London schools - overthinking, read to many Mumsnet threads ...

[BeBopBeBop]

Currently living abroad, a small chance has come up that we might need to move back to London (name changed to avoid this linking to my old profile). We left when the kids were tiny. They go to a great international school, dual language, igsce followed by IB, small year groups running through from RC to Y13, kids go on to multiple different countries with a fair representation in oxbridge and Ivy League but also good unis in Australia, Canada, European countries. I love it, my kids love it.

And then... I've read so many threads about the UK and London schools. 11+, academic competitiveness, lack of pastoral care... I do get that obviously if you post, it's cos you have a problem so it's unrepresentative but it's made me want to knock the idea of London on the head before it even starts!

Instead trying to keep an open mind... so any recommendations or thoughts on schools I should be investigating

• DS 13, academic and as self motivated as teen boys can be, more entrepreneurial/tech orientated than for example interested in studying classics at oxbridge, likes sports but not hugely sporty.
• DD 11 will need strong pastoral care especially round a move, she's less academic but not less clever just she hates tests/exams (the thought of putting her through 11+ and assessments worries me) she's strong in creative subjects so not just art but wider design facilities would suit her.

If we moved we would look at private and state, probably live near district line but if this happens kids come first especially DD who will find it tough emotionally so doesn't have to be that area.

Any thoughts? Am I overthinking this?

off the top of my head, univ coll school, in hampstead for boy, and king Alfred in nearby golders green for girl.
but not near district line, sorry. others will know more.
good luck.

Thanks! I'm ok with looking wider so I'll go off and do some digging on those.

Bugger, name change fail.

Latimer Hammersmith for eldest not too sure younger Notting hill girls in Ealing?? There's also St Augustine for girls which is small nurturing....

Thank you. It just goes to show how out of the loop I am, all schools I've not been aware of. Hugely helpful

Given your kids’ ages, you will be looking at occasional places rather than 11+/13+. That may be an advantage, as you will be restricted to schools that happen to have places, and entry will possibly be less competitive.

Look at Sutton High for your dd - small and excellent pastoral care. Gettable at from Wimbledon (District Line) by train or tram/train or public bus or school coach. You’d then be within reach of quite a few schools for your ds that might suit - KCS is the obvious one, but also Reeds, Trinity, Whitgift, LU.

As pp have said, it’s going to be more a case of finding occasional places somewhere. This may well make the decision for you!
If your DS is 13 now (Year 9)? it would be best to get him in somewhere sooner, rather than later, so he can choose his GCSE options and also be in one place for the course.
Many of the independent schools do IGCSE though, so not a problem in that sense.
The odds of a place at the more competitive schools are likely to be few and far between, to be honest.
The possibly good news is that London has two new schools. These are much more likely to have places. They’re smaller than other schools, which I think may suit your daughter, and there’s no reason who they shouldn’t be able to cater for all ability types / interests. So you could contact Maida Vale House (recently opened and run by the same organisation as Kew House). Also, Fulham Seniors (new premises in Parsons Green which is on the District Line. It’s an extension of Fulham Prep which has an established track record).

Otherwise, Kew House itself could be an option?

There is St Catherine’s in Twickenham which is a smaller, more containing school for your daughter perhaps and places often come up there? 3 forms of 15 in a year group. They have the options to do Art, Textiles or Photography at GCSE and they all get top grades in that area. They can also do Food Tech GCSE there.

There is another smaller (co-ed) school right opposite St Catherines on Cross Deep in Twickenham called Radnor House. Its not known as being massively academic, to be honest, but maybe that’s not a fair assessment? Could be worth a look. It has a stunning riverside location.

There’s Ibstock Place or Harrodian in Barnes, but I think these may be tricky to get places and you’d need to visit them yourself as they’re not everyone’s cup of tea.

There’s Francis Holland Sloane Square as a possibility for your daughter? I think the pastoral care is meant to be very good, but it is getting very academic and competitive entry.

Another one could be More House which is also a short walk from SS tube and is very personalised, nurturing. Quite cramped building, but they do all their sports in Battersea Park, etc. I know some girls who have done really well there because some lessons are more like tuition as some classes are so small.

Wetherby Seniors for your son?

Look just a little bit out of London but a sensible commute in and you might have more choice and less stress.

We are 30 mins north - direct train into Euston so probably not an area that works for you but there is so much more choice and it’s a lot less competitive. Just in the midst of 11+ and whilst the wait for offers is painful we should have a choice between a great comprehensive in our town, a grammar and two independent schools at the start of March. We moved out of London as I couldn’t bear the sitting for five schools and then getting waitlisted only.

