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!!

Well, if we talk in terms of Middlesex and Surrey then Ham, Kingston was in Surrey and Twickenham Hampton Hill was in Middlesex. People still use: Middlesex etc as it used to be. But in fact Middlesex doesn't exist anymore, London Borough of Richmond and London Borough of Kingston is a part of Greater London metropolitan area ( county) and Surrey is not there but south of it.

Exactly. Sorry. Wrote similar post before seeing yours

Some of the primaries have reduced in size recently because fewer people are buying houses and having babies in London generally. Some primaries that had tiny catchments a few years ago are now dropping their PAN. Therefore, secondary catchments might grow once the current bulge passes through. But there is still a lot of inwards migration due to the area's good reputation for schools.

All the info is on the council website if you look for it. All areas have to publish school place planning strategies: https://www.richmond.gov.uk/services/children_and_family_care/schools_and_colleges/find_a_school/school_place_planning_strategy

Yes I'm aware of this and considering it's been nearly 60 years it's interesting how it refuses to die 😂, same with how people still refer to Kingston as Surrey...

Tbf it was only 4 years ago that Surrey county hall was moved out of Kingston 🤓🤓🤓🤓

(sorry OP, this is a massive derail from schools!)

True..and as someone who lives in Kingston I still find it funny how people still call it Surrey. I had to correct my children who were taught by their teacher that it was part of Surrey!!

I only used the old names because the river is so twisty that I get easily confused!
I think we all agree that Richmond secondary schools are good and take from primary schools of different sizes - so that the OP can be reasonably confident of making a good choice for both her DC

Do you want to move to Twickenham? I only ask as from Chiswick you have many Catholic options for girls.
Sacred Heart in Hammersmith (lottery I know but most are now getting in from feeders), you would also have got a place in Cardinal Wiseman in Ealing this year (as long as you have the CPP) and Gunnersbury catholic have applied to go co-ed from 2025 intake due to a fall in numbers (hasn’t been approved yet but diocese supports it so it will be approved sooner rather than later). Also you can try for a lotto place at the West London free and take a good look at Chiswick school. This is getting better and better with every year (new SLT) and parents are choosing it as their happy 1st choice.
If you are moving for schools then you really don’t need to. Otherwise DH has colleagues who don’t rate RR and are sending DCs to St Marks in Hounslow and another friend with a DD who is going to Kingston grammar as they didn’t like the state options (too big, she is a nervous child).

Hi

Could I ask why they don’t rate SRRCC, St Richard Reynolds?

I too have reservations -

• no outside space for sports on site and the general provision for sport teams seems poor. Grey Court for example field many more football teams for fixtures which give children more opportunities.
• also I was told Moormead park will be inaccessible for sport if this Thames Water abstraction project goes ahead
• GCSE results were not as good as other schools last year which was a surprise
• comments on behavior further up the school
• pupils looking to move in 6th from. I guess that’s not unusual for more subject choice or a different experience

It just doesn’t seem to be excelling which is so strange as on paper it has all the makings of a fantastic school. I’ve also found it difficult to get the truth from current parents - many say their children seem happy but not necessarily thriving at anything. Unless they already do the sport outside school for example.

There are also other Hounslow borough schools like The Green School and Brentford Girls.

Each of those schools has a different catchment/parishes. It is impossible to be in a catchment for all these schools living in one place. The more popular the state school the more applications

Gunnersbury catholic have applied to go co-ed from 2025 intake due to a fall in numbers

is there such a thing in London as falling numbers of applicants to the school? All catholic schools I heard of are oversubscribed and have waiting lists

Both Gunnersbury and Cardinal Wiseman offered to Baptised catholics without CCP. As long as you have CCP it doesn't matter where you live, you get priority. OP said she was a practicing Catholic so would have the CCP.

Catholic schools are set up to educate catholics - this is the falling numbers.

Anyway this is hot off the press

https://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=community&link=http%3A%2F%2Fneighbournet.com%2Fserver%2Fcommon%2Fhounsch031.htm&fbclid=IwAR1VV3DelZ5lKGhNQD9GDrb0HwNRnamsVUy4TrnnffIFGvhqwiG0oFIqkxs

Both Gunnersbury and Cardinal Wiseman offered to Baptised catholics without CCP. As long as you have CCP it doesn't matter where you live, you get priority. OP
Assuming that those are very good schools ( are they?), how come they are not oversubscribed and accept every catholic that applies? Coeducational SRR and St Pauls Sunbury have more applicants than spaces and on the other side of the river the same is with single-gender Holly Cross and Richard Challoner. Those last two are hugely popular despite it is single gender.

