Moving to Chelsea from NYC looking for Academic private school for 7+ year boy.!!

[NYCMom33]

I am looking for any idea of a private school that would accept my son for year 7+, he is 11 for this September. I would like a classic school but we really want strong academics offered. Willing to travel a bit. Help!! ANy ideas?

Probably worth pointing out that all the schools that have been mentioned here are popular choices from chelsea which has a handful of prep schools (Sussex house, st Philips , hill house ) etc but no independent secondaries. So boys bus to dulwich or Wimbledon and lots go to the north battersea schools (Thomas's and Newton) etc
Just in case you thought they were odd suggestions for geographic reasons.

And really don't get stuck on Westminster, Winchester, Eton and St Pauls. I don't know if the same is true of New York, but there is an odd Central London snobbery about schools, which seems to assume a clear pecking order. To the extent that it can feel like social death in some circles not to have your child in the right school.

Westminster is fine...for the right child. But there are lots of good schools which do well by bright children. And having gone through it all, I cannot see compelling evidence that, say, a top set kid at Dulwich does less well than a pupil at Westminster.

Do not even think of trying scholarship exams, unless your son is very special indeed. And if he is that special allow a good prep to show you the way. It is a lot of extra work, at a point when your son will be having to catch up with gaps in his learning, and wanting to adjust to life in a new country. And don't worry about SATs either. They are tests more normally used in the state sector to track pupil progress,more normally will set their own exams/test if they need them. SATs can be very unreliable.

I agree with AnotherNewt about asking Dulwich, though expect a no.

I don't suppose you do CAT tests in the US?

@ OP: CAT tests are scored on the same scale as IQ tests with 100= national average, 115 = 1 SD above average etc.

The problem with CAT tests would be that they're based on national averages for a given year group and in the US kids start school a year later, so a child scoring 100 in whatever the US equivalent of a CAT test is would be average for their age but below average for age if they were tested in the U.K. Because they'd be in a different year group over here.

So if St Paul's & Westminster want to see a minimum of 125, that would equate to a higher score on whatever equivalent to a CAT test they have in the US.

Just for clarity , I really wasn't meaning to suggest that only certain schools were worth targeting, or right for all boys, just that, having thought about it, there are various angles for various schools despite the non-standard timing.

Interesting thought about CATs and different school starting ages - I wonder if it does really work that way. Given that he would have to do such tests for quite a few school entrances, even occasional places, any such gap is one that will have to be lived with anyway, if you see what I mean.

MichaelaPurple

Yes, it is interesting.
Apparently, when we were on the old curriculum an age 8-9 DC (3rd Grade) would be learning work which was 2 terms (not a year) behind the work done by an age 8-9 (Year 4) DC in the U.K. Now we are on the new system the gap is much bigger, but I'm not sure by how much exactly? I'd have thought by at least an additional 2-3 terms, so a difference in expected standard of 4-5 terms total??

Having said that, the syllabus are very different. The US syllabus is a lot more factual rote learning and the UK one is a lot more inference and critical thinking.

^ and problem solving (UK)