Grammar schools near Ruislip, Harrow

[cool09]

Hi, I am new to mumsnet. Could you please suggest any grammar schools near Ruislip (HA4), Harrow for my son? Schools in Slough are outside the catchment area and Watford grammar is only partially selective. My son is in year 5 and is preparing for Sutton grammar schools as we live in Surrey. My partner lives in Ruislip and can't move due to his business. Travelling from Surrey is not an option for him as this will take 4 hours both ways. Good schooling is very important for me and this is causing issues between us. I can't agree on marriage because I don't want long distance relationship. Any advice will be much appreciated. Thank you.

There aren't any in or near Ruislip but there are good comprehensive schools. Also some grammars in Rickmansworth but I have no idea if your DS could get in from there. Does it have to be a grammar? You have the problem that you would have to commit to moving before you would know if he would get a place. Have you tried the eleven plus forum? They know everything! Can be scary but most mean well

Blimey, your poor Ds, his mother’s marriage and relationship hingeing on his passing a super-selective grammar test.

Bright academically aspirational students get a good education in the top sets of good comps.

So what if Watford Grammar is only ‘partially selective ‘? The education is the same, being in the same building as lower ability children doesn’t mean he will ‘catch average’.

On the other hand it does seem as if your potential marriage involves you making all the moves and compromises.

There isn’t any grammar schools in Ruislip or Hillingdon, nearest would be Watford. Can your partner not move to Watford and commute (if he drives)?

QE in Barnet doesn’t have a catchment area if that’s doable for you. From Ruislip though it means leaving the house at 7:30 and not getting in until 5pm, it’s a lot for an 11 year old. Why is ruislip relevant anyway? Would your son be staying with your partner during the week?

There are grammar schools in Buckinghamshire, which isn't far from Ruislip.
Dr Challoners' is in Amersham; or the grammars in Chesham and Aylesbury. I don't know about catchment areas for those schools.

Ruislip is a no-go for Buckinghamshire grammar schools these days I think. It used to be ok but not any more.

Watford Grammar would be the obvious, it's always been a very good school. Eastcote/Pinner/ Northwood area might be better placed for Watford than Ruislip itself. But the non-selectives in that area are pretty good too, have a look at Haydon, Northwood and Bishop Ramsey.

Otherwise as PPs have said, you could look at living in Rickmansworth or somewhere along the A40 which is an OK commute.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I work in an inner London secondary school in a deprived area. So I exactly know what is going on in academies/comprehensive/grammar schools. I have been to many schools in the last 20 years. It worries me as a parent to hear the nasty language, drug use, bloody fights, sex etc in state schools. There are some good comp, but not many. Sometimes outstanding Ofsted rating means nothing. Results not always mention the percentage of Btec/Ebacc. Academies keep naughty kids for the sake of money. That's why I am focussing on grammar schools.

Move to Bucks then and commute. You won’t get into a Bucks Grammar from Ruislip. Bucks Grammars are not super selective.

There is nothing wrong with Watford Grammar either. Not sure about Rickmansworth having Grammars.

Ruislip’s not inner city or a deprived area though. It’s a wealthy suburb. Vyners and Haydon are considered good schools. Ruislip High maybe? As others have said Ruislip is too far from the Bucks schools, but if your partner is prepared to move further out you might be able to get into one.

Don’t send your child to Haydon school- very high turnover of staff, the most badly behaved are the best rewarded, majority of lessons across all subjects are battlegrounds, many many extremely good teachers have left due to the SLT. The fisted says outstanding but they haven’t had a full one in 10 years

*ofsted not fisted.

Ruislip High is a great school but extremely small catchment area- Ruislip Gardens. Northwood school has turned around for the better enormously. There is a new high school in Pinner- it has been open a few years and I know some excellent teachers there. Vyners is also good. As is Bishop Ramsey.

Watford Boys is one of a group of part selective schools which are part of the same consortium, with the same entrance exam. Rickmansworth School is part selective, as is St Clement Danes. You could always look at moving into the catchment of one these schools, and then commute from there?

I work in an inner London secondary school in a deprived area. So I exactly know what is going on in academies/comprehensive/grammar schools
Not sure what this has to do with the leafy suburbs of Ruislip/Pinner/Watford?
The Watford Grammars are extremely sought after, I wouldn't turn your nose up.
What if your DC doesn't pass the exams? However bright, it's a possibility, so don't dismiss the other schools out of hand.
I think people travel from the area to QE Boys (I wouldn't but then the prestige isn't more important than the journey to me)

Watford grammar is it off catchment for ha4, it really depends on which part of ha4 you live in, they have information on their website with regards to this, your safer bet would be ha5 or ha6 nearby... There are some really good schools in the area though so nothing to turn for nose up at really... Tbh, I'm in the process of all this right now and it's almost like we're actually spoilt for choice as there are excellent schools nearby so we went for eleven plus but even if that doesn't work out the state school options are just as excellent and not a concern. Pinner high school is within catchment for Ruislip, as are bishops Ramsey which is outstanding, Northwood school and also haydon. There are also many partial selectives in Rickmansworth but again, they're out of catchment for Ruislip. We didn't go down the qe boys route though which is fully selective, the travel is just not worth it imo, I didn't want my child travelling over an hour by train for school but that's my personal preference. Its a difficult decision to decide on a school but grammar really isn't the be all and end all, I don't know why some people think this way...

So which 11 plus did you sit Ariana? Watford?

Presumably one for an indie, given that even if that doesn't work out the state school options are just as excellent?

Hi @Furrycushion, yes my son sat the hertfordshire consortium 11+, mainly aimed at Watford. He didn't do that well so local state school it is for us...

@Ariana30 - even if they are all academies(?), the SW Herts Consortium schools are state schools as well, just like the comprehensives with no places dependent on ranking in an entrance test.

@Marchingfrogs, yes I know, they're partially selective schools, they only have grammar in the name but stopped being so a while back... I mean the local state schools that aren't selective. We thought we'd try as he wanted to and he's quite bright, but we didn't prepare him enough and I wasn't prepared for the kind of tuition some parents really put in on their children. But as I said, it's not the be all and end all, we have excellent state schools in the area so not really concerned...