Orleans Park, Grey Court , Richard Reynolds Secondary school

[CPF]

We are planning to move to the area this year before Sep , currently living in Chiswick. We need to apply for secondary school Sep 2024. Are any parents here that can share your experiences with Orleans Park, RR and Grey court? All these schools have very similar results. We visited the schools last year and like all of them. Just looking for any personal experience . Thanks!!

[YouDeserveSomeCake]

You need to move to less than 1 km to get to Orlean Park to get the place. It is a hugely popular school. A similar situation is with Grey Court. Less than 2 km from the school
For SRR you need to be a practising catholic with a certificate of practice issued by the priest proving that you have been a practising catholic for the last 5 years. You have to live within the parishes listed in the admission document on their website.

[CPF]

thanks @YouDeserveSomeCake we are a practicing catholic family , my daughter currently attends the local catholic school, so SRR would be an option . The idea is to move close to the schools we choose to be within the catchment area. I would like to know parents experience in the three schools I mentioned

[YouDeserveSomeCake]

To be able to be considered for all 3 schools you would need to live in St Margarets , Marble Hill or Strawberry Hill. Close to the river to be in catchment for Grey Court. Not in the south Twickenham to miss Orlean. And still within parishes for SRR
Currently, the best GCSE results in Richmond has Turing school and if you decide on Strawberry Hill you would be in catchment for all 4.

SRR probably has slightly worse results than the listed by you but only a bit. There is another school in the same trust as SRR that is scoring better at GCSE but is not in Richmond. But again, the differences are not huge.

[zippedupped]

@CPF

thanks @YouDeserveSomeCake we are a practicing catholic family , my daughter currently attends the local catholic school, so SRR would be an option . The idea is to move close to the schools we choose to be within the catchment area. I would like to know parents experience in the three schools I mentioned

You need to be aware that within each SRR oversubscription criterion, if it is oversubscribed, they use random allocation: https://www.richmond.gov.uk/media/utmdtytx/lbr_tss_furthest_distance_offers.pdf

[zippedupped]

"I would like to know parents experience in the three schools I mentioned"

Ofsted parent view might be a better way to get an overview than individuals' opinions. They're all locally considered to be good schools though: https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/

[12345change]

You would be very unlikely to live somewhere to be in the catchment area of all those schools. Greycourt is a lot closer to Kingston and you would need to live in North Kingston, Ham or Teddington to get in which mean you would not be in catchment for the other two. I would find somewhere to live first then looks at the schools. Also much better to visit the schools as you will always get a mixed response on here.

[YouDeserveSomeCake]

@12345change When you look at the distance from the school you will find that the listed by me area is a place where they could get all 3 offers in Strawberry Hill including Turing. And they would be also in catchment for Waldergrave. No wonder the house prices are so insane there.

[12345change]

@YouDeserveSomeCake Greycourt might be a push as it’s become increasingly difficult to get in will be interesting to see what the last place offered on distance is this year…

[CPF]

@12345change it seems the furthest distance offered this year on National offer day for grey court was 2.7 km

[YouDeserveSomeCake]

Here it is.

[12345change]

@CPF

@12345change it seems the furthest distance offered this year on National offer day for grey court was 2.7 km

Exactly less than previous years. I think Strawberry hill is more than 3km away from Greycourt

[YouDeserveSomeCake]

For Grey court one has to live relatively close to the foot bridge or e.g. Hammerton Ferry for consideration from this side of the river

[YouDeserveSomeCake]

@12345change

Exactly less than previous years. I think Strawberry hill is more than 3km away from Greycourt

1.9 miles via Teddington lock path to Strawberry Hill House that is still within 3 km . ;)

[12345change]

@YouDeserveSomeCake

1.9 miles via Teddington lock path to Strawberry Hill House that is still within 3 km . ;)

That’s just over 3km you would be unlikely to get in given recent patterns of needed to live less than 3km..

[YouDeserveSomeCake]

@12345change

That’s just over 3km you would be unlikely to get in given recent patterns of needed to live less than 3km..

yes. but I doubt the OP would move to Strawberry Hill House in particular. She can live within the Strawberry Hill area yet closer to the river.

[12345change]

@YouDeserveSomeCake

yes. but I doubt the OP would move to Strawberry Hill House in particular. She can live within the Strawberry Hill area yet closer to the river.

If they wanted Greycourt safe to move to Ham or North Kingston - I personally think OP should decide where they want to live first as most of the schools in Richmond etc are brilliant…

[YouDeserveSomeCake]

I agree

[zippedupped]

If you're going to spend a fortune moving to get a school place it's probably more sensible to be safely within catchment of one school than on the edge of the catchment for two.

[CPF]

thanks all!! yes you are right it is safer to move within catchment area of one school than on the edge of the catchment area for two schools . I will also have to look for primary schools!! big decisions !

[YouDeserveSomeCake]

@CPF I don't have a child in any of these schools...yet... because my son is in Y6. We are on the waiting list for one of the schools below. But , we may stick to our offer from another school that is equally good or better and not listed here. If we get offer from one of the below it will be tough choice.

However, I can tell you my observations. Maybe these will be helpful, or not.

