Secondary Private girls school Wimbledon/Surrey

[Beeby78]

I have two DDs, one 10 and one 8. We live in Wimbledon. My daughter has not passed any 11+ entrance exams. She tried Sutton High, Notre Dame and Surbiton High. She is sporty and great at Art but average academically. Any suggestions of a private secondary girl school she can apply to?

Thank you

Hello Beeby78, sorry to hear that you did not have a good experience at The Hall. My children are both there. The school is indeed in very good hands. The new Headmaster is very good and has many years of experience. Bullying is very rare at this school and the pastoral care is excellent. It might not be very pushy but the GCSE results match the other academic schools. Pupils learn differently but at the end of the day, what matters is that your children are happy and you are happy. They get to learn with less pressure and in a better way. The pupils are well behaved too.

@EmmaM2019 I just you a PM (I think!)

Have you looked at Radnor House in Twickenham? A short train journey from Wimbledon to Strawberry Hill then a five minute walk. It's directly opposite St Catherines. It has become more popular recently, so maybe not a shoo in.

Can I derail and ask a question here please? How can a child apply to these other schools if applications close in Oct/Nov in advance of the 11+ tests? Do they take more applications later on the year?

@KindergartenKop , some schools that are regarded as "back up" schools have a late sitting or will consider dc who are bright but were poorly advised on their school selection and didn't get past the first stage. These schools include The Hall, Ewell Castle, St Teresa's Effingham and Manor House. Radnor House is no longer in the category as it's popular and moving to a massive new site in Whitton in 2023. If you live around Twickenham there isn't much choice but if you live around Wimbledon as the OP does you have more choice.

Thanks @sunshineclouds24 ! My DC is in y5 currently but this info is useful!

The manor looks great, although quiet far away. Maybe I should give the Hall a 2nd look, have you got boys or girls there @EmmaM2019? My daughter really wanted all girls but at this stage we need to keep options open. The whole place seemed to be falling apart a few years ago with all the scandal in the press and terrible Ofsted. The prep school has all but closed.

@Beeby78 I am sure you can book a second appointment . I have 2 boys - one in Junior and the other in the Senior school- The ratio of boys and girls depends on the year group. There are new owners now- Chatsworth Group and the school is going ahead and not falling apart. The rating for Ofsted is Good now, unlike other reports. The Junior school did lose most of its pupils as it moved from Putney Vale. The Senior School has more pupils and the Junior school is also picking up now. And it guarantees automatic admissions to the senior school. The school is indeed nurturing. Each pupil is known by all the staff. You will be surprised that even the catering staff knows each pupil. The Headmaster is very welcoming and you can ask for an appointment directly at [email protected].

@Beeby78 have you got rejections or waiting list places? Waitlists will start moving in a few weeks. Manor House has a good local reputation for being smaller and more mixed ability.

She is on no waiting lists.

Also in regards to The Hall, I thought they moved from Putney Vale as all the pupils were leaving and they couldn’t keep the prep school running there. Not the other way round, ie pupils leaving because the school was moving from Putney Vale.

Don’t go to Manor House. My daughter went there and it is not fit for purpose. The teaching was appalling in many subjects, there was no pastoral care or learning support, and there were awful behavioural problems with horrible bullying, vaping in the toilets, students swearing and sometimes actually physically hurting one another. All sorts of things are promised on their website and by staff at open days; none of which are true.

So sorry to hear about your experience at Manor House. We looked at it but went for St Teresa's and we are very happy there. For us it has the balance of pastoral care and academic studies that we wanted.

I don’t recognise that depiction of Manor House

Girls schools include Woldingham in Surrey (just within the M25) and a nearby previously girls, but now now co-Ed, which is less selective us Dunnottar in Reigate.

You could look at Grey Coats state girls in Westminster or Tormead, independent in Guildford. I would encourage you to visit Ricards to take a proper look, it is Ofsted Outstanding with above average progress and results.