London grammar and private senior school entry 2025

[CruCru]

Hi all

It doesn’t look as though one of these threads has been set up yet so I thought I’d do it.

I have a daughter going into year 6 and a son going into year 8 next month - both will be moving to senior school in 2025.

One thing to note is that Westminster (both the Under School and the Senior School) operates a regular Saturday morning session, with the afternoon dedicated to matches and sports. This might be one of the reasons why its day school fee is noticeable higher than some other schools in London. I'm not sure if the additional costs are justified, but I've noticed some previous post trying to draw comparison so just add this information.

Many reasons for higher fee with WUS however 2 main ones are location and that it is a very inclusive school(anyone can come early and have breakfast or stay as late and have dinner with no extra cost). With regard to Saturday school then they do have more holidays though.

Spgs fee is indeed eyewatering and that it will be increasing as well.

Good point regarding school holidays. They differ between schools, and I wonder if there's a ranking of the number of days off for London private day schools.

Fair enough. I think my definition of London is a London postcode. NLCS has a HA8 postcode - so not London.

I know virtually nothing about Surbiton (can you get a train there from Vauxhall?) but I have just looked up SHS and it has a KT1 postcode - so Kingston, not London. But that is me being a pedant - a lot of people living in London would choose these schools.

Based on this definition, there would be only 3 grammar schools in London. All schools outside zone 3 in river south are not "London" .

Kingston is most definitely a London borough, and people living in Kingston would consider themselves Londoner. As such, I would definitely consider Surbiton and LEH both to be London schools. Children who attend these schools come from all over SW London, and they are very similar to Wimbledon High or Putney High in terms of applicants. I would put Hampton, KGS and Kings College in the same category. I think one's view is very much based on where one lives.

Sorry *Londoners

That’s true. The only girls’ grammar school that anyone living near me mentions is Henrietta Barnett (NW11).

I agree… postcode is not everything, but how you view will depend on where you live. Don’t doubt people who are more central will view it as out in the sticks, but Kingston and neighbouring Richmond are London boroughs; London telephone numbers (if anyone still has a landline), pay City Hall council tax like other Londoners, votes for London mayor, patrolled by Metropolitan police etc.

For us, where next is split between Surrey and southwest London… central is too far. Even Hammersmith is inner London from my perspective, and would be a faff to get to for a child.

This is interesting. Would you consider Croydon to be London? It’s also a London borough.

Of the schools Gymnogene listed, I would consider King’s College Wimbledon to be London because it’s in Wimbledon (SW19) but KGS (KT2) and Hampton (TW12) are in Surrey. For me, for a place (not just a school) to be in London, it would need to have London in the address.

I don’t want to be snippy - it is quite possible I am wrong to think this way. I am sure that many people living in or near London choose schools like Habs / NLCS / Hampton so they could be classed as “London schools”.

Both boroughs of Kingston on Thames and Richmond Upon Thames are very much London boroughs, and neither of them are in Surrey. I am resident in the area and can confirm this is very much the case. Just as Merton (where Kings is located is a London borough. The closest borough to these locations in Surrey would be Epsom and Ewell.

It still surprises me how many people don't realise that Kingston is London... London Boroughs are London. Kingston has not been part of Surrey since 1965

I’d add SCHS which is very much London being between Balham and Clapham. My niece is there and thriving, on course for all 9s next year at GCSE. The new head is excellent apparently and a very positive change from the last head who was very marmite. Less academically selective than the other GDST schools but brilliant for the very bright, as well as those looking for a broader cohort and strong pastoral care. (They’re not paying me honest! They tend to get missed because of not being ‘up there’ in the league tables due to being less academically selective).

I think people are getting confused between the 12 inner London and 20 outer London boroughs. Inner London boroughs are:
Camden
Greenwich
Hackney
Hammersmith & Fulham
Islington
Kensington & Chelsea
Lambeth
Lewisham
Southwark
Tower Hamlets
Wandsworth
Westminster

There is also London postal area which includes some outer London Borough area.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_postal_district

Yes! It’s exactly this.
London is comprised of inner and outer boroughs- it is a huge city after all….all of these boroughs are part of London. Otherwise, they would need to stop charging me the London Authority tax in my council bill 😂

Except for HABS-this is outside of London & part of Hertfordshire.

NLCS is in Harrow which is a London Borough

This conversation about what counts as London reminded me of E.B. White's jokey quote about the term 'Yankee':

To foreigners, a Yankee is an American.
To Americans, a Yankee is a Northerner.
To Northerners, a Yankee is an Easterner.
To Easterners, a Yankee is a New Englander.
To New Englanders, a Yankee is a Vermonter.
And in Vermont, a Yankee is somebody who eats pie for breakfast.

transport becomes a huge issue on school choices.
i posted months back regarding family in lambeth and what options should be on the table.
in the end they chose weekly boarding at a school that offers transport friday and sunday. bonus the offers came out the week after iseb's in november.

It’s also because for a long time Surrey County Council had their HQ in Kingston, even though Kingston was not part of Surrey administratively. They’ve moved it now. Was most confusing. Kingston definitely London. Red buses, Met Police, 0208 phone numbers.

I have been reading this thread with interest as my 11+ experience is quite outdated and I have one last DC who will go through it next year.
I thought I would share one piece of advice, given our experience. I totally agree with the previous poster saying one shouldn’t be swayed by “prestige” and “league tables” when choosing a school. There is so little to differentiate them - what matters the most is to choose a school where the child will thrive and maximise their potential.
The other thing to consider for those aiming for top universities like Oxbridge, is that it’s better to be top of the cohort than bottom of the cohort as it will influence the school reference.

Our DD was offered a place at St Paul’s but commute was not ideal and she didn’t like the “vibe” of the school. It was a very hard decision to make but we turned it down for a school a fair bit below in the league table (clearly below top 20) but with a very happy vibe, and where she would be top of the cohort. She ended up gaining a place at Oxford where she is a first year maths student. Many of her prep friends who went to SPGS, G&L, LU etc were not offered a place.

Your daughter is exceptional and did well. 7 years is a VERY long time, her friends might not do as well as her even going to a more competitive school. School ref only works for US application not Oxbridge so I dont think it matters.

For us, we prefer co-ed, then travel time to school, then school fees and then ranking.

A school reference is required for UCAS applications, including and specifically for those to Oxbridge. While it is not the primary determining factor, it is still considered in the admissions process as academic information.

This is spot-on. The confidence built by being top of the class in a - still academic environment - is a huge asset. One has to know one's child. I have known bright children who lost motivation in super-pressurised environments, where they found themselves below average. Sitting on the bench of a great team is not going to help a player's confidence.