Alleyns school - anyone with experience of?

[maggiethecat]

Quite fancy the idea of co-ed secondary for dd - does anyone have any experience of this school?

anyone?

I live nearby and know some children who go there (older teens who babysit our children). A friend of mine's dd is starting there in September.

Afaik it doesn't have outstanding academic results given the fact that it is private and super-selective.

The grounds and buildings are nice.

Erm ...

A friend of mine is moving her dd for y9 - says it's very expensive for what you get

lots of celebrity parents

one of my former babysitters went for 6th form and loved it, but she'd been at an all-girls school beforehand so I don't know how much of her loving it was down to mixing with boys

not worried about outstanding academics but would like her to be in an environment where children want to work hard while enjoying their time at school. co-ed appeals to me a lot too.

My DS has had two teachers who have moved on to Alleyns and they have both been great teachers who have always gone the extra mile.

Quite expensive - I applied for myself in 2004, got an interview but got rather stuck on one question, just don't think i was creative enough, so no offer, and currently at Trinity (all boys till 2012 (then only sixth form for girls) The lunch they gave us on exam day was yummy :D

Have you tried asking on this forum
www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/list.php?29 ?

my thoughts (not based on personal experience, but grew up and went to school nearby):

quite "creative" reputation rather than especially academic - though it is selective and hard to get in. Lots of media type parents. For a London school, its intake isn't very socially or racially diverse (when you compare with its sister schools Jags and Dulwich College). Seems to be a bit more of a focus on being "cool" and looking good as well (maybe due to being co-ed) again compared with Jags and DC.

Interesting. Will also check out the forum to hear what the locals think.

They actually do pretty well if you look at the league tables, but very hard to get into so they should do well! Definitely not as diverse as JAGS or DC but warmer and friendlier than them and less 'hothouse' than JAGS (I have personal experience of all three). New headmaster starting this year who was deputy head or something at Westminster so expectations are high.

Would suggest you go and see it. We had always thought it was one of the likely options for DD, but having visited we have changed our minds. Nothing beats an on-the-ground inspection!

Mumsw - friendly atmosphere is good so is non hothouse.
Janin, what changed your mind?

MTC it was something really kind of ridiculous. Loved the headteacher, but of course he is moving on. I had trouble with the Costa on site. Just kept thinking, this is a business, not a school. Couldn't really get past it. I know I am actually a rabid leftie! But I think their results are actually pretty excellent if you look at the stage 5 2009 figures. Not sure why someone above thought they were not?

Has recently done better than JAGs and DC in league tables. Have a couple of friends who have taught/currently teach there and have found the atmosphere quite intense - not so much in terms of academic but social expectations iyswim. And these are people who've taught at places like NLCS and St Pauls Boys so must be saying something!

I agree about the Costa, but the children love it and it has helped them build an amazing theatre ...
You should definitely visit. Where else are you considering?

Nowhere else at the moment - we don't even live in South London but secondary is still a few years off for dd1. S. London appeals for a number of reasons incl fact that most of our friends and family are there instead of North London where we live. So we would not be moving just for school.
I really like the idea of a good co-ed school and will consider having a look. Friend's dd I think will be going in Sep - will ask her a bit more as well.

Just found this!

I presently work at Alleyn's (have taught for 15 years now) and love the place. Friendly, happy pupils, with great facilities for everything. New head is expected to push forward changes on the academic side, which should mean a greater striving for excellence, as he doubtless wants to use the headship as a springboard to aim for the top at Westminster/Eton after a few years.

Yes, it does have a disproportionate number of loveys, but then Dulwich as a whole is a bit like that (don't live there myself, obviously, on teaching salary!) The only things I'd criticise about it are:

(a) the tendency to go starry-eyed and accept applications from slebs with not very academically wondrous children - but then they often offer other skills, and the school has a history of excellence in music and theatre anyway.

(b) the sibling-friendly policy that means a brilliant dc1 is followed by a succession of the academically-challenged (but then, I suppose, it serves to show the place's willingness to embrace the least-able in the name of inclusivity). Ditto the virtually automatic entry of Junior School pupils into Senior School. In a Year 7 class, the less able are often 'homegrown' - but this doesn't really matter, as there is fresh intake of really clever children too.

(c) the lack of any policy about walking on one side of the corridor at lesson changeover.

One thing I do know and love, though, is that we always have plenty of shy pupils in years 7 and 8 - but all our sixth-formers are confident, kind, and articulate. (They always apologise profusely and dust me down!) Something good goes on here!

My own dd goes to Alleyn's - despite getting offers from JAGS and St Dunstan's (boasting mum moment ). I was sorely tempted by the reputation for academic excellence that JAGS has, and by the wonderful warmth of the St Dunstan's teachers, but I have found Alleyn's a perfect mix of the two.
God, I'm going to barf in a minute, I sound so bloody loyal. I'm only in it for the paycheck and long hols, actually. Can't stand the place.

