2026 Wandsworth test result is out

[Kalista018]

Just received the email and still processing it. My son’s score is quite high, but it seems it’s not enough for Graveney. Could you please clarify whether Chestnut Grove still offers places primarily based on catchment area? Would a high score be considered at all if we live outside the catchment?

We live near Ashcroft, though we’re unsure about it as the school is known for being quite strict. We’re fairly new to London, so I’m still doing a lot of research to understand the options available.

Ashcroft gets good results so I think that's also popular but it's a bit marmite.

Graveney has been a consistently good school for a long time, since I was a dc. A lot of staff have been their years which is a good thing imo.

my son is at a private primary in wandsworth. Over the past 5 years 5 pupils have sat the WT. This year alone 10 pupils took it including my DD. VAT most certainly was the reason behind this increase in pupils taking the test from his school.

That's very interesting. Thanks for your input. Are they all going for Graveney? Are they all happy with the results, including yours?

Do you know what scores the 10 got? Interested in whether the private kids have been prepped specifically for the Wandsworth test & it's going to raise the admission threshold significantly.

Scores range from north of 265 down to 242 I understand. My son got 254 which should see him fine we hope. Of the 10 that took it I 6 or 7 will take it if offered. The school doesn’t offer specific WT prep moreover atom and GL assessment for the other independents which is essentially the same thing.

Just a word on the CGA banding, siblings get priority first in banding and then by distance.

For 2023 Band E was all siblings, but that appears to be the only year that happened.

If it helps others my son scored 223 without any tutoring (we did one practice paper) and his brother scored 249 back in 2023 (similar prep) which would have got him into Graveney by the September. So the kids that don't or can't afford tutors still have a chance.

Hi! I’ve been to view Ashcroft, Graveney and Chestnut Grove in the last few months.
My son is in a prep school and took the Wandsworth Test too. He scored very well.
The thing is we are actually not too keen on any of the three schools.

Ashcroft was a put off due to its its reputation of strictness. But it felt safe, and the two times I visited in September I was pleasantly surprised with the pupils showing us around and how they viewed the school. In a nutshell, if you child follows rules and doesn’t get in trouble then they will be fine at Ashcroft. During my second viewing I bumped into my dc’s tutor. We both were impressed with the school and I was given the thumbs up from the tutor for my dc by the tutor.

Chestnut Grove was so bad we left in the middle of the tour, before the headteachers talk. Not just us but two other people in our small group.
The open plan toilets in the corridors stunk so bad I felt like I was going to pass out. There were pupils running in and out of classrooms giggling and eating snacks during class time and most importantly during the schools open day where there were hundreds of parents viewing the school.
There was a class where girls were in rolled up skirts and neck ties shorter than 5 inches running out of the class with the teacher not even bothering to call them back in. They were giggling and gossiping right in front of us about some boys.
The two lovely pupils showing us around said they are allowed to carry their mobiles inside their blazers and told us stories of boys having regular fights during lunch breaks. That was the final straw.
I liked their honesty as it made my decision easy.

Graveney felt like a council estate school. Literally a traditional old skool school. It was very bitty with small buildings and what looked like groups of run down trailer park blocks.
The area is not the best, it was like being back in my old school in the 80’s.
The heads talk was after the tour and again so many people just walked out during the talk.
I didn’t feel comfortable or welcome. I felt like their facilities were lacking. Some teachers were borderline rude to us. I wasn’t wowed in any department at all.
I’ve read many times that kids felt lost and left their their own devices to cope with the big school. That’s literally how I felt just looking around the school. I would not choose to go to that school myself even now. I’ve heard from people about bullying and lack of teacher support.

There were around 12+ dc’s from my dc’s year at the exam. I’m sure they all passed as most are tutored.

My dc is adamant to go to Ashcroft. Dc has been to view the school and is absolutely fine with the strict policy. This is Dc’s first choice.

We have the scores so will be listing Ashcroft. But not as no.1 choice as we have other schools with a higher preference.

@Kalista018 I guess you mean for heavenly school? Why not! Well done you all! I was actually told that this year’s Wandsworth test will be insane due to private schools VAT issues. Fingers crossed for you all.

What do you mean? The results of the test are standardised to take into account the age of the child but also the difficulty of the test. So maybe one year getting 80% of the questions right will get you a score of 110, but next year the questions are a bit harder, fewer kids get them right, so now getting 77% of the questions right gets you 110.

VAT doesn't make the test per se harder, but may affect how many people go private. I don't think there have ever been many families applying to private only - most would have applied to state schools as a backup.
The key driver for why the Graveney waiting list moves is families applying to both Graveney and private schools, getting into both, an then choosing private.

So the real question is: this year, will there be less movement in the waiting list, because more families accept a place at Graveney instead of refusing it to go private? Time will tell...

The key driver for why the Graveney waiting list moves is families applying to both Graveney and private schools, getting into both, an then choosing private.

A lot also target the grammar schools so there is movement from that.

What I meant was that a higher number of applicants will definitely push the cut-off for Graveney up, as there are more well-prepared students and Graveney is almost everyone’s first choice. I suppose we’ll find out more once everything is settled later on.

