Caterham School

[Gymnogene]

Hi,

We are considering Caterham for 11+ entry for our oldest son and would love to hear experiences of the school from existing or past parents.

Also any current insight into the prep would be great too, as we have a younger son and it would make sense to have both boys at the same school.

Lastly, where do most Caterham families live? We currently live in SW London and it's just too far to commute on daily basis. So would consider a move to Reigate or Sevenoaks or somewhere in between. But ideally we would like to be well placed to be able to be an active part of the school community.

This is all presuming my older son was successful in securing an 11+ place of course!

Thank you!

I love the school and very happy. Eldest has left a few years ago and youngest doing GCSEs. They don't want to look anywhere else for sixth form which I guess is a good sign.

In terms of where to live, we live in Caterham. For the eldest, all their friends were in Sevenoaks so we did lots of travelling at weekends for parties etc, however youngest has majority of friends in caterham so they all hang out locally. Some in Oxted so again v close.

The school buses run from sevienoaks, Reigate, tonbridge, East Grinstrad, Crawley, Cheam, Purley and Sutton so a large radius and friends in classes could be anywhere. Some also get train into Caterham and they run minibuses from the station although it is only a 10 min walk.

Thank you @Bellie99 this is really helpful and encouraging!

We absolutely loved the school when we saw it at the open day, and feel it would be a great fit for our boys and family.

Have you also looked at SevenOaks and Reigate Grammar if you’ve not moved yet and are a bit flexible about where to live? Both are co-ed and might be worth considering and have Preps too.

Check out the school bus routes, they cover as far as Sevenoaks, Epsom, Crawley, East Grinstead, Reigate. From SW London there are tram links to East Croydon station then train to Caterham.

Unfortunately no guarantee of a space for dc2, either in prep or at 11+. A few leave at year 5/6 for likes of Whitgift but most progress to senior school, those who would likely struggle having left sooner. They have recently developed a link with Copthorne prep so would expect an increase in 11+ intake from there too.

Thanks both,

Yes, we will definitely be applying for Reigate Grammar too (also loved it) and coed is one of our criteria/priorities. Unfortunately I think Sevenoaks school is a bit of a stretch for my older son and I'm not sure the IB would suit him.

We chatted to the headmaster at Caterham about the relationship with the prep, and he did explain that a place in the senior school wasn't guaranteed and those conversations would be had in Year 4. So fully aware of that 'risk' so to speak. But there is also a big age gap between my boys, so having them at the same site is extremely convenient regardless of what the future holds for my younger one in terms of senior school options. (Although I would say, despite still being very young, my younger ones seems the more academic/able of the two.)

We are currently 45 mins from the school and could catch the Epsom bus, but that would still include a drive to get to the bus stop and I just feel the travel would become a burden.

We would love to be positioned to be active members of the school community if possible, rather than feel that attendance at evening and weekend events is a slog/inconvenience!

We live in Caterham and my children have lots of friends at the school, though go to different schools. I'd say most kids are pretty local outside of the boarders. Their friends all live in Caterham, Warlingham, Sanderstead etc. They all went to a Caterham prep school together so maybe that's why. When we were last looking around some of the kids we spoke to were travelling in from London.

I would agree Prep pupils tend to be local, probably due to the number of alternative stand alone preps dotted around the area and small class size(40 pupils max per year). However this is far less so in Senior when it expands to 130+ by year 9.

@LIZS thanks, this is very useful to know. It is also nicer for younger children to be close to each other for playdates etc.

We are planning on moving anyway, regardless of senior school we get, hence our flexibility.

We are also looking at Epsom and St John's, which are also fantastic - we just felt they lacked the cultural diversity we prefer in a school and community. Caterham seemed to tick all the boxes!

Mindful I shouldn't favour one school too much though, as places at 11+ are competitive and nothing is a given!

It's worth being aware that Caterham Senior is very competitive for 11+ now. 25 kids applied from my DD's prep school and only 4 got places. More got into Sevenoaks!

@EffysMum thanks for the insight! That's really interesting. I'd always thought Sevenoaks was a super selective school (130 plus CAT scores etc). Where as when I spoke to the head at Caterham they definitely took a wider range of CAT scores (120ish and upward) , but perhaps they were looking for something else too. A sporting/music/drama skill?

