Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Thoughts on Thomas's College Richmond - those with offers and those at the primaries!

131 replies

Nottoolongtogo · 15/02/2025 18:25

Interested to hear from anyone who is currently at Thomas's for primary and if they have any info on the College in Richmond and how many are seriously considering it for Year 7?

Also interested in thoughts of those with offers and whether you are seriously considering it. Has anyone's child been awarded a Founders Scholarship and if so, are you seriously considering it?

Thank you!

OP posts:
Jp1909 · 22/02/2025 13:46

My DS (yr9) and DD (yr7) heading there. Headmaster is very impressive, mixed school, good size, great campus, toured both preps and Putney vale (couple years ago) and liked the vibe and teachers. Thought the founding scholarship offer was a smart move. DS awarded a masters award which helped lock us in. But logistics and overall offer/ philosophy already had us really interested in comparison to others. Will be on train from CJ, 4 9min trains an hour.

TwoInARow2020 · 22/02/2025 14:06

Are there any current Thomas’ parents on here?

Original poster
Nottoolongtogo · 23/02/2025 21:58

Jp1909 · 22/02/2025 13:46

My DS (yr9) and DD (yr7) heading there. Headmaster is very impressive, mixed school, good size, great campus, toured both preps and Putney vale (couple years ago) and liked the vibe and teachers. Thought the founding scholarship offer was a smart move. DS awarded a masters award which helped lock us in. But logistics and overall offer/ philosophy already had us really interested in comparison to others. Will be on train from CJ, 4 9min trains an hour.

Good to hear, may I ask which schools you were also considering?

OP posts:
MoiraT · 28/02/2025 15:35

I attended the offer-holder event this morning and, again, was very impressed by the senior leadership. The new head is so passionate that, even if we don’t go, I want it to be a success for him. I love the location too. The academic rigour does give me pause for thought as they are focussing quite a bit on creativity and alternative ways of testing and learning and, for me, that’s new and I’d have to get my head round it. I’m not 100% sure what sort of child they’re gearing towards.

Original poster
Nottoolongtogo · 28/02/2025 22:13

MoiraT · 28/02/2025 15:35

I attended the offer-holder event this morning and, again, was very impressed by the senior leadership. The new head is so passionate that, even if we don’t go, I want it to be a success for him. I love the location too. The academic rigour does give me pause for thought as they are focussing quite a bit on creativity and alternative ways of testing and learning and, for me, that’s new and I’d have to get my head round it. I’m not 100% sure what sort of child they’re gearing towards.

I think there isn’t one type, they want a mix of children, but they like children who are a bit more quirky rather than filtering for only academic children, kind of in the vein of their relatively wacky playfulness of mind paper.

OP posts:
TwoInARow2020 · 28/02/2025 22:23

We were there this morning as well. I also think the head is brilliant, but would have liked to have met some more teaching staff and my DD was a bit tuned out as hard to get excited about a school if you can’t see it

AllforSal · 01/03/2025 07:56

Hello!
We are moving to London from overseas over the summer. We have an offer for my daughter for Year 8 from Thomas's. It all looks and sounds great, but it is very hard to gauge how it will look like in practice. Any insights are welcome. And any view from a Thomas's family would be great. Thank you!

SailingCulprit · 01/03/2025 08:26

We have an offer for my DD for Y9. She got two creative Master’s Awards, including one exceptional that wasn’t listed in the brochure; she was shortlisted for the Founding Scholarship, but didn’t get it, much to our surprise. My question is what type of children got it and who will be in her year. I actually wonder (and hope!) if the Founding Scholarship went to children they desperately want to turn away from other schools and that they will take the offer. We suspect she might not have got it because they know she needs a school to go to and she said that Thomas’s was her first choice as she loves the choice of subjects. However, the Y10 children we saw yesterday weren’t particularly impressive, which is slightly concerning. She comes from one of the top prep schools in the country and is at the top of her game across the board, is also extremely driven and sociable and has insane amounts of achievements and interests for someone her age. We have offers from leading boarding schools, but she isn’t ready to board and didn’t want to go into London’s pressure cooker like St. Paul’s and similar so we didn’t apply to any other London schools. Would really appreciate to hear from similar age parents.

