Overview of Wandsworth private schools? Post Reply

[SkippyGirl]

I would love a brief insight into getting into Wandsworth private schools for primary. If this has already been covered then I'd love a link to the thread.

We have just moved here. Ideally we will go for a state school but I want a back up in case we are out of the catchment zone. Couple of questions:

Are there any schools that we can apply for now (daughter is nearly 3) and still have a chance or should we have been on lists since birth?

Culturally, what are the schools that are great but not too posh? Realistically we are not going to be holidaying in exclusive locations and doing drop offs in a fancy car....we drive a VW! I don't want my daughter to feel like the poorest kid in school.

What is the usual application process? Interviews? And if so, what are the criteria based on?

Does nursery count? We have been offered a place at a nursery that promotes it's 'feeder' schools. In San Francisco, where we just moved from, a nursery school could be the first step in getting you on track to an Ivy League education.

Would love any insights.

Thanks!

[WannaBe]

<Giggling at first step to Ivy League>. Really? Have things changed so much since I was a teenager and got offers from Cambridge and my friends from Ivy League schools although we were from a random school?

I digress. Macca, not sure I can help, and as a matter of fact am just marking my place hoping someone wiser than me will come along and enlighten you and me both. I am a foreigner too, but my English husband seems every bit as cluelessas I am. We signed up for Eaton House and Thomas's with the simple logic that they are the closest. Thomas's is just a stone's throw away. I know some people who signed up there. One is a posh wanna-be bint, the other couple is quite normal. It has a reputation for being for super wealthy but I figure a few people will be in our situation that they don't have much choice even if they are not super wealthy. We don't even OWN a car. Beat that!
Sadly, I think that for both of those schools you need to sign up really early but does not hurt to ask. Eaton House looks more chilled, but it separates boys and girls and I am not sure what I think to that. There is the Broomwood Hall, which looks really lovely, but we are religiously illiterate, and it seems to be quite strongly Christian.

There is the end of my knowledge.
Nursery - if you believe the hype it matters. I decided not to bother. All I know is that the Mouse House / Marmelade Cat seem to have links to the Thomas's. I am sure we are in the 'wrong' nursery but moved into the area too late to register for anything else. Good luck!

[Balhammom]

Hi Maccawaca

this discussion always made me laugh BUT bits and pieces in here will help.

http://www.nappyvalleynet.com/mums/view ... 54&t=34757

I think if you are between the commons or near vicinity then:

Thomas', mixed, interview to get in plus test (informal), leave at 13
Eaton House, separate boys and girls schools, interview, leave at 13
Broomwood, mixed for first few years then splits, Interview, leave at 13
Finton, mixed, first come basis, leave at 11
Hornsby ,mixed, as above, leave at 11
Newton Prep, mixed, assessment day leave at 13
Oliver House, mixed, not sure, leave at 11

Dont know too much about The Roche other than it always gets a big thumbs up on this site!

Best you can do is phone the registrar and go and see for yourself. You will get a feel for what is right for you and your little one.

My impression is that those going to 13 feed boarding schools, obviously more expensive so might influence the consumers. Those that go to 11 feed day schools, still pricey but less expensive. More a mix of wanted private all along and couldn't get the state that they had hoped for...

Hope that helps, good luck

[eleni]

Did you have a look at Parkagate House School, outstanding, with a wonderful atmosphere, always oversubscribed, fantastic results.

[NYE31]

Wandsworth Prep is a new one, in its 2nd year

[falconmum]

School and Nursery (sigh!) when did life become so complicated ??

To bypass the complications of oversubcribed public schools and catchment areas, we have decided to go private.

My son is registered to start at Eaton Manor Boys pre-prep and I am on the waitlist for the nursery (fingerscrossed!) We went for the Open Day and I was super impressed by the facilities , the headmistress at the Boys preprep and the little boys themselves. Well behaved, well spoken (they gave us a tour of the facilities) and they made friends with my little toddler and looked after him for the time that we were there. The Headmaster explained the boys and girls school philosophy and it made sense that they are schooled in slighly different ways . I must say , I kind of swung from "only co-ed education is good enough" to single sex education for young ones might be an idea.

We have also recd. an offer from Thomas's kindergarten which I visited today morning and I am not so sure I still want the place as desperately as I had thought. My son is currently at Blundells where for the last month , he has been thriving . They have lots of activities and he seems to like his carers. They are also a traditional teaching nursery which means that when he turns 3 , they will have a formal teaching structure for him .

So thats the story of 3 nurseries for you ! We also registered at Marmalade Cat and they are absolutely sure that there are no spaces for him . We were too late in registering him !

Now I am in a fix- do I stay at Blundells which offers the dual facility of daycare and teaching nursery or do I , in a years time, again change my son's surroundings ?

All the other private schools, we have not really considered as they are not really close to us or didnt seem very appealing .

I dont know if it helps but someone did a comparison of some of the schools a year ago which I absolutely loved and copied ...i am going to post it back here with apologies to the original poster ( i cant find the thread!)

