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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

North London schools (boys/mixed)

22 replies

sleepwhenidie · 20/04/2015 23:45

Please does anyone have any recent experience that they could tell me about North Bridge House, King Alfred's or William Ellis Schools? We are looking at secondaries for Ds1 who is bright but not so much that he is likely to get into the more competitive private secondaries...Mill Hill has been recommended as a good fit but we don't really want him travelling so far (we are in NW1). Any other suggestions also welcome. Thank you in advance!

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Cafeconleche · 21/04/2015 00:07

UCL Academy in Swiss Cottage is great, but has a 0.5 mile catchment area

Original poster

sleepwhenidie · 21/04/2015 07:49

Thanks cafe, we don't fall into that

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thankgoditsover · 21/04/2015 09:36

Hello, I don't have any direct experience of the ones you mention but have just done the exams for three of the North London boys'/mixed schools with my son.

There does seem to be a bit of a grim hierarchy of schools. Westminster at the top, then City/UCS/Highgate next down and then a variety of schools including Northbridge House, Forest and Mill Hill next down after that. I do know people who haven't got into Northbridge so it's not entirely unselective. Forest does sound lovely and is doable from Islington because they have a bus, but I don't know from Camden.

There do seem to be more middle tier options for girls, or at least that's what it felt like to me when we were in the depths of despair for my son (who only did the pretty selective ones mentioned above). If it's any consolation, he did get into two out of the three and he's no genius and was not particularly self-motivated. It might be that they are less challenging than it can seem.

King Alfred's has a very small intake at y7 and it seems quite random who they pick.

Original poster

sleepwhenidie · 21/04/2015 10:06

Thanks thankgod, I know just what you mean about more choice/variety for girls. DS1 is bright but definitely not very motivated and although he is pretty able, when it comes to exams I can't see him developing the focus and attention to detail that will be required to get him into City etc. I also wonder if they would be the right (more pushy) environment for him even if he did. Also wonder about King A's but for the opposite reason . He's at the Academy School at the moment and could stay til 13 but we would have the same problem then, also his already very small class (14) would be smaller still so not as much fun for him, his friends are leaving. All the kids who have left the Academy and applied for Northbridge have got in the last few years so we'd be hopeful of that but I don't really have a feel for what it's like now.

Maybe we should just put him in for the exams for City etc and see what happens....was your DS tutored? School is already putting them through their paces in preparation for entrance exams...

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thankgoditsover · 21/04/2015 10:24

Yes he saw a tutor once a week who did both maths and English with him. But he's at a state primary so he would have been entirely unprepared if we hadn't done that and honestly don't think he'd have had a hope without that and quite a lot of nagging from me.

My friends with boys at preps that go until 13 are all a bit envious of my boy going off to senior school for y7. It seems to me a right palaver doing pre-tests and school tours in y5/y6 only to have to wait a couple of years to actually go to the school. I've no idea about the Academy, but most children seem to outgrow their schools by this age.

God it was stressful, the whole process. Even though it turned out well for us, I'm not even sure it was worth it.

MN164 · 21/04/2015 11:09

There is a sort of pecking order of schools from an academic perspective, but it's so often used as the measure of success. This is the mistake so many parents I know make which leads to hysteria and scars from "failures". Don't fall into that trap.

It's a good idea to have a spread of choices on the academic ability spectrum. The main thing is that each and all of them you can imagine him being happy at.

Don't go for City just because it's a bit more selective, go for it because you like the head, teachers, pupils, the ethos and the facilities and sports (football and cricket). If not City, then look at the others that have similar academic standards and choose 1 maybe 2.

Then find some which have less selective intake and add those to the mix. Don't leave out the state schools without going to have a proper look at them. Some of them are excellent, especially with "middle" attainers.

horsemadmom · 21/04/2015 14:31

You should be asking Garth. This is part of what you pay for.

Original poster

sleepwhenidie · 21/04/2015 16:44

We have spoken to Garth, his view was that DS would be fine at somewhere like Highgate but simply isn't polished enough to get in (he is pretty immature, not that I'd want to change that, and August born to boot). He thinks Mill Hill probably best but we feel strongly that we don't want DS1 travelling that far every day.

