Radnor House / Thomas College ?

[Madison1214]

Good evening,

Our son had an offer for Radnor House and Thomas College after 11+.

We are still hesitating between both and we can't find much information about Thomas College.

Have you any feedback or recommendation about these 2 schools ?

Thank you !

Have you been invited to the offer day for Thomas’? It is a new school (although Thomas’ as a whole has a number of prep schools) so there isn’t a lot of information yet

We are going tomorrow, I hope we will have a clearer view after...

Didn't thomass already set up a senior school? Went quite wrong from what I remember

I haven’t heard about that?

It's what's now the closing Putney vale site. It was supposed to be a 13-18 school and they were supposed to take over the building from an old dance school or something like that but it all fell through and parents were told at the last minute that it was only going to go up to 16 and will be quite far from the original intended location.
It seems they found a more suitable location now and are making it more selective.
I have friends with 2 kids at Radnor House. They're moving to a more academic school for 6th form. Their sen support is brilliant though

Ok. That makes sense. Thank you

Current parent at Radnor and extremely happy with the school. Plenty of opportunities and good academics. DD is very happy. DS will be joining Yr7 in September.

We really liked Radnor House when we visited it. We understand it's not the most academic one but we heard lot of good things about it and the kids seem very happy there.

Yes, I've honestly not heard bad things about it. I think they cater well to a very broad range of needs which is really not easy. My friends son is hoping to get straight 9s and he has a few friends that are the same. I imagine Thomas's will have a lot more international pupils and American families. I would also just check what the world load is with their Thomas's diploma courses because having to do that instead of some GCSEs and on top of a levels is not for the faint hearted, esp as it's not accredited. It feels a lot more like it'll be pumping kids out to US unis rather than UK ones so if that's what you ultimately want, it might not be a bad choice.

The Thomas's diploma courses are optional. You will have the choice between doing only GCSEs, only Thomas's courses or a mix of both. We were at the offer holders event on Friday and they made this very clear.

Ah ok, that's interesting. Wonder if the Thomas's diploma is accepted by US unis. Their 6th form prospectus says you need to do a Thomas's diploma course alongside a levels though

I don't think it's accepted anywhere as it is totally new. My ds is going in at Year 7 so not too concerned with this yet but in the offer holders session they made it very clear that there would be an option to follow the 'traditional' path of GCSEs and A Levels. They did not emphasise US schools at any point so not sure where that is coming from. We also had offers from Radnor and Kew but believe Thomas's will surpass what they both can offer in the very near future. The team they have recruited is very strong and there's a real drive to make this a success. They have also given scholarships which will hopefully mean that there's a real mix of abilities and backgrounds. Given the building, grounds, the sportsgrounds, the fact it's co-ed and location, I don't think it is as much of a risk as some people are making out.

We are in the same position and have accepted Thomas’ College. Loved Radnor too and it’s a great school with excellent staff and evidently happy children. In the end, we have been very impressed by the vision, passion and talent of the team at Thomas’ College, plus the fantastic building and location. The headmaster is very impressive, comes across as a decent, genuine guy, and the team are highly experienced educators. All questions were answered with confidence and a sound evidence base. GCSE results at Putney Vale were very good and parents report their kids have been happy and well supported. The ethos of inclusivity for all kinds of learners of talent and potential was clear. The vision is one of future focused educational reform and offers a much greater degree of personal choice and flexibility in terms of academic pathways. Really interesting curriculum- kids study subjects like economics and psychology from yr 7 and have subject options from yr 9. Students study 8 GCSEs followed by A’levels, complemented by in house qualifications. The constellation of which qualifications they take is guided in an individualised way depending on the requirements of each student. Do find out more about the Thomas’s Qualifications as it’s too complicated to explain here. They are more project based and allow students to pursue subjects of interest that they might not want to take a full GCSE or A’level in. Year groups are mixed - 7&8, then 9&10. Yr 11 are part of the 6th form, share their building, no uniform, sense of being more grown up I guess. Loads of sports, music, drama, dance, art. Lots of clubs. Dedicated time for pastoral care. The aim is kind, bright, creative kids motivated by passion for their interests rather than pressure and perfectionism, and equipped with real world skills needed for university and employment.
Im sure there will be teething troubles, but no school is perfect. Hope that gives you a bit more info to help you make your decision. Also hoping my leap of faith will not be in vain!

@Vulpina I saw the y11 being with 6th form and tbh I really don't like this. I think finishing y11 as the oldest is such a quintessential experience. The shirt signing, the mark of the end. The excitement to move to a different part of the school for 6th form etc. I feel that takes away from it.
I really like the subject choices though as well as the diploma, I just don't think it's as inclusive as it makes out, their grade requirements for 6th form are very high and I wonder what their policy is if a lower school child doesn't meet that. The fact you're in the 6th form for y11 will also feel like you're starting new just for a year. It'll be interesting to see how it does.

@Foxesandsquirrels have you found that the 6th form grade requirements are much higher at Thomas’ College than at other similarly placed schools? It’s not something we’ve looked at as 6th form is a bridge we will cross when we get there!

Yh their grade requirements are on par with selective grammars tbh!

We’re seriously considering taking a place at Thomas’s for year 10. We’re looking for somewhere that’s not too formal - more friendly and relatively relaxed (like Radnor is - but Radnor doesn’t work for us logistically). Does anyone know anything about the “style”/“feel” of Thomas’s schools - especially the Putney Vale school? Thanks.

Hi Madison1214, we are looking at Thomas' College, can you describe the open day event you attended?

I mean, what were your impressions of the school, staff, atmosphere etc

Hello, I’m just following up on this thread, did any of you choose Thomas? Are your DC happy so far..? Many thanks

I’m also replying to this thread hoping some of the parents choosing Thomas’s college can give some feedback after the first term.
which thyme of students? Is it academic? Are the kids stretched? How is the commute from Richmond station? How are the clubs?
thanks!!!!

Just posted on this thread, if you want to take a look. www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/5473991-thomass-college