Independents close to or easy access from Oval underground station/SW9

[CurlsnSunshinetime4tea]

The parents are only interested in independent options from a home close to the Oval station/Kennington Park.
Currently they bike or drive to Clapham but not really keen on a much longer journey.

JAGS/Alleyn's under 3 miles away
Francis Holland Sloan Square under 3 miles away
Streatham and Clapham HS just over 3 miles away
Queen's College just under 4 miles away
Queen's Gate just over 4 miles away

Please help what schools need to be added to the list or scrapped...it works both ways ;)

Oval to Sloane Square is a two stop underground so quicker than bus to Dulwich schools. There’s also a foundation schools bus service.
City of London Girls.
But what do you mean by parents? Are you an Education or relocation agent?

City of London Girls
Emanuel
Streatham and Clapham High
Thames Christian School

@Lamelie grandma, i'm in canada and my dd and son-in-law just catching on to the post-primary reality of schooling.
they have a lovely home but in what has always been a somewhat awkward location.

It’s a great location. Secondary is a different kettle of fish from primary indeed; kids make their own way there so parking congestion charge etc. not so important as walk either end, few interchanges etc. is more important. The foundation bus for Jags and Alleyn’s is great. Expensive but dc get to know kids from other schools and get dropped off at the schools.
Oval to Victoria then walk is very doable for FH, which is a great school, great teachers but v rich parents and all the associated parties, competitive stuff that goes with it.

Journey time will depend hugely on whether they're driving, cycling or getting public transport. As PP says, Dulwich on the bus is further than going into the city on the tube.

yes my son-in-law is aware of that reputation, is there hope that FH can be more down to earth (relatively speaking) based on cohorts?
as a gran with tons of time on my hands i tend to get delegated with school research (which is fun).
i'm sure her current school will direct toward the new London Park School but with zero history and track record my son-in-law response was a firm no. also lots of negative views on Emanuel.

FH really is a great school and how she fits in will depend on your dd and sil. They’ll need to “keep up” but not spoil your grand daughter remembers the £800 coat we bought dd over 10 years ago
It’s a better school than the Dulwich ones imo, but that’s a big caveat.

London Park is worth considering
Is the child at a private prep? What is their advice?
Do they want coed or girls only

@Digimoor currently in yr 5, yes at a private prep in clapham.
extensively well travelled family so not sure that she will score well for some of the top sought after schools seems to be the worry. so far she (and her younger brother) have strongly resisted home learning/tutoring although she is bright and does well at school.
son-in-law and my daughter sound broken hearted at the thought of sending her to boarding school, where a fair amount of her classmates will probably attend based on leavers destinations.
London Park worth considering based on the reputation of the new head?

@Lamelie i hope the coat fit for a few years/was able to be resold, didn't shrink in the wash (been there done that with a stunning red wool coat).

Usually the Prep Head has recommendations for schools dependent on child's academic level and personality.
Also- many families in the Kennington Park/Oval area with strong online (and in-person) parental networks- your daughter could reach out to local parents and ask where their children are going and what the commute is like.

Any school where you have to 'keep up' to fit in sounds hideous. My DS goes to one of the 50k/pa boarding schools and there is no sense of that whatsoever.

Jumping on this as I'm in a similar location and also on the lookout for secondaries.

Any of the very central ones like City would be straightforward to get to.

I'm looking more at state schools but maybe open to private too.

Yes, the very monied aspect of FH is my only criticism of it. The school mitigates it, school trip etc. aren’t ridiculous, the uniform is strictly upheld and no more expensive than some state schools. But if the girls are wearing Moncler at the weekend and VI form and instafamous as parents you have to hold strong boundaries.
My dc went to 10 schools large family and we started state, moved overseas and came back for secondary. The teaching and pastoral care at FH was the best we found anywhere.

