Sevenoaks vs Caterham

[numptynoodle]

Just that really, we have Year 7 offers from both. DD is very mathsy so we're worried about the IB but know that's not necessarily a decision for now. Sevenoaks involves less of a commute. I think if Caterham were in the doorstep I'd go for that as my sense is that it's a bit gentler and has a more innovative approach to learning but the long commute puts me off...

Plenty of kids commute from Sevenoaks to Caterham , there is a school bus route but depends where you are in relation to it.

What is relation of maths and IB ?

Do you have children there @LIZS? What's your experience if so? Would be really interested to hear from current parents.

@IndeCandidate I'm not sure I understand the question?

Not for a while.

@numptynoodle

i wanted to understand this statement
DD is very mathsy so we're worried about the IB

my boy loves maths so does IB not support maths well ?

@IndeCandidate it was more that she's less good at English/ languages and you have to do those for the IB. The IB is very good for maths if you do it at the higher level but probably not as good as maths and further maths at A level (which you might need to do maths at university).

@numptynoodle oh !

thank you for bringing this point . I m new to British education system but my boy is super duper mathsy n I can very easily see him choosing maths n further maths .

why is doing those at A level is better?
is IB syllabus different for these two.

I m really sorry for my dumb questions

@IndeCandidate I'm not the expert but I have heard from others that if your child is going to end up doing maths or sciences at a top university (e.g. Oxbridge) the IB is too broad to get the level of technical specialism needed as it's diluted by other subjects (English, Languages etc). Whereas at A-level you could do maths, further maths, economics and physics without that dilution. That said, if you're looking more roundly at education it's probably better to cover the other subjects too.

I would check with the school though as I don't want to misinform.

@numptynoodle
thank you so much , I will research more

you are kind n wish you luck

@IndeCandidate for the IB you do 6 subjects, three at basic level and three at "higher" level. The subjects must include maths, English, a science, a humanity, a language and an art. There are then additional requirements - an essay and service.

For A-levels people choose any 3-4 subjects they would like. If they're better at maths/ science they can drop English/ languages etc and vice versa. Most unis in the UK need 3 A-levels.

There is always an IB equivalent in the uni offer grades, often preU, Btec or points too. You don't need to decide which route would suit her better until year 11, although it may affect the ethos of the school lower down.

@numptynoodle We have the same question! Did you manage to find any ‘inside info’ on either school? I hear such mixed reviews of Sevenoaks, seems very love/hate, it’s so confusing. Everyone keeps telling me that Sevenoaks is for ‘self-starters’ and Caterham is more nurturing but I have no idea if that’s true.

No! I agree with your assessment of the perception though. Sevenoaks definitely feels a bit more alpha and clinical. Lots of tiger kids from overseas. Caterham gave the impression that they knew her and wanted her to go there. Caterham's results aren't as good but then they have an intake from their prep which isn't as selective as the main intake. Sevenoaks is super selective so you'd expect great results.

We're also not keen on the IB, we think disadvantages the kids when they apply to uni.

Sevenoaks is really easy for us to get to whereas DD would need to take the bus to Caterham, she seems a bit young for that.

Decisions!

Congratulations on your DD being offered places at both!
if you’re keener on caterham, don’t let the bus put you off. My child is at Caterham and there are lots of kids from sevenoaks who get the bus from year 7. The upside of the bus is that they quickly meet local friends, although the downside is the cost!
DD is now in 6th form at Caterham and has had a really positive experience there.

There is always the option to move for 6th Form anyway, and it might be worth finding out how many do leave SevenOaks - perhaps the IB pushes some away but also pulls others in at that point.

SevenOaks is a big IB school. Quite a lot who offer it are now also offering A Levels, and I’d say that after a real growth in it, its popularity has waned. That doesn’t mean it’s not good or even better, but many schools don’t want to only offer it.

I guess if your child definitely leans in one direction, an A Level 6th Form might suit better. Not sure though if you should choose the whole 7 years of schooling because of that. You’re near SevenOaks and it is a very prestigious and academic school. Who knows exactly what their 6th Form will be doing in 5 years (although they have always been at the forefront of IB so perhaps are less likely to offer A Levels than most) or what your child will be like/doing, so I’d say choose for now and to GCSE.