Be a little careful about setting your hopes on Alleyns. There is a real numbers problem, and so they do not always take the best and brightest - which for many is seen as a good thing as it leads to a wider ability range and a more relaxed school which allows self esteem to be built through accomplishment in areas other than academics.

It is mixed so only half the number of places for girls. Then they have a number coming up from the prep and are pretty generous to siblings. It is not unknown for children to have Alleyns as first choice but with a fall back of: JAGs, Dulwich or Westminster!

Impressions we have are as well as doing well by quieter children, it is good with the more feisty, who might be pushing boundaries at a more trad school. We know a number of people who really love it.

I suspect it helps if, as well as being up to scratch on the entrance test, a child has something extra/interesting to offer, be it sport, drama, art or music. Worth noting that they offer a number of (generous) scholarships for these.

New Head next year, currently Deputy Head from Westminster, so presumably the academics wont slip.

Just having been to an open afternoon, I was stunned to see how little ethnic diversity there was. Certainly, other South/Central London independent schools (Westminster, City, Whitgift, for eg) truly represented the ethnic melting pot that is London.

Anyone know why this is? Do they actively discourate or - dare I ask - discriminate against non-white ethnicities? Or does it - and for what reason - not attract other ethnicities?

And I was then also surprised to see in the good school guide that the school was supposed to be socially and ethnically diverse. (Perhaps I was unlucky and just didn't see it, but I was there for 2 hours doing a tour on a school day and I spotted just one black kid.)

It is less ethnically diverse than many of the other local independents because it's co-ed and many parents from various ethnic minority backgrounds are keen to choose single-sex schools for both their sons and especially daughters. So you have fewer non-white applicants which leads to fewer non-white families choosing to go there as their children would be in a minority ...

The new head gave a talk at dd's school prize giving last year and was very impressive

Ah. Makes sense. Yes, the others I had seen were boys only.

This is an interesting one because my son is black and absolutely loved the school.

We've visited there twice now and on both occasions, he was besotted. Indeed, my only draw back was the lack of ethnic diversity. I mean, there just wasn't any. On both occasions, I think I spotted four black kids in total. Neither my son or his Dad however, are remotely bothered. I tend to think more long term and worry about children being a bit mean or him losing site of his culture. It was beginning to prove to be a bit of a problem in a small all white pre-prep school he went to in North London.

My only consolation is that the school attracts mainly the creative types, who by their very nature, are not usually concerned or bothered about race. I personally preferred City of London Boys not because of the single sex issue, but because like Alleyns, the kids were spirited and there was a fabulous atmosphere, with a broader ethnic mix - a bit more representative of London. I just can't get Alleyns out of his head!

I went to Alleyns (left 7 and a half years ago so obviously dying to know who CareerFriendlynameChange is!) and really enjoyed my time there. My brother went to Dulwich College and in comparison Alleyns was a much friendlier, more "artsy" place. I was a very short, glasses wearing, very spotty little book worm (turned out ok in the end!) and no one ever said a cruel word to me. I never saw a single incident of bullying in the 7 years I was there whereas it was a daily occurance at nearby DC and JAGS.

With regards to the ethnic diversity issue I would look at Dulwich College and JAGS, they both have much more mixed student populations and I believe this is largely due to them being single sex schools. I never noticed, nor did any of my non-caucasian friends mention, any discrimination from staff or pupils at Alleyns (compared to the teacher at DC who when an incredibly bright Chinese boy got a question wrong joked that there was "a chink in his armour" (complete with geddit eyebrow raise). My brother walked out of that lesson.)

How does Alleyn's compare to DCPS. DS has an option for both. Quite confused at the moment any info would by useful...

I have had childen at a number of Dulwich schools, and currently have one at Alleyns. It is generally a happy school, but there is real pressure to look good there. In fact, as one friend put it, "I didn't accept a place for my daughter at Alleyns because she wasn't good looking enough." I think there is some truth to this point; there is an inordinate number of tall, thin, blonde gorgeous girls there and if you don't have at least two of those asssets, you might feel out-of-place. Moreover, the children there are frequently very outgoing, and certainly in the Lower School, there seems to be a bias against the quieter and more serious children -- less so further up the school when you need those types for good exam results! I think the mixed status also seems to inhibit the boys and girls there from certain activities; there are simply less clubs and activities there than at JAGS and DC.

All the local Foundation Schools are really strong, but Alleyns has had a huge amount of popularity partly because it is currently the hardest to get into, but I am not certain that it has earned that popularity in terms of what it is offering for these elite students. Oxbridge entry, the number of clubs and activities, the intellectual stretching of students beyond exam preparation -- these facets haven't really matched JAGS and DC for the level of students they have.

The ethnic mix is incredibly poor and I think the school is starting to try and do something about it. Parents often say that it is more natural to go to school with boys and girls, but at least most boys and girls develop a natural curiousity about the opposite sex. Being comfortable with people from different cultures and backgrounds doesn't come as naturally and really only comes with exposure. The very white and upper middle-class families which make up the bulk of the Alleyns community is too homogeneous for modern day London or the global world we live in, and I am glad that Alleyns has said they will be working to change the balance.