Can you please recommend best grammar of comprehensive schools in London or near by

[Luna9]

Hi

We have decided to move before we have to apply for secondary school; we would like an excellent grammar or comprehensive with good reputation and facilities; DD loves art and is creative and sportive. Coed or single sex is fine.

We would like somewhere with easy commute to London Bridge and Blackflairs as that's where we work.

We appreciate any advice.

Thank you

LB of Sutton has very good grammar schools, but they are very selective and most children prepare a lot for the entrance tests. How old is your child?

Thank you; she is in year 4 now so we will have to move next year the latest. Any particular school in Sutton that you can recommend ?

The girls grammars are Wallington High School for Girls and NonSuch. But they are both superselective, so over 2,500 sitting for the combined 420 places.

Real Surrey and Hampshire are all Comprehensive areas, and most of the schools are pretty to very good.
I have heard some Grammars don 't take Arts and creative subjects as seriously.

Thank you

Will look into those areas and schools

I think my DD will prefer coed; I told her once that I went to an only girls school for primary and secondary and she replied: I feel sorry for you mum; you don't know what you missed

The schools in Ealing are really. Lots of choice. The state schools are fab and there are also good private schools.

Thank you

will look at Ealing too

Are Wallington and Nonsuch super selectives though as they have catchments for about half the intake don't they?

Yes, super selective. People have been known to buy houses there before kids start school to have a chance of going there. Trouble with an area that has a lot of grammar schools is that they cream off the top sets, then those who can afford it, go private, which leaves the comprehensive schools as not really representative of pupil ability. I would think carefully before moving into such an area

Kent has excellent grammars ..Maidstone has 2 girls grammars and is not super selective.

Thank you very much for your advise; I am researching those areas

Upminster has three outstanding schools that aren't selective. One Catholic girls school, one Christian mixed sex school and one non religious comprehensive. Easy travel to London Bridge and better value property than in central London.

You may find that the grammars are less traditionally 'hot' on subjects like Art.

And you won't necessarily find that the grammar schools have the best facilities anyway (they don't project the image of having lots of spare cash to flash that's for sure!).

Check out the Sutton/Kingston super-selectives vs SW London 'key public school' threads for lots of comments on how the latter have significantly better drama suites and theatres in some cases, sports halls & grounds, swimming pools.

It is the modern comps (and particularly the spanking new academies) that tend to have 'state of the art' facilities more akin to those considered the norm in the more renowned private schools. DS's grammar school has a very cramped main hall (wich I'm pretty sure doesn't fit all school pupils in 'one sitting'), with ink stains on the wood block floor that probably date back to the 1950s/60s.

I'm not sure that in Sutton the comprehensives have suffered adversely from the presence of the nearby grammars (mainly because so many of the grammar school pupils are not borough-local and would be 'out of catchment' for the non-selective secondary state secondary options anyway). Glenthorne, Greenshaw and Overton Grange are all well-regarded as far as I'm aware.

Thank you Gazzalw; that's useful information; as you said not all grammar have good facilities; we are looking for comprehensives with good facilities and reputation and a school that fits my DD

Waldegrave , Twickenham and Coo be

Waldegrave in Twickenham and Coombe girls near Kingston are both very good girls Comps and if you were in the catchment for either you could also apply to Tiffin girls a super selective grammar .

Glenthorne is an Ofsted outstanding mixed comp - their specialism is performing arts and they have fab facilities. You can audition ( dance / drama / music ) for chance of place or apply in usual way. Think they do the fair banding system now where kids take tests and they take a certain amount from each ability band

Kingston has Tiffins boys and Tiffins Girls ( super selective grammar ) Sutton has quite a few grammars too - Nonsuch , wallington , Wilsons and also Sutton high ( private ) .

I was also going to suggest Twickenham, if you can afford to move into catchment for Waldegrave, or if she doesn't like the idea of single sex then look at Orleans Park. Both are very oversubscribed so be careful with location. And if she's very bright she can try sitting for Tiffin.

Fast train from Twickenham to Waterloo is very convenient for commuting.

Great; Will look at Twickenham. I like tiffins; will look at Waldegrave and Orleans Park

The Tiffin grammars are no more (or less) super-selective than the Sutton ones though (and Sutton Grammar school has been left out of that list by littlenicky61.

Thank you

It sounds as Sutton and Twikenham are the areas with more and better choices; I am doing a list to go and see the schools this year when they have the open day; we will probably have to move at the beginning of next year then latest

Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells have good grammars and are less than half an hour (from Tonbridge) into London Bridge. Train services are very good from Tonbridge. Tonbridge Girls is more selective than Tunbridge Wells, but Weald is good too and less selective than either so there's a decent choice.

Or, OP, just a little further away from Sutton is Epsom. Lots of secondary-school aged children commute to the 'Sutton' grammars from there, and the town has its own two highly thought of comprehensives too (Rosebery for girls and Glyn for boys).

Orpington has St Olaves superselective grammar plus outstanding comprehensive Darrick Wood. Twenty minutes to London Bridge plus direct trains to Blackfriars. Also close enough to the Bexley grammars and some Kent grammars too.

Hello everyone. Does anyone know what the format of the assessments are for drama and dance to get a place at Glenthorne High in Sutton? My DS hasn't done any dance or drama classes before so is there any point doing them?.