Anyone considering Cardinal Vaughan or London Oratory from KT4 area

[OddballMumof2]

Most boys from our Catholic primary (who are not going the grammar route) go to either Richard Challoner, Wimbledon College or St Andrew's. All good schools but I wanted to check if anyone from our local area were successful in applying and getting into Cardinal Vaughan or London Oratory, and if yes, how do your boys like the school and how do they cope with the daily commute?

Anyone?

Hello, I know this thread was a while ago but it may help other people looking at schools in the future.
I went to the London Oratory until June of this year and I lived a similar distance if not further from the school as did a few of my friends. The commute for me consisted of 2 trains or a tram and then underground if the trains were delayed. Though my commute into school was a little under an hour I don't think this really affected me, though my mum was concerned for my safety in First Form!

My close friend from primary school went to Cardinal Vaughan and enjoyed his time there. The journey helps with time management and awareness I'd argue.

I loved my time at the school, I had a good group of friends, was involved in many societies and am now at a very good university. The Catholic Ethos of the school also helped to further my journey as a Catholic.

Hello there, it is nice to read such a positive and honest-sounding review from a recent pupil. My 11yo has just been offered a place and we are very happy. He attends a reasonably good state comprehensive where he is doing relatively well, but I am not certain how he would feature in a banding test. I would like to ask you if, and how, banding is applied, and if the streaming system (if there is one) is rigid or not. Thank you!

My son is now is Y8 at CVMS and he has taken to his daily commute like a duck to water. He is going to soon choose his GSCE subjects....time does fly very fast indeed!!

@gracijela I wouldn't worry about the banding, it's a way to get the boys sorted into sets to start with in Y7. As they progress through the term, they are shuffled around to ensure they are well placed in a set that keeps them challenged and motivated.

CVMS has so far been an excellent school choice for our son....he is thriving in all his chosen interest areas.

Hope this helps x

@OddballMumof2 Thank you very much, but we got London Oratory. We loved CVMS but it was our second choice, purely for the fact that LO does more cricket, which DS loves. I guess we'll never find out how he did in the CVMS banding, but it is nice to hear that kids do get shuffled around.

This makes me even more nervous about LOS where banding wasn't done initially, but apparently will be done once everyone confirms their acceptance of the offer.