Habs vs Westminster vs St. Paul’s Boys

[Glassofmerlot]

We would like to give the best for our son. He is a bright boy, 2-3 y ahead in mats and other subjects. It’s a tough decision and i would like to get your opinion on those schools. We live near Habs but are open to move. What are the differences between these schools? Westminster and St. Paul’s are both high up in the league table, Habs is not.

They're all highly competitive schools to get into, so you may be best applying to all and then seeing where you get in and whether you have an option or not.

We got a yes from St. Pauls and will probably pass the interview in Habs too (as we passed all others) Once we have all the results we wont have much time to make a decision. Can anyone advise

Is this for pre-tests? It’s years since my children were starting secondary school but then you had to make your mind up before Common Entrance.
I realise things may have changed in the past 12 years.

He did 7+ not the 11+. but I thought it would be better to post here as he will be studying in the chosen school for 11 years and there’s more information regarding all of those schools in this thread. We are very keen of St. Paul’s but is it really worth moving?

You need to think about the very high fees at St Paul's and Westminster and where you would live and cost of living. Your ds is obviously bright and will get the same GCSEs and a levels where ever he goes to school so are you looking for sporting or music excellence as that is part of what you are paying for? Are you sure you don't want to opt for a grammar school at age 11? Maybe spend some time on the elevenplusexams.co.uk website too, so many parents opt for a grammar when given the option of these schools.

Thank you for your reply. We don’t have any issues regarding the fees or cost of living. Its just we’re used to this area, which is near habs. (A lot of space, greenery etc) But i feel like the other two schools are better options. It’s a tough decision as if we move, it would be a big change and if we don’t i would feel guilty of not providing my son best education since he got already accepted. Just trying to understand how much difference there will be long term between Habs and the other two schools.

I don't have any direct experience but I work with two girls who went to Habs and both are v posh (ie well spoken) and confident with successful jobs.

I used to go out with a St Paul's boy and he was confident and successful too.

I wouldn't move to go to St Paul's. Send them to Habs in an area you know and love. School is important but so is being rooted and settled somewhere and all of the schools you mention will mean a great start in life.

If you're happy in the area stick with Habs, it really won't make a huge difference overall and not worth the disruption for any tiny perceived gain

They are all great schools and any is giving your ds a fantastic education. If you said "I'm passionate about rowing and would love for my ds to go and study in the US on a rowing scholarship" then of course go for a school based on the Thames but if you don't want a particular extra curricular opportunity then you have to ask what a house move would gain for you as a family as a whole.

I'd stick with Habs if you're local and love the area. If he's this bright and you really want a public school, he could always board from 13 at Westminster.

Habs boys is highly ranked-- even among fee paying schools they'll be in the top 5% in the country. Sometimes London parents can lose perspective as we have so many top ones in the city.

Your son seems extremely bright (though not off the charts) and he would have plenty of intellectual peers at any of these schools.

In your situation, I'd focus the choice based on ethos, pastoral care, cocurricular offer, how the schools teach and differentiate math if that's his strength, and where you want to live.

The “best” education is not necessarily the one at the school with the highest results in league tables. All of these schools are highly selective and their results are what you would expect if you cream off the very brightest. Differences in league table results are arbitrary at this level. Your son would come out with a string of A*s wherever he goes.

Please, please, please look beyond results and the prestige associated with the name of the school. If your son is sporty then having playing fields on site would be of huge benefit. If he is musical then how many choirs, orchestras and bands are there for his instrument? How’s their art and drama? Is he into computers as Westminster doesn’t offer computer science at A-level and the offering of creative subjects is quite poor too IMO (we looked at the sixth form for DD).

It is very easy to get carried away with which one is the “best” and ignore which one is “right” for your son.

I really appreciate your replies. He is into mats, robots, magnetic toys, puzzles and not so sporty. (Although he enjoys swimming and occasional football) I want him to be with boys who are similar to him, as most of the boys in his age enjoy sports other things and are just boys. I guess an academic mats science oriented school would work the best. Which of those would fit best?

Maybe you should wait until your ds has sat the Westminster exam and you have all the offers in front of you. St Paul's and Westminster select a balance of ds in the class so they have the sporty alpha boys even at age 7 because they are all round schools and need their sports teams to also be high achieving. When you go to Westminster really watch the dc and parents and work out if they are like minded etc. Do you know parents at St Paul's/ Westminster already?

Just to add this is why some parents with non sporty ds choose grammar schools because you aren't then paying for sports facilities that are never used, there is a lot of sport on the private school curriculums.

