Wallington County Grammar School (WCGS)

[Auar]

Hi all,

I am facing a huge dilemma and feeling so stressed out.

I live in Harrow (Rayners Lane) and my DS has secured a place in Wallington County Grammar School. It's 1.5 hour journey each way in fast trains. My son also has got a place in St. Clements Dane in Chorleywood which is a good comprehensive school. So, I have to choose.

My son is alright to travel as we did two days trial but I am feeling nervous. Due to my work in the city, I can go with my son half way (Balham) to Wallington County Grammar School. But a daily commute of 1.5 hour each way, is it worth to make for the Wallington County Grammar School? I wonder if any parent's child from Harrow or Wembley or similar areas make a journey to these areas for Wilson's, Sutton Grammar, Non-such Grammar, Wallington Girls schools etc. which are in the similar location.

What you advise? Do you know anyone who has the similar experience? I am going mad with stress of making this decision. My son will be 12 years in Oct and I know he will only grow to make a commute which is a reality of working life in London. I hope you can help or even better share if you have similar experience or know someone doing the same. I will highly appreciate any help.

Regards.

Auar

[RueDeWakening]

DD's at WHSG and has just finished year 7. Of the girls in her form, one commutes from Hampton Court area every day, a couple of others from Richmond/Twickenham. Most others from Sutton and Croydon boroughs. The ones who travel furthest don't do any extra-curriculars after school, whereas DD (who has a 10 minute walk to get there) has been doing 4 after school clubs a week all year without any impact on school work.

Wally Boys seems to get about 90 minutes homework a night, btw, judging by what friends with boys finishing year 7 have said. So you need to bear that in mind when looking at the commute times.

FWIW, I wouldn't even consider it. We discounted Nonsuch, let alone Tiffin, based on commute times, and we live in the same borough :o

[whataboutbob]

My son was on the waiting list for one of the Surrey grammars, he got offered a place on the second day of 1st term when a boy who had been commuting in from Virginia Waters pulled out after just one day at school.

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Doing the journey a couple of times (and possibly not at rush hour), is not the same as the reality of doing it routinely, with all the transport travel hiccups that will be thrown up.

@Auar did you make your decision?

[Auar]

Hello all,

You have been great and so empathetic. Your input is valuable in helping me make a decision.

I have decided that since my son worked so hard to pass now ever so more competitive 11-plus to gain a place in a Grammar School, he definitely deserves to be given that place. I will always feel guilty that I didn't let him take the school place to save myself from the inconvenience.

I will be looking for a property nearby, may be Sutton or Carshalton or Carshalton Beeches by Oct-Nov or latest the end of this year. We both parents will, for the initial few months, take turns to drop and pick our DS till we move closer. We will also arrange taxi to train station if we are unable to pick him up.

Clements Dane although is not a bad choice, but being a very large coeducational school with numerous sections per year, it certainly can be a less preferred choice in comparison to the WCGS.

I am quite certain it will all work out in the end although I will have to bear the inconvenience of moving home.

Thank you all for your kind support. If you anyone who's commuting on x26 or travelling 1.5 hour each way, do put me in touch so I could gauge the 3 months that my DS will endure although with us. We won't let him suffer or as you say, ever torture him.

Thanks again so much.

[Quartz2208]

That sounds sensible and what I know a lot of people do (as I said DS and DD both have two friends in there year who moved due to the older siblings getting into Nonsuch and Sutton Grammar) if you can commute into London it makes sense

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

@Auar good luck with everything including a move.

[yearofthedragon]

@Auar it's brilliant that your son was offered a place at a highly competitive grammar school and you should be proud. However, with the support and love of his clearly loving parents he will achieve great things wherever he attends. If he is self-driven, he will achieve the best he can anywhere. Just because a place is hard to gain a place, doesn't mean it is the best. I can speak from experience of WCGS - the school does not tackle bullying at all - that is a huge problem in the school; it relies on parents providing private lessons to top up learning; and the majority of lesson time is lectures from old-school teachers - they don't teach - they also love "flip learning" and they have no "expectation that any teacher should teach outside lesson time" . It has a very poor reputation locally. Anything it does achieve, is mainly down to the fact that it has very active parents driving their child's education. It definitely doesn't produce boys with integrity and if they do have it, there is an element of fear if anyone speak out. I would not want any good child to go there. Please feel free to message me. I don't know the other school your son has the chance to go to, but I do know he will thrive there. My child attended a large non-selective school after leaving WCGS mid-year due to the bullying atmosphere and said there were far more intelligent people (academically and socially) at the non-selective. Quite telling really. The real problem now with grammar schools is the expectation of private tuition. My child said that teachers at the huge comprehensive gave hours of their time to any child that wanted to learn. At WCGS that was hugely frowned upon and as a student, unable to access. My child was called "cheeky" for trying to get "free" lessons . The main reason for removing my child though, was the bullying atmosphere. It was very definitely tolerated.

[JoJoSM2]

@Auar good luck with the move. The areas near the school are very nice places to live.

[JoJoSM2]

Oh, do you have a younger sibling to consider? In terms of back-up comprehensive options, Wallington or Carshalton Beeches might not be the best option. Carshalton, Sutton of Cheam will have better catchments.

[Darbs76]

No I 100% would not do it, not unless the state option is awful. I live around 15mins from there drive, but for me children to get there in rush hour traffic / buses / cancelled trains you’re talking 60mins at least.
My son didn’t pass the second test for Wallington boys / Wilson’s. He wasn’t tutored. He sits his GCSE’s next summer and is currently predicted 8’s across the board (possible 9’s depending how others do). A friend’s son got into Wilson’s and he personally didn’t like it, she’s been trying unsuccessfully to get her son into my sons school, he would have got in on catchment but there were no places. She’s not going down the grammar route for her younger children.
Yes he / she may commute in the future but don’t make them start at 11. How will they socialise with school friends when they live miles away. I think there should be a catchment if 10 miles or less as it’s not fair that kids spend so long commuting. Grammar schools aren’t the only way to good GCSE’s

[MarchingFrogs]

unless the state option is awful.

Whether it is worth travelling half way round Greater London to get to is one issue - but WCGS is a state school, just like the OP's local comprehensive.

[Darbs76]

Yes I know as I said we did apply there. I’ll guess everyone knew what I meant anyway but for the benefit of doubt i’ll re-phrase that to ‘unless the non grammar state option is awful’. Hope that clears up any confusion!

[apricotdanish]

yearofthedragon I'm really sorry your son had a bad experience at Wallington, having a son that attends the school I'd strongly diagree with your assertion that it doesn't produce boys who have integrity. The school isn't without fault but the integrity comment is a huge generalisation. Also I'd have disagree with your view that the staff aren't prepared to offer help outside of school hours- we don't have the income to afford tuition and there've been teachers that kindly provided my son with a lot of extra help outside of school hours, which was invaluable, but not something we had a right to expect or that they had any obligation to provide.