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thankgoditsover · 21/04/2015 17:11

Without giving ourselves away Highgate was the only one out of the three that ds didn't get an offer from (was interviewed). So in our experience it was harder to get into than city etc. Because they've near eliminated their y9 entry, you've got all the prep school boys doing 11+. There were 40 or something from the hall (and it showed - it felt much posher and less state primary than the others).

horsemadmom · 21/04/2015 18:28

Check the Mill Hill coach route. It does stop in NW1. North Bridge would be an easy transition and keep DS's options open for 6th form when he may be more mature. UCS pretests for CE later than CLSB and Highgate. DS might be more 'polished' in time.

Original poster

sleepwhenidie · 21/04/2015 19:10

Just looked at it and he would have to leave the house just after 7am to get the coach and assuming the early pick up at 4.35pm (rather than the Thurs/Fri obligatory 6pm one), I guess he would be home sometime approaching 6pm, just in time for dinner and what, an hour's homework maybe, then bed? Sorry, it doesn't sound like a lot of fun for an 11 yo....

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Original poster

sleepwhenidie · 21/04/2015 19:12

thankgod - thanks, your posts are encouraging, maybe we should put him in for UCS and City and see what happens...without getting hysterical about the result

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thankgoditsover · 21/04/2015 19:50

Maybe you're much more laid back than I am (not hard) but I think it's v tricky to do the exams in a que sera sera relaxed way. I wasn't sold on any of the schools particularly but I am became desperate and obsessed that he be offered them as I didn't want his confidence knocked. Honestly it was horrendous - you can't do it in a chilled way.

And I'm someone who's deeply ambivalent about private and quite liked the state option likely to be offered.

thankgoditsover · 21/04/2015 19:56

Oh also I agree with you about long journeys. The reason we only did the scary selective ones (from a primary with no one else applying and no sense of where he stood) was because I was much, much happier with walking to local state than a journey of more than 40 mins.

Original poster

sleepwhenidie · 21/04/2015 19:59

Do you mind me asking what that was ? I know it's probably impossible to stay relaxed, can only try! I've already had the conversation with DS about working hard/ trying his best for the exams being the most important thing, not the actual result, applying himself is the challenge!

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Original poster

sleepwhenidie · 21/04/2015 20:01

Yes, think we'd be happier with a less good state (or private) option that long commuting time to a better one. It already seems like we just blinked and he's halfway to being an adult , not having any decent family time with us and his siblings in the week (albeit only in term time) feels like too high a price to pay.

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thankgoditsover · 21/04/2015 20:47

We were happy with the three Islington secondaries we applied to (don't want to out myself even further but there's not that many options). I'm still not sure quite why we put ourselves through the exams and now the fees. Have you looked round William Ellis?

Original poster

sleepwhenidie · 21/04/2015 21:34

Not yet looked around any, about to start! List is UCS, Northbridge, William Ellis, Heathside to start off. City, King A, Highgate later. Thanks for answers everyone , any more still appreciated.

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IphigenieAufTauris · 22/04/2015 08:16

William Ellis seems to have turned a corner - lots of boys from our local very leafy area are starting there in Y7 in September, it is definitely being seen as a first choice option for people looking for state alternatives to the middle-ranking private schools.

Davros · 22/04/2015 10:53

We are very pleased with Northbridge House in Hampstead for DD. my only quibble so far is the amount and type of homework they get during holidays but their holidays are quite long.

Cantdecideondinner · 22/04/2015 14:06

Agree with Iphigenie we have also gone for an excellent state school over middle ranking private school in N London. Class is full of children from families who can't see the point in paying for middle ranking private schools for children who don't need smaller classes or who want co-ed when the state options get equal or better results and often have better facilities and equal or better extra curricular

Davros · 22/04/2015 15:29

For DD I think smaller classes are important. She is mildly dyslexic and lacks confidence so I think she would sink, not swim, in the local state schools. Luckily we can choose

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