Or perhaps it was the ISEB exam vs. written?

If you have any more insight into Sevenoaks and what they are looking for, that would be great - thank you. As I think it is an amazing school and I might reconsider applying.

I feel the whole 11+/13+ system is so difficult to navigate and predict!

I'm not sure. In my DDs school last year the numbers offered places at Caterham were tiny, more were offered Sevenoaks. The head told a friend of mine that she was surprised with the results and that Caterham had become really popular of late.

My friend's son got into Sevenoaks and Tonbridge but failed to get into Caterham.

Thanks @EffysMum, that's really helpful to know and to manage my own expectations!

Hi, I live in Purley. My son gave 11+ entrance exam this year and he got offers from some local private schools including Caterham school. But, we don't know anyone whose kids go to Caterham school. It will be nice to connect with parents whose kids go to Caterham school which will help us in our decision making.

Thanks in advance for any comments and feedback.

Hi,

Thanks so much for all your previous input and replies.

I've now seen the prep school and decided that it is unfortunately not a good fit for us. However I am still very keen on the senior school.

Can anyone recommend other top all boys and coed, high performing preps in the area, that feed Caterham, as well as Sevenoaks and Reigate Grammar.

Thank you!

Hazelwood is probably the most traditional prep in that area , otherwise a few in Purley/South Croydon. Reigate St Marys is tied to RGS but some leavers do go elsewhere. Micklefield is a small Reigate prep which feeds a range of schools and the Hawthorns. There are others dotted around but each cohort tends to be small,

Hawthorns or Hazelwoods. RSM would leave you on a route to RGS. Micklefield doesn’t send kids to Sevenoaks.

Interesting to see you didn't like the prep at caterham as they have now removed any entrance exam to senior school it as automatic entry. They are pushing a 'whole school' ethos so it's surprising you find them different.

Copthorne is now part of the Caterham family, but at the moment there is no automatic entry so you could go to Reigate Grammar or Sevenoaks from there.

Hazelwood or Hawthornes could feed all 3.

Are you sure about the prep? I think it's much easier to get into the senior school from the prep...

www.caterhamschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Admissions-Policy-2023-24-1.pdf

Page 10 outlines from prep to senior school

Thanks so much for the recommendations. Much appreciated!

Yes, I was also surprised by the prep, after being so impressed by the senior.

I'm sure it is a good fit and very happy school for many families,

but it just isn't quite right for us based on my experience of our current prep. And so my reason for exploring other options in the area, whilst still being open to apply to the senior school in the future.

The prep head really emphasised in his talk that all children will be offered a place in the senior. Which was very different to what the senior head had said to me a few weeks prior. However reading that admissions policy it seems to reflect a hybrid of the two and if a child isn't going to thrive in the senior the school will support the family accordingly.

That however is not a major selling point for me or reason to choose the prep over a stand alone alternative, as I feel that school is about the full experience of everything on offer and the day to day opportunities, not just the destination.

Thanks again for all your help and insights.

If you like the Caterham area, what about Oakhyrst Grange?

In practice the prep school kids have rarely been denied places in senior. Although they used to take the entrance test there was a lot of practice beforehand and a child unlikely to thrive would have been advised to move on before year 6. A lot of 11+ scholarships went to prep school pupils. A few would have left at 11 for likes of Whitgift or Croydon High. If you want smaller (and I think C Prep runs at less than 40 per year) Oakhurst Grange, Essendene Lodge and Warlingham Park are also nearby.

@LIZS thanks for all your insights. No, definitely not looking for smaller -if anything the opposite. We just felt the prep didn't offer the same level of facilities, depth and breadth of academic curriculum (variety of core subjects subjects) or subject specialist teachers we are used to.

@Gymnogene it's so refreshing to hear a parent say they're not just focused on results and are more interested in the overall educational experience.

Caterham Prep is a completely different school from the SS and, despite its extremely close associations with SS, it does not hold to the same standards. Many of the parents in Prep are too focused on the end game, which is to get their child into SS and as focused on the here and now. This is disappointing in view of the clout they could use to improve the prep. It shouldn’t be just about the added ‘gloss’.