Wimbledon High School v Sutton High School

[Natalisha]

Hi,
Has anyone had experience with both schools pls. My daughter is in Year 9 and she got places in both schools to go to Year 10 after passing their test papers ( she is currently in a Catholic school which we want to leave ASAP). I really liked Sutton but don’t want to make the wrong decision as WHS has got great results . My Dd is very academic and sportive at the same time. Thanks for any advice.

Hi Natalisha

I think traditionally WHS is regarded as being more academic. However, if you look at the DFE website the girls results at Sutton High School look pretty impressive too. The latter might better suit a less confident girl. Sutton High School has a lovely site and very central to transport links too (as is Wimbledon High). Have you visited the schools, and if so, which did your DD prefer? Presumably if you move her at this stage you might be less keen on her moving again for sixth form? A significant number of the very able girls at WHS defect to King's College School for A Levels.

No personal experience, but friend with dd at Sutton says main thing to consider is the size of the school - Sutton is much larger I believe, so depends which suits your dd.

WHS has an inspirational head and in our experience excellent pastoral care. We made this decision a few years ago. DD attended a taster day at Sutton and felt a tricky vibe. We found out later that that particular year group had been tricky all the way through and some bullying issues hadn't been well handled.

Very happy and successful time at WHS.

Hi! My daughter is in Year 10 at Sutton High, where she's been since year 7 (she was at a local Catholic primary school before then). Like you, we had to decide between Wimbledon High School and Sutton High School (as well as an offer from Nonsuch).

Of the three, we ended up choosing Sutton, and both we and our daughter are very happy with our decision to do so. It's a small school (600 pupils in total, for both the junior school and the senior school/6th form) and the pastoral care is excellent. (In fact, contrary to what another poster has said, Sutton is quite a bit smaller than Wimbledon which has about 900 pupils in total).

Like your daughter, our daughter is quite academic, and the school have been great about encouraging her academically (e.g. running a special programme for mathematically-inclined girls at 7.30am on a Friday morning!!) but at the same time being very aware of the pressures teenage girls are under and doing their best to counteract these pressures (e.g. she's currently part-way through a 10-week mindfulness course, and we had a parents' mindfulness evening last week, to help us too!). Both she and we are keen for her to stay on for 6th form too, and the school are running a 6th form week for Year 10 girls next term, so that they can get a feel for what to expect.

I'm sure that Wimbledon High is a great school, but when we were doing the tour and attending the exam day my heart sank when I saw how so many of the mums were done up to the 9's with a full complement of make-up and designer gear (which would put ME under pressure to do likewise!) ... thankfully it's a lot more chilled and comfortable at Sutton High.

Finally, just one word of caution: wherever you go, joining a school in Year 10 will mean that your daughter will be coming it at a stage when friendship groups have been formed (since Year 7) and it may take her a while to settle in and find a group of friends. I know Sutton High operate a "buddy" arrangement for girls who join outside the normal cycle, but that can only go so far.

Good luck with making your choice!

IrishGirl mums done up to the nines really wasn't my experience of WHS.

We've literally just got a place of the wait list for WHS having decided on another school so am reading this with interest! An 11+ offer. I'm worried about the pressure etc having almost been about to accept an offer at a less pressured Co-Ed school. Need to discuss with DD when she gets home!

OP, my daughter will be starting at WHS in Year 10 this September also - your DD won't be the only 'new girl' if she decides to go there.

I guess a lot would depend on which is the easier journey for your DD. There will be many extra-curricular activities and journey time is a big part of a student's day. Also, lots of girls at WHS are local to the area, whereas I think the intake come from a wider geographical area at Sutton.

Your DD is obviously good academically and will do well at either, so you probably can't really make a 'wrong' decision!

Good luck.

I agree with Raindropsandsparkles. Open Day and exam day parents are not representative of actual parents anyway.

That's good news footballnetball as I certainly don't own any designer gear, nor do I wear much makeup! not that I care if others choose to do so

Thank you all for your replies and sharing your views and opinions. We have an interview to attend in WH on the 8/3 which they said is just a formality now. Most likely we accept WH offer as dd prefers WH. She feels very delighted passing their exam and I hope she will do well there. However, I think Sutton is a lovely school too and I really liked the autmosphere there. It does strike as a happy and friendly school with very strong pastoral care. I think it has a lot of potential to become more academic in the coming years and will consider moving my dd2 there from the local catholic as well. I will update after the interview as will see and know the school better then.

The WHS parents are a pretty down to earth bunch. Mostly hard working professionals (wearing the appropriate amount of make up ). One thing that attracted me to WHS was that the girls themselves are not obviously obsessed with appearance. Look at the 6th form girls, in comfy, slouchy clothes with v little make up on show. It’s a great school for bright girls who are interested in learning but also in having fun along the way.