Thank you so much for your input! I didn’t go to the Ashcroft open day myself, but many parents from my son’s school did. Their impression was:

1. The school is quite strict, with a no-excuse policy.
2. Students are expected to work very hard – so if your child isn’t keen on studying, it might not be the right fit.

Personally, I don’t mind the strictness. I grew up in a similar environment (I’m Asian), and I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I believe there’s a time in life when children need to learn to follow rules and fit within certain boundaries. They can always express themselves and explore who they want to be outside of school.

I work as a secondary school TA and do a lot of academic support. From what I’ve seen, learning doesn’t happen without structure and boundaries – it’s sad, but true.

As for the “no bike” policy, I actually agree with it. It’s not a particularly safe area to cycle in, and even if it were allowed, I wouldn’t let my son bike there. I also think local residents wouldn’t appreciate seeing Lime bikes scattered around.

My only concern about the school is its sponsor, Michael Ashcroft. He’s a strong Tory supporter, and I can’t help but wonder if that influence trickles down to the school’s leadership or culture. I’d prefer my son to grow up in a politically balanced environment with fair, open perspectives rather than being shaped by a particular view.

I’m also curious about how the school uses its different bands to stretch students academically and provide support. My son is quite keen on Ashcroft, which is a relief — at least he’ll have a good option if he doesn’t get into the other schools.

I’m sorry to hear you didn’t get a good impression from CGA and Graveney. That sounds similar to how I felt when I visited Tiffin — it seemed a bit underfunded. The students were polite, but the school itself didn’t give me a great feeling. It was an extremely hot day, there was a strong smell everywhere, and no air circulation at all.

I haven’t been inside Ashcroft, but from the outside — and based on what I’ve heard — it seems to have good facilities and relatively small class sizes. Can anyone confirm this?

That’s quite a lot from me — best of luck to your DC!

Funny how everyone can get different impressions of schools.

We loved Graveney- yes the buildings are a bit tired but I don’t think kids really care about that so much. We thought the facilities were excellent- the music department is known to be one of the best in London, there was lots of green open space for the kids to hang out in, but most importantly the children seemed happy, well adjusted and motivated. Our one reservation is the sport.

Ashcroft we liked well enough but it seemed a bit sterile. It was incredibly quiet- the opposite of what you are talking about at Chesnut Grove. I personally feel somewhere in between is best. The bike rule doesn’t bother me but I’ve heard stories of people getting detentions for much more minor things like untucked shirts. We would overall have been happy with this too however.

My Son scored very high on the tests too (from a state primary) so we will put Graveney first but are also in the group where we have others that fall higher on our preference list so will see what happens in March

Sorry I quoted the wrong post

@Kalista018 I also think local residents wouldn’t appreciate seeing Lime bikes scattered around.

This is nonsense. You need to be 18 to ride a Lime legally. If there are no Limes scattered outside other schools, why should it be different for Ashcroft??

I talked about it in my post on the emotional abuse scandal at Mossbourne : Ashcroft does not seem as batshit crazy as Michaela (which has more rote learning and requires students to stand up with their arms crossed, a stupid habit they will have to unlearn as adults), Holland Park School (which was assigned to a different trust after a scandal), or Mossbourne (where 300 people came forward accusing the school of emotional abuse, including holding seminars on how to instil fear in children), but, still, common sense does go out of the window a bit too often.

As I had said in my post, the opposition to bicycles is based on ideology, not evidence. They decided on it before the school was even built, and they have no mechanism in place to reassess. Also, the maximum admission distances are often small (it depends on the band) so quite a few kids live locally, and could cycle on perfectly safe back streets.

Banning bicycles goes against every local and national policy.

From what I’ve seen, learning doesn’t happen without structure and boundaries – it’s sad, but true.

This is true. What is false is to present a false dichotomy between these batshit crazy policies and anarchy, as if there were nothing in between. I am for strict but fair. These schools are strict but unhinged. Big difference.

There have been plenty of cases of headteachers using this false dichotomy as an excuse to justify all kinds of unhinged policies and punishments, like forcing pupils to wear blazers in a heatwave, giving detentions for wearing black socks not bought from the official suppliers, or an Asda skirt which is half a cm longer than the official one but half the price, etc.

A few years ago there was a scandal at Pimlico Academy (SW London) because the headteacher banned afro haircuts. This year or the last United Learning issued a policy urging kids to come to school even if unwell, which was against NHS guidelines. Luckily, in both cases the headteachers backed down after big protests. But it's telling that in all these cases the excuse is always the same: talking about structure and boundaries as if the only alternative to unhinged rules were anarchy. It's not.

Two things struck me when I visited Ashcroft:

The tour guide bragging about how they choose the most difficult exam boards because Ashcroft is the best school in the area. There is being proud of your school, and there is switching off your brain to swallow whatever kool aid they are forcing down your throat. This was the latter. Sadly, an environment with needlessly draconian rules is very conducive to this kool-aid drinking.

The same tour guides said that it is only fair that students who miss school do catch up, "because it was your choice to miss school after all". A father in the group got really worked up about this, pointing out that his son missed a week of school for a surgical operation, asked what the policy would have been in this case, but the guides just shrugged, totally unmoved.

