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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

SW London independent schools. Average child?

36 replies

Vegiereggie · 03/02/2021 17:38

Has anyone got a perfectly average girl into a SW London independent? Our daughter is wonderful, chatty but perfectly average. She goes to a state school and has one tutoring session a week. Is it worth pursuing an independent place or should we just park it. Not interested in prepping her within an inch of her life, though perfectly happy to help her familiarise herself with the exam format.

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sanam2019 · 03/02/2021 17:48

Probably Kew House / Radnor House / St Catherine's, Ibstock Place maybe. Where in SW London? It's a large area!

After8itsgrownuptime · 03/02/2021 18:12

Big vote here for st catherines. I moved DD from a prep achool and have been very impressed by them

Rodent01 · 03/02/2021 18:16

Thomas’s is opening a secondary school this September, might be an option as they don’t always take those that are the top academically? And as a new school it might not be as competitive until it shows results in 5-8 years time?

daisypond · 03/02/2021 18:22

My average state-school middle-table child went to an independent secondary in SW London. No tutoring. We did try once but she was too resistant, so only had one session. Was in the bottom sets while there, so be careful what you wish for. Whereabouts in SW?

Original poster

Vegiereggie · 03/02/2021 18:42

Thanks all.

Balham and surrounding area. Don’t want huge journeys.

Daisypond do you think your daughter fluked the admissions tests then? Did she enjoy the additional opportunities at her school or not really? I’m not sure she would be terribly bothered about being in bottom sets which is possibly why she is average .

Rodent01 I was always under the impression that Thomas’s was super selective. Certainly the kids I know who go to the prep are waaaaaay ahead of DD.

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SouthLondonMommy · 03/02/2021 18:55

There are plenty of independent schools for average children.

Streatham and Clapham is not too far from you and is quite popular school that you can join early and stay until 18 so no exam pressure.

The majority of independent schools are for average children and aren't terribly difficult to get into. You just have to ask if they really offer value compared to your local state options.

Rodent01 · 03/02/2021 19:03

@Vegiereggie yes, but I’d assume a lot of the top academic will go off to top proven schools - some will want proven results / have siblings at other schools etc. Just wondered if it might mean less competition!

AveEldon · 03/02/2021 19:05

Northwood Senior also worth a look

daisypond · 03/02/2021 19:30

@Vegiereggie

Mine went to Streatham and Clapham after a state primary at age 11. But it was several years ago now, and might have been easier to get into then. I think it’s harder now. There was no problem getting into it, though they did contact us afterwards saying they had concerns about her English - which was a surprise to us, as we thought her English was OK, while we knew her maths was awful. I don’t know if we’d make the same decision again. It was a lot of money and probably not worth it. Hard to say if a state school would have been better. We wanted smaller classes and better behaviour, which we got, in the main. She moved to a state school for sixth form.

Stircrazyschoolmum · 03/02/2021 19:45

Having been through the process this year I would give another vote to streatham and clapham. Warm, friendly and down to earth, certainly not a hot house. However, it depends what you think you a more buying? There are heaps of excellent state schoolp

Stircrazyschoolmum · 03/02/2021 19:50

Sorry.. pushed send to soon! Meant to say there are heaps of excellent state schools do you have to know why you want to pay.. I.e extracurricular activities or a specific interest..

daisypond · 03/02/2021 19:52

In my day, some years ago now, SCHS had a reputation of being easy to get into. It took everyone. It was the only independent we applied for. We knew she would get in. It may be different now. However, think about what you want from an independent school. Mine has ended up at the same university with other average children from her primary school who went off to local state schools.

Iamsodone · 03/02/2021 20:15

You could also look at Woldingham, an easy train ride from Clapham junction.

Original poster

Vegiereggie · 03/02/2021 20:23

SouthLondonMummy this is what I find confusing. Everything on the 11+ threads here suggests that Streatham and Clapham is now fairly competitive. She would be going in at secondary not at prep. There isn’t really a value agenda. We just want her to be happy, engaged and have a variety of opportunities. I suppose what I am interested in is how much of the competitive stuff is parents hyping themselves up or if it is a true reflection of how selective the school is?

