Putney High // Ibstock // Wimbledon High

[amblondon]

Hello

Our daughter has 11+ offers at Putney and Ibstock and a wait list place at Wimbledon High. She is very good at art (and has offers elsewhere with art scholarships; none of the above schools offer art scholarships at 11+) and dance, quite musical, but not massively sporty or into acting / drama.

Any views from parents with children at any of those schools would be much appreciated. Positives and negatives! Especially Ibstock - we don't know anyone with children there. Went to an open day and liked it (Head perhaps a little old school...), but choosing a school on the basis of 3 hours' experience seems a little extreme.

Much appreciated.

We are looking at these schools for next year, also with a dancing and musical dd. If dance is a major consideration, Mary Goodhew teaches at Ibstock Place, which makes it by far the best from that point of view. But unfortunately, for us Ibstock is an awful journey by public transport, and advice on these boards is generally to prioritise an easy / quick journey. I’ll be following this thread with interest.

Hi FlumePlume

Thanks, we didn't know about Mary Goodhew - she sounds like a dancing bigwig, I will check her out! We are in Clapham so the journey is OK to each of them although Ibstock a little further and the school day starts earlier I believe.

We have a daughter in Year 7 at Ibstock and she is absolutely loving it! She turned down Putney High as didn't want an all girls school in the end.
I have to say that Ibstock has exceeded our expectations in so many ways. Not only is it in a wonderful location but the facilities are also fantastic and I love that my daughter has lots of open space around the school and doesn't have to sit on a bus to go to games fields etc.
She is very musical and into dance (she does Grade 4 ballet with Mary Goodhew at school). The dance programme is very comprehensive and caters for all abilities. Music is of a very high standard indeed and the school choir is truly amazing.
The school day does start early at 8.15am and there is a 'no bag' policy therefore children get to school a bit earlier to sort out their school books for the first 2 lessons (then they change them again at break for the next 2 lessons etc). There is a 'no mobile phone use' policy too which we love as our daughter would definitely be on it at break times otherwise! She has made some great friends and all the girls seem really lovely. People often say that it is a strict school but I haven't seen any evidence of it being more strict than any other West London independent school!
I wouldn't be put off by the Head, if I were you. Nobody should choose/not choose a school just because of the head as they often change and they do not always define the school. Mrs SJ has made great progress with the school during her 10 years there and turned it into a much more academic school than it used to be.
My best advice to anyone is to send your child to a school in which they will feel confident and thrive as it makes a massive difference to their education.
Good Luck with your decision!

Forgot to say that Mary Goodhew used to be the Principle at White Lodge - The Royal Ballet School in Richmond Park.

Hi GandTtime

Thanks for the message, very helpful. The early start is a bit of a consideration as our daughter would need to leave pretty early to get from Clapham to school for 8am, but maybe only 15 / 20 minutes earlier than for Putney.

If I could ask a few questions:

• we have heard about massive amounts of homework at Ibstock (2 hours a night for Year 7 and increasing) - is that right? Does your daughter feel overloaded or is the homework about right?
• in terms of the approach to teaching, do you feel that the teaching stretches brighter kids? Does it feel like a school which encourages kids to question and explore or is it more of a "rote learning" approach?
• we have heard that the art department is strong at Ibstock (although we also saw that only a couple of kids take it at A-Level) - any views on the art?
• do you know of any children coming from Clapham or nearby or is it mainly Sheen / Richmond / Barnes etc.?

Thanks!

The homework certainly seems more than my daughters peers at other independent schools (at the moment) but I believe that it kicks in for other schools by at least Yr 8/9 and then is similar time-wise. My daughter isn't phased by the amount of homework and TBH she is a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to it! She came from a prep school with lots of homework so I wouldn't say it was any worse than that!
The brighter kids are definitely stretched and they have set for Maths and Science already at the end of the Autumn Term to ensure that they all receive the right level of teaching at this stage.
My daughter absolutely loves art too, although I don't know anything about A level uptake. My guess is that those taking A level Art move on to other schools at sixth form and hence the reflection on the small uptake numbers perhaps?
My daughter has a friend who travels to Barnes Station from Clapham and catches the school bus to Ibstock. The last school bus leaves the station at 8am to get to school in time for registration, if thats any help re: timings?

It sounds as though IPS might suit her well with her keen interest in dance - although she is obviously going to be doing lots outside of school, it can't hurt to have a specialist associated with the school itself. You might want to look at the results for Art at GCSE and A Level for Putney and Ibstock also - if she is keen to take it at that level, it can be useful to see how many students choose it and their results over time.
If Wimbledon comes into the equation, I don't think there is much dance there (but there are great dance schools in Wimbledon itself) and the Art has always been excellent there.
Ibstock is definitely now known as a more academic school than it used to be, so I'd say the results are pretty comparable between all three. Does your DD currently have a preference (for whatever reason - travel / facilities / 'vibe' etc..)?
Good luck in your decision but with those choices, you probably can't go wrong! Well done to your DD for obviously doing so well on her 11+ exams.

Hi all

thanks for another input! So, after all that, my wife and daughter went to Ibstock today for a show around and... didn't like it. Too rigid or something like that, felt they were rushed round and just didn't like the vibe.

So back to Putney, which both like a lot, and Wimbledon, which they liked on their visit a few months back: Headmistress a hit, buzz atmosphere, academic reputation etc. Wait list rather than a place of course. So basically we are waiting to see if WHS waitlist moves before deciding, it seems.

Farangatang, thanks for your kind words really daughter's results. She did well, worked hard and she's happy with the result which is v important!

Good luck with the decision and cross fingers for a place at WHS if she has her heart set on it. PHS also excellent and also a GDST school, so very similar in vibe and intake - she sounds like she will make the most of all the opportunities available to her at any of her school choices.

Just out of interest, are you not considering the schools at which she gained Art scholarships?

Hello
Good to know I'm not the only one in total dilemma about which 11+ offer to accept. This is my first post and I'd be very grateful for views/advice. My daughter has fallen in love with Ibstock, and I'm veering towards it over Putney High. Facilities and grounds seem hard to beat, and I like the fact it's mixed (although that's not a deal breaker). I don't mind the fact it has a broader ability range than Putney, as long as the teaching is good. That said, have heard the usual mixed reviews of the Head, and worry she might put off the best teachers. Daughter is particularly strong at English (I know Putney has writers in residence etc). I know I'm very lucky to have these offers and am sure both schools are fantastic. Any insights from parents at either school would be appreciated. Thank you!

no, we're likely not considering the art scholarship schools now, which in some ways seems crazy - but, comparing the schools overall (academics and opportunities etc.), both my wife and daughter think that PHS and WHS would be better choices.

WHS waiting list doesn't seem to be moving right now, I think it will only move after 1 March when people find out if they have Tiffin Girls / grammar places and perhaps take those instead.

Are you going through the 11+ mine field yourself farangatang, or been there and done that (or maybe it's yet to come?!)

Been there and done that, thankfully OP!

Eldest just gone through the 6th Form process though - you might not be surprised to hear me recommending WHS as she has earnt scholarships there for September!

In all honesty, don't hold your breath for the 11+ waiting list to move - as far as I'm aware they have not gone to WL for a few years now - but you never know.

There is very little between PHS and WHS academically, socially and with opportunities - she has done brilliantly to be in her current position.