I am hugely sensitive to this point, because I have had problems with toxic work environments, toxic bosses etc, and these petty rules remind me far too much of that. It's like when you were a victim of abuse in the past, and see certain red flags in a partner, that someone who didn't experience the same abuse might consider unimportant.

@Kalista018 What I meant was that a higher number of applicants will definitely push the cut-off for Graveney up, as there are more well-prepared students and Graveney is almost everyone’s first choice. I suppose we’ll find out more once everything is settled later on.

Yes, the people I know tell me that, for Sep-2025 admissions, the waiting list moved in line with previous year. Families would have had to accept a private place between Feb and Apr 2025. Labour won the election in Jul-2024 and announced VAT (to no one's surprise) in the autumn 2024 budget.

So how much the waiting lists moved between March and Sep 2025 already reflected VAT. Let's see this year...

@Nushi21 The two lovely pupils showing us around said they are allowed to carry their mobiles inside their blazers

In fairness, the policy of mobiles not seen nor heard is the most common across schools. Even Graveney is like this. The only alternatives are an outright ban, like Ashcroft (which I don't mind, but I get it that some families may want their kids to have a phone), or pouches which block the phone and only the school can unlock. St John Bosco does it, but it's very rare.

I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience at Chetsnut Grove. Regular fights at lunchtime seems like one of those exaggerations some kids are prone to, but the bad behaviour you witnessed with your eyes (and which would, AFAIK, not be tolerated at Graveney or Ashcroft) is more concerning.

Thank you so much for your input — it really gives me a different perspective on how to see the school.

Regarding the bike policy, I think it’s quite hard to decide who can and can’t ride. Therefore the rules.

For me, this school isn’t my first choice, but there’s a possibility we could end up there. Judging by my son’s personality and character, I think he’ll be fine — he naturally pays attention to details and rules even without me reminding him. It’s more about how I feel about the school. A few things have raised red flags and don’t sit well with me. It seems very much like an “exam house,” heavily focused on academic achievement. But perhaps that’s similar to most grammar schools, as I’ve also heard they can be quite strict about uniforms and rules.

In the end, I think it’s about focusing on the positives and making the most of the opportunities available. If someone feels strongly against that kind of environment, then it’s probably best to avoid it — there are plenty of other good options around this area.

@Kalista018 Yes. Look, no school will work for everyone. Every school will have its fans and its detractors. If you are hearing only positive feedback about a school, you ain't done proper due diligence!

It's important to understand what can work for YOUR child.
Very strict schools don't work for unruly, feral children, but also for those children who may be compliant but may simply develop anxiety at getting told off for the most minor infractions. Other kids instead are perfectly fine with it.

The challenge, of course, is that we have an idea of what our kids are like now, but predicting how they will change during their teenage years is a whole different matter.

@Kalista018 , @Moreconfusedbytheday , @Nushi21 , just out of curiosity, may I ask which schools are your top preferences, above Graveney / Ashcroft?

@ParentOfOne I thought Graveney still bans mobile phones - unless prior permission applied for. Sixth formers are allowed them

@Roomgigi You are right, my recollection was wrong. Apologies.

From Graveney's behaviour policy:
https://www.graveney.org/docs/policies/Behaviour_Policy_Graveney_School_2024.pdf

MOBILE PHONES Pupils in years 7-11 are not allowed to bring a mobile phone into school unless they have specific written permission from the school to do so. If this is the case, the phone must be handed in to the year office when the student arrives and collected at the end of the day. If phones are found in lessons or around the school, they will be confiscated and the student will be sanctioned. Parents/carers will be asked to come into school to collect the phone

Ashcroft does not even give you this option.

Chestnut Grove :
Your mobile phone should be switched off and out of sight during the school day,
including in the Study. If you must make an emergency call, you should do so at Break
or Lunch when you may leave site

Graveney's is the policy I find the most sensible.
At Chestnut students can practically use their mobiles in the toilets and try to use them at breaks (even if they'd be confiscated if found out)
The pouches used at St John Bosco are better than Chetsnut's policy, but a few teacher friends always complain that then kids are glued to their screens when they leave, instead of socialising.

For us our first choices are schools in Richmond, Kingston and Teddington. We have visited all schools last month and they are all state schools/some academies. The GCSE results and the school culture were just perfect for our dc.
Compared to Ashcroft that only cares for numbers, we felt these schools were well rounded and nurturing. We are willing to move to the area.

Those mentioning the no bike policy at Ashcroft - it’s for the safety of the children. The school is on such a busy busy road. I don’t care for bikes so it’s not a big issue for us.

The class sizes are around 15 I believe. The tour guide (year 8) said they had a few sets for English and Maths.
However the year group is 210. That’s a lot!

Thanks for your input. Having only 15 students in a class seems quite small for a state school — isn’t it usually around 30? Do you know how they allocate students or how the streaming works? Is it based on Wandsworth Test banding or SATs results?

For us our first choices are schools in Richmond, Kingston and Teddington

Are these faith options? Just curious re catchments

I’m sure they said it was SATS and Midyis tests in year 7.