Be aware that all independent schools have some sort of entrance test to get in. Some are just to get an indication of your child’s needs, others are looking only for the very very bright.

Would it help your DD if they were in the same school together or not? If so then co-Ed option could be Ibstock place or Royal Russell. Or Emanuel but it’s so hard to get in now. If she’s not fussed about having her brother there I’d look at Trinity or Whitgift for him and Woldingham for your daughter. Both are a bit further out of London but great schools and good transport links to them (overland not district line though!).

If you would be happy with the idea of DC having a short commute by train, you could live within striking distance of Clapham Junction station, and DS could try for Dulwich, Whitgift, Trinity and DD for Woldingham, Surbiton, Sydenham. And see if you like the look of Emanuel (within walking distance)

And definitely look at KCS for your DS, as it's one of the few schools in the area which does IB. Also easily reached from the Clapham Junction area.

It would be a short bus ride (or in heavy traffic faster to run, or take a Boris bike) up to South Ken for the district line, or take one of the many trains from CJ to Victoria

Oh my God, you lot are awesome. So many options I'm doing less like I need to put a stop on the option before it's even started.

Coed would be an obvious choice but DS has a tendency to overshadow DD - she always gets the "oh, your BeBop Boy's sister..." so actually separating them may give her a chance to shine.

Back in the day I lived in Chiswick and Clapham, DH was in Chelsea and Fulham so its tempting to go back to familiar areas but thank you so much for the suggestions that push me further afield.

If your DS is going to need a place to start at 13 then be aware that a lot of schools run their application process for year 9 two years in advance so boys need to apply and sit exams when they are in year 6 - KCS does and Dulwich, Whitgift and Trinity have moves to this system from this year too.

Thanks, I can imagine waiting lists and application process will drive a lot of this. Where we live is equally crazy hence my delight at the kids being in a thru school, so we lived through it at reception but then could bypass it at 11/13. I know from other families who make the move back at similar ages many schools are discounted because of their application process but some are flexible for expats moving back - if exceptional. DS can pull it out of the bag, DD much less so.

If you aren't set on living in London, then worth looking at Sevenoaks which does the IB and is on an easy trainline into London.

Caterham also easy commute to London and I don't think is as pressured as many of the London schools.

Lady Margaret's (state) for your daughter. I'm considering it for my daughter's sixth form. It is all girls but a very good school and they go straight up through A levels (don't think they do IB). Its right on Parsons Green. Private look at Putney High School and Surbiton. Both all girls though.
State s hool will go very much by proximity to school, private doesn't matter (other than travel time for child).
Mixed Ibstock (private in Roehampton).
Google 'top schools in SW London' and it will not only pull up league tables but also all the times school are mentioned (like on here and the student room.com). Then you'll have to visit!!

Emanuel (private) also popular (in Wandsworth, not on district line but Clapham Junction I think not too far).

We are in Putney and DD goes to St Caths. Easy train journey, and St Caths just opposite Radnor. Lots of kids go from here to Ibstock, LU, Kew House, Putney (obviously) Wimbledon High, Kings, Emmanuel. Fulham Boys for state, and Lady Margaret for girls - but its terribly hard to get into.

Thanks all of you! Really appreciate it.
Spent a couple of hours googling based on these recommendations and feeling much more open to the idea. Now, let's see what the coming weeks bring. If the move looks like it's on I'll be back!

I’m more familiar with SW and S London schools. If you wanted co-ed, you could look at RR, Epsom College, Caterham School, Claremont Fan etc. They have good networks of coaches or are easy to get to on public transport. As they’re edge of London or just outside, they also have lovely campuses with fab facilities. If you want to live quite central, then at least 3 of them are accessible from Wimbledon.

If you wanted to go back to one of your old areas, then you could look at Latimer Upper or Emmanuel, for example.

Generally, co-ed schools don’t tend to be so hot housey and parents get their knickers in a twist a lot more over the Top 10-20 single sex schools.

Also, given your children’s ages, it’ll probably be a case of ringing around a lot of schools to see who’s got spaces.

Sorry, RR is Royal Russell

DD did a stint at Lady Margaret and we found standards of behaviour and staff turnover shocking and the modus operandi of the school was totally dysfunctional but it had a new head about 4 years ago and may have done a u turn but I would venture caution.

Surbiton/Sutton High for your dd? Ibstock?

Must say that there's nothing on here that will override just visiting the schools. I was torn between Wimbledon HIgh and Putney High and on MN the consensus seemed to be there wasn't much between them and go for whichever was closest (assuming offers from both). We went to both open days and not impressed by WHS but fell in love with PHS. How they run the open days was in itself quite insightful. You could probably get private tour if you've missed any open days.