SWPS (Sir William Perkins) Chertsey - PLEASE BE HONEST!

[trickynicky]

We are just thinking about schools for dd for entrance September 2015 and have been to look at a number of schools including SHS, KG, LEH, etc We were struck by SWPS as a distinct possibility but have heard really varying reviews.

Our dd is currently at a good Prep School and we understand she stands a good chance of getting in (although we know there are no guarantees!). She is (I would say) above average academically within her year group at the prep and previously we turned down offers for Year 2 from SHS and LEH and chose a prep instead which we don't regret. We are not super-pushy parents and we are definitely not super-rich so we are looking for a place where ultimately she'll be happy and achieve her potential, whilst being given lots of different opportunities.

She is very sporty - and is confident, outgoing and seems to have plenty of friends.

Please can someone tell me truthfully the PROS and CONS of SWPS. We have heard lots of good things about academic achievements and the girls we met on a recent tour seemed happy and confident. On the down side, have heard it's very expensive with things added to bills left, right and centre. Have heard the pastoral care is not strong (which did not strike us when we went round). The facilities look really good as far as I can see... was a bit worried about whether there were enough sporting opportunities or focus on that for our dd.

ANY information/thoughts gratefully received.

Thank you.

Bump! Anyone?

My daughter is starting at SWPS in Sept. I have heard good things about SWPS. The head is leaving at the end of this term but the staff are excited about the new head teacher. I have not heard of any extra fees yet except for the school trips which i understand is optional. A few of my ds friends are going there as well. Most of the parents I have met, have told me that they have no regrets sending their daughters there. I will keep u updated of any extra fees.

Thank you very much! We were also really impressed when we looked round. The girls were really lovely and whilst achieving well academically it didn't strike me as a really pushy school in that respect.
Could I ask - how were the entrance exams? I'm now getting a little worried she may not get in as I know LOADS of people who are planning on applying... many thanks...

The entrance exams went well for my daughter, she went to prep school, so she had been prepared for the exams. She said it was relaxing and easy 4 her. She took two other entrance exams, Tormead and St George's College Addlestone and she said it was the easiest out of the 3, however she did prepare a lot and put in extra effort for the exams. The head teacher said that about 296 girls took the exam and they had spaces for 96 aprox. We were told at SWPS open day that your daughter should not have to take extra tuition but many girls do have extra tuition but most parents do not like saying it. You really don't have to worry if your daughter is doing well in school and she is above average.

It does seem to becoming a very popular school! They have taster days coming up. Is your daughter registered?

My daughter left SWPS last year and I can honestly say that if I had my time again I wouldn't even look at any other school. She was very timid when she started, but the nurturing care is amazing, and she has grown into a lovely young woman, getting into a top Uni and with excellent outlook on life, all thanks to the school. Results are incredible but not done in a pushy way. She enjoyed herself so did really well. Trips go onto the bill but you'd expect that anywhere, so they certainly don't rip you off. Don't know where some of those rumours have come from. Simply not true. And if you haven't got a place on the Taster Days, you have missed out! They are always oversubscribed as the place is so popular ( and getting more and more so), that if you get offered a place after the entrance exam I would grab it. It has really come into its own during recent years. Lots of my friends dd there and they have the same view, with very different children.

Thank you very much for that swiper. Yes, she is booked onto a taster day in June. My daughter has very mild dyslexia which really only affects her spelling. She's in a prep school and I think will be well prepared. She's in the top set for everything, including English but I think I'm a bit worried that her spelling may hold her back in the tests. I know that the prep will advise the school of this but it's not so bad that that she has to have extra time or anything. I am hoping that SWPS will see past this although probably I'm more concerned (it appears) than her English teacher who doesn't think it will be a problem. I know that my daughter is already very keen on this school and if she goes for the taster day will probably fall in love with it and so it will be a hard wait to see if she gets offered a space!

Could I ask whether your daughter did a lot of sport? My daughter is really sporty and does a lot of sport for her school at the moment - very keen to see her continue with this!
Thanks so much.

My 3 DDs are there and they all love it.

The entrance exam doesn't particularly favour prep school candidates.

They are given a comprehension passage, which they reply to or build on in creative writing (my DD was asked to write a letter to one of the characters). They also do a maths paper. It should be a breeze for anyone on target for NC5. There's no VR/NVR papers, nor interviews.

The Year 7 residential is one night at the PGL centre near Guildford. I think the cost was in the region of £30. The only other Y7 residential is the trip to Picardy, this half-term, which DD hasn't gone on. I recall three other educational visits in Year 7, each of which was around £25.

The school really pushes their extra-curricular programme. There are lots of sporting and musical opportunities. The difference between prep schools and a large senior school is that they have to try out for teams and audition for choir and orchestra, so may be disappointed not to get into the firsts. However, there are plenty of non-competitive sports, and training orchestras. All Year 7s are in the Y7 choir.

The school really talks up their music, but this is one area where I am not that impressed. There are a lot of talented girls, and they are not always given the best opportunities to perform. A lot of the concerts are voluntary and run by the older girls rather than staff. The school choir is undisciplined, IMHO.

You don't really need to worry about the competition for a place. While there might be 3x as many applicants as spaces, a lot of girls will apply for 3 or 4 schools, and some might be using SWPS as an insurance policy should they not get into what their parents perceive to be a good state school.

Great Information there Eghamite. This year 7 first trip is no longer residential. We have to pay £56 for a day trip now. Not happy to hear about the music and that talented girls not given the opportunity to perform. I hope this changes with the new head teacher.

That's a shame. The Saturday night disco was the highlight for my DD. It also featured in most of the school photos that they showed at the Welcome Evening the following week.