RGS Grammar or Hampton 2023

[yellowrose9]

I assume there are many of you here whose DS has been offered a place in Hampton and RGS ( scholarship or otherwise). Could you share your reasons for choosing one school over the other?

Do you mean RGS Guildford?
Hampton is harder to gain a place at and has better football. Football mad ds tend to prefer Hampton (they play informally at break times). RGS has hockey. Otherwise ease of journey is the decider, you need to go to Hampton to drop off / collect from trips plus sport on a Saturday and drama and music concerts if your ds is that way inclined.

@sailingsunshine Thank you! Yes, I mean Guildford, I couldn't edit the title :) Was sports the only factor in choosing Hampton?

We didn't apply to RGS because at the time they didn't have football until the later year groups. We also live nearer to Hampton and next to a school coach stop. Most of my ds's friends who are Claygate / Cobham based went to RGS and gave up football for hockey. Those nearer to Hampton stuck with football at hampton. You have to have something to help you choose between the schools because the academics and uni outlooks are the same.

That's helpful. Thank you.

@yellowrose9 @sailingsunshine Can't boys can play football outside the school ? I have offer from RGS too and my son play football inside and outside the school. Does that mean my son has to drop football in secondary ?

@PB1210 , do you mean a Sunday league club with training in the week? Yes sure he can carry on, my ds has a boy from RGS in his Sunday football team who plays hockey at school and attends club football training during the week too.

Just to add I think hockey is for 1 term and rugby for the other but I'm not a parent, I'm sure it's all on the school website.
The main differences between RGS and Hampton are the type of location and sports offered.

@sailingsunshine Yes i mean sunday league matches . I am just worried that no football in school should not be demotivation for my boy. I may have another option of Wallington County Grammar school tomorrow so should football is an important factor for this decision.

@PB1210 RGS do play football but higher up the school, they do lots of sport to a good standard but Hamptons is definitely sportier. My DS had the choice and went for RGS because the journey is easier. You won’t go wrong with either school, both are great.

We had this choice two years ago OP and opted for Hampton. The journey was easier and DS much preferred Hampton to RGS. We felt that ultimately it needed to be his choice (we'd have been happy with either) and let him make the final call. I think the fact that Hampton is more football focused was an attraction for DS, but tbh he just liked the general 'vibe' more.

I think Hampton can be harder to get into simply because it attracts applications from the competitive SW London market in a way that RGS Guildford does not, so the applicant numbers are higher. But both schools are lovely and ultimately you won't go wrong whichever you choose.

If all things sport/journey are fairly equal for your DS then consider whether he might ultimately prefer a town school to a suburban one. Hampton School has fantastic facilities and Hampton itself has a nice feel - but it can't be denied that Guildford offers more opportunities for socialising etc, along with greater independence as the boys get older.

All comments are very helpful. Thank you all for your input.

For those in Hampton, other than the club fees and term fees (which seem slightly higher than RGS) do you incur any other additional expenses?

@yellowrose9 , lunch and school bus - we haven't paid for any clubs apart from 1 term of rowing.

At RGS, the boys play football at breaktimes and lunchtimes on the All Weather pitch. That's casual sport, like table tennis, in their downtime. Competitive football is for Sixth Form, currently. There are plenty of boys who play football for their clubs on weekends.

@Pyrfwondering do they play football inside the school during lunchtime and breaktime . Thanks my son is enthusiastic about football so this can help

@PB1210 my DS always plays football in breaks, it’s also an option in games in 6th form. It just isn’t their main sports focus. They have had boys in premier league academies that are at RGS so don’t think it interferes with their football.

@PB1210 the All Weather pitches are inside the school grounds (behind Main School). You'll have seen them on Open Days

Could you tell me what the interview at Hampton was like? What sort of questions your boys were asked?