I also found the registrar very unwelcoming. An older lady, she questioned me as to why I hadn't brought my daughter on the day we were due to visit. "Where's XYZ?" she said in a disapproving tone. She then didn't want to show me round I felt because I hadn't brought her with me. She was cold and frosty and barely broke a smile at any point.

We did look at all the classrooms but I found it a bit chaotic for some reason, even though the children were very well-behaved.

The teachers themselves were lovely and very keen to explain what was going on in the classroom. Really lovely.

But the registrar put me off completely. She could do with going on an interpersonal skills course because they were sadly lacking on the day I visited.

The other off-putting thing was that when we went to visit a classroom for physics I couldn't see a single girl in Year 11. That was disappointing. My daughter is very geeky and loves maths and computing. When I asked about why there were no girls, the registrar said "Well it is physics".

That was the nail in the coffin.

I'm sure for the right child its the right school but the review up above just sounds like one of the staff, not a real parent.

They need to address their personal relations with prospective parents and come into the 21st century as they are quite off-putting as things stand. A shame as the teachers themselves were lovely but the team around the admissions staff are questionable to say the least.

@Bibbity, that’s a real shame. It’s sad that this seems increasingly to be the case - mainstream schools which were known informally to be supportive and tolerant of SEN pupils trying to change their image in recent years and making statements like that to deter SEN pupils from applying. It actually surprises me as well, given the amount of people I hear of looking for supportive schools for their children with special needs, there seem to be fewer and fewer private mainstream schools openly welcoming SEN pupils, but the number of kids with EHCPs/SNs is only increasing. It’s very sad. In our case the needs are not significant enough to warrant a specialist school (our child would not get a place) but we were hoping to find somewhere nurturing and kind that would support our child to achieve their full academic potential. Judging by what you are saying, Thames Christian School may not be the answer.

If anyone is thinking of secondary school choices for sept 2022 - then do check Thames Christian School in Battersea - you’ll be blown away !
It’s a well led and fantastic Co-ed school with great teachers and pupils. Our child is very happy here thriving in fact because classes are small and the teachers get to know their pupils well - the children all know each other and there’s a close community spirit within the School. The Pupils are friendly and theres good friendship between them.
Lots of extra curricular club choices and a state of the art new building in Grant Rd that is a- mazing.
Sports , arts and academia are a very high standard. leadership excellent. Lovely parents too.

Thames school also has provision for a small number of dyslexic /dyscalculia children. It’s a wonderful school .

At the end of the talk the Head said something like "One last thing - Thames is a mainstream school, not a special school.  We try to be inclusive but there are limits.  Please remember we are a mainstream school."

I also found that my access to the Senco was blocked at every turn.  When I registered for the open day and asked if the Senco be available to meet I was met with a barrage of questions about my child's diagnosis and what documentation I had.  This was not put in a friendly or welcoming way.

I asked the student showing me around if I could meet the Senco (just like I was meeting other teachers). She looked baffled and then said I've had to speak to the Head to do that.  Then I asked the Registrar.  She was quite snappy with me and said "She's teaching - all day".  So I asked if she was a teaching Senco ie not a full-time Senco, and the Registrar said "no she's doing one-to-ones, all day" and then turned her back on me (!). (She also snapped at a student next to me.)

Add this to the change in tone and statements on their website over the past few years and I would say they are attempting to position themselves as more of a standard academic secondary and this of course involves ditching kids who might take up time or resources. 

@Bibbity - what exactly was said about special needs kids? I had heard of Thames Christian School as a welcoming place that helped each child achieve their potential regardless of their ability. It’s disappointing to hear they sound like they’re turning people away.

Sad to report I didn't like it.  The facilities are all new and and classes are small, I can't deny that. It has a good mix of nationalities and races, which I think is important. I found the Brutalist concrete architecture and all the glass not at all welcoming.  And the paved courtyards with high walls and no greenery anywhere put me in mind of a prison exercise yard.  

