UK public school for 13 year old Canadian Chinese

[fatimash]

Hello we are moving from Toronto and have been looking at information of Alleyn's, Merchant Taylor Northwood, Albingdon and Sevenoaks. You could probably tell we aren't fussed about geography too much (as long as reasonably close to London) as we haven't found a house yet. However we are Canadian Chinese and would like son to be reasonably exposed to Chinese/Asian culture so that he doesn't lose his roots. We need school to be academically strong but not hothouse and promotes sporting virtues and espouses support for new students (son is not the most sociable kid). Any views on the above schools and any other names you would like to add ? Thanks.

Radley is a completely different kind of school - full boarding with no exceptions (you could keep living in canada and still send him!) and probably the least ethnically diverse school in the country thanks to an admissions policy that requires all but about 15 boys a year to have been put down on their list at birth. The other 15 boys have to be recommended by their prep school head which doesn't assist enormously with diversity as you can imagine. Although a few foreign kids make it in by this route they are usually English kids living abroad. There may be a Chinese face or two there but I didn't see any (or Indian or Pakistani or Japanese or Thai) when I was there looking round it for son 2 a couple of weeks ago.
Great school if you can cope with the homogeneity though!

If you are going to add whitgift to the list, you should look at Trinity too, the other Whitgift
Foundation boys school. Keen on Mandarin, sports & music, as academic as Whitgift and very down to earth. Perhaps marginally more difficult to get to than Whitgift but only slightly.

South London might not be a bad choice for you, as you would be within striking distance of several schools with 13+ intakes which could be suitable - Dulwich, Alleyns, Trinity, Whitgift. Check the school websites now for admissions timetables and how they run entrance exams and interviews for overseas candidates. Competition for places is quite strong, so somewhere where you have more that one option may well be worth it.

However we are Canadian Chinese and would like son to be reasonably exposed to Chinese/Asian culture so that he doesn't lose his roots.

I think that is why people haven't mentioned Radley! Great school though - we're signed up!
You would have to enter via a Wardens List place (the 15-20 places mentioned by celestial) though now. Great for creative arts, good pastoral,but is your ds is not too sociable, would full boarding be right for him???

You could also look at Hampton school or Epsom College.

Thanks to all for your inputs. I'm curious to know if any of you might consider your DS or DS to go to USA for uni and if so would you have knowledge on how widely accepted are A-level grades in America?

My elder DD is looking at university in Canada funnily enough!! They seem to really like A levels there (but you probably know that).
There is a long and increasing history of kids from the UK going to university in the US. They have to sit SATs as usual. I think the universities are familiar enough with the uk system - it is more important that the school you choose has experience of supporting kids through the US college application system- that is a question you should ask when looking at schools if it is a real possibility. Ask specifics - how many children applied to US schools in last 5 years, which ones, how many offers, how many going, which member of staff is responsible for SAT prep and US applications, how do they keep up to date etc. that will sort the schools who know what they are doing from the ones that just say "oh yes, we can do that"!

Hi celestialsquirrelnuts you helped me raise a question. When visiting school for the first should we be congenial towards the person that greets us knowing he/she is already rating the family at that point? Or must ask tough questions straight away. They will be very experienced with parents but I suppose should still be mindful of pressing too hard? Being in Canada for so long we might have gotten too used to American "in your face" influence so need to improvise to have more British subtlety. We don't want to ruin the opp for DS at the outset by appearing too crude.

Nice and polite to everyone of course but don't worry at all about asking tough questions. You are the customer here. They want on the ball, interested parents but in the long run they will be choosing your son on exam results and potential rather than choosing you.

Hi Bankholidaybaby I also want to find out more about the new headmaster at Merchant Taylors'. Any one has some insights perhaps?