Wallington Vs Nonsuch

Eleven Plus (11+) in Surrey (Sutton, Kingston and Wandsworth)

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abr
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2009 11:10 am

Wallington Vs Nonsuch

Post by abr »

The moment our DD decided she is going to sit for the 11+ exams, this had the been the question in our minds : Which is better Nonsuch or Wallington ?

We do live quite close to Wallington Girls but there will be a 40 minute bus commute to Nonsuch. Though we had almost decided on putting Wallington as our first choice, a chat with some of my friends (about League tables and related topics) has made me have a second thought.

Is Nonsuch much better than Wallington to the extent to deserve 80 minutes of a DC's time each term day for 7 years ? Is it (the commute) an investment for the future and well worth it?.Is the League table just a game of numbers and Wallington Girls is just as good as other grammar schools and the girls that join there or do you think otherwise ? I would like your views on this please.
catcool
Posts: 159
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 10:50 am
Location: surrey

wallington v nonsuch

Post by catcool »

I do not know any one who has a daughter at Wallington but my dd is in year 12 at Nonsuch and I can say she loves it there, has done very well and even turned down a place at Tiffin Girls' sixth form to stay at Nonsuch.
Good results, nice teachers, nice girls(well all her friends are) newish head teacher who seems to be doing fine.
2outof3
Posts: 331
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:21 pm

Post by 2outof3 »

Although Nonsuch does seem to do better than Wallington in the league tables, I wouldn't put too much emphasis on this - bear in mind that in the great scheme of things they both do fantastically well :D

I would consider other things such as the fact that Wallington has an engineering specialism whereas Nonsuch has science and languages specialisms. Will this affect the choice of gcses (eg at Nonsuch all girls are required to take 3 sciences plus one MFL).

Are you happy with the facilities at Wallington compared to Nonsuch e.g. sports facilities at nonsuch are very good, drama maybe not so good. Music is very good at nonsuch and parents have recently been asked for their views on how to make it better.

Don't underestimate the difference that travelling can make either, though I don't think a 40 min bus journey is overly difficult, particularly as the services are very frequent in that neck of the woods.

To sum up they are both fantastic schools and don't be swayed by a few places in the league tables. (My DDs are at Nonsuch and love it by the way.)
surreymum
Posts: 553
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:26 pm

Post by surreymum »

I think if all other things are equal it can really help to look at the schools and go on gut feel. I think living very locally can be a huge advantage, it depends which side of Wallington girls you live.

I have no direct experience of either (only having boys :P). Although Nonsuch has good facilities for sport I understand from friends the best is not always made of them and some girls have been disappointed by the lack of opportunities to get involved/coaching. They also seem to have lotteries for every school trip, joining CCF, etc and no preference is given if you have not been successful before, so it is possible to spend most of your school life just missing out on the opportunity for some extracurricular activites. Of course this may be the case at Wallington too and the new headmistress at Nonsuch may change things.

I would not be swayed by the league tables. I think differences at the top of the league tables reflect how much emphasis schools place on playing the system.

They are both good schools, you can't really go wrong
2outof3
Posts: 331
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:21 pm

Post by 2outof3 »

Just to clarify on the lottery issue at Nonsuch, it's not as bad as it sounds! :)

The school does arrange several extra curricular trips (eg to the theatre) but as it would be impossible to allow all 180 girls in a particular year to go, a certain number of places are allocated to each class and any not taken up by a particular class are offered to other classes. This seems the fairest way to do things but I'd be very interested to hear if other schools have a more equitable system. Perhaps it seems quite fair to me as my DDs haven't been particularly desperate to go on many...... :roll:

As for things like CCF, this is done by assessment. When my DD1 wanted to join, there were 90 girls applying for 40 places. The girls all went to three trial sessions where they were assessed and the final 40 places were then allocated based on this assessment. The same happens when it comes to picking girls to ball girl at tennis tournaments. They all attend training sessions and the girls are then picked on merit. Again it does seem a fair way to do things but of course there will always be girls who are disappointed.

I agree with the not making the most of the sports facilities Surreymum by the way.... :(
catcool
Posts: 159
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 10:50 am
Location: surrey

wallington V nonsuch

Post by catcool »

As regards CCF my daughter was lucky enough to be chosen,. You then tend to find that those girls do not apply for Duke of Edinburgh therefore giving those that missed out on CCF a chance to get involved in outdoor activities, so there appears to be plenty of opportunity for every girl to do something.
As regards theatre trips I agree with 2 out of 3 , there has rarely been a case when my DD has failed to get a place , so it is not as bad as it sounds as 2 out of 3 says .

Hopefully some one from Wallington will come along soon to sing their praises.
abr
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2009 11:10 am

Post by abr »

Thankyou everyone for your insights. There have been some things that I have overlooked like music, drama clubs, trips etc. We will definitely visit the school before making our final choice as you suggested. I appreciate your prompt replies.
I would also like to hear from parents with DDs in Wallington.
Third time round
Posts: 68
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 4:03 pm

Post by Third time round »

Hi. We live in Wallington within walking distance of Wallington girls, but my daughter chose to go to Nonsuch because sge preferred it. She is sporty and scientific, so the facilities are great for her. She is in year 8 and really enjoys a huge variety of extra curricular activities. the journey is easy. The x26 express bus (free) from Croydon road takes less than 20 minutes, she is often home before 4pm. In the morning she leaves at the same time that Wallington girls' pupils walk past our house on their way to school, so I think the journey is not a huge point against the school. I think it really does come down to personal choice and to some extent gut feeling! I have friends locally whose children are thriving at Wallington girls.
abr
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2009 11:10 am

Post by abr »

Thankyou catcool, 2outof3, surreymum and Third time round for your detailed analysis.
Thirdtime round, happy to hear your daughter is thriving at Nonsuch.Is there a something about NOnsuch that especially influenced her preference ? And I am quite glad to hear about X26. I used to think 151 and train were the only options
Third time round
Posts: 68
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 4:03 pm

Post by Third time round »

If you visit Nonsuch during the day, it has a very calm and pleasant feel to it. There are so many different things going on, and we thought that a lot of thought had been given to devise ways to encourage girls to join in activities. For example, for girls who might otherwise not choose active persuits, there is cheerleading and pilates as well as all the traditional sports for everyone else! We have found the pastoral care to be good, the school contacted me when they thought my daughter seemed a bit miserable, and the problem was identified and dealt with within the week. the academic results are good, but that was a secondary consideration for us, as the results at Wallington are excellent too. My daughter also wanted to meet friends from the sutton and cheam area, rather than having a social life based around croydon, which is a much bigger town with all the problems that brings for newly independent teenagers! The pool was also very attractive to my daughter, especially the hairdriers!!!!!
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