Secondary school dilemma! Really need help/opinions please!

[Spicenflavour]

Hi,
I have been reading past threads on this forum and doing my own research and thinking but I feel I could use some experienced opinions and advice. Please help with whatever you all may feel is relevant.
We live in Woking. DS is in year 4 at a state primary school. He is very bright and very sporty too. Our situation is like this - we are a middle class family so can either send DS to an independent school OR spend the money on a house and move for a state secondary school. Hubby travels to East croydon for work so that is one consideration too. My main questions are as follows -

1. Our preferred independent schools are Reeds and RGS Guildford. Realistically how easy or difficult is it to get into them? Are there any specific things that I should be aware of with regards to admission into these schools?
2. Based on the commute to East croydon which are the state secondary schools that are very good and offer good sports activities?
3. I believe the independent school exams are usually taken in the January after the start of year 6 so does that mean that if DS does not get offered a place in the independent schools then our only option will be a local secondary and nothing else?

Any advice or opinions are welcome. Am finding this whole process quite overwhelming and going a bit bonkers

@LIZS Thank you, that is good to know.

@JTro, thank you for those suggestions. We are not looking to move to Croydon as such. I was just asking for state secondary options anywhere that is easy commute to east croydon. Since we will be uprooting ourselves totally from Woking we would move only if the school was worth it and has what we are looking for.

[quote Spicenflavour]@JTro, thank you for those suggestions. We are not looking to move to Croydon as such. I was just asking for state secondary options anywhere that is easy commute to east croydon. Since we will be uprooting ourselves totally from Woking we would move only if the school was worth it and has what we are looking for.[/quote]
I got it, my post was a reply to someone's post saying how rubbish Croydon secondaries are (which is not true)

OP if you think your son won’t thrive in a grammar, I’d be worried re the super selective privates you are thinking of. They are insanely difficult to get into and hugely competitive within.

There are some v good secondaries in Woking - is the issue that you are not in the ‘right’ part of Woking to get a place? Seems mad to move with all the expense that entails if you were going to move for another state secondary when you have some good ones locally. Presumably you’re not Catholic as SJB would be a great option if you were :-) But HV, Woking High and Winston Churchill also good….

Claremont Fan Court also has a bus from Woking. Which state secondary are you in catchment for?

Hi. I'm not familiar with Woking schools but have a similar story to @Lonestar123 My son went to a local state school and is now at the RGS. We also didn't have a tutor. We went through a few non-verbal papers in the Christmas holidays as he hadn't come across those before but that's all. We just thought we'd give it a go!

@Boombastic22 , From all that I have read the grammar schools are mainly academic and the focus is on the grades as they need to maintain their reputation but privates seem to focus on more well rounded development so not being "pushed" for academics so to say. Am I wrong in thinking this??

@suitcaseofdreams , yes we are not catholic so SJB is not an option. Have not been hearing a lot of positive things about Winston recently from parents so not sure if I want to have that as an option. We are in the catchment for Woking High but I am not sure how sports oriented they are as DS is very keen on sports and does a lot already outside school so wanted him to go to a secondary that can help him progress in that department too in case he decides to pursue it more keenly in future.

@alwaystakethetrip I don't know much about claremont fan court school but it seems to be better for arts and music? Also checked their sports offerings and they don't have cricket which is what DS is into so maybe not the perfect match for him. Currently we are in the catchment of Winston Churchill and Woking High.

@villagegirlatheart that's amazing. I keep hearing at how difficult it is to get into these private schools and makes me wonder if I am being too optimistic in hoping that he will get a place! Since I don't have a favourite state school where we live I am probably worried about putting all my eggs in one basket (i.e private schools). From your experience of RGS would you say there is a lot of push on academics or is it well balanced with sports, co-curricular etc?

@Spicenflavour ah, I only know one parent with a child at Winston (yr 7) and she’s super happy with it. I don’t know much about Woking High so can’t help with the sports aspect. Lots of friends with kids at Hoe Valley who are very happy with it - although if you’re in catchment for WH or Winston you probably wouldn’t get into HV.
We’re closer to Guildford than Woking and hoping for George Abbot….

@suitcaseofdreams yes I don't think we are in the catchment for HV but I also think it will depend on how subscribed they are that year. A friend's DD got a place last year even though they are out of catchment. But I do see it changing in the coming years as I believe a lot of the crowd in Send, Woking that used to go to George Abbott might try for HV. I quite like George abbott too and we had already started looking at houses to be in the catchment but I am hesitating now as work from home rules have changed and hubby might have to start travelling to work again which is in East croydon so I don't want it to be a painful commute for him

I think you need to decide private or not ….

There is buses to loads of independent schools in Woking - st Johns, ST George’s, reeds, Halliford (easier to get in to) hampton (if your boy is super smart) I’m sure there will be more but those are the buses I see children waiting for …. Depends if you want to pay for education plus the 11 plus is not fun (having just gone through it). You can apply for lots of independents for your son at £100-£150 per test

Naughty but my friend plus her kids turned catholic with the aim to get into sjb !!!! The system is crazy so you don’t always have to go to church - once in that it ….

