which you can find if you search by my few contributions to this forum.

[DivM]

V12Oracle - My son has got through both Royal Russell and Cedars and some advise from you will help as yourds kids have been to both

[MrJH]

''I'm always astonished that people will pay 100K for school fees when there are state schools in the area which get better results for children from across the ability range .''


@minifingerz - I don't understand why you're astonished. Royal Russell (and Trinity in Shirley to a certain extent) mainly consist of children of parents residing in the leafy parts of the Croydon borough who refuse to send their children to a comprehesive school/academy with other children from deprived areas such as Waddon, Addington and Thornton Heath. It's called ''white flight''! Sad but true!

[maz99]

RRS is not worth the nearly £6K a term fee... definitely not when more academically superior schools are charging the same amount.

£6K is a lot to pay for just ‘naice’ school...

[StuckInCustoms]

I’m a former student (70s-80s). I feel very fortunate to have had the privilege of going there. But is it any good? Well, I’ve done pretty well out of it - I’ve had a successful career that saw me found and sell a business and get headhunted by the United Nations. I’m not super rich, but I’ve also not really needed to work since my 40s - at least not for money - I only do so today to help the causes I feel strongly about.

Let’s put this academic question to bed - in my day RRS may not have been the best, but it was wholly sufficient - I have three academic degrees in three very different disciplines, but academic success wasn’t what got me to where I am today. When I look back, I place equal value in the pastoral care, international experience, and growing up in beautiful grounds with fantastic extra curricular activities. These have been hugely important in shaping my life and who I am today.

In my day, pastoral care was about having access to the masters out of hours and being included in their families with their children. One master introduced us to philosophy and novels written by the existentialists and this expanded our young minds far more than the national curriculum. It matured our thinking well beyond our years.

I once considered doing an MBA, and was quite amused by the top schools defining an international experience as being in a class with 20 nationalities, because at RRS I counted 50 nationalities by the time I left....which was very enriching. Also, practical as I’ve used these international contacts for serious business activities.

Growing up with my friends in vast beautiful grounds made me value nature, the outdoors, aesthetics, freedom and independence. And while it’s not guaranteed to feed a family, it’s more than enough to feed the soul. And the confidence it instills, rubs off on the people around you....your team, your bosses, your employees - it doesn’t go unnoticed.

I’m always amused when parents pick elite schools because they think they’re buying their child a ticket to Oxbridge. It doesn’t work that way.

If your child is gifted Oxbridge material, then they will succeed regardless of which school they go to. It just so happens that schools with the best reputations attract the best pupils - and that’s the only reason why a score of their students get into Oxbridge every year. But, the best students will get into the best universities regardless of which school they attend.

Today, RRS is academically far better than in my day, but even if it’s still not the most academic school you could send your children to (I’ve no idea), don’t let that mislead - bright kids can thrive there too. What it does exceptionally well is provide an environment that will stimulate their minds in ways that are equally important for creating rounded individuals who will flourish in the real world.

[sparky404]

Thank you! Very grateful for other views. I loved the setting but did get the impression it was quite liberal/relaxed compared with say Cumnor House..... I have my eye on Wilsons so RR maybe isn't the best option

[RockyBird]

My brother went there but quickly moved to Cumnor House (90s).

[maz99]

Sparky404, the junior school does not teach to 11+ levels. Parents there have to tutor their children themselves or get a tutor to prepare them for 11+ exams. Also, quite a few boys leave the school at the end of year 5 for 10+ entry to Whitgift or Trinity.

The bottom line is that the junior school does not teach to 11+ standard.

[wintersbranches]

I went there! Danny, I must know you!

[sparky404]

I am looking at RR for my two-year old (to join the nursery which is now their standard entry point) but am a bit concerned by the comments about it not being particularly academic. Is this a historic view or still the case? Very grateful for current views. Also any advice on other sources of information when researching schools beyond the independent schools guide and word of mouth? Thanks in advance

[minifingerz]

I was there a long time ago (1980's).

Always expecting to open the newspaper and see that someone has reported historical sex abuse at the school dating back to that time. I'm sure it's vastly better than it was when I was a pupil, but god, there were some very odd people working there in the 1980's.

I'm always astonished that people will pay 100K for school fees when there are state schools in the area which get better results for children from across the ability range.

