CLSG vs Alleyns vs JAG

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Hello,

my DD is fortunate enough to have offers from these schools. Travel time is the same, although JAGS and Alleyns would be on a school bus whereas CLSG would be northern line. My DD is not very sporty, very academic and a bit shy. We will go to offer holders events but would be great to get some insight from parents with kids in these schools.

thank you

CLSG - the location is unique, the commute is a lot easier for activities before or after school.

Assume you are S London - Balham/Clapham area? If so then one thing to consider is the chances of having local friends - very few I would imagine for CLSG whereas loads from Dulwich schools live in these areas.

As regards the Dulwich schools, I would probably put a shy child into Jags rather than Alleyns.

Girls who attend CLSG come from different areas of London, such as Battersea, Clapham all the way to South Wimbledon. Their commute time ranges from 15 to 30 minutes. The school website has a map that shows the distribution of the students’ postcodes including a good number from SW areas. The girls have more than just local friends, they also make friends with those who travel on the same tube lines, such as the "Northern Line gang" . Not every girl likes this arrangement, but those who choose CLSG definitely love it.

I'd start by deciding if you want co-ed. Then, it is probably down to location and distance travelled. JAGS girls come from a wide area but it's all mostly South London. City kids will come from all over which makes weekend socialising a little harder when they are younger. I found the City site very claustrophobic but some people love it. JAGS is a great school, in my opinion.

from how you describe her personality, i would go with CLSG.

Agree with this except that commute times for CLSG can be much more than 30 mins. Up to an hour is normal, and occasionally more.

It’s true that a child sent there will probably end up with friends all over London rather than just local friends. But they will also (probably) be independent much quicker. It’s normal for Y7/Y8s at CLSG and similar city centre schools to take themselves off on the tube alone to visit friends in other parts of London. A girl at JAGS taking the schoolbus will inevitably be less used to independent travel on public transport, so might take a little bit more time to be able to travel independently to visit friends.

@Greenbike I meant commute time on the tube, Clapham 15 minutes, South Wimbledon 30 minutes.

D2D varies, the school did a survey in the past majority of girls are in the range of 30 to 50 mins.

My daughter had offers from these schools and is at CLSG now - very happy with the choice. Alleyn’s very different size which she did not love. Girls at CLSG will travel (more or less) independently quite quickly. Go to see the schools and it may be obvious afterwards - initially we were leaning towards another school but were impressed by CLSG on offer holders day.

I’ve had two dc at Alleyn’s. One quiet, shy and very academic and the other loud, gregarious and sporty.
The thing that has impressed me most about the school by far is that they have both thrived there and developed into confident, kind, community-minded young people who have been able to grow in a secure environment and reach their potential. The academic environment is stretching without putting too much stress on pupils, the music department have a range of orchestras/groups for most abilities, the sports department run a number of teams each week so lots of pupils can get involved if they want to and we have found the pastoral care to be ingrained in the fabric of the school. There are lots of opportunities further into the school to take on positions of responsibility and to run clubs and societies to develop softer skills and give confidence. Each dc has been able to find their tribe and has developed a great group of supportive and close friends. A large number of pupils come from the Balham/Clapham area so, if that is indeed where you are, your dd would have lots of local friends/pupils from the same area. Of course, there are minor niggles with things, but overall we are very happy with the choice we made.

CLSG, hands down.

The only reasons anyone would normally choose one of the other two are: wants coed, wants field sports, easier commute. If none of these apply, there is no comparison.

While I know lots of people have to take it daily, I find the northern line quite unpleasant (it’s very loud) and unless your DD is already used to it, she might find it hard to deal with if she's a sensitive child. I know my DC couldn't handle it.

Also be aware that the City of London (which owns CLSG!) is planning on demolishing the Museum of London building, which is just a few feet away from CLSG’s playing fields. There will be lots of dust and pollution in the limited space where the girls play outdoor sport, during both the demolition phase and subsequent multi-year construction of the large new development.

If your DD prefers not to use the tube or buses, IMO CLSG may not be the right choice for her. Most of the girls there are encouraged to take some controlled risks from year 7 and have fun travelling to the city in the next seven years.

Right before half term the headmistress has also announced some great news about how CLSG will use part of old museum of london premises to expand the capacity later this year. The parents who got offers should get this update soon.