Emanuel school in Clapham but quite competitive to get in now. Though great for all rounders type and those into music, drama, sports. Head been there 7 years, so check no older comments due to changes.
JAGs, super selective so will need to get the grades.
FH, new head this term so the fabulous head have left. Therefore, have to see the direction the school will go. There will be changes so need.
Queen College.
City of London girls, super selective.
Queen Gate, smaller school and no uniform.
Alleyn, junior school so fewer places at 11+.

All schools have open days, so parents should sign up and go with DC if possible. The Open days and the 11+ process with different exams styles can show and change schools preferences.
London 11+ consortium is 1 exam for a bunch of girls schools, therefore you don’t want to put it all in 1 basket in case of off day, cough or cold etc. Therefore select a few different exams on different days.
Also, get a feel how many pupils travel and how far? Time starts in morning for clubs or sports and clubs after schools.

This is a great list. To add, in case helpful.

• Thames Christian school, mildly selective but with strong SEN provision
• Streatham and Clapham High Street (mentioned by the PP), has had a recent change in leadership but GDST membership gives it structure / level of certainty, parents seem mostly happy with it (we know quite a few girls happy there), less selective than other GDST but good results
• Wimbledon High School (easy train ride from Vauxhall), highly selective but definitely not a hot house, junior school with some 60 places for girls at 11+
• The Hall School (Wimbledon, as above, train ride from Vauxhall), probably easiest entry of the ones mentioned. Seems to be on the up with a charismatic head teacher.
• Kingston Grammar School (train from Vauxhall to Kingston), co-ed, a bit less selective than WHS (but on a par or a bit more than Emanuel, I would say - co-eds in South London are very popular and in demand

As others have said, visiting and getting a feeling for the school and the community (parents, children) is really important and is speaking with parents with direct experience of those schools.

thank's everyone. the commute is my concern.
and yes with the consortium test covering several options you do have a lot on that line at that moment.
it would be nice for her to be able to go to and from school safely on her own.

@CurlsnSunshinetime4tea The commute is indeed an important consideration - 30-45 minutes door-to-door is pretty standard in London and quite a few kids do more. In addition to the length, worth considering the complexity of it (are changes required, etc) - if your DGD can get to Vauxhall train station, that would open up the option of quite a few schools not only in Clapham but also Wimbledon and Kingston with direct train links.
Worth noting that some of the schools have sports fields in different locations and the travelling to them might be required at weekends / out of school hours and the transport links might be more of a challenge.
Quite a lot to factor in, but it seems that you are very much on the case.

Portland Place if they’re considering Queen’s College? It’s essentially the same commute.

More House in Knightsbridge?

Newton Prep in Battersea goes to Y8. So does Hill House in Chelsea.

I think it’s a mistake to rule out Emanuel based on what may be outdated second-hand views. Ten years ago it was more of a backup school, but it has made great strides under the current Head. We liked it very much when we visited, and their comms about admissions are first-rate.

For mid-high level selective schools and 20-30 mins commute from Oval via public transport:

CLSG
JAGS
Alleyn
FHSS

I would say traffic is much worse towards South West London direction so North the river or East is better bet.

thank's @QuiteAJourney we visit annually and love walking the grandkids to school/picking them up etc.
they attended Oval Montessori (mentioned because it is a fab gem of a nursery) lovely staff and lovely access to the park (big plus for a nearby coffee shop and washroom ;) ).
Dh and I walk to Clapham and have always been able to see a school assembly production of some sort. Equally have walked over the Vauxhall bridge close to down town.
with all this walking have equally spotted some area's where we have both felt uncomfortable.

@ghislaine a few of their friends have children at HH they tried that commute 5+ years ago and missed both their appointment windows (of course toddlers in tow) we toured NP with them at the time. but honestly a shame to change schools for one year only to inevitably end up with the same question.
@PreplexJ that's my sentiment regarding crossing the river and being open to the schools in that direction vs JAGS/Alleyn's.
@Marisquita several school leavers from the prep she attends go to Emanuel, i'm happy to discuss this with my son-in-law.

Putney high would also be easy from Vauxhall

I know some girls do train from Vauxhall via Clapham Junction to Kensington Olympia for SPGS, so maybe worth considering the West London schools?