Orleans Park - The positive thing is that the bus stop is just at their doorstep. It has wonderful results. The computing rooms are splendid. The atmosphere there is very much like at the university. It can be a positive or a negative thing. Children seem to be anonymous, teachers pass by without any interaction just like at uni. I just didn't get that personal, caring vibe. It is great, though, for the Sixth form and may be overwhelming for Year 7.
The area where kids can hang out outdoors is rather small, where the benches are, as nobody can go to the sports field apart from during the lesson. I also didn't like the fact that there are outside buildings with separate access from outside to each room. In the winter, it may be cold there, and the lack of a corridor doesn't help integration. They have a great offer for languages should you wish to pursue it. If a child is into humanities, and languages that would be the best option in the borough. They are also great at maths though.

SRR made a better impression on me. The school has that personal vibe and care. The building is squeaking clean and very well decorated with the children's art and projects. They seem to be very organised. The extracurricular offer is amazing and very holistic. Everybody will find something there.
Unfortunately, the sports grounds are limited, and they use the sports field at another school. It may not be ideal if one has a sporty child Also, there is a primary school section in the school. They were not visible during the Open Day and were well hidden, but I am sure that they run freely around every day. The school may be crowded. The Open day was neatly prepared. The teachers stay in that school for a long time, so it must be a good environment. However, there is a thread here from the past in which one mum complained about the bullying and swearing. The school is very close to the high street Twickenham, and kids tend to hang out there after school, which I don't like.

I cannot say anything about Grey Court as I have never been there, nor do I know anybody from there.

Turing school is very disciplined and is spot on choice if somebody focuses on maths, or computing. The kids are very well-behaved. I think this school observes less bullying but I cannot be sure. They have a very charismatic headmaster who invests heavily in practical novel solutions. Because of the proximity to Waldegrave, there are a bit more boys than girls at Turing. The school is located at the verge of Richmond borough, and kids tend to hang out in the Hounslow area after school. Not the safest area. The school is very new, so the building is a bit "blocky" and overwhelming and they still raise money for wall decorations. They have a fantastic canteen with great food.

[CPF]

@YouDeserveSomeCake Thanks for taking the time to share your observations!! I really appreciate it! I didnt know anything about Turing school , I will have a look at it . I visited the three schools I mentioned last year and agree with your observations about Orleans park and SRR . I got a little bit worry when I read the thread here about bullying in SRR but I guess that can happen in any school. I like that SRR has also a primary school section as I also need a primary school place for my other daughter . However they dont have currently a space available. I liked the grounds from Orleans park but I didnt know they dont get to use them during break time!!

Which other school do you recommend in the area?

[tennissquare]

Why don't you find out which primary schools have an in-year application year 5 space for your dc as it would be helpful to know your dc is moving into year 6 before you get to the break in July. And for example if you get St Stephen's primary school then you know some of the classmates will be going to Orleans etc.

[Kta7]

Orleans Park is ace - a lovely caring school. Field is out of bounds during lunch but students can play football on the Astro. The catchment seems to have expanded a bit this year, last year was particularly bonkers? Only issue is that it’s massive - but that does mean it has lots of resources.

Re primary schools - St Mary’s is excellent in many respects but perhaps avoid if your child has SEN.

[zippedupped]

"The school is located at the verge of Richmond borough, and kids tend to hang out in the Hounslow area after school. Not the safest area."

This is an odd thing to say, and not my experience. Most of the Turing kids are from West Twickenham, Fulwell, Hampton Hill (because of the admission point in Fulwell), and they get straight on the bus home after school. Some might hang out on Heathfield Rec or Crane Park but it's no worse than hanging out in Marble Hill (Orleans Park) or Ham Riverside (Grey Court) or Kneller Gardens (St RR).

[YouDeserveSomeCake]

 about bullying in SRR but I guess that can happen in any school. 

Exactly. That was only one person's experience so I don't think you can rely on it

Are you moving ahead of time or is your child in Y5 or Y6?
Please take into account that if you are making plans ahead of time, things change. Years ago Greycourt School was one of the worst in the area. Now is blooming is one of the best. Or few years ago Turing was a new school moving around without a permanent location. Now it has the best results in the borough.
That is contrary to other people in this thread, if I were planning years ahead of time, I would move to the location where I am in the catchment of 2 or maybe 3 good schools. One of them surely will remain good. If it is now e.g. next year then things should remain as they are.

The other schools worth considering are Teddington school with a generous catchment. Fab facilities for sporty kids. Just by the river. Very positive energy. Not bad results, good results but not the top of the borough.

There is also Christ School good results. And people speak very well about The Richmond School ( do not mistaken it with The Richmond Academy as it is a different school)


We are Catholic, and I liked St Paul's Sunbury the most. I ranked it higher than SRR. I live in the parish in Richmond Borough listed for both schools. My son has been offered a place at St Paul's Sunbury, which was my second preference. I wasn't sure whether to choose Turing or St Paul's, so I placed Turing first, thinking that we might be on the verge of the catchment area. This way, if we were not placed at Turing, we would still have the option to decide if they put us on the waiting list for Turing.
St. Paul's boasts superb results, and its Progress 8 is even better than Turing. The school has an amazing campus-like site with a small park containing benches, trees, and fields exclusively for school use. The atmosphere is warm, with teachers recognizing and greeting students when they see them. I have visited the school several times, including outside of Open Day. St. Paul's follows an ethos of "service to others and empathy" and is highly disciplined.
St Paul's has recently been inspected by OFSTED and has retained its Outstanding rating. In these times, maintaining an Outstanding status is significant, considering that OFSTED is stringent in its evaluations and has downgraded many schools in the latest inspections. Numerous schools may struggle to maintain their Outstanding status.