Aldenham School

[Cobblersandhogwash]

Does anyone's dcs attend? Any opinions?

I've heard it's not particularly driven academically.

Also interested in this school! DS would be commuting from North London which may be too far.

My DC left Aldenham recently and I would say that standards have improved massively in recent years. The teaching is pretty good and whilst it's not a Habs or Merchant Taylor's it isn't trying to be. It provides a very good all round education for all academic levels and the kids will achieve well. There are plenty of examples of kids achieving straight A*s and As at GCSE and A level and the school provides extension lessons for the most able throughout the school as well as Les Philosophes Society for the most able in the Sixth Form. It also has pupils who will not achieve high grades but the school does work well with those pupils and helps them achieve well. The pastoral care is good and as it's a slightly smaller school the teachers get to know their pupils very well. The site and facilities for sport and theatre are superb - you really need to visit to appreciate the setting. The commute from North London is fine - there is a comprehensive coach network and while the day is longer than most - probably because of the boarding element, we found it all doable. I understand it is becoming more popular with applicants and I personally think the old North London view of Aldenham as being weak school is completely out of date.

Thanks yorkshire. Sounds positive as we are not looking for an academic hothouse. Am just put off by the long journey for DS (we are in Highgate). Where does your DC travel in from? Also, any idea how hard it is to get into?

I think there are bus routes covering most of North London and also stopping at convenient tube stations. Ours used to go up to Stanmore station and pick up the bus from there - before he passed his driving test! There should be details on the school website somewhere- or the school office will be able to give you details of the current routes I should think. I think the school has also recently opened a new coach park to deal with all the coaches in a separate area rather than them going through the main car park.

@YorkshireinLondon & @worriedansstressedAAA
We are considering Aldenham for my DSfor year 7 entry. Can you please advise a bit more about how long the school day is ? Along with what does school help with preparations for 13+ if a child is intending to move further to schools he wants to get in... any insight will be helpful.

@Jyotii Aldenham does not prepare for 13+ as it’s a secondary school not a prep school. Children joining at 11 are expected to stay until at least GCSEs. If you are looking for a spot somewhere else at 13 then I would move to a proper prep school which would help with exam preparation. There’s plenty in the local area - Edge Grove, York House etc

My daughter got an offer from Aldenham this year and I'm so sorry we have to reject it. It would have been my top choice for her. I know kids there and only ever heard excellent things about the school. They were also lovely during the whole 11+ admissions process (unlike some other schools)

@XelaM

My daughter got an offer from Aldenham this year and I'm so sorry we have to reject it. It would have been my top choice for her. I know kids there and only ever heard excellent things about the school. They were also lovely during the whole 11+ admissions process (unlike some other schools)

Xela, we also turned down an offer from Aldenham and am now slightly regretting it. DS wasn't overly keen on the commute from North London and the results are on a par with a good state. May I ask why you turned it down? I feel like we may have to reconsider!

@Springrabbit We're in North London too and the commute and long days were the biggest issue (next to finances). My daughter wasn't keen either, but then she didn't get a chance to see the school. We are about to turn down our place so there will definitely be an opening if you want to reconsider

[quote XelaM]@Springrabbit We're in North London too and the commute and long days were the biggest issue (next to finances). My daughter wasn't keen either, but then she didn't get a chance to see the school. We are about to turn down our place so there will definitely be an opening if you want to reconsider[/quote]
Maybe we will! Can I ask where your DD ended up?

We considered it for our DS, but then ruled it out. I was impressed with the lovely setting and the warmth of the teachers and the pastoral feel. I have to say what swayed me was that it sadly seemed very boy heavy. For a very sporty school the options for girls seemed much more limited than say Mill Hill, e.g. depending on the intake you can play football, but maybe only if you are good enough for the main (primarily boys) team. From what I understand the gender ratio and the way the streaming works means that some classes can end up being entirely boys. We wanted co-ed but I didn't really feel Aldenham ticked that box for us.