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Secondary education

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Original poster

Which London (private) school for very sporty boy? Not full of the Uber elite.

38 replies

Failingteenparenting · 21/06/2023 08:06

We are looking for a school for our son who will start secondary in 2024. He’s very good at football, rugby and athletics so we want a school that celebrates sport. He is bright but not a genius so it can be academically selective but not top top academic tier.

My issue is that a lot of the schools we have visited are full of the super rich and I just don’t want that. We are a normal professional family without a huge house, loads of international holidays etc.

We are west/central area so have looked at schools like Wetherby, Harrodian and Ibstock and I just don’t feel any of them have many normal kids in them. I might be wrong but that’s what it felt like on the open day.

I have an older son at Latymer Upper which we haven’t loved either as it’s too much about celebrating the kids who are best rather than celebrating effort and giving everyone a sense of pride. It hugely knocked his confidence and I am reluctant to try it again.

OP posts:
Behindthelines · 21/06/2023 08:07

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HawaiiWake · 21/06/2023 08:31

Alleyn’s school and Emanuel for coed.
Dulwich for boys only.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 21/06/2023 08:32

Have you any sport focused non private secondaries near you?

Foxesandsquirrels · 21/06/2023 08:36

All private schools will be full of Uber rich people. Fees are now astronomical even for the rich. You're better off sending him state and putting him in a competitive club.

Seeline · 21/06/2023 08:39

Trinity in Croydon may be worth a look. It is academically selective though so don't know if it would match your DSs ability.

Original poster
Failingteenparenting · 21/06/2023 08:47

@Behindthelines i should have been clearer. This is for 2024 year 7 entry. I do t think we have missed any deadlines yet.

OP posts:
Original poster
Failingteenparenting · 21/06/2023 08:49

@HawaiiWake i will defiantly look at Emmanuel as a few people have suggested it and it’s reachable for us. Alleyns is just a bit too far for a daily commute aged 11 sadly.

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Original poster
Failingteenparenting · 21/06/2023 08:52

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz that is the dream - a sporty state school near us. Sadly the two we would get in by geography are notoriously unsporty. The one that is best academically has almost no outdoor space at all let alone space for sports. I have heard that places like Fulham Boys do sports places if you come top 8 in a fitness test but I haven’t heard of others like that.

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Original poster
Failingteenparenting · 21/06/2023 08:54

@Foxesandsquirrels that is what we do at the moment - state primary and lots of sports clubs outside of school. We may well continue that for secondary but it’s such a shame not to have an option where sport is really celebrated at school.

OP posts:
Foxesandsquirrels · 21/06/2023 09:06

Have a look at Thames Christian too. Much more diverse than the others.

ThePlacesYouGo · 21/06/2023 09:14

@Failingteenparenting At the schools you're interested in, ask about the % of kids they have on bursaries. Lots of the London private day schools are very keen to widen access (if you have a DC at LU you'll already know how proud they are of their 30% bursary student stat). A lot of the schools we've been visiting are already at 12-15% and aiming for 20% in the next few years which does (to some extent) change the make-up of a school (for the better imo). I think it's really hard to get a full picture of the diversity of a school from an open day (we're in the midst of them now too) so getting those stats might be quite instructive. Is Hampton commutable? That's supposed to be great for sport.

housesforhomes · 21/06/2023 09:17

Have you thought of St Benedict's in Ealing Broadway? I know about 4 absolutely lovely sporty bright boys who go there in various years. It's known to be sporty but recent years academics have been getting much better. Most of the parents seem to have to work to keep their kids there- much more normal people. If gets good results but is obviously lower down the league tables due to the fact it takes a lot of sports scholars and has a more rounded approach to entrance.
Quick google from last years GCSEs

69.3% of all the exams taken have been graded 9-7 (A/A), with 48.1% awarded grades 9-8 (A).

My friends kids seem super happy and well rounded and not particularly stressed so I think they're doing something right. One of the lads did get a Latymer place a few years ago but parents chose bennies (location plus anxiety about Latymer peer group) and he's now on track for all 8/9 at GCSE...

SerenityNowInsanityLater · 21/06/2023 09:18

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This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Ndd135632 · 21/06/2023 09:20

My son sports scholar at KGS. Loves it.

minipie · 21/06/2023 09:24

I’m in SW London rather than W but here it seems the further out you go geographically the sportier the schools get … probably because they have more space for sports fields and so attract families to whom sport is very important. Also schools that are a mix of boarding and day tend to be sporty. Are there any like that reachable from you?

RedRiverSun · 21/06/2023 09:28

It's not London but you've just described Abingdon School.

PreplexJ · 21/06/2023 09:38

Worth looks at the percentage of bursaries students or percentage of state school intake.

Some schools claim they have a target but if you look at their historical percentages you see it hasnt improved at all in the past 10 years then you know it is either the school not doing a good job or the uber rich have advantages on the school.

troubg · 21/06/2023 09:38

I’m in SW London rather than W but here it seems the further out you go geographically the sportier the schools get …

Agree with this, there's defo a few sporty ones in Surrey

HawaiiWake · 21/06/2023 09:39

Failingteenparenting · 21/06/2023 08:49

@HawaiiWake i will defiantly look at Emmanuel as a few people have suggested it and it’s reachable for us. Alleyns is just a bit too far for a daily commute aged 11 sadly.

Emanuel school, one m in spelling, otherwise it is another school. Sport scholarships in football and rugby and more. Good luck! Worth signing up for open days as soon as possible.

troubg · 21/06/2023 09:39

Im pretty sure the ones I know with high % of bursaries are academic selective

Tremel · 21/06/2023 09:40

In the nicest possible way you'd be better off at state.

I do have friends with sporty boys at Ibstock and they are lovely. Rich though!

thenewera · 21/06/2023 09:49

How about Hampton? Big coach network. Very sporty.
I would say that the 3 schools you listed, especially Wetherby and Harrodian, are more skewed to the Uber wealthy than others so it shouldn't be a problem at most schools.
It may be worth trying LU for your youngest. have a DS at LU- he's not amazingly good at anything but has tried his hand at a lot! I don't get the same vibe in that they only celebrate the best but my DS is quite laid back and doesn't worry about things like that. I'm not sure it's any different to my other DCs school- social media feeds will always be full of the international sports players and debating teams wherever you are!

PreplexJ · 21/06/2023 10:06

Do uber rich have tendency to cluster at certain schools? If so, what are the common characteristics of these school that attract them? Location? Facilities? Or Network?

ModeWeasel · 21/06/2023 12:22

Dulwich families are pretty affluent. Lots of second homes etc. We ruled it out on that basis though clearly excellent school.

roses2 · 21/06/2023 13:18

Latymer Upper is not sporty - they have to take a coach to get to their playing fields!