Accept 7+ places at Lady Eleanor Holles & Hampton Prep or wait until 11+

[RWYCT]

We have places offered from the 7+ for my son & daughter at Hampton Prep & Lady Eleanor Holles. As both of these schools go through until 18 I would welcome views on whether it’s wise to accept the places with the possibility of avoiding the stress of the 11+ process for both children, or, remain in our excellent prep school which prepares children very well for secondary school exams. I would also welcome any views on these two schools both prep / juniors and the senior schools, especially LEH as I am more familiar with Hampton.

Where else would you like them to go for senior? Hampton and LEH are excellent. Personally I'd go there and avoid the 11+ nightmare!

Are you targeting private secondary or grammer schools? You could switch and if you want still do the 11+ if you want a more academic school. We kept our kids in state and then did the 11+. They now go to G&L and Latymer.

I personally think there is more value in private primary than secondary. But this is my opinion

I would accept the places and prep for 11+ at home. Both schools will work to a good standard anyway. And if you find that the schools are right for secondary then you can skip 11+. You then have all the options to pick from.

in my experience children grow a lot in y3-6 and you can pick the right senior school only in y6. Being in a good option for junior gives you a default good option with the ability to move as needed.

I strongly advise against LEH juniors. The academics are really poor, same with the extra curricular on offer and the lack of sport compared to other preps. My biggest regret is not taking my daughter out earlier. All the mums that I speak to from our cohort feel the same, especially those with sons at boys preps who have something to compare to. If you have a great prep, stick to that. I don’t know the Hampton prep but Hampton senior is amazing and i highly recommend it. We gave LEH seniors a go but had enough and left. The quality of teaching is very poor, disorganised and there is complete lack of respect for parents.

Thank you for all this feedback, much appreciated.

Thank you for sharing your experience. This is obviously concerning given that the school is considered / said to have strong academics and excellent sports a club options in the juniors. Both sports and academics are very important to us. It’s always helpful to hear from those who have been through it. If you don’t mind me asking, (or feel free to PM me) which school did you move to?

Thank you. Yes, they do develop so much between years 3-6 hence my quandary, balancing that and the added journey with the appeal of avoiding the 11+

Are they twins? We heard yesterday that my sons’ all-boys’ school in Oxford is about to go mixed (your daughter couldn’t join now, but could in the 8+ next year). This is clearly the coming tide. I would be looking to send them to the same school. So much easier and more pleasant.

Thank you. That’s interesting to know about your all boys school in Oxford, it does seem to be the coming tide and I imagine we will see changes as well as more closures over the coming years.

If you can afford it, take the places and avoid the 11+ stress. No brainer.

I have a child at LEH Juniors currently and have found the academic stretch and challenge (plus support if/when needed), the sport offering (two competitive competitions yesterday afternoon across two different sports), and the co-curricular (lunch time and afterschool - most of it is free of charge and led by teachers) to be nothing short of brilliant.

Everyone has different wants and needs, but my daughter skips into school every morning and loves learning there. She was the only one coming from her old school and has made lovely friends. There are so many strengths but ultimately, she's happy, inspired and growing in confidence each day - and that's enough for me. I'm also glad she won't have to go through the prep for 11 plus (we did a bit to get in at 7 plus).

Thank you for sharing your experience. I’m glad to hear your daughter is happy and thriving, and this is helpful to know 😊

Hampton Prep is lovely. My son joined at the 7+ and settled immediately. He’s thriving and we are very happy there. Be mindful the current head leaves this summer. Also they’ve scrapped the assured places so I don’t know how that’ll affect the academics of the school

Wonderful to hear that your son is having a happy time, thank you. I had the same thought regarding the change in structure with regard to academics. Within the framework of now being a through school, Hampton Prep should be aiming to ensure its pupils are just as well equipped to sit for an academic scholarship as children applying from outside. Time will tell!

Concerned to hear such a negative view of LEH seniors as we’re hoping for an 11+ place to be offered there!!!
Can you elaborate, Superwoman20?

Out DS is at Hampton seniors and it's been incredible so far.. last year was incredibly tough to get in and they have just changed it so all the prep kids go straight in.. If you have a place in the prep for your son I'd definitely take it to ensure a senior school spot there.

Another thing to note is that quite a lot of the girls in the LEH junior did tutoring in year 5 and 6. Some did it because they wanted to leave (went to Tiffin, St Paul’s and Guildford ) and the others to make sure they were going to be at the same level as those coming in externally in year 7. So you might as well sit the 11+ and look at all options. As one of the posters said they change a lot. Also with the lower birth rate, my friends going through the process this year seem to have gotten interviews at every school they applied to.