Opinions on secondary schools in West London/Richmond?

[DarkBlueEyes]

Hello, I'm new to Mumsnet. I've spent the last half an hour or so searching here and on the local site to see if I can find a recent thread on Richmond secondary schools, State and Private, but I've come up empty handed. Can some kind soul point me in the right direction? :)

Or alternatively, if there's nothing recent, can you offer any opinions? I have a daughter in year 5 at Queen's, so it's all becoming frighteningly real. I'm considering both state and private. There is so much choice it's almost overwhelming so I'd be grateful for any views.

Thanks all x

Lots of stuff on Mumsnet local, and often on these national pages too. Best to search by school name.

head over to the mumsnet local Richmond and find the long running schools thread. Or name some schools you are interested in, state, faith, private etc.

It dependents where in the borough you live I didn't want the local catchment school & put down the next closest just over a mile away and we didn't get it and got offered a failing academy everything like the rest of London is over subscribed . I don't get why they give u 6 choices when you only really stand a chance getting the local school . But thankfully we are all sorted for sept just glad I only had to go thru it once its way too stressful !!.

Hmmm, obviously I am missing something as I've looked on the Local Richmond Mumsnet. I did find a long thread about education (over 700 posts!) but nothing about specific schools. I will try again! Thanks so much so far for your replies. Teddingtonmum1 we are in Kew but I am looking at schools far and wide!

Huge choice makes it scary!
I found it a tad overwhelming.
Can list all the private ones within commuting distance but it depends what you are looking for?
Grammar is tiffin girls in Kingston.
Not sure re others but am sure lots are.

If your looking for state I wouldn't bother as you'll only get offered the one in your doorstep if its less than a mile away !! Heard good things about Richmond park ?, I'm in Teddington so don't know about your side of the borough are u looking at state Indys or grammars ? Good luck it was the most stressful 6 months of my life .but mn just about kept me sane ... Someone will be along from your side of the borough to enlighten u no doubt

Thanks ladies :) So far I have visited/heard talks from:
LEH
Notting Hill and Ealing
Surbiton
St Catherine's
Radnor House*
Christ's*
Richmond Park Academy
Putney High
Sir Richard Reynolds*

Have discounted those with * and Notting Hill in doubt due to travel (especially if that damned Brentford Stadium is built!).

Not considering
Tiffin
Kingston Grammar
The Green School

Pretty sure I'm not considering
Latymer Upper
Latymer and Godolphin

Would love to consider but not a snowball's
Waldegrave

So I guess I'm probably after more in depth comments on:
LEH
Surbiton
St Catherine's
Putney High

from anyone who has a daughter at any of those schools? Good, bad or indifferent!

DBE!

Why are you discounting Christ's if your DC is also at a CofE school and it is local? There aren't many CofE primary schools on this side of the borough to feed into its foundation places so I would be surprised there isn't a big cohort from your year going.

If you considering Richmond Park Academy (and I think those two are the realistic choices where you are) there's a thread here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/1974722-Richmond-state-secondaries-Christs-Richard-Reynolds-RPA-Greycourt-vs-west-London-independents-advice-please

There are regular threads about independent schools too.

Have a look at LondonSchooling.com for a good overview of secondary schools in Richmond. It covers both state and private schools.

Ikkenu, thabk you so much for the link to that thread, that was exactly what is had hoped to find. Clearly my search skills require a bit of work, as I wasn't able to find it. To answer your question, I have discounted Christs as I was completely underwhelmed by the school. I thought the head seemed very nice but wasn't very aspirational, and one of the first comments she made at the presentation to prospective parents was along the lines of... We will give your children a good education but we do expect that you will get them to school on time and wearing the correct uniform. ....

That was a major red flag to me. Also my friend's daughter started there this year and moved (luckily to an amazing school) after about three weeks, and is so much happier.

You are right, there is a large cohort from our school who go there, and in many ways I wish it was an amazing school like Waldegrave, but I'm just not impressed enough. Having said that, if she did end up going there I'm sure she would do well (dusts off whip) and it would all be fine. I must think we could do better for her, though I completely get that everyone's experience will be different.

That doesn't sound too bad to me - what put me off at Christ's was seeing the previous headmaster saying a prayer at the open day. It reinforced the ethos of a CofE school (although he is a Catholic and now the head of St Richard Reynolds) and that didn't appeal to me personally. Which is why I assumed that it should suit those pupils from CofE and even Catholic primaries. But I thought it was nice in other ways - happy children, good music facilities, caring atmosphere, and I know others who have been very please with it.

pleased

I heard him speak to prospective parents of Sir .richard Reynolds last week and totally get what you mean!

LEH and Putney High are both much more academic than the others, St Catherine's is pretty mediocre IMO and pastoral care not great either (close friend moving her dd as has been less than impressed)

Don't know Surbiton at all, sorry

We have friends with a son at Radnor and they're very happy with it btw

LEH and Putney High extremely academically selective. Surbiton less so, but offer generous scholarships especially if you are sporty.

Don't know St Catherine's.

See you also had NHEHS ..if you like GDST schools, have you considered Wimbledon High (depending on where you are living it could be easily accessible)?

Other options might include Ibstock Place (has been improving in recent years and we gave friends with kids there who are very happy), the new secondary school owned by the Kew Green Prep people (don't know much about it), and Twyford (CoE school that some Queen's kids go to - excellent school but you need to be super active in your local Anglican Church to have any chance to get in).

I think Notting Hill & Ealing school is too hard from Kew, having made that rough trip in the past.

Putney, LEH, etc are all good schools, so the choices can be overwhelming. Good to focus on your own DD and her temperament/abilities. Eg, LEH is pretty competitive - may not suit all. We have friends who sent both girls there - first one thrived there, the second struggled.

I think Wimbledon high would be really difficult to get to, and agree that NHE is also tricky, though there are loads who do it from Kew. However, it means tube + bus and I think that's a bit much really.

It IS difficult isn't it? For every person who says St Catherines is mediocre, there are other who love it and say the pastoral care is excellent. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that no school is 100% perfect and there will always be some who love it and some who hate it! Which is not exactly helpful.....

My daughter is sensitive and lacks confidence but seems to be perfectly able. I have a question mark as to whether LEH might crush her but the anecdotal evidence from all the girls I've spoken to is that there is lots of support and the pressure isn't overt.

All opinions are so helpful and thank you all for taking the time to comment.

Oh MLP I have discounted the new Kew Green prep for two reasons: utterly pants location/lack of outdoor space, and it's so new it's not proven yet. I'm not that brave!!!

Also in SW London, and have considered Radnor House (dd loved it, I liked the Head and the ethos very much, but it is very small space-wise...but in any case, probably too far). Also, Emanuel (dd and I both quite liked it, but not hugely excited) and Richmond Park Academy. Which, to my surprise, I really have a pull to - pastorally, and because they are very much on the up: a good, and exciting, place to be. I know they push able pupils, too, which dd probably is.

My niece is at Putney High, and loves it so far - she is, apparently, in a particularly nice year group (so the teachers say to her parents) so has great friends already.

I don't like some aspects of Ibstock's ethos at all, so not for me.

Not Church, and a bit further away, so not Christ's.