List of private schools in SW11
- St.Thomas's kindergarten
- Broomwood Hall (mixed at lower end but boys leave at 8 for Northocte Lodge)
- Eaton House (boys and girls but I think taught separately)
- Finton House (mixed, but mainly girls I think after about 7 or 8)
-Hornsby House (mixed)
-Oliver House (mixed)
-Parkgate (mixed)
-Wandsworth Prep
-Newton Prep,
-L Ecole de Battersea,
-The Roche,
- Beatrix Potter,
- All Farthing,
- High View

Dolphin School, Northcote
Hornsby House Hearnville Road
Roche, Wandsworth giratory
White House, Thorton Road



Broomwood Hall/Northcote Lodge: perfect if your child secretly wants to wear spats and a waistcoat, calls you mater and pater and yearns for Edwardian England. Its like Downton Abbey but for little people.

Thomas' if they openly want to conquer the work, believe in winning at all costs and *know* they are going to be prime minister one day. Some of the children are a little "Damienish". An uber-confident five year old can be a bit scary. This is like The Apprentice. They also interview the kids to get a place so they really do say "you're hired" (sort of).

Hornsby House is a bit of a balance of the two and is fantastically popular and I don't know enough about them to suggest a TV programme.

Finton House is lovely and has a fab reputation. All the boys leave at seven. I found it a bit sweet and sickly so I reckon Ballamory as it has sod all to do with the real world.

Parkgate: beautiful little school but almost no sport for the boys so a few of their kids grow up thinking their football wizards and then fail to make the "Z" team at a bigger school.

Bertrum House is lovely and is especially suitable for younger children. http://www.bertrumhouseschool.co.uk/web ... Admissions Process

[NYE31]

Just so you know Beatrix Potter, All Farthing & High View aren't private schools but state primary schools.

[dudette]

Ha! I loved Falconmum's reply. There's a lot of hearsay about all the schools and Falconmum got it pretty spot on. What you should remember is that there's no 'right' school, just the right school for your child, and so you should go and see all the schools, or at least the nearest 5 to 6 to you. All the private schools are going to be posh round here and quite a lot of the state school parents are too so there's no getting away from posh people unless you look outside Nappy Valley. You're probably too late for a few of the first-come-first-served schools like Finton - I rang them when my daughter was nine months and the registrar told me I was far too late, although that was about eight years ago so things might have changed now. The schools that go up to 13 have a cohort that leave at 11 so don't discount those if you want a day school for secondary (assuming you're staying in the UK); on the other hand if you want your kids to go boarding at 13 then these would be your best choice.

Whenever this topic comes up a lot of people get very animated about the selection process at some schools. Rather than listen to them I suggest you call the schools and ask about it so you can make your own judgement on whether it will work for your child or not.

If you want to go down the state route then find out the catchment areas of your local schools to see if you will get in. The most popular schools - Honeywell and Belleville had tiny catchment areas last year. Also don't discount the fact that it's often easier to get into a popular school in a year other than reception so you could always choose your nearest for reception and then try and move them for Year 1 to one you prefer.

But as to asking Nappy Vallet Netters for their opinions on the best schools, well, that's a can of worms that is best kept shut. There's no substitute for doing the legwork yourself I'm afraid.

[falconmum]

Thank you !!!

Ha! I loved Falconmum's reply. There's a lot of hearsay about all the schools and Falconmum got it pretty spot on. What you should remember is that there's no 'right' school, just the right school for your child, and so you should go and see all the schools, or at least the nearest 5 to 6 to you. All the private schools are going to be posh round here and quite a lot of the state school parents are too so there's no getting away from posh people unless you look outside Nappy Valley. You're probably too late for a few of the first-come-first-served schools like Finton - I rang them when my daughter was nine months and the registrar told me I was far too late, although that was about eight years ago so things might have changed now. The schools that go up to 13 have a cohort that leave at 11 so don't discount those if you want a day school for secondary (assuming you're staying in the UK); on the other hand if you want your kids to go boarding at 13 then these would be your best choice.

Whenever this topic comes up a lot of people get very animated about the selection process at some schools. Rather than listen to them I suggest you call the schools and ask about it so you can make your own judgement on whether it will work for your child or not.

If you want to go down the state route then find out the catchment areas of your local schools to see if you will get in. The most popular schools - Honeywell and Belleville had tiny catchment areas last year. Also don't discount the fact that it's often easier to get into a popular school in a year other than reception so you could always choose your nearest for reception and then try and move them for Year 1 to one you prefer.

But as to asking Nappy Vallet Netters for their opinions on the best schools, well, that's a can of worms that is best kept shut. There's no substitute for doing the legwork yourself I'm afraid.

[EHMorris]

I don't think the comments regarding Thomas's are a fair reflection of the schools - I speak as a Battersea Thomas's parent and that description does not reflect our experience of the school at all. We have found it a warm and kind environment.

I would recommend visiting as many of the schools as you can and seeing for yourself.

[Mum2Monkey]

There is also Eveline in Balham - starts at 3 but some leave at 5, so spaces free up. Also Bertrum House from aged 3 to 7. I've heard of kids moving to other private schools at 7 like Hornsby - so seems that private school places do come up.