KGS vs SHS vs Wimbledon High vs LEH

[mitaka]

I’d really appreciate any thoughts or recent experiences with Wimbledon High, Surbiton High, Kingston Grammar (with a music scholarship) and LEH. DD has offers from all of these and we’re in the Kingston area, so trying to balance commute, single-sex vs co-ed, and overall feel.

KGS is closest and we genuinely liked it, but it’s co-ed and DD would prefer an all-girls environment (despite her being in a co-ed now). She’s quite sporty and also into art, so I’m a bit worried about how much extra commitment a music scholarship at KGS would involve on top of everything else.

She loves Wimbledon High and we did too, but the commute from where we are now would be long and unreliable (two buses / bus + train), so we’d probably have to move, which obviously adds cost and stress.

Surbiton High is much more straightforward for the journey (two shorter bus routes) and DC is happy with it, but I wasn’t as impressed by the whole 11+ process there compared with the other independents. LEH is tricky because the coach would be around 55 minutes each way, which feels a bit much.

If anyone has girls at these schools or has had to choose between a similar set of options, I’d be very grateful to hear how you decided and how it’s worked out.

We have a very happy DD at WHS (Y9). Interestingly, WHS and KGS were our favourites and found their vibe quite similar, so your preference for both of them does not come as a surprise to me. Yes, one is all girls and the other coed, but I found them more similar than WHS to other girls' schools or KGS to other coed. In our case, in addition to a slight preference for single sex (DD was, like your daughter, in coed for primary), we were significantly closer to WHS and the GCSE options / programme worked better too (as well as the sports).

Loving as we do WHS (and we do love it!) I would encourage you / your DD to consider the additional commute and the impact on time (you refer to being longer for WHS, but are we talking 20 minutes more each way or 40 minutes?) and also potential impact on social groups. There are quite a few girls in my DD year from the Kingston area but, quite naturally, Wimbledon is the focal point. Of course, it is a question of personal preferences and also how a move (that you mention) fits with your life and plans - eg would you be moving just for this or would the school change act as a catalyst for something you were minded to do?

Feel free to pm me if you think that I can be of any help.

Thanks - this is really helpful. Do you know how different are their GCSE options ?

The commute would be significantly different - 20 mins vs 50-55mins . We can even walk to KGS (about 25mins) so distance is a big plus. The social group is also a good point though.

We can move but not exactly to wimbledon given house price plus the school fees. It will be more a catalyst as moving closer to the station also makes our work commute easier. That being said we have a smaller DD so moving is a lot of work financially, logistically and the smaller one might need a new school.

I am just not sure would it really be a big difference sending her to a coed vs single sex so that’s another question to answer .

I have a DD who has just left WHS and loved it BUT if if KGS is that much nearer and walkable I think she would gone there! We also really liked it. She preferred WHS and the journey was much easier. In her year there were actually very few girls from the Kingston area. Vast majority were from Wimbledon and Southfields, Putney etc

WHS is more flexible on options for GCSEs and girls usually do 9 (not factoring Further Maths, Greek or MFL taken early) to allow for non-examined PPE course (massive selling point for us / our DD). Sports also quite different - KGS rather focused on hockey and later rowing... much wider range at WHS (including swimming), fields quite close by (10 minutes walk) at WHS, a coach ride away at KGS. But vibe and parents cohort quite similar (maybe more of a sprinkle of more wealthy families at WHS but girls cannot care less ...which is rather lovely and telling of the type of school it is!).

Like @whswhs (and being another WHS-loving mum) in your shoes, I would probably go for KGS. We love our scho but it would be remiss not to factor convenience and your family dynamics. Only question in my mind if if you can make the move work (and actually use it to open options for your DD by moving to an area with more access to other private schools (we are in Southfields, which is quite good on that front)

PS the fact that you question yourself if single sex vs coed matters probably means that, like us, you think that there are other things that define a school more than just that

How is LEH 55 mins by coach if you can walk to KGS? Public buses go from Kingston to Hampton quite quickly? I’m only saying this as I wouldn’t rule it out based on this….
having said that - commute is important so I wouldn’t go for WHS based on this. But if it’s SHS v LEH I’d definitely go for LEH…..

Yes, the 111 bus goes direct from Kingston to Hampton School (LEH being next to it).