I found the Head uninspiring - his talk to parents started with a meandering discourse about the council and planning permission which then turned to the "trip to Tanzania" (how I cringe when I hear about those; it's an exercise in neo-colonialism, dressed up as charity - what would those poor Africans do without middle class school children from London visiting them and handing out malaria tablets?), followed by a boast about how the students transform Emanuel when they move there for sixth form.  He finished with a warning to parents with special needs kids to keep them away.  So disappointing, and no evidence of the Christian compassion I thought would be part and parcel of the school.

I really wanted to like this school but was very unimpressed.  There were no parents to talk to, which was quite unusual.  Every other open day I've attended has parents there.
 

The new building at Thames is amazing with impressive science, art, music and DT facilities and it will be interesting to watch the school grow in numbers.  We have been very impressed with the pastoral and the academic side, and the new sports teacher is organising lots of fixtures.  Our child chose Thames as it was walking distance, did a nice interview! and has small classes.  The other parents seem really nice and it feels like a positive community to be part of.

I'm interested in any parental feedback on this school.  I'm going to the open day tomorrow.  I'm a bit concerned by what I perceive as a move to a less inclusive approach to pupils with SEN over the past few years as seen through statements on their website.  Up to five years ago they used to say that students with HFA were welcome.  Now that statement has gone and the focus is on dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia - definitely the easier part of SEN to address, at least from the school's side.  The focus on academic results also seems to have increased and I wonder if the two things are related. 

Can anyone comment on this?  How supportive is the school for children with SEN?  I am not talking about a child who has an EHCP but other SNs outside the ones given specific mention on their website.

 

My son has mild learning difficulties and Aspergers. He was being bullied at his other private school, who kept on telling us our "lovely" the boys were who were bullying him. We moved him to Thames Christian College and we were so glad we did. He was so much happier, he got better GCSEs than we ever would have expected, and is now doing his BA in a course and at a university that he loves. I seriously think that none of this would have been possible without TCC. I normally never post on forums like this, but I'm a serious fan of the school and feel I have to speak up for it.

Thames Christian school is a rare gem brilliant school . The teachers ,headteacher , consistency all round and ethos of the school and high calibre superbly chosen , academically excellent teachers - very talented teachers and staff - teachers dedicated to each child’s education and know all the pupils - they genuinely care for each child and there’s a real unity here amongst the children and staff because of the nurturing consistency and ethos of the school - lovely small classes- a great calm atmosphere - yes genuine honourable Christian faith respecting those of other faiths - this school is a rare treasure - resulting in very happy confident children who love going to school and our son is thriving and advancing in his education - superbly led and staffed. 5* school.

Thanks for the replies, very helpful!  

I have two friends who have children at Thames Christian School and the girls are thriving like they have not done before. They get a lot of personal attention from teachers and love the school. Yes, the building is not great, but my friends made a conscious decision to focus on quality of teaching and a good school climate, values and ethos. They are both seriously professional working mums and know what good looks like. I trust their judgement. 

I firmly believe that all schools do not suit all children, and the process of selecting a school is about finding the right school for the individual child. We have one son at Thames and our other son at a large, selective, independent school and both boys are very happy.

We are not a religious family and in an ideal world I would prefer all schools to be non-religious, but that's not the world we live in.  By attending Christian schools our sons are taught to respect other people's beliefs and to appreciate that not everyone they meet is going to share their views and beliefs - invaluable skills in today's world. 

I understand it's hard to not be seduced by impressive sports facilities and vast manicured grounds but what really matters to us is that our boys are happy, confident and challenged when at school and that is certainly the case for both our boys.

I would guess that anyone who thinks the children at Thames are "embarrassed, uncomfortable and are there because they didn't get in anywhere else" probably hasn't really taken the time to get to know the school or the children at the school.

Hi there twice_as_nice,

I have one child who has just finished, and one about to start.

Teachers are teachers, GCSEs are GCSEs, but at Thames, due to the ethos and ratios, the teachers know the children very well and always go the extra mile for every child, from very high achievers to those who need a little extra support. Communication with parents is excellent. Study skills are taught superbly, so there is an air of calm during exam season.

My older one moved for yr 8 from a school with beautiful facilities, pool etc, in a wealthy residential area. There was a distinct lack of love and inconsistent and ineffective management strategies.