As others have said, these are all great schools and the differences between them are ones of emphasis more than anything else.
Some sweeping generalisations that may or may not be helpful:
Habs is probably the most diverse, Westminster the least.
Similarly, Westminster is the most like the stereotype of the English public school, an urban Eton if you like. Quite quirky. Habs the least.
All get great results. Habs more of an exam factory, Westminster less - more focus on critical thinking, creativity, independent study- things that A level (arguably) rather discourages.
St Paul’s has a great site with extensive playing fields, swish new buildings, and the river.
Habs probably has a higher proportion of boys specialising in STEM subjects.

Based on your update I think Habs is genuinely your best choice.

I would also say Habs based on what you have said.

If you want to really dig into the philosophies of these schools, Westminster is committed to an idea of a classical liberal education predating the collective Victorian notions of schools I think pioneered at Rugby about discipline and sports creating school spirit. Westminster is about individualism and individual responsibility like you would see at an elite university and it’s a 6 day a week boarding school that day boys and girls work their lives around. They do care about sport but only rowing and cricket and then only because of the commitment to tradition. St Paul’s is more into these ideas of collective school spirit built on high achieving in sports and high academic standards. It’s a boys school with boys on site from prep to A level. Of course you can be, like most boys, not sporty. My feeling is that tradition means a bit less at St Paul’s since it has moved multiple times and the buildings have been or are being progressively completely replaced in recent years. Its student cohort is more locally sourced and it’s definitely a 5 day a week day school not a boarding school even if they have it. Can’t comment on Habs but my guess - without knowing anything- is that it fits in the mould of St Paul’s. Sports, music, resources, excellent results, educating local boys, without being constrained by a site which is UNESCO world heritage listed and treats boys more as boys.

Just to add that if your DS is 3 years ahead in some subjects then you really need to speak to all 3 schools to see which would really support him as he will probably be ahead of many of his peers. WUS for example will not give your DS tailored work that is for example a year ahead or let him sit in lessons with other year groups. Will your DS get bored perhaps? I don’t know how SP or HABs are in dealing with gifted pupils.

While the entrance tests may be testing for curriculum two years ahead, the boys actually do go back to times tables and the like when they join Year 3.

Based on this, QE boys might be a good fit for him at 11+?

@Twilightstarbright I was thinking of that but QE is very sporty and really not very diverse.

I have a DD in 6th at Westminster. It is incredibly diverse at all levels in the school so please ignore the poster above who declared it to be ‘the least diverse’ ditto the arts and sports provisions. Yes rowing is important to the school but so are the other sports including football. The arts programme is outstanding and offers great opportunities for those who want to be a little bit involved to those who want full immersion. Re arts A levels, there is a strong mix of courses plus cultural enrichment which makes the school stand out. It is also a school in which pupils are free to explore and understand why different viewpoints are held across society without being cancelled for doing do. This is one of the main differences my DD has found since joining from another super selective London school plus just how far ahead some of the boys at the start of A levels are in some subjects as they have not been taught to pass exams but the actual subject IYSWIM. The ethos of giving back to the community via timetabled volunteer work is also something we value as a family. The timetabled well-being classes are also valuable in helping the youth of today navigate changing times. If you have a genius in computer science or robotics, he will be fully supported at Westminster with or without CS A level.

That said, 6 days a week schooling is full on so Westminster is not for the faint-hearted Pupil (or parent). I’m also not sure I’d move for any school really, but they start early and finish late at Westminster so consider this when making decisions for 7 year olds and also the impact it has on you as his parent in terms of the commute.

When you talk about "caring about sport" it's a relative comparison. At St Paul's, all boys play rugby for a least a term. You've got big thumping great lads trouping around with studded boots on. That's all unthinkable at Westminster. They don't even provide rugby. It's not bothered with the notions of uniformity but it's a pillar of the Establishment through the Church and the monarchy connections. Some independent schools really push sport especially since it engineers school spirit and the parents/alumni value it and imagine their boys in the first 15/11. If you've got a mixed ability cohort, that makes sense. Westminsters want to be in the intellectual premier league and they are picking the best fit from the hugely talented group that apply.

But the school does not offer Computer Science or DT at A-level (but they do at GCSE) and their subject blocks mean that my daughter couldn’t actually do the subjects she wanted to.

We personally loved the school but we felt their academic offerings were restrictive and geared towards the more traditional subjects. That may or may not be important to the OP. It’s not a slur on the school.