London private secondary Ds average ability

[Nbvvz]

Ds is most probably ND and we are considering whether he would benefit from going to a school with smaller classes and a less noisy environment. However, Ds is of average or so ability. He is probably in the top quarter of his primary class but definitely not top. Could anyone recommend a private school that might suit? We live in South East London.

Less selective in SE would be:

The Cedars
Bishop Challoner
Hall School, Wimbledon
St Dunstans
Royal Russell

As the mother of a ND child, tge smaller classes and calmer atmosphere makes a big difference.

Thank you for the recommendations. We have been thinking about St Dunstans which is not too far away. I wonder how competitive is the vibe in the other schools? Ds isn't always very good with competitive environments.

I dont have direct knowledge of those schools but DS hasn't reported any toxic competitive behaviour in his private school.

There's also Farrington's. How long a journey would you consider?

I guess under an hour I'd a reasonable commute for yr7

I’m keeping my eye on LPS Clapham for my grandson. I like the location.

On The Cedars, it is becoming co-ed, under the name of Fidelis.
It is linked to Opus Dei - I will reserve my personal views, but you may want to look into it.

Have you looked at Burlington House School in Tooting?

Bishop Challoner is closing in a few weeks unfortunately.

St Dunstan’s had excellent GCSE results last year which may have an impact on competitiveness/pressure in future. They may also step up in terms of selectiveness to continue their streak.

Top quarter isn’t average ability. In a grammar area that would be grammar ability. I’m also in SE london and the kids I know who are going to selective schools include kids who are top third but not the very top few. To schools including St Dunstans.

You need an EHCP for admission there.

Tooting is quite far from SE London! Check out Farringtons (has a school bus from various areas), St Dunstans and also Colfes and Eltham College (although those last three are getting more competitive). Riverston in Lee might also be worth a look and Babington House in Bickley.

I would imagine with the VAT change that there will be fewer applicants to some of these schools.

Parents would pay if they could not get an EHCP.

Be mindful that less selective privates with small classes attract a lot of SEN. And a small class does not get rid of SEN. As someone with a kid who's got an EHCP, tried special, private and mainstream state, and we've just finished Y11 my advice is to find a good state school. They are worth their weight in gold and class sizes are tiny in the lower sets, pastoral care is second to none in comparison to the private sector, as is staff training for SEN.
I emphasise, class sizes do not get rid of SEN and they are not actually that small in private schools anyway.

I wouldn’t consider Colfe’s or Eltham College to not be highly competitive for entry. Admissions and accepted offers did not go down at either with the introduction of VAT - they went up, probably a measure of how inconsistent the local offering is for state secondary. Both are offering to less than 10% of outside students who come in to take the 11+, possibly considerably less. (I don’t know what percentage they keep on from their own junior schools.) Dunstan’s is following this path as well and may well be level pegging with the other two by the time your DC finishes secondary.

But if those do sound up your street, Eltham has the most competitive and pressured feel of the three on the whole. The long-standing head leaving Colfe’s has a specific ethos that the school should provide a top level education without feeling like it’s reserved for a particular elite; Eltham feels like it very much wants to be considered elite. Nowhere near as much pressure as some schools in other parts of the country, but the most of these three.

Farringtons is less academically selective and a popular choice in our area for students who would benefit from smaller classes and less chaos that a 2000 student comprehensive, and also have the funds to make that happen.

’Probably top quarter’ sounds to me like you need a more accurate assessment of his abilities so you’d know if it’s worth some time studying for the entrance exams because there’s room in the top quarter to actually be in the top 10%, of course. Maybe sign up for a month of Atom, do the baseline stuff, and put in your potential schools to see where it finds you fall compared to that school’s data.

I agree. My DS (Autism, ADHD, ODF, anxiety) is in Y7 at a state school (outer East London) and we couldn't be happier with them. It's also under a mile away so being able to walk with friends and easily go to one another's houses is so valuable.