Independent schools commutable from Cambridge including Culford and St Chris’

[1busybee]

Hi I’m looking for up to date info on independent schools commutable from Cambridge either on train line or bus route.

Place would be for a really sporty but also but quirky year 9 boy. Currently in top sets at local comprehensive - bright but not the most self motivated with the national curriculum studies!! Would much rather be doing sport, digging a hole, day dreaming about building his own house etc. My son currently does a lot of his sport outside school so doesn’t necessarily need to be catered for in school as long as schooo day allowed for getting home to do his clubs at home.

There a lot of private schools in Cambridge are none of those suitable?

Kings Ely

The Leys or The Perse boys?

So, if sporty I’d say St Faiths and then The Leys if staying in Cambridge. Academically, you might well find the curriculum more stale at an independent school. My DC left in Yr5 at St Faiths because they basically regurgitate a tired old curriculum in place for more than a decade in most subjects. By contrast the state school offered a fresh approach.

Outside Cambridge there are some good Preps but remember they can’t do as much in sport as they could before the pandemic. Kings Ely is the best of these.

At a high proportion of independent schools pushing skills like wearing a tie, navigating around the school and independence normally seen at secondary school level is a goal. What’s the value in being able to do stuff you’d find a doddle at 11 when you are only 7 - none. Imagine the time it wastes when they could be learning.

Meanwhile, travel to and from school - something a 9 yr old might be starting to navigate themselves - might not be viable if at a local school. Additionally, one reason for the independence will probably be because there are very few classroom assistants beyond yr 2 in many independent school settings. Not value for money and you might get - as we did in yrs 3 and 4 - a combo of older lady volunteer and sports instructor who’d rather be doing something else subbing in where a TA would be useful. Smaller classes, yup ... but no TA.

Sorry if this puts you off, but seriously save your pennies.

She said a year 9 boy so too late for St Faith's. It would be an in year admission as entry point would have been to go in to Year 9.

As The Leys still has Saturday school I undertand this may impact on out of school sport so I would say King's Ely may be your best bet. However if sporty they would want him for their teams (if a team sport) and that would take place on a Saturday and I assume mastertomsmum does not have a current school age child as interschool sport is back on

Bishops stortford college?

Bumping to find out more