Alleyn's or Emanuel

[SW11Mummy]

DD is currently in Y5 and Emanuel is very local to us so we will be applying next year. I have heard of people who live locally and have opted for Alleyn's over Emanuel. Given the tricky journey I wondered what the reasons behind this might be..?

go on, hazard a guess......

Have a child at both. Both are great schools - Alleyns is more selective so results are better. Emanuel has become a lot more selective so results are getting better and there is not a huge difference between the 2. Both my children are really happy and I think both are fantastic schools would 100% recommend both.

That's great to hear, thank you :)

Alleyn's is obviously much higher in the league tables, but Emanuel is now working hard at catching up on all fronts, that has not quite reflected yet.
Alleyn's has a liberal/soft touch approach which suits some but makes their added value less tangible.
It's actually interesting to see that every year there are kids getting offers from Alleyn's but not from Emanuel as there are families choosing Emanuel over Alleyn's.
However given the choice, the majority will choose Alleyn's as historically stronger academically and part of the Dulwich schools which is attractive in itself.

Sorry to revive an old thread but we are now choosing between these schools for our DD who has offers at both. We live close to Emanuel (15-20 min walk away vs 45 min coach).

I would love to hear from parents at each of these schools - and especially anyone who has experience of both like @atotalshambles above.

I’ve heard of 3x a week tests at Emanuel (y7) which is a little worrying. I’m impressed by how the Emanuel head has brought up the school’s results but not if it’s been done via endless tests at the expense of more interesting lesson time? Can anyone shed more light?

What would parents say are the differences between the schools, apart from the gap in their current results league table positions (which is changing and I suspect will continue to change)? Is there a big difference in “feel” or what type of child suits each?

Thank you!

Go to both Taster day and see.
45 mins by coach is quite a bit if you doing sport with fixtures, drama and their rehearsals and music such as orchestra or choir. This is depending on your DC interests.
We know families and kids happy with both schools. Testing is usually grammar in the languages we heard, Latin, German, French. End of topic tests are the same as those we know in LU. Sport : Emanuel have rugby and rowing and Alleyn have basketball - do check for difference sport and team level since there would be some differences.
Which one does your DC prefer? Is an early morning start ok? Taster day, ask about homework hours from Year 7 to GCSEs?
Lucky to have the choice.

I suspect the improved results at Emanuel are a consequence of a more able intake
Results have improved as it's become harder to for the average kid to get into

An easier commute with more local friends is a great option imho

Thank you both. Yes we are very lucky to have the choice of two great options! Definitely going to both taster days but aware it is a bit of a stage managed snapshot.

DD has no strong preference. She’s unlikely to be swayed by particular sports (enjoys sports but is C/D team level). But choir and drama quite likely. She’s bookish and would like debating or quiz type extra curriculars. Alleyns does seem to have more clubs but then the journey might mean she can’t do more anyway…

The journey is a worry, early mornings are fine (early waker) but she runs out of energy quite early in the evening so I can see homework being an issue after the coach slump. I am definitely leaning towards Emanuel on this basis.

Agree local friends would be a big bonus although I think Emanuel’s radius is growing based on MN! (and Alleyns has lots from our area).

That sounds very reassuring about the testing, thank you.

other things being equal I would prefer Alleyns based mostly on academic track record but it wouldn't be nearly a strong enough preference to justify the much more arduous commute, in this situation I'd go for E like a shot.

Friends’ DC in Emanuel does some book quiz competition, music concerts and lunch time clubs and house events, so quite busy.
Alleyns, the music can take time so not being super interested in sports may make it easier with timetable.
On your visits it would be great to check an example of timetable including drama and music practices. A current snapshot should answer your questions.

That’s a good idea Hawaii. I managed to find an Alleyns club timetable online but not Emanuel, will ask.

@minipie There is a clubs and societies list on Emanuel’s website but sport practices are not included in it I believe. Do ask during the offer holders event. I remember having a long discussion with one of the teachers last year to understand activities. This is DC’s first year at Emanuel. He’s doing so much, lunchtime clubs almost every day, as well as after school sport practices and early morning swimming and cross country. Kids are encouraged to take part but they can do as much as they want. If you have any particular questions feel free to ask!