@Ilovechoc12 Thank you for the input. At present I am leaning more towards private as it appears that sports facilities and exposure is far better in private schools as compared to state schools. I do always check if there are buses from Woking as obviously that is a huge factor in deciding for a school and am aware of the ones you have mentioned. I also know the 11+ is not fun as so many of our friends have done it and it seems like a daunting thing to go through but I guess if I have to keep privates as an option I don't have a choice! I know what you mean about people turning catholic for admission to SJB. I know few who did it too but that isn't an option for us. To be honest I will be happy with a state school that offers what we are looking for but I haven't found one yet hence privates seem to be the course of action for now. Out of curiosity why is Halliford easier to get into?

All these schools have rough CAT4 scores ….

So some schools are easier to get into - Halliford being one compared to Reeds / St. John’s …. And hampton / rgs is harder.

Depends on how bright your child is - even a child that pass the entrance grade to be accepted into the school the school still take the people with the highest mark…. Then the dreaded waiting list. Far too few places for number of kids eg 900 people plus and 120 places etc (and the sibling places so your kid can be more smart but someone else gets in due to sibling rule) …..

Don't rule out him boarding at Gordon's if you like it.

Also you can do all the sports stuff outside of school.

I would look at places to live that are good for your DH commute and access to the private schools you would like to consider.

Hi @Spicenflavour
Just reading through your thread. Just a bit confused when you say
'I am not keen on a grammar school as I think that most of them are pretty academic'
RGS is a grammar school but an independant one and is VERY academic. We live in Woking. I can only give my opinion. My DS went to RGS and on reflection it probably wasn't the right environment for him. If your son is not keen on the pressure of studying I would look at other options. Can remember only too well the entry process which is beyond crazy. Thinking of you as you explore options.

@Ilovechoc12 is there a way to see the CAT scores expected of your DC anywhere? Or is that not available information? I understand what you say about the number of places, waiting and so on...believe me, never in a million years I imagined I would have to look at private schools!! I haven't given up on state schools altogether yet. Trying to see if I can find one we are happy with and we are able to find the right house bearing in mind DH's commute. I might actually start a seperate thread for opinions on state schools to make my decision easier!

@RandomMess we are keen on day school not boarding. And for day school the catchment of Gordons is very tiny hence I haven't kept it as an option. Like I mentioned in my original post we can either move for a good state school OR go to an independent school. Unfortunately we wont be able to afford a move and the fees for a private school. It has to be one or the other.

@kd2009 I think I kept RGS as an option partly as it is close to Woking but I do know that it is very academic. I was thinking that since they also are very sports oriented DS will fit in but maybe not. Why do you think it wasn't the right environment for your DS? And when you say other options do you mean I should consider state schools only? Is there academic pressure in ALL private schools?

@Spicenflavour Don't be in any doubt...The RGS is academic and it is competitive to gain a place. I didn't know anyone else sitting the exam so for me I only felt pressure when we went to the first open evening and I saw just how many families were there! My son said the exam was hard but as previously mentioned he hadn't experienced anything like it before. He describes the lessons as fast-paced but fun and we have certainly found it to be well-balanced. You asked about sport - he has one PE session per week (40 mins?) and one games session (2 hours?). In addition there is one practice session per week after school and he chooses to attend an early morning session but I believe this isn't compulsory unless you are in the A & B teams which he isn't. There are matches against other schools on Saturday mornings. Club-wise he enjoys shooting and badminton but there are many many sporting/non-sporting clubs on offer. We were impressed in lockdown with how the school organised zoom fitness sessions and gave the boys physical challenges to motivate them and help them step away from screens/ take a break. I seem to remember them being given at least one day off completely from study to go outside and be active. With regards to competitiveness within the school itself we haven't experienced any but maybe that will happen in latter years. His class are a great bunch of boys who are always willing to help each other with homework etc. I honestly haven't got a bad word to say about the RGS so far but that is just my opinion/the experience we have had so far.

@villagegirlatheart Thank you so much for taking the time to share all that. Its helps to hear first hand experiences from parents and always good to hear positive ones! I will keep all that you said in mind

I have some experience, which maybe helpful-one child at RGS and one at Wilson’s school ( Sutton grammars) and just been through 11+ proceed with another child. All from state primary school.
RGS is very academic with lots of sports there if they want it. Wilson’s very big on football, national finalists etc taken very seriously. Both schools academic, but no pressure and my boys are doing well.
RGS/Hampton/King’s competitive entry, excellent schools with 1:4/5 for a place. State grammars, super-selective no catchment 1:28 for a place. These schools have experience and send 20+ kids to Oxbridge every year. Excellent teaching. Reeds also seems to be on the up, lovely grounds.
If your child will do some prep for exams at home+tutor no reason not to apply and see what offers he gets.
Also it seems you have a decent state secondary as back up.
It takes about a year with committed prep for 11+exams, but be in no doubt that they have to be prepared for these exams, especially coming from state primary-good luck

@musicathome76 , thank you for the advice. It is really helpful to know. I was aware that he would need tutoring for the independent school exams. Just need to decide whether to go with a private tutor or enrol him into those grammar school tuition classes instead? What would you advise?