Wilson's vs. City of London

[BunnyLebowski1000]

We find ourselves in the very lucky situation of having to choose between these two great options: Wilson's or City of London. Is there an obvious choice? DS is quite into maths, likes sports but not particularly sporty. Clearly there are the fees, but what else distinguishes these schools? Any views appreciated.

We were in a similar option last year with another independent school and went with the independent choice as we felt it was a better fit for our son, we haven’t looked back on that decision. Maybe have a think about which school feels a better fit if there is no difference look at travel time, if cost will influence etc.

Try and remind yourself what your thought process was when you applied - did you like the grammar but thought you'd apply for an indie in case that didn't work out or like CLBS but think you'd put Wilson's in case.

Thanks got the advice. And yes for us the travel time is roughly same for both schools.

Is CLS 13+ results announced? They had said by March 20th, we haven't heard.

If you can wait, Wilson's had OFSTED in before half term. It's due to be published in the next couple of weeks and is likely to be overwhelmingly positive if my source is correct!
My DS will be going there in September and I know a lot about the school.

Obviously both school's results speak for themselves. I don't know much about City of London so cannot say where they fit on these things, but for us, Wilson's strengths relevant to my DS are: music, chess, working beyond the curriculum in STEM but still placing a lot of value on English, arts and humanities, A-E teams in some sports so boys who enjoy it but aren't incredibly sporty (my DS too) have opportunities, fantastic Headteacher, and caring staff and environment which filters down to the boys.

Good luck with your decision!

Thank you QuarterMileAtATime, that is quite insightful.

I am in an unique position with two of my kids: one at Wilson’s and another at a top independent grammar school-not City but same/better results.
So far, two and five years in, I do not see a big difference between the schools. Similar clever and hard working boys, maybe slightly less driven kids at the top independent. Sports opportunities very similar if you are in the A/B team. Music is better/more inclusive at Wilson’s. Every boy has to play an instrument in the first year ( free tuition and instrument), they all learn. Same subjects, Latin etc using same textbooks. Teachers very dedicated at both schools. Boys at Wilson’s very proud of their school and rightly so. Very caring staff, who have done a lot to support sports interest for their pupils. At the top independent same caring staff, but have not seen the school go out of their way/set schedule to accommodate specific pupils interest. But very happy with both school, cannot really find significant differences. Apart from the fees ...

Great insight @GI76
@BunnyLebowski1000 Same predicament here and we are swayed towards indie offer
After all practicalities are considered (results, travelling, fees, subjects, extracurriculars etc) then what is left is personal feel (or reasons that better not be said publicly)
We'll never know what will happen if we send DS to the other school so just have to go with our gut and hope for the best

Wilson’s. Take the money you would have spent on City. Invest in family time or in a fund for university or first home. 140k can go a long way. Wilson’s is a fantastic school.

@BunnyLebowski1000 ,We are exactly in the same boat -Wilson vs City.
Spoke to quiet few city mums who had only good things to say.Is the fees justifiable given the loads of extracurricular clubs and the pastoral care ,don't know.Wilson again is a fab grammar school.
It is a difficult decision for us .

We had a similar decision and went with the super selective and never regretted it. You can always switch to independent at sixth form but might be difficult the other way round. Results at City and Wilson similar.

@Lightsaber - that’s exactly what I was thinking, must be easier to move from Wilson’s to private later on than vice versus

I think if the fees are less of a consideration then consider your aspirations for your son - are you likely to want him to do a trad job like medicine, accountancy law etc? If so then he may as well go to Wilson's.

If he is more creative and likely to need to network and make connections, have access to top notch art, music and drama then City.

For sport it would be Wilson's.

Culturally where do you as a family fit best?

For full disclosure, we had a very similar choice and went with the super selective. Had fees not been a consideration, with hindsight I would not have done so. I have a less rounded son as a result.

@ChristopherTracy thx. In our case DS definitely on the technical side and not so strong / interested in creative side.

@ChristopherTracy, So clear advice , very useful !

@ChristopherTracy how can you say that your son is less rounded than he would have been coming out of a private school?

DS went to a super-selective and had every opportunity going (possibly short of learning to fence and guaranteed work experience in the creme de la creme of law firms, banks and corporate entities). That he came out not being fully rounded (if indeed one thinks he isn't!) said more about him not uptaking all those enriching activities than about a lack of chances.

Everything was possible from his school, including winning national STEM and maths comps, getting to finals of public speaking and enterprise competitions, in-house journalism across three/four publications, LAMDA, DofE, CCF, being a ball boy at Wimbledon. And that's just for starters.

You wouldn't really be able to tell the difference between him and his school peers and boys at nearby and sought after private schools.

Oh, and the 'rounding' activities can be afforded much more easily if not paying hefty school fees.

I forgot to mention that every year DS also had the chance to go on at least three residential trips (mainly course related but some 'jollies' too, such as skiing).

Comparing DS and DD's education (she's at a very good comprehensive) there is a world of difference in the enrichment opportunities.

I think the only thing that a private school would offer over a school as great as Wilson's is possibly 'polish' and confidence.

The flip side being that your DC are part of a state school experience that includes children from all backgrounds. I don't think you can underestimate how much that can teach them to be fully rounded in terms of compassion, humility, empathy and understanding. If your DC are on a trajectory for a top-flight career in politics or the public sector, understanding 'otherness' is a very useful attribute.

Well every experience is going to be different so I don't think it is worth getting heated about but I would say in our experience at one school:

No real support or interest in art, drama, music was the major difference. I know Wilson's and other schools like Tiffin are very proud of their arts but they don't compare to a school like COLB (have you been there?) or even a mid-tier school like Epsom. And why should they - you aren't paying for those kinds of facilities or opportunities.

At heart super selectives are a bit of a sausage factory but you know this when you sign up. If you have a joiner of a child you probably wont notice this fact as they will do well where ever they are but if you have a child like mine who isn't really that fussed, a top notch private school will make him be fussed and not accept that whereas in our experience the super selective will allow him to bump around not really taking an interest until GCSE time at which point they will ask under achievers to drop GCSEs or move to lower science etc.

In our experience some super selectives won't automatically let your child find their niche or differentiate their learning, how could they with limited resources?

The best private schools unfortunately are not just about 'polish' - do you really think that is what people are paying 20k a year for?

To this last point about backgrounds I would say that there would be more diversity of both class and race at a half and half school with a generous bursary fund like Trinity say then there is at Wilson's.

The best private schools unfortunately are not just about 'polish' - do you really think that is what people are paying 20k a year for? Yes and not having to mix with the hoi polloi (in the class-ridden society that we still live in, this is undoubtedly an issue, albeit one that few would openly acknowledge).

Yes but you are no way mixing with the hoi polloi at Wilson's so that's a bit of a moot point isn't it. Wilsons free school meals: 2.4%; Oaks Park High (the old Stanley Park) 22%

My DS is at a private and my daughter at a state school. Really do not feel that the school determines their level of awareness of society; ‘ otherness’ ; ethnicity etc. That comes from living in the real world in London.
Keep it simple: work out what you want from the school. If it is excellent GCSEs then go to Wilson’s and use the money for other experiences. I really liked Wilson’s and hated City so I am biased but nothing I saw at City was worth 20k a year if the other choice is Wilson’s.