Cyd4 · 01/03/2025 08:39

You say your daughter does not want to board and does not want to go to a ‘high pressure environment’ - you both consider Thomas’s to be a gentler school - yet are surprised to learn that the current students also appear gentler?

SailingCulprit · 01/03/2025 08:45

Cyd4 · 01/03/2025 08:39

You say your daughter does not want to board and does not want to go to a ‘high pressure environment’ - you both consider Thomas’s to be a gentler school - yet are surprised to learn that the current students also appear gentler?

Yes, it makes sense and that’s what we thought too. But I’d still expect them to have public speaking ability and have some presence, especially for Y10. But maybe you are right and that’s what makes them the way they are… We are used to forceful handshakes and a lot of intensity 😀

HeavensToBetsy1 · 01/03/2025 09:25

isn't a Year 10 child 14 years old? finding it hard to read that ppl would judge a 14 year old's public speaking and using that as a measure for their own child's educational journey tbh!

Cyd4 · 01/03/2025 09:35

I also cannot imagine meeting a child at such an event and writing them off as “not very impressive”. I think you should take your daughter and her insane amount of achievements to a different type of school. I don’t think Thomas’s is for you.

Original poster
Nottoolongtogo · 01/03/2025 10:07

SailingCulprit · 01/03/2025 08:26

We have an offer for my DD for Y9. She got two creative Master’s Awards, including one exceptional that wasn’t listed in the brochure; she was shortlisted for the Founding Scholarship, but didn’t get it, much to our surprise. My question is what type of children got it and who will be in her year. I actually wonder (and hope!) if the Founding Scholarship went to children they desperately want to turn away from other schools and that they will take the offer. We suspect she might not have got it because they know she needs a school to go to and she said that Thomas’s was her first choice as she loves the choice of subjects. However, the Y10 children we saw yesterday weren’t particularly impressive, which is slightly concerning. She comes from one of the top prep schools in the country and is at the top of her game across the board, is also extremely driven and sociable and has insane amounts of achievements and interests for someone her age. We have offers from leading boarding schools, but she isn’t ready to board and didn’t want to go into London’s pressure cooker like St. Paul’s and similar so we didn’t apply to any other London schools. Would really appreciate to hear from similar age parents.

Edited

If she’s smart she will do well anywhere and grab all the opportunities available.

It’s great she got the exceptional award, was it based on her performance in the exam?

i spoke to a couple of children afterwards and they were really nice and enthusiastic. Maybe they were a bit nervous speaking off the cuff but I felt they were natural and unscripted, which to me is a good thing.

OP posts:
SailingCulprit · 01/03/2025 10:16

Nottoolongtogo · 01/03/2025 10:07

If she’s smart she will do well anywhere and grab all the opportunities available.

It’s great she got the exceptional award, was it based on her performance in the exam?

i spoke to a couple of children afterwards and they were really nice and enthusiastic. Maybe they were a bit nervous speaking off the cuff but I felt they were natural and unscripted, which to me is a good thing.

Show quote history

Thank you so much for your reply. I hope you take your offer and they will get some great kids in! She got an exceptional award in a creative discipline, I will PM you

SailingCulprit · 01/03/2025 10:28

Cyd4 · 01/03/2025 09:35

I also cannot imagine meeting a child at such an event and writing them off as “not very impressive”. I think you should take your daughter and her insane amount of achievements to a different type of school. I don’t think Thomas’s is for you.