AveEldon I’ve been keeping an eye on Northwood senior but it is tiny and there seem to be very few girls there currently. It will be interesting to see if it gains in popularity as the Northwood lodge and Broomwood children filter through.

daisypond that’s a really interesting insight. We have experience of state secondary school (a well regarded one in the area) and the class sizes, general disruption and lack of sporting opportunities are the main reasons we are looking at independent. We wouldn’t be devastated if she ended up at a local state secondary though as I think we are really lucky with the options generally.

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Original poster

Vegiereggie · 03/02/2021 20:28

Sorry hadn’t read all the other posts. Yes stircrazy I agree that there are lots of good options but the truth is that we can easily afford it so if it offers her a happy and fulfilling experience why not? Do you know of average children who got in this year?

I’ll take a look at Woldingham Iamsodone.

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Stircrazyschoolmum · 03/02/2021 21:18

This year’s offers will come out on 11 Feb. (Although this year is not a great reference point as all the entrance procedures have been different.)

You can get a flavour of competition from the SW indies threads from the last couple of years. Usually a good handful of girls from our state primary get offered SCHS but only 1 or 2 get offered WHS or Jags and 2 or 3 max get offered Alleyns. Emanuel has also gotten very competitive in recent years simply down to sheer numbers applying.

daisypond · 03/02/2021 21:33

At my DC two-form entry primary, mine was the only one to go to an independent secondary school. Everyone else went to local state schools.

Original poster

Vegiereggie · 03/02/2021 21:41

daisypond I don’t think any of her classmates will go private for secondary. All those who would’ve jumped ship at 8yrs old.

I purposely avoid those threads stircrazy. They make me think it’s not even worth a shot. Our daughter does nowhere near that amount of prep. Not that I believe that there is anything wrong with that determination it just doesn’t fit our family dynamic.

Ok, so it sounds like SCHS and Woldingham might be worth a go. I’m not sure that I can see the benefit of Northwood Senior right now.

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AveEldon · 03/02/2021 21:53

Streatham & Clapham like Emanuel has become more difficult to get into but it seems more to do with numbers of kids applying and the bulge birth years currently reaching 10/11 years of age

Near Balham there are plenty of good state options - Chestnut Grove, La Retraite, Burntwood, Dunraven, Graveney, Bolingbroke

daisypond · 03/02/2021 22:00

I suspect as the area has become wealthier, more people are able to apply for private schools than before, and it is more competitive these days. But it really was an eye-opener for me to see that the average children who went to Chestnut Grove, Lambeth Academy, Burntwood etc all ended up at the same good university as my SCHS DD. It made no difference in the end, academics-wise.

Original poster

Vegiereggie · 03/02/2021 22:01

That’s what I had heard about SCHS but I didn’t know how much of that was hot air. Our younger two got into a prep that is considered really selective but they are far from super smart.

As I said earlier we also have experience of the local state secondary sector. Just exploring options. Definitely not diminishing their offering .

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Original poster

Vegiereggie · 03/02/2021 22:15

Yes I think you are right daisypond. Thanks also for being so candid. It’s rare for people to speak openly when they have spent so much money on an education.

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Londonmummy66 · 03/02/2021 23:19

SCHS is still easier than pretty well anything else around - it isn't great - but worth a shot.

daisypond · 04/02/2021 06:42

If you’re thinking about university in the future, all these “average” children ended up at a good RG university. Despite what selective schools and parental angst may indicate, it’s also straightforward to get into a good university, in my experience.

SouthLondonMommy · 04/02/2021 08:20

From what I understand Streatham and Clapham used to struggle for numbers upon a time but now are oversubscribed. However, I think the intake's ability is still fairly average but more people apply.

St Dunstans and Royal Russell are also seen to cater to more average children.

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