KCS, RGS or Hampton

[Esher2021]

I saw a few of us need to make choice between 2 or 3 of these schools. I thought a thread would be useful to see what people are thinking.

Looking at travel for us we prefer RGS and KCS - eventually I think public transport will be practical for both schools as DS get older. The trip from Hampton I think is more complicated.

We have a lovely s/s but it isn’t helping us separate the lovely schools. I think KCS looks like it has an edge for on school facilities but I’m not convinced DS is going to be too bothered.

Both are clearly academic but I have a nagging doubt that the pressure will be even higher (too high?) at KCS. Curriculum look very similar as do subjects offered.

KCS sports ground is closer for us. Think DS prefers RGS but only because that is the one in his head from when we started as DD is at school in Guildford. I think the academic scholarship at RGS will be great for his self confidence but I’m not sure there are any other benefits.

And that’s as about as far we got. Great to have a choice, and he has really done brilliantly. Wasn’t expecting it tbh.

And then I come full circle and wonder if I was rash to discount Hampton so quickly.

Where is everyone else’s heads?

@sandybayley, thank you, that is actually really helpful. DD, while bright and quietly confident, is really not feisty, so sounds like it may not be a good fit for her.

I do recall that DS and his friends enjoyed playing against Hampton and St John's Leatherhead - both having very decent and fair oppositions. The latter putting on a v good tea. They thought Eton were up themselves and I recall a match against Kings, Canterbury being cancelled due to the players' lack of skill (bit awks as I went there for 6th form!), St Pauls' was always a grudge match.

I do recall a few boys who weren't going to make the 13+ cut but who were sporty transferring to Whitgift. For me that has always ranked it but as I say, I am out of date.

If any of you have dd's I cannot speak highly enough of WHS and overall I thought it was slightly better than KCS in the context of pastoral. I know Jane Lunnon has now moved on but she was a truly inspirational head, leader, woman and dd thinks the former deputy who has replaced her aced her!

@sandybayley that resonates for the girls and I am aware of half a dozen former whs and phs girls who regretted it.

Best thing KCS did was to reintroduce A'Levels alongside IB. DS nearly moved due to IB (as a linguist and Liberal arts bod) but refused because he was so happy there. It turned out OK and oddly the point he dropped was in English having won prize after prize!!

Oddly enough when we chose KCS for DS1 the fact it offered IB in 6th Form was a big draw. But the time it came to it he went down the A Level route. It was nice to have the choice. DD is doing IB and thriving.

I'm a big fan of Hampton (DH is old boy 😉) but for us location was paramount. The ability to walk to school is great. All my DC have had friends from outside of SW19 and SW20 but there is a strong pull back to Wimbledon when it cones to socialising. The Common is a particular favourite in summer.

I'm trying to think back to Year 7 as mine are older now. Not a huge amount of socialising in Year 7 I think. Lots of activities after school (sport and drama) and Saturday sport. Friends round n the holidays maybe for gaming etc. I'm thinking more of Year 9 plus for cinema and burger trips - progressing to hanging out on the Common by Year 11 plus.

Both my DS were in the Junior School so got used to quite a bit of homework from early on. some joining in Year 7 might find homework quite time consuming if coming from a school where it hadn't previously been the norm but they soon get the hang of it. There is a lot of homework (IMO) but it feels like the school has reduced it recently. All my 3 are very good at getting on with work and I've never had to be on their case with it (not since the age of about 8).

Thinking about it @Jumpalicious with the new bigger 11+ intake I suspect Year 7 pace will be gentler than mine had as they were both still in the Junior School and gearing up to take the transfer exam. Your DS will not have that looming over him (lucky boy ).

My two are at RGS and doing very well, it isn't a stuffy school. The Head is really nice and cares about the boys. We had the choice of similar schools but chose RGS because it was nearer. They are all great schools, your DS will do equally well at all of them. I think the most important thing is ease of journey as it is also about the social life later on!

@Hopeful201 totally agree with you about ease of journey!

@Jumpalicious thank you, yes I was able to look round Hampton at an Open Morning back in pre Covid days! Really liked it, great lively vibe, was impressed by the head, and the boys seemed down to earth and cheerful. RGS was similar.

I think my issue is that all these academic independent schools are 'sporty' to some extent or another, you can't get away from it, the competitive, high-standard sporting opportunities on offer are a big part of why many parents go down the indie route. But we just don't have sporty kids! For us the attraction of Hampton /RGS is far more about the academics and other extra curricular opportunities than the sporting ones, we applied in spite of the sports rather than because of them, if that makes sense (I realise that probably sounds mad to anyone with a sporty child though).

We’re in claygate too and don’t know whether the journey to RGS would be too onerous. Does anyone know whether it’s a completely knackering commute?

It's all so long ago @jumpalicious. My re Ollerton when ds joined at 8 was that "classics" was largely Ancient History at that stage. DS was always enthralled and first degree was classics but I seem to recall the 11+ intake were not disadvantaged.

I don't remember ds doing much home work pre 6th form tbh but I know some had to just to keep up. DS scraped middle position without really having to pull his finger out and that's as it should be I think. However the school did not push him for Oxbridge because he only got 6 A* at GCSE and when he pulled off 44IB points he had a gap year to apply.