And it's not like the area isn't awash with out of school sports clubs/theatre groups/scouts/music groups etc.

[frazzledsouthlondon]

Royal Russell is a very good school. My DC is in the senior school and I have nothing but praise for the school. It provides the right amount of academic challenge for a range of abilities, backed up by a very good level of pastoral support and a whole range of activities. My DCs self esteem has grown impressively during the time at the school. It might not achieve the academic success of Trinity but it takes a much broader intake of ability. The recent ISI report in Summer 2016 the school as outstanding in all categories which was very well deserved. I would recommend it to any parent who values children's self development alongside 'headline' academic success. It is certainly worth visiting to find out more for yourself.

[frazzledsouthlondon]

Royal Russell is a very good school. My DC is in the senior school and I have nothing but praise for the school. It provides the right amount of academic challenge for a range of abilities, backed up by a very good level of pastoral support and a whole range of activities. My DCs self esteem has grown impressively during the time at the school. It might not achieve the academic success of Trinity but it takes a much broader intake of ability. The recent ISI report in Summer 2016 the school as outstanding in all categories which was very well deserved. I would recommend it to any parent who values children's self development alongside 'headline' academic success. It is certainly worth visiting to find out more for yourself.

[thepupil2001]

Royal Russell is not a good school at not worth the money. My friends son told us not to go there saying he got bullied. And he says that it is not worth the money. They are not good at academics. If you want a good school in the area go to Trinity

[maz99]

As an ex-parent of RR (left end of Y6), I would say that your DC wouldn't be academically challenged any more than they would be in a state school.

The school definitely does not stretch the more able or even support the less capable.

My advice - save your money for tutors or an independent senior school (not RR).

[user1469867511]

V12Oracle, I have two young children and looking for options in and around Croydon. At the moment, we are due to visit RRS but curious to see how other parents would rate it. I understand the comments about the school not being very academically focussed. At this point, I am not sure whether that is a good thing or not as my children are too young for me to understand whether they will be academically inclined or not.

I would love to hear of your experience of RRS.

[AveEldon]

Not a parent or ex parent but it doesn't have a reputation as academically challenging tbh

[nikidi]

would love some insight on how RR is from current parents or ex parents.

considering for DDs ages 8 and 9. Looking for a academically challenging but well rounded education ..so not being a hot house is a positive for us.

[V12Oracle]

I am an ex-parent of Royal Russell School and a current parent of The Cedars School.

Reading the above comments there is clearly a lot of guess work here regarding both schools and very little factual commentary.

If you have any question regarding either school I will answer honestly.

[Danny355]

Seeing some slightly bizarre comments about bursarys and behavioral problems so just posting a few thoughts to give a different perspective. I went to RRS from '91 to '97, I hated having to go to school like any sane person does but looking back I feel very lucky to have gone there. The grounds were fantastic, looking at google maps I estimate we walked a mile every single day just getting around to and from lessons. The fact that it doesn't have the same academic focus as some of the other schools nearby shouldn't be taken as a negative IMO. In my year there were people who left with 10 GCSEs at a A*/A/B level (Which were very good results then) and there were people that left with 3 E grades to their name and everything in between. Your friends would typically be a mix of all of them, which I think gives you a pretty good foundation for life and interacting with the world. We had fun and I'm still very good friends with the people I went to school with. Some of them have gone on to very successful careers earning £200k+ at 35, but the main thing is all of them are happy. Another great thing is it was mixed and it has weekly and full time borders so you end up meeting and becoming friends with so many different types of people. There must have been 20 different nationalities in my year. Just to reply to the behavior comment quickly, I would definitely have been one of the more rebellious pupils and I can honestly say there were very few bad apples and nothing all that interesting to report in terms of behavioral problems, sorry! I hope the new head doesn't make it too academic because that was never really the point of RRS. I would totally recommend the place.

[Sthlonmum]

Working

Your argument about it being terrible seems based on the fact their bursaries are low. Remember they don't have the strong foundation and financial position of Whitgift and Trinity. It is worth checking out this summer's results- best ever at Gcse and A level. This may be because the new Head is starting t make his mark. My view is that it is a great school for the right sort of child- as Ladymuck and GetmeOut have indicated. Terrible is such a strong word- you must have your reasons but I hope other parents aren't misled by you