Emanuel in Clapham

[WingThing]

DD has an offer and I would love to hear from current Emanuel parents about the good, the bad and the ugly.

The school grounds and facilities look great, and I liked the head. I am worried about the10+ meaning that DD may feel like the new girl, whether there would be more boys than girls, and whether girls get to use the lovely grounds for sport, or whether boys get priority and girls are just bussed elsewhere.

Insights appreciated.

Hi there,
ES is certainly getting more popular, so congratulations on getting an offer of a place. My three children are very different, however all are /were very happy at ES. And all three joined in Yr 7 and had no problem making friends, so I would not worry about the 10+ entry.
There are now nearly the same number of girls as well as boys, and yes, of course, the girls do get plenty of sports opportunities, on site and off site (hockey, rowing from yr8).
Should you have any other questions I would be happy to answer.

Thanks for replying, Sh1111, and glad that your DCs have been happy there. Can I ask you if there is anything you would change about Emanuel?

And also about the academics; their results are not as impressive as some other independent schools; do you have a sense as to why this is, and whether it is likely to change?

And lastly, DD’s current school has been great at organising interesting speakers and trips; to what extent does this happen at Emmanuel?

Thanks

Hi WingThing, I am not sure if there is anything I would want different - the school has been very good at listening to pupils and parents, there are even more opportunities to provide feedback under the new Head.

Academic results - true, not as strong as some others, but then this is what they are good at - looking at a whole child and providing them plentiful opportunities to try different activities and excel at drama, music, sport, art, musical theatre, etc. Academic results have certainly been improving, and this trend is expected to continue as the yr7 intake appears stronger every year.

Trips and speakers - plenty. We (the parents) even came to a talk or two open to the whole school community to hear my husband’s running idol speak or the inventor of the www. As they progress through the school there are specialists subject trips at GCSE or A level. Many OE (Old Emanuel) come back and speak to the students about their career paths.

Hope this helps.

I am a teacher in an independent secondary school that is probably at the lower end of the ‘most sought after’ London schools (certainly not Emanuel). We consequently get pupils with a huge range of abilities. We also consequently get a range of results from 9s to 4s. Our top pupils who get 9s would get those grades anywhere but I strongly believe they have a happier time doing so at our happy inclusive school. Our pupils who scrape grade 4s certainly wouldn’t get higher grades at a supposed top school (not that they would ever have been given a place).

What I am trying to say is that a school’s results is primarily determined by the intake.

Thanks to both of you for your replies.

Sh1111, sounds really positive, we are very much inclined to accept the offer. One thing I am slightly worried about the walk from Clapham Junction to the school; I didn’t think that it was a particularly nice walk; assume that they all stream in and out safely together? And are there particular places that they tend to congregate locally as they get older? We’re north of the river, and not so familiar with south London, so would want to make sure that DD is not too much of an outlier.

Jeanne16. I agree with your point re schools not being miracle workers. I am also presuming that the quality of teaching also counts, and that an academically successful school may find it easier to attract inspirational and engaged teachers which might make a difference? Not to the extent of a 9 to a 4, but maybe nudging a 7 to an 8? I would also want to believe that the happiness of the child and the performance of a strong, engaged peer group could nudge a grade slightly in a positive direction?

Hi again WingThing, we are north of the river too - every year there is more and more ES children getting the same train, and they do look out for each other. The trains are fairly efficient, and on an odd occasion when they were not there are two bus routes that go all the way to CJ from where we are.

Thanks sh1111

WingThing: I'm curious to know if you accepted the offer? My DD is also going to ES (Y7) and we are north of the river. She is looking forward to it!

sh111: It's lovely to hear the positive things you have to say about ES. My DD had an offer for an all girls school deemed more academic but it felt like the wrong fit and we much preferred ES.

Schools that get brilliant academic results usually only take in brilliant academic kids. I'm more interested in the added value of a school. That said the competition for places in ES this year was quite fierce! (so presumably their results will be on the rise too)