I’m not sure using a derelict building that’s been marked for demolition is great news for the school. Really wish they’d have thought about converting the whole museum site into space for CLSG instead of tearing it down.

It is such a lovely school but the London Wall West development (where Museum of London currently is) is going to be a huge problem. Hopefully the project won’t go ahead but the City is pretty set on it. Definitely worth asking about at the offer holders day as they might have more up-to-date information.

The building to be used is far from being derelict, as it has a modern interior and is in active use, like the rest of the Barbican Centre.

Whatever the future plan is, it allows the school to add significant space with ready-to-use modern facilities immediately, and gives room for the school to improve a lot of existing areas in a low-disruption and sustainable way. Yes, do ask the school for more latest insights.

Not sure what proportion of the girls at CLSG are from the pre-prep/prep.

At Alleyn’s and JAGS they comprise about a third of the intake, with the majority of having been there from the age of 4.
No-one is managed out so I wouldn’t expect the two schools to feature as highly on league tables compared with schools that select at 11+/13+ with very few or no children coming up from their juniors (and some may have been managed out).

Derelict was a bit strong, you’re right, but the museum closed in December 2022, over a year ago. Perhaps the classroom areas, which I assume are what CLSG will be using, are still in use, I don’t know. The area is on my way to work and is completely deserted at the moment.

Hopefully at the offer holders day they will have a tour of the former Museum of London facilities they plan to use. If not, I’d suggest walking over to the site anyway that day to get a sense of what it’s like, OP.

We always thought we’d have our DD try for CLSG in a few years, but we’re now waiting to see what happens with the development.

For September 2024 (and 2025) there should be 1 prep class coming up City Juniors of 20-25ish. From 2026 onwards there will be about 37 girls joining from CJS.

Indeed, the large learning area of MOL remained open and served as conference venues, and will be officially used by CLSG later this year.

Moreover, I would never refer to the MOL as a deserted area. It is located in the core of the city, less than 200 metres to St Paul’s Cathedral and a stone throw from City Guildhall. It is still frequented by many city pedestrians every day, including the city girls who take the walk to St Paul's/Thames Link Station.

Yes the City itself is not deserted of course, I meant that the Museum of London building appears to be since it closed over a year ago. But apparently it isn’t! There are lots of great areas close to CLSG. Families should definitely have a look around themselves.

And maybe also research the London Wall West development, there’s info online including here:
https://www.londonstartshere.co.uk/the-citys-plans

As a prospective parent, I find it relevant given how close the building site will be to the school (others may not!).

It would be great if the school is petitioning the City to preserve this space for the long term instead of as a temporary space. I imagine there are school governors that might have some sway with the City, and the development has not yet been approved. Instead of towering office blocks (which the City does not need more of) they could convert the existing building into amazing educational facilities for those girls!

CLSG is one of the schools owned by the City of London Corporation. As a parent I am not concerned about the potential development at all, honestly, because I have some understanding of the historical dynamics between the Corporation and the Barbican Association.

Besides, I have seen many projects managed by the City of London Corporation in the city lately, and I am not worried about the noise or disruption either. Most of the feedback on the current plan focuses on sustainability and carbon footprint, rather than the development process itself.

I’ve just noticed that exams for CLSG 2nd round and Alleyns are on the same day! We’ve registered for both… what to do? Do you have option of morning/afternoon slot? Anyone in the same predicament?

If you are keen for your daughter to sit both exams speak to the schools and see whether they can accommodate so that times do not overlap (and she has time to eat in between) - they may have more than one slot. You will not be the only one with this problem. We only had this situation for interviews where there is more flexibility on timing but other parents were in the same situation with conflicting exams.

We had this with CSLG and Latymer Upper 2nd round exams last year - we informed both schools once we knew we had gotten through and were assigned morning exam at CSLG and afternoon at LU. There was a group of them sitting both exams so did not seem to be a problem.

@PosterPoser Last year a friend of DD’s had to do Alleyn’s in the morning and CLSG in the afternoon. Tight, and not ideal, but they made it to both.

Alleyns runs several time slots (arrival from about 8.30am through to 10ish as I recall) so you could ask to be in an earlier slot to make timings easier.

That’s really useful and good to know! We’ll definitely ask for a early timeslot in that case