Ah, panda fwiw ds was also exceptionally musical as well as sporty. At about 11 he had to decide which way to go because there wasn't time for music and sports practice. He went for sport. Music and drama at KCS is exceptional.

Hi I just notice lots of comments from people who no longer have kids at the school or went there themselves in the 80s or 90s: I think when talking about Hampton and KCS experiences of both schools are only relevant recent tbh. KCS in particular has really changed and the type of boys getting in has really changed. The school bus which now transports from all over London means that kids are not actually particularly local generally. I genuinely don’t see any of them hanging out on the common - ever. I say this as someone who knows a lot of boys at the school and lives locally. My boys are at a different local school and DS2 has an offer for Hampton.
I would apply the same to any school: while nostalgia is great all these schools have become far more competitive.
IME with DS1 no socialising other than what’s app group chat goes in term time. Kids are far too busy with extra curricular and school work.
Just a little reality check there.

@GeorgiePorgieOrgie, it’s a pretty straightforward commute, and lots of boys do it. From London Road station it’s about a 10 min walk to the school.

The train journey becomes part of the social scene, especially as they get older and more interested in mixing with the GHS and Tormead girls doing the same commute.

Point taken @Goingcrazy101. I'll shut up now. I'd be interested however to know why you chose not to send your boys to KCS?

May I add that dd is younger than ds and we still have many friends with younger boys at KCS, and remain in touch as friends with some senior staff, so aren't wholly out of the loop.

Sorry @Goingcrazy101 that's just not true. Lots of local kids at KCS right now. Very many parents, ourselves included, choose it because it's an outstanding school and on our doorstep.

Reading your post again @Goingcrazy101, people send their boys to Kings. I don't recall kids ever being sent there. But yes even less than a decade ago it was straight home Monday to Thursday, mainly because practices meant they were home at 5.45ish.

Friday nights and holidays, much time was spent at either The Wimbledon, Hurlingam and Riverside Clubs.

I think that the girls coming in 6th form integrate very well - the boys are so thrilled to have females in their midst they spend the first few weeks slightly in awe which is quite funny! They are a pretty talented and intelligent group of girls so they can hold their own - there are some quieter one too so I don’t think this puts them at a disadvantage as I get the impression that the boys genuinely want to get to know all of them. I would definitely want my add to consider it for 6th form.

In terms of “going out” when DS arrived at 13 it was all pretty much sleepovers, gaming and the odd trip to the cinema or the trampoline park. This graduated to small gatherings at people’s house by the time they got to 15 or 16 and hanging out on the common in the summer before 6th form. By 6th form I would say the majority are having gatherings with girls and the Common is pretty popular (although covid may have impacted this as meeting outdoors was the only option over the summer). DS doesn’t hang with the party crowd and I would say he is a pretty much middle of the road type of kid when it comes to socialising so I think he is fairly representative ....I think the socialising is mainly about meeting up with girls as opposed to going out to drink etc. Of course there are some boys who don’t really go out at all and that’s absolutely fine ...and the ones at the other end of the spectrum who go out too much!! I would say that compared to some other independent schools in the area the KCS boys are quite late starters when it comes to “partying”.

@Yossahughes - thanks for verifying my comments! I was a bit bemused to be told by a non-KCS parent that I was wrong and that my teenagers couldn't be doing what I knew they were. I like the school very much and it's been great for all my 3 DC.

The thing I always say on these threads is that these are all great schools so if you can, stay local. If your child gets into KCS, Hampton and RGS they will do well at any of them. So make their life easier and stay local. If we'd lived in Hampton the boys would have gone to Hampton if they'd got in.

@sandybayley - yes I thought those comments about the boys never going out were a little odd as I think it’s a hugely social school. In fact Andrew Halls always makes a point to reiterate to parents in the 6th form that the kids shouldn’t be going out to parties on both Friday and Saturday and avoid going out the day before a competitive sports fixture. I do think the catchment and geographic spread is a lot greater than it perhaps was 10 years ago but they are all quite happy to travel to Wimbledon to meet up....or to any location where someone’s parents are happy to host a large group of them! I would agree they don’t go out midweek though as they are indeed very busy with extracurricular or homework.

So we are still stuck, we drove to KCS to remind ourselves from outside. It looks lovely as we knew - though we have never done a tour due to Covid.

Worked out the travel times and there is nothing in it.

Does anyone have recent information on state/prep split at RGS and KCS (we are state)? Would it be a reason to pick RGS? I have a feeling it isn’t going to be an issue either way.

DS likes RGS still because it is what he has on own about from friends.

The investment and facilities at KCS are impressive and new. I think a step above what I’ve seen from other schools I think.

I was going to ask if anyone has knowledge about if there is a benefit for DS in the scholarship at RGS? I know there is a small benefit for us as parents but not sure about DS.

If it's a whisker, please listen to what your ds prefers. We didn't with dd's secondary because we thought we knew better: spreadsheets and objectivity and stuff. She did two years at LMS (hated it), three years at Notre Dame (compromise because her friends were hating Surbiton but it was healing), year at KCS because she wanted her bro's footsteps despite our reservations but MH and anorexia gripped, then two wonderful years at WHS. It all turned out ok in the end.

Fair, and that same thought has played across my mind. I’m glad it turned out well in the end.