Not like I am a great supporter of single gender schools. My son is going to start in Sept coeducational Catholic school and I would not send him to boys only school. However, I know a lot of parents of Holy Cross girls and Richard Challoner boys. The schools are huuugely popular despite of single gender approach

It was basically what you've just said, it wasn't performing as expected and they think St Marks is better. It may just be that expectations where too high. Obviously it's still a newish school (so maybe compare it to the West London Free school as results there were a bit patchy for the first few years).

I believe the senior teacher of an highly sought after catholic primary school in another borough (who lives in Richmond area) has sent her eldest to RR so it can't be that bad.

Yes both are good, one is boys other is mixed. You have to read the admissions policy for each school. Oversubscribed is more applicants than places. But the selection criteria will start with
looked after/Sen/Siblings/Teachers/Baptised with CCP/Baptised without CCP and then sometimes Other Churches together then lastly other Children (any). Distance is only applied when you get to the last criteria.

Single gender are more popular - you need to look at Admissions criteria and then the offers within each criteria on offers day.

and Cardinal Wiseman did turn away Catholics - the ones that don't regularly go to Church and didn't get the CCP, only a couple of them got places based on distance.

Sorry that was 'single gender are LESS popular'. Here is Gunnersbury proposal and rationale.

https://www.gunnersbury.com/page/?title=Statutory+Notice&pid=252#:~:text=Description%20of%20prescribed%20alteration,7%20intake%20of%20September%202025.

Yes I read it as you linked it above. I am simply surprised as in Kingston Borough single gendre schools ( even comprehensive) are oversubscribed and Gunnersbury school is not that popular despite of good results

did turn away Catholics - the ones that don't regularly go to Church and didn't get the CCP,
well, they do not class as catholic in the admission system as they have no proof of practice. SRR even is doing random lottery allocation as there os mote baptised catholics with CCP than spaces ...

I think in Kingston you have a lot of immigration and movement because you have such good schools. I believe it's very popular with those newly arrived from HK (a chance of getting into one of the Tiffins being a big draw). I can imagine there is great pressure at the moment. There isn't such pressure in Zones 2 and 3. I can see competition is falling and is predicted to do so.

West London does not have the same pressures as say St Albans. Don't forget we get 6 choices in London so just because a school has 1000 applicants doesn't mean they are first choice preferences. That's why it's worth OP looking at Catholic schools she stands a good chance of getting into from Chiswick and then maybe moving closer to the school after she has a place.

I can't imagine anything worse than buying near a school and then not getting in (and seeing the premium of your newly bought house disappear). Although of course OP may want to move to Twickenham....

I think in Kingston you have a lot of immigration and movement because you have such good schools.
I wouldn't say that in Kingston you have more immigrants than in Hounslow Ealing or anywhere else. Btw I live in Richmond Borough. 126 kids not received any of 6 choices in out borough, and in fact no offer at all.

I wouldn't say in Kingston are such great schools. There are much better comprehensive schools in Richmond. In Kingston Tiffins, Kingston Academy and then two listed catholic schools are good. Coombs schools, Hollyfield, Toolworth and Chessington are v average or below.

I can't imagine anything worse than buying near a school and then not getting in
I know somebody who moved to get a place in Waldergrave but the catchment shrank!. They didn't. They got Teddington.

I would argue that Kingston and Richmond (there are quite a few in Richmond that aren't so popular anymore - Teddington being one of them - although personally I think that unfair) are very similar in terms of number of Good schools versus not so good - there really isn't much in it.... hence, the house prices in North Kingston are definitely as high as many parts of Richmond..

The mystery of prices in North Kingston is driven by the Tiffin Girls. Tiffin Girls School is located in North Kingston, and around the school the so-called "Inner Area" for Tiffin Girls, a closest catchment within which it is much easier to get in than from the "Designated Area" that spreads really far. The "Inner Area" has a preference. North Kingston prices are driven by the Tiffin presence.
As for Teddington, I would say the opposite - for some reason, Teddington School is on the rise. It was our 5th preference, and as a result, my son is not going there. However, from my son's class, 13 kids put it as a no. 1 option, and 10 have already received the offer. It is different than last year when Turing and Hampton High were at the top of popularity. We will witness a shrinking catchment for Teddington as the local kids like it now.

I have my youngest at SRRCC. Oldest was in the 3rd cohort, and fortunately we got sibling priority for the DDs. DS was not very happy at the school, but that says more about DS than the school. DD1 left last summer, but only due to course choices. She had medical issues and SRRCC was amazing at providing a plan for her return to school within 3 days of developing seizures. DD2 still there and very happy,

My DC attended primary in Sunbury and the majority of their friends went to St Paul’s which is very popular. We have family with a DD at Orleans.

As far as sports is concerned, SRRCC use Moorhead, but also St Mary’s. There is plenty of sports provision and many extra curricular options.

There are several private schools that also attract people to Kingston. They try for the best state schools but then go private if they don’t get in.

Sorry that was a response to youdeservecake.