Oh DD would love early morning swimming and running! (Strange child 😆) I have seen the website list which looks good but hard to know which are for what year or clash etc without an actual timetable so will ask for that. Sounds like plenty going on which is great.

I have a friend whose son has gone to Emanuel in Y6. My son hs also moved to another school in Y6 (onvioualy not Alleyns!)

I must admit there is a lot of ranking and ‘whose best’ chat from the Emanuel parent. Which I was surprised by. I hadn’t had any of that from my son’s new school (although the kids will chat amongst themselves a bit) - so far zero no ranking or hierarchy chat in reports or PT meetings. Her son definitely has a feeling of being out in his place. Mostly maths I think.

they are very happy overall and nice kids and they like the staff/head etc. but I did get much more of a sense of ranking going in. Can’t say how much it intensifies in alter years which I’d be more concerned about.

sorry just to add i would say that boy and his parent are probably more on the anxious side so defo a nature/nurture element to it too. If you child takes these things in their stride then obviously less of a worry. I don’t want to put you off!

Hmm interesting. Not great if the school is ranking them and telling them. But it might just be streaming I guess which is going to happen everywhere?

This hasn’t been our experience so far. But DC is in year 7. On the parents’ evening we were given the class average vs. DC’s marks but no ranking. DC can be quite competitive in certain subjects but he never knows what his classmates marks are (I know he asks).

That’s good to know ash86

Hi, my child is in year 6 in Emanuel and there's definitely no ranking by the school and no discussion about it amongst the parents (that I'm aware of anyway).

I have older DCs there too and I would definitely recommend being close by. We moved when oldest was in yr7 and it helped a lot. Lots of kids are relatively local and the ones who aren't do get together local to school as it's a good focal point. So even at the weekends being local helps.

Overall we're really happy with the school, there's definitely something for everything and the kids easily find their tribe. I think pastoral care is excellent and mine are doing well academically so it's a good fit for us. We didn't apply for Alleyn's though because it was too far from our previous home so I can't offer feedback on that.

Thank you!

@ash86i and @alltheleaves and anyone else with DC there - any comment on the testing 3x a week that I heard about ? Is it mainly language vocab / grammar tests as a pp says (hope so as that’s much less worrying than what I originally pictured)

If the DC hang out locally at weekends that would work well for DD as we are very local. Guess by definition everyone who goes there can get to Clapham Junction somehow!

Yes, spelling and grammar tests fairly often in Latin, MFL, and English. End of topic tests are usually once every half-term in science and maths, and a written assessment in humanities and English.

I think the work is manageable. My DC do a lot of extracurricular activities (in and out of school) and they're not working insane hours, usually (🙄) in bed by 9, to get good grades. I do think the school has helped give them good independent learning skills so they're able to do their homework thoroughly and well without having to study for hours.

Thank you. I think she will manage any workload, it’s more that I didn’t want her somewhere hothousey with lots of testing and ranking… got a bit worried Emanuel had gone that way in order to get results up… but doesn’t sound like it has in fact.

Both schools are great - have kids in both. Alleyns is possibly more difficult to get into and is more academic but both schools get amazing results. They are both difficult to get into and I would apply to both. I don't think you could go wrong with either school.

Hi @atotalshambles we are actually holding offers from both and trying to decide! Would you mind if I PM you?

@minipie we are current parents at Emanuel for DS1 and likely to accept place for DS2 (who also has Hampton offer). There are loads of clubs and activities for the kids to get involved in, and a really wide variety so most kids would find something they love. DS1 finds there’s too much choice and would love to have more days in the week to do some of the ones he can’t do because of clashes (eg media or science club)

We love the school and have been really happy with it. To answer your specific question there aren’t loads of tests. In Y7 and Y8 there have been weekly vocab tests in languages but I’d expect that at most schools. End of topic tests in science and humanities but they are pretty low key, and just to check understanding. The kids are in sets for maths and languages but again I think that’s pretty normal. We do get sent children’s grades at the end of each term against year averages so you know roughly how they are doing, but have never known kids or parents to be discussing it other than with their own kids! Hope that helps.