LEH - we got an offer however I don’t know about the clubs and the late bus! I don’t want to be driving to LEH as she has missed the coach I think we are going to decline.

SHS - I really liked it however declined as a too short school day!

Although I did prefer SHS (seemed more personable) over LEH (very large) my daughter was impartial Although she did notice the names of the corridors in LEH 🤣

The LEH post on Friday / postcard was pointless mass produced

I had a DS at KGS and DD is currently at SHS. Feel free to PM me. Sorry if the 11+ at SHS left you underwhelmed - the school is excellent if you want single sex and many options for extracurricular there so helps to develop an all rounder. My DD does a lot of drama and music. Their comms are good too once you are there and I find them organised and responsive.

KGS is great too. Different school, different vibes.

Both schools have very good heads.

Basically because we are based in north Kingston and the closest coach stop would be the first one in the route so they go through the whole Richmond before arriving at LEH … plus DD has to walk 5-10 mins to the bus stop hence the whole journey is more than one hour
would be different story if it’s not the first coach stop

Thanks
Do you have a preferred school between the two ? Will PM you :)

Have you made up your mind on which school your DD is going to?
And I haven’t noticed SHS has a shorter school day ? How short is it vs the other schools ?

@mitaka @wedidsowelltoday re the length of school day at SHS, I wasn’t aware it was shorter than other schools. DD seemed to finish at same time as DS at KGS but I can’t say I know the exact time they finish as they make their way home independently. I think perhaps SHS finishes slightly earlier on a Friday but nothing noticeable. It will be later anyway if your DD does certain clubs.

In terms of the differences between the 2 schools, the obvious difference is one is single sex and one is co-ed. SHS is bigger and, due to coach network, has a larger catchment. Plus the prep schools make it feel bigger. One pro for KGS IMO is that no prep school so everyone starts in the same boat.

In terms of ethos, one pro for SHS is they take a wider academic range of pupils because of their sports scholars but their results are still really good which reflects the efforts they put in. They are more flexible re GSCE options and also arranging additional study times. Most girls seem to have an extra curricular on top of academics they are really into be it sport or art or music etc so I think the school has to be more flexible and that should give a more well rounded pupil.

A pro for KGS is that it seemed relaxed in its approach but always seems to get excellent results. I never worked out how they did that!

Sports wise, KGS centres on hockey and rowing and if your DD is good at those, it is a leader school and fewer pupils so more chance to shine. But SHS is a real leader in sport and DD not into that but I can see lots of trips and effort.

Trips and extra curricular seem about the same for both schools.

Drama is excellent at SHS. It may well be at KGS but DS wasn’t into it.

SHS always feels very organised and comms are good. KGS felt more relaxed and encouraged independence at the outset. DS liked that in centre of Kingston.

SLT appears to be excellent at both schools.

Summary - I like both schools and can recommend both. My DD got into both and I chose SHS because she preferred it and I felt she could do well in both. In terms of academics, KGS results would suggest slightly ahead but I suspect there is little in it and that SHS works hard to get the best results for the individual pupil alongside their other commitments.

kgs parent here though DD more into sports than music so can only comment based on observation via friends. DD is very happy at KGS and the pupils have freedom to be as involved as they want to. Some do afterschool clubs 4x a week (they're all free!) and others go home at 3.45 every day to chill or to pursue outside hobbies. wide range of children, some fully into academic pursuits, some into music, some drama/dance, some sports, some a mix of all.

have had GDST experience at junior level and I think overall it is quite possible that WHS is stronger in music, but I see a lot of recitals / music events at KGS for all those who want to be involved. I imagine the music scholarship commitment at KGS won't be that much and will mostly involve being given the opportunity to perform at recitals / house competitions. What I like about kGS is that scholars and everyone else are very much given the same opportunities, everyone who wants to be involved can have a go.

sports is great at KGS, and I would say far beyond just hockey and rowing - athletics / cricket and now tennis and girls' football are very good as well. WHS would have the edge in swimming and netball in comparison. LEH in swimming/lacrosse/gymnastics. Sports at KGS is quite inclusive, that is the benefit of a co-ed environment, less girls to compete for spots on the teams, and they also make a massive effort to field C/D/E teams whereas friends at WHS often feel that the A-teams are given many opportunities that even B-teams miss out on (not to mention those further down). Feel free to PM specific questions.

