11 Plus Exams Forum

We are moving to West Wickham shortly and are looking to find a local prep for my 8 year old son. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of the schools nearby, including St Davids College (only one I have heard). Many thanks.

Hi,

Quite a few preps in Bromley you can consider ; Bickley Park, ashgrove, st Christopher's, bishop Challoner , wickham court and eltham college has a prep that starts from year 3. You can ring to see if they have any places , but also consider the state schools as well and look at their ofsted reports etc.

Have a look at Ashgrove school in Bromley. I am quite pleased with my ds performance at this school. The school is small as compared to other prep schools in Bromley . The level of teaching is very good . The school's 11 plus results are outstanding.

Ashgrove is fantastic for prep - I *think* it has the best results for grammar school entry in Bromley. There's also Breaside which often does well for prep. I get the sense that St Christopher's is more of a feeder for private secondary schools rather than grammars, looking at their destinations list - so it depends what you want at secondary level. I considered St David's for DD but found it a bit run down and wasn't that impressed with the numbers getting into grammars (independent secondary would have been very difficult for us) - but it is your most local indie in West Wickham. The indies that have a secondary school attached are often less focused on prepping them for entry to other schools - naturally, I suppose - I have tutored in the past and found that pupils from those schools tended to be behind those from prep only schools. So if you go for a school with a prep attached, go for one that you would be happy for your DC to stay at beyond primary. Enjoy your visits to the schools and good luck!

I agree that Ashgrove seems to have very good 11 plus results for grammar school entry compared to the others.

Oh thank you. Had not heard of Ashgrove and have just emailed them. I looked round St David's and I agree it does look a bit run down although my son loves it. Am not considering state schools only because my son needs a smaller class although I know they are very good in Bromley.

My son goes to Ashgrove and I can honestly say its an excellent school. Exam results are superb and have been again this year but more importantly all of the children seem to be happy, my son certainly is.