Tiffin or Wilson’s?

[Heronika]

Hello there! My DS has done pretty well in exams so far. We ought to fill the CAF for preferences and torn between placing Tiffin first or Wilson’s. He is quite a smart cookie and into music and maths. We live closer to Tiffin but also have seen how Wilson is topping the charts with results. We hear that Wilson’s is quite tough with academic rigour which we’re slightly cautious about. But equally were told Tiffin sort of leave it to kids to manage their time .. not sure if accurate. Any thoughts?

It depends on your personal priorities. We are also closer to Tiffins and most of the parents I know will be putting Tiffins first and Wilson's second but likely to consider KGS and other private schools as well. Will you move for Wilson's? Do you have other children to consider if you do?

My sons went to Wilson's. It's a great school and it's not the miserable hothouse people make out. The boys are encouraged to do extra curriculars and sport. Both schools are good for music.
Wilson's has a bigger and less polluted site than Tiffin, but Tiffin is next to Kingston town centre rather than in the middle of nowhere.

Personally I'd go for the one that's easier for him to travel to.

Thanks! Flexible to move but won’t go further than Cheam anyways if we do as I’m not familiar with decent pockets close to the school. Have a daughter that’s going into reception next year.

Thanks, very well-done with your sons.
What was the experience like with sixth-form not being co-ed, unlike Tiffin’s? It’s another factor we’re thinking about.

I would factor cost of housing, commute, reception place and secondary options for your dd above whether the sixth form is mixed. In all schools where girls are admitted for sixth form the school values applicants for humanities course because the Stem subjects are often full due to demand from current pupils.

At this stage, whether or not the school's sixth form is co-ed is only relevant if you have strong views wrt it being a good thing for boys to see the older girls in a position of responsibility (as prefects etc). Moving school's for sixth form is very common (two out of our three DC did this, and obviously all the girls at Tiffins will have), so when your DS gets to year 11 and is looking at sixth forms, if 'co-ed' is a major factor for him and Wilson's still isn't by then, no doubt he will choose to apply elsewhere (and there's no guarantee that he would necessarily want to stay on at Tiffins, mixed sixth form or not).

Have you been around the schools? Visit them and see what feels right fur you.

Is it not half term in Sutton and Kingston at the moment? On time applications close sometime tomorrow. One very good way of not being allocated either school on national offer day- or possibly at all - is waiting until the deadline has passed to submit one's CAF.

As for Wilsons 'topping the charts', what happens if that's used as the main criterion and the positions are reversed (or a completely different school takes the prize) for the cohort that takes its A levels when one's own DC is in, say, year 9? Should one then make a desperate attempt to obtain a mid-year place at the now 'more successful' school?

Sorry, didn’t know when deadline day was. However, ops post sort of implied she hasn’t visited either and was going on reputation alone. However, what suits Paul may not suit Peter.,