Glad I found this post. We are in the same exact position. Our dd has offer from both schools but to add to the mix our eldest is at Sevenoaks already. We always thought sevenoaks would have been the obvious route for our youngest as well but she is Very passionate about technology and computer science and caterham just seems to be there and so forward thinking while sevenoaks does not. Obviously sevenoaks has the brand and recognition but caterham seems to be getting closer and closer to be that. The distance worries us as well but we registered for the two days a week boarding.
as a current sevenoaks parent, it is an amazing school but def for self starter and very independent and strong children. My dd is very happy there because she is that kind of child. Not sure all are academics and committed though; they do get children who are not really that.
wealth, it is true; there are very wealthy children with surreal lifestyles but it does not seem to affect friendships in my experience and I would say mostly from year 9 when the boarders come in.
many caterham parent who can advice?

That's exactly why we liked Caterham, it seems to be thinking about the future - jobs, technology etc. Even their entrance papers were geared to this and DD really enjoyed them for that reason.

If you're boarding does that mean you have a year 9 offer for Caterham? I didn't think they did boarding in year 7?

Hello
as of that year they are offering two days a week boarding for year 7. At least my dd can stay two nights and only commute two days a week. I need to ask how much uptake they have had but my dd is happy to do that despite being quite young

Oh that might be fun if there are other kids her age too. My DH is set on Sevenoaks and DD is keener to go there as she has friends who are going to Sevenoaks and it's more local. I guess they're both great schools. I just have a feeling she'd be better at Caterham in the longer term. She's so innovative and inventive, I'm not sure that will come through at Sevenoaks. Also, I think Caterham is up and coming and tries a bit harder. That said, I do worry that Ceri Jones will leave at some point.

Very helpful thread. Any thoughts regarding Caterham Vs Freemens? We have offers from them (Caterham including an academic scholarship) and Emanuel.

i suppose headmasters leaving are always a possibility but he seems so engaged in bringing the school where he needs to be and he was 12 years in his previous engagement at Tonbridge.
for us the other way around; dd set on caterham despite having sister at sevenoaks and most of her local friends going there, as she thinks is more innovative and looking at the future and that is what she wants. Did you attend coffee morning? I went yesterday and was very helpful. It really is a great achool

Having looked at this issue in some detail, I agree. More specifically: to do maths at oxbridge, Imperial, Warwick, UCL or Durham, candidates doing A levels (who are the majority of the intake) are expected to have double A star in maths and further maths. The higher level IB is not comparable (even with the more rigorous "analysis and approaches" option). It's slightly above single A level but doesn't have the depth of double A level. Most of the above universities also require a test pitched above A level (STEP, MAT or TMUA). Candidates doing IB are underprepared, particularly for STEP which is based entirely on the further maths syllabus but required preparation beyond it. Another issue is that even if gaining a place, you would be behind the rest of the cohort on starting.
Doing IB doesn't preclude doing a maths degree, but stacks the odds against getting a place at one of the most selective half-dozen unis. IB would be less of an obstacle getting into, say, Kings or Bath, which accept candidates with only AS further maths.
I also agree with the statement that IB gives a more rounded education. The problem is that this is not what the top UK unis are looking for - they want only depth, not breadth. The UK (A level) system is based on ridiculously premature specialization, and desperately overdue an overhaul. But until that changes, A levels including double A level maths offers a smoother route to a maths uni place than IB.
I wouldn't necessarily let this be the deciding factor in choosing a school for year 7 as so many things can change in 5 years, and many kids move between GCSE and post-16.

@fili77 yes we were in Caterham's event yesterday. It is a great school, our favourite no question. The only concern is distance, especially when we have Freemen's a lot closer and DD holds an offer too. Any views as to how Freemen's compares to it?

Thanks @piisnot3. I have anecdotally heard similar, I think if you're looking for an all round educational experience the IB is ahead of A-levels because of the breadth and service etc. Possibly also for future employment skills (balancing words and numbers). That said, if you want to give your DC the best chance of getting into a top uni to do a technical subject, the lack of depth could hold them back.

I suppose it depends on what you think is most important.

One interesting element that was answered at the coffee morning is that ib is a package where everything is there and if compared this way to the a levels it is broader. However the reality is that even with a levels you always do the other elements like service and you cna do 4 a levels as well which could mean keeping for example an element of humanity into your education, which so certainly what I would do in that case