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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

Charterhouse or Whitgift?

49 replies

Honeyhoney123 · 17/02/2019 14:32

We are living overseas and planning to send our DS1 to UK boarding school (year 9 2019 entrance). We got an offer from Whitgift while being put into the Reserve List of Charterhouse because we applied late. That said, we felt CH is quite positive during our visit and CH has invited DS1 to take the CH entrance exam straightaway.
DS1 has done the exam and he is quite confident with it. Even a confirmed offer from CH seems like a long shot at this stage, we still want to know which is better for him, W or CH. Especially, if it really comes, we will not have much time to decide.
DS1 - English as a second language, but his English is pretty ok ("C1 or above" at the Cambridge English Scores). Good at math and science, not sporty, low self-confidence and needs monitoring and a constant push.
Heard there is bullying in both Whitgift and Charterhouse, can share some insights?

OP posts:

VanillaSugarr · 18/02/2019 14:54

I wish I hadn’t read that story about Jimmy Leach as it sent me down an internet wormhole to another little boy.

Original poster

Honeyhoney123 · 18/02/2019 14:54

MrsPatmore, "Can he stay where he is, you do some more research then move him for sixth form?" Our concern is our DS1 is not performing in his current school and we would say he is much demotivated by its atmosphere. If he stays where he is, he is not likely to get the schools in the same league of mentioned.

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Bin85 · 18/02/2019 16:38

Having lived both near Croydon and in Godalming I would say Charterhouse no contest !

Longtimelurkerhere · 18/02/2019 18:25

HoneyHoney123,

Don’t listen to the uninformed, your DS’s education is too important for that.

Please send me a PM. I have several friends whose boys board at W and other schools in that area. In addition, we own several rental properties nearby W.

Paris14eme · 18/02/2019 18:27

Move back and send your son to day school. Oh, and get a life!

Longtimelurkerhere · 18/02/2019 18:29

Say what now?

Dancingdreamer · 18/02/2019 19:21

Not that I know either school well but having a DD and DC with experience of boarding and day schools, I would say as an expat go for the school with a full boarding experience. Personally I know Croydon and it’s currently a place that is being rejuvenated but is not there yet so it isn’t the best of areas. However I would choose Whitgift if I had a talented sportsman as it is an outstanding school for sport. I believe a lot of boarders, certainly in upper years, are actually sports scholars.

I would also check the stats on the Charterhouse results. Lots of private schools take IGCSE and therefore, the results are not counted on government stats, making the school look worse in league tables.

cakeisalwaystheanswer · 18/02/2019 22:22

dancing dreamer - the table I linked to is for A levels not GCSEs because I know that it doesn't work at 16+ results for the reasons you have stated. If you look at the top of the table you will see the top academic schools in Surrey are Guildford High and RGS which are both Independent schools. CH's A level results last year were very poor, I don't know why.

LIZS · 18/02/2019 22:45

CH offers IB and PreU as well as A levels, so tables may not show comparable results. Whitgift also offers IB iirc.

Dancingdreamer · 18/02/2019 23:01

Sorry Cake - I didn’t open the link but you at right the results do seem low although there is quite a small cohort compared to some schools so maybe one or two underperformers makes a big difference.

We did consider Charterhouse for our DD when they only took girls in the 6th form but it was quite obvious to us that they only wanted the most academic girls to boost their results. They didn’t seem interested in anything broader that the girls would bring to the school

Original poster

Honeyhoney123 · 19/02/2019 06:47

Dear LIZS, we are in Hong Kong, very very dense yet very safe to go alone anywhere anytime. Our DS1 and DS2 used to go around with us all the time if we are overseas.

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Original poster

Honeyhoney123 · 19/02/2019 06:53

Dancingdreamer, our son is not sporty (maybe till this moment), the only sport he does is riding, while he has immense interest in shooting (we cannot do the real shooting here). It will be great if he can get more sporty and active, while our prime concern is his well being, happiness and academic.

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Original poster

Honeyhoney123 · 19/02/2019 06:59

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malmontar · 19/02/2019 07:19

Oh my goodness most of you are scaring this poor woman. If the boy lives in HK I really doubt he will find a rural location easier than Croydon. There is nothing wrong with either, they both sound like great schools and there is league table pressure in every school, state and private so yes all kids are expected to get the results.
OP you’ve got a great school option with both of these and I would sit down do a pros and cons list and make a choice that involves your DS, and stop worrying about Croydon, he’s not going to be renting a flat in Croydon! And even if, he’s used to HK so he’d probably love it. Bullying happens everywhere, it’s impossible to judge a school by what you hear on here, it’s your son and he is unique to anyone else, so please sit down look at what you want and make your choice based on your son, you will always find people who have something negative to dig up about any school you have for your child, but his experience will most likely be very different. This is also not a death sentence, if things are bad anywhere, he can always come home, year 9 is a great year to try things out.

All the best OP.

Original poster

Honeyhoney123 · 19/02/2019 07:30

malmontar,
Right, we know bullying is not uncommon, while we want to make sure the serious/physical is not a norm. During our days (I mean Margaret Thatcher's time), we heard that physical bullying was the "habit"!

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Pegase · 19/02/2019 07:37

Don't know CH well but Whitgift is v often not a good choice if you are not sporty. It's not going through a good time at the moment either with the new head.

cakeisalwaystheanswer · 19/02/2019 08:02

I liked CH a lot for DS1 and as I've said it was his top choice although DS2 did decide to board and went elsewhere. But the results have dropped since than and I have no idea why but if I was looking now I would be asking why. It is a school, it's main purpose is to provide an education so I don't see amything wrong in questioning the results.

Prufrockspeach · 19/02/2019 08:42

I have friends with DS' at both Whitgift and Charterhouse. Both great schools and academically not poles apart. Whitgift is probably more of a day school though and in your position I would probably prefer a school that is more of a full on boarding school. While it is true that CH does empty out on a Saturday night as many of the boys are fairly local, the situation at Whitgift will be a lot worse as there are less boarders to begin with and I don't think they even do Saturday school so people could be leaving on a Friday and returning monday morning. Charterhouse is also a more rounded school in my opinion while Whitgift is famed for sport. Charterhouse is also going co-ed in 2021 and I think having girls will change the culture and make it a bit softer which can only be a good thing for your DS (from your description).

Mugglingstrum · 19/02/2019 08:56

Pegase. Would you care to enlighten us with the reason W is “not going to through a good time at the moment.. with the new head?

Pegase · 19/02/2019 09:55

Staff quite unhappy with the decisions being made but no idea if that has filtered down to experiences of the boys.

Mugglingstrum · 19/02/2019 10:04

Thanks Pegase. Is your DS happy at W?

Original poster

Honeyhoney123 · 19/02/2019 10:34

Yes, I heard that the new head is pushy on grades.

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Original poster

Honeyhoney123 · 19/02/2019 10:37

Pegase, Assumed you are talking about W. What decision you are talking? any examples?

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LIZS · 19/02/2019 10:43

There are always changes with a new head, some of which may not be popular with established staff. Often there are comings and goings over the first few years as a result.

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