Harris Greenwich V Thomas Tallis

[Selondony]

TT was our first choice, but we got our second choice, Harris Greenwich. We were coming round to the idea of Harris, but now I've found out that we're near the top of the TT waiting list.

My son has anxiety and is worried about disruptive behaviour and potential bullying. He'd do better in the school that is strict and has zero tolerance on bullying and general bad behaviour.

Thoughts please!

Don’t go to Tallis if you want a strict school with good behaviour. It is the complete opposite. My child was there a few years ago so it may have changed with the new head, but certainly 3 years ago behaviour was very poor.

TT and HG are two complete opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of school ethos. I have friends with DC at both and they all seem to be broadly happy.

When you say you're 'near the top of the waitlist' - just to warn you, I knew a DC who was 6th on the waitlist at TT and her position didn't really move for three years. This was a few years ago now though and I know there's a less pressure on school places due to more movement/shrinking demographic.

It's hard to say what you should do for the best. I have an anxious child and he would find a very strict school difficult to cope with as he would be constantly worrying about getting the 'rules' wrong.

I know that TT has a very large number of students with SEN (I'm not saying your DS has SEN) but they are very familiar with supporting DC with anxiety and I've heard they can be good with reasonable adjustments.

I guess until you're actually offered a place, it's hypothetical anyway. Has HG offered your DS any additional transition days? Have you contacted them about his anxiety to see how they're going to support him? That in itself could be quite telling.

Hi there
I read your post with great interest as this sounds like my DC and we are currently considering Crown Woods v Thomas Tallis. Did you end up with a place at TT in the end and where did you opt for?
I am wondering how far the final waiting list came out this year in terms of catchment distance as we are just outside last year's catchment.
Many thanks and I hope all has gone well.