I don’t think this is a right forum for a personal discussion on people’s views on education. There will be people here who know what I mean. We have been through a very traditional prep school system (both London and outside) and there are certain expectations in place. I am not saying it’s right, far from it, and that’s why we are not heading to top London schools. The fact is, my kids have been taught public speaking from Y1 and the schools pushed them to achieve on a daily basis, through anxiety, tears and anything else that was in the way. I never said it was the right thing, but they always took and enjoyed the challenge and by Y8 they are ready to run the show. I am not saying that it’s right, but that’s what we are used to, so everything else is unusual… I don’t want to upset anyone. But I really hope there will similar children at school - who can be at any school they want, but they chose Thomas’s for their reasons, same as we did

sailingsunshine · 01/03/2025 13:00

@SailingCulprit , but most of the parents holding Thomas's places have applied to London schools as well because they live in SW or Greater London or on the district line or train line into Richmond station. The person I know holding a year 7 place is waiting for their state school allocation on Monday and then deciding; it's the only private school the dc applied to because they wouldn't have got in to the more academic schools. I think you may have misunderstood how Thomas's is positioned in SW London.

SailingCulprit · 01/03/2025 13:38

sailingsunshine · 01/03/2025 13:00

@SailingCulprit , but most of the parents holding Thomas's places have applied to London schools as well because they live in SW or Greater London or on the district line or train line into Richmond station. The person I know holding a year 7 place is waiting for their state school allocation on Monday and then deciding; it's the only private school the dc applied to because they wouldn't have got in to the more academic schools. I think you may have misunderstood how Thomas's is positioned in SW London.

Thank you. Yes, I do see that and that for many people it’s a back up option. That’s my worry. My daughter chose it because of the subject choice, because of its strong creative aspect, lovely ethos and close to home. She also likes the idea of a US university as an easy option and she doesn’t like the pressure she has been under for years - the better you are, the more pressure you get… but she is driven and very academic and that’s what worries me. I hope she has similar friends as she likes to be challenged by peers as much as by teachers and she will struggle if academic success is not important. So I really hope there will be some academic children taking their founding scholarship offers and it will be a good mix. We will probably take the leap as boarding is not an option for her at all!

sailingsunshine · 01/03/2025 14:07

Well you can always move her after a term if you don't think it's going to work out, you must have applied to other day schools too. Due to the volume of all girls schools in the area it's easier to move than you would expect.

SailingCulprit · 01/03/2025 15:41

sailingsunshine · 01/03/2025 14:07

Well you can always move her after a term if you don't think it's going to work out, you must have applied to other day schools too. Due to the volume of all girls schools in the area it's easier to move than you would expect.

Of course, it’s always an option… I think that’s how we see it. Would like to give it a shot. We do like the headmaster and the team and the ethos is really lovely…Thank you for your message.

TwoInARow2020 · 01/03/2025 16:27

It’s a hard choice isn’t it? Does anyone know how many kids they are taking into year 7? I meant to ask yesterday so wondering if anyone else did

Original poster
Nottoolongtogo · 01/03/2025 16:51

TwoInARow2020 · 01/03/2025 16:27

It’s a hard choice isn’t it? Does anyone know how many kids they are taking into year 7? I meant to ask yesterday so wondering if anyone else did

year 7 will have 80 children and they will do vertical tutor groups across years 7 and 8 (and around 20 in year 8)

OP posts:
Original poster
Nottoolongtogo · 01/03/2025 22:59

We are seriously considering it that’s for sure. Shame we can’t PM at the moment as that feature is disabled!

OP posts:
SailingCulprit · 01/03/2025 23:19

Nottoolongtogo · 01/03/2025 22:59

We are seriously considering it that’s for sure. Shame we can’t PM at the moment as that feature is disabled!

That’s great to know! I was wondering why I can’t PM you as I tried. I just spoke to my daughter again and we both think that it will be the kindest school in London, we just loved all staff members. Literally everyone was positive and had open smiles. Surely, there will be teething issues, but there is just so much bullying, pressure and stress elsewhere, she decided to give it a go and I am sure they will stretch her if she asks for it.

sailingsunshine · 01/03/2025 23:28

The direct messaging had a cyber attack, MN have said it may work next week.

Mariphili · 02/03/2025 23:16

What is everyone’s thoughts after the offer day? I was impressed with the headmaster and the selection of staff there but the thing that puts me off is the size of the school, it’s tiny with only 300 children, they are wanting a real diverse mix of children and worried my DS won’t find enough friends