Why does she need to get a school coach as opposed to public transport?

Thanks - this is really helpful . Would you mind me asking what’s the latest phone policy of kgs now ? Heard that it has changed but not 100 percent sure. Prefer a no phone policy . I have also sent you a PM.

@WomensRightsRenegade taking public transport means more uncertainties with transit and it’s not much faster ( still close to an hour) so won’t make big difference …that’s why due to commute we have almost ruled out LEH

It seems unusual to have ruled out LEH due to transport when you live so close!

@mitaka I haven't received your PM somehow, please check.

The phone policy is stricter now, they are not to be on their phones during the school day at all, the difference is that unlike some other schools they are not locked away from beginning to end, they are in their bags. But they would get a misconduct if caught using it. The phone policy seemed fine to me before they changed it as well, at the time they were allowed to get it out to check their timetable / homework / text their parents about pickup for example, if they just needed a minute, as opposed to being on the phone scrolling. But some parents worried that their child would take advantage of this and asked for the policy to be stricter. So now they are not supposed to be on their phones at all during the school day or on the games bus.

Having experience of a variety of London day schools, I don't know any school where children can be on their phones during the school day to be honest, I wonder if the whole discussion in the media is more relevant to some state schools that still allow it (if they exist - to my knowledge all the Kingston state schools use yonder pouches and the like).

I find a tiny bit of flexibilty helpful especially due to the afterschool clubs / away fixtures, sometimes they can share their location on the bus back or text if the bus is delayed or if hockey training has been moved to another venue, it's small occasions like that where I appreciate that the phones are not completely out of reach. But I would say it is a 98% no phone policy with a bit of reasonable adjustments for exceptional circumstances where it is practical to send a quick message to parents...

Thanks - appreciate it; really helpful! Hopefully the offer holders day can give us more insight!

I have direct experience with all of these!
I would choose KGS in a heartbeat.

sport is great at SHS, pastoral is not, it's huge and staff often defensive rather than helpful. girls can be mean. obv not all, but....
whs great for feminist/inclusive bubble, academically v strong, sport very competitive rather than sporting.
KGS lovely kids, good music, sport not as strong but good sportsmanship, wonderful staff.

I'd persuade her to go to KGS.

Thanks - may I ask why would you rank KGS over WHS? Is it because of the sportsmanship as you mentioned?

Not sure what is meant by WHS feminist / inclusive bubble (but rather interested by what an "inclusive bubble" may mean!). As for competitive rather than sportsmanship not my experience at all - DD (at WHS) is not A team material (sometimes B, sometimes others) and she has found the sport inclusive and the girls and staff very encouraging and focused on effort and progress (and enjoyment) rather than uniquely results.. similarly in music.

i would not claim direct knowledge of all (which imho, is only if you have actually been a parent at the school). My knowledge of SHS, KGS and LEH is limited to visits, applications, offer holders days and knowing many kids there - all good schools, with pros and cons and that would work differently for different kids and families. Best is to gather as much information as possible and visit / engage with the school and other parents with children there (the offer holders day is an excellent opportunity) and to decide on the basis of your DD personality and preferences. Best of luck!

Hi JustAnotherView - By feminist/inclusive bubble I mean that the environment is lovely and inclusive but possibly not what the girls will experience after they leave (sadly). It is very progressive and forward thinking and wonderful.
re:the sportsmanship I am going on what I've witnessed.

Hi mitaka - I think it's just personal opinion that KGS has a bit more about it. and you say it's an easier journey which makes a massive difference.
but WHS is great if your DD wants all girls. I am sure whatever she chooses she will love.

@KaliforniaDreamz thanks for clarifying - agree that it is lovely, inclusive and progressive (very much reasons why we /DD chose it and it has not disappointed). On the sports(wo)manahip, I can only share my experience that is a wholly positive one across a number of sports and years.

@mitaka both KGS and WHS are great (as are the other schools mentioned). As @KaliforniaDreamz says, whatever your daughter chooses, you know that you have brilliant options.

PS if you have any specific questions on WHS, feel free to pm

Thanks. I agree that both are very good schools! @JustAnotherView - will PM if I have more questions - very much appreciate that!