Advice regarding Emanuel School Post Reply

[Archita]

My daughter has got an offer for 10+ at Emanuel School. I would very grateful if someone , who has their DD in school, can give us some input about the school. I am mostly looking at feedback of the academic background of the school.

[falconmum]

hi ! 

We have just accepted a 10+ place for our son at Emanuel. I had similar reservations about the school as it seems to still be an emerging school but we visited the school last week. 
The school seems to have strong ethos. They are certainly driven to do well academically as they are working their way up the league tables. 
In yr. 6, they get 30 mins of homework everyday and additional homework across subjects for the weekend. There is a focus on sport but they are well known for their drama department. They do not stream in the lower classes and not for all subjects. There is a wide range of GCSEs and A levels available. I think I heard photography being offered as a subject in senior classes. 
I also liked the fact that there is focus on more holistic approach . It is a smaller school compared to some others that we were looking at but they have all the facilities that the child needs to grow, so in my opinion as long as we make good use of those , we are on our way. 
Co-ed or single sex was not a big consideration for us. Having studied in a co-ed in India, we are confident of navigating the complexities. I did speak to a couple of mums who have girls in the school and they seem quite happy with the atmosphere and pastoral care. 

The only drawback for me was there is not enough diversity in the school, either amongst students or staff. I can understand that the makeup of the students reflects the local area . When I asked about the staff, I was told that this is something they are actively working on, so we will see more diversity ongoing.

[Archita]

Hi Falconmum

Thanks for your detailed reply. We are also thinking to accept the offer for my daughter. It will be really nice if I can have a call with you and discuss. Let me know if it is ok with you.
Kind Regards

[Toby Misano]

Although It's a little over 21 years since I left (!) and I believe there are now only two or three members of staff still there from my time, I thought I would say that Emanuel was a great school. Until about ten years ago I used to go back annually and say hello to my old teachers so I have seen the positive changes since my time at the school. Until about the same time I also went back to help out at the Careers evening for five or six years. The most notable changes were the demolition of the buttery to increase the footprint of the library in what was the old senior dining hall and the conversion of the old gym into the dining hall where the staff dine with the pupils, which certainly wasn't a "thing" in the late 90s!

The school's in a great location - some in my year commuted from Dulwich and Beckenham, which I thought at the time was a hefty journey for school kids! Of course, I don't have up-to-date info on the school (is it an ex-King's Wimbledon person as head now?) but thought some might find my insight useful!