My younger child’s prep school suggested notably selective schools for secondary. Although our hearts were already at Thames we kept an open mind and child sat for a couple of these places. However we rejected the offers as we were not convinced the quality of teaching (due to ethos and ratios), attention and care could match Thames, and facilities did not convince us over the care of the staff at Thames, as well as the personal opportunities.

Dr Holsgrove is insightful and resourceful. Children access a fantastic range of local facilities. There will be a new building soon but that will just be a bonus, not a decision maker. Being a small school, children are part of the bigger community of the school and can access many opportunities. Individuality is celebrated and developed. Teachers go the extra mile to ensure each child has the right experiences, including entry to high level sporting events, art competitions and drama roles.

There is no evidence to suggest children make more progress when studying key stages 3 and 4 in a selective environment. The curriculum is fundamentally the same wherever you go. As a parent and someone who works in education, I would say on the contrary, children thrive in a mixed environment where they can each compare themselves in a more realistic sample of the population in terms of ability and benefit from learning amongst different learning styles (albeit with staff who passionately manage that). The children do have a range of learning abilities, but the school does have a rigorous selection process and the children generally have very supportive and interested parents.

All in all I have every confidence my children will continue to fly, both academically and personally, and understand who they are in a world of beautiful differences. My older one has never been held back at Thames, only challenged and nurtured. My child has been happy to go to school and was sorry to see the experience come to an end.

We are not a religious family, but we are very respectful of different cultural and religious choices. Both children have been educated in christian schools, and have never had any opinions forced upon them. They both have their own well developed views and can articulately but sensitively express themselves. They are part of a multi cultural and multi religious society in London and they love it.

The uniform is not over fancy, in fact very similar to many of the local state schools. Thames has a good relationship with its local community and links to the state primary school over the road. The kids are comfortable and streetwise, although statistically more likely to get mugged in the Northcote Road area.

It’s a personal choice, but for us our priority is that our children are known, cared about as individuals, challenged and recognised for their strengths. Thames isn’t perfect of course, no school is perfect, but it’s minor imperfections are not things that bother our children.

One key thing to consider is value added as opposed to actual exam results. It’s easy to teach in a school where the top 2% of the population have been creamed, and it would be worrying in that case if results weren’t exceptionally high overall. Thames does have good overall results, but it has a mixed intake which means the range is bigger than a highly selective school. Results suggest a combined formula of hard working kids and superb teaching. Maths classes are arranged in sets, but otherwise classes are mixed, although crucially children are not held back.

twice_as_nice this is an amazing school! Two of my three children have/are attending Thames Christian School and if I'd discovered it sooner the eldest would have gone there too. 

My daughter previously attended a girl's independent school that had all the facilities one could wish for on site, but alas facilities do not make a school. She was incredibly unhappy and begged to be moved to her brother's school (Thames), moving her was the best decision we could have made. She is thriving. She is incredibly happy and settled at Thames and her academic results have also improved with the dedicated teaching.

The small class sizes of 16 or less allows for individual attention. High achieving students like my daughter are stretched and challenged while less academically able students like my son are encouraged and nurtured. As a result of this as well as his dedication and hard work, my son has been predicted excellent GCSE results. They don't have all the facilities on site but within a short walk they have access to great purpose built and maintained facilities. 

I have found the pastoral care at Thames to be the best of any school I have been involve with. Being small the teachers know all the students and are able to work with their strengths. When there are any issues, which is inevitable in any school, they are dealt with very quickly and sensitively. Bad behaviour is just not tolerated.

The school is not in a beautiful building but the atmosphere inside is wonderful. The kids actually enjoy going to school. The school is just about to start building a new school near Clapham Junction station. If you are looking for a pretty school then this is not the school for you. However, if you want a school that works with you to nurture a well rounded happy child then Thames is just what you are looking for.

I asked my son, 15 at the time, what makes Thames different to other schools and after a brief moment of thought he replied 'The teachers actually really care about you'- I think that says it all! 

I would suggest that you go and have a look at Thames and see for yourself what it is all about.