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KEGS or QE???

Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 6:33 am
by Caesar2019
Hi all,

My son has achieved well enough to secure a place at both QE and KEGS.
We live in Barkingside just off the A12 and so DS would easily be able to catch a school bus to either school at around 7, and be home by 4.30-5.

We are both incredibly confused as to which option we should go for. While QE (only just) outranks KEGS from a performance perspective both have so much to offer in terms of extracurricular activities and in driving the kids to do well. My only concern with QE is the ease of commute in the event of him having a club after school would be much more difficult, whereas KEGS is a 7min walk to the national rail and he could be home within an hour.

Please could anyone with experience of either school (or both) offer any assistance or feedback?

Thanks so much

Caesar

Re: KEGS or QE???

Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 7:02 am
by RedDevil66
Caesar2019 wrote:Hi all,

My son has achieved well enough to secure a place at both QE and KEGS.
We live in Barkingside just off the A12 and so DS would easily be able to catch a school bus to either school at around 7, and be home by 4.30-5.

We are both incredibly confused as to which option we should go for. While QE (only just) outranks KEGS from a performance perspective both have so much to offer in terms of extracurricular activities and in driving the kids to do well. My only concern with QE is the ease of commute in the event of him having a club after school would be much more difficult, whereas KEGS is a 7min walk to the national rail and he could be home within an hour.

Please could anyone with experience of either school (or both) offer any assistance or feedback?

Thanks so much

Caesar
Easy answer; move. A friend of ours moved to the Chelmsford recently area rather than endure that.

Why would you want your DS to travel such a long distance? You say that he'll be home by 4.30/5, but he won't. After school clubs, sports matches etc means he won't leave until 4.30,getting home an hour later if lucky. What if he wants to stay and spend time with friends? What if there's a disruption on the rail service? Then it's the masses of HW they get. What will he be like after a term of that workload?
I'm lucky, I can pick up my child from Chelmsford as we live a few miles from the area but the school takes a dim view of them getting public transport after 4.30, and he can catch a bus there in the morning which will take 30 minutes.

It's a lot to consider but surely the wellbeing of the child outweighs the benefits of arduous travel combined with a heavy academic workload

Re: KEGS or QE???

Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 7:47 am
by loobylou
Assuming moving isn't an option you want to consider, then I would say to look at the ease of public transport.
When they're 10/11 it's really hard to imagine forward 5-7 years, so you only really imagine them going to and from school at normal times.
But they grow up and want to stay for clubs or matches - or hang out with friends or visit friends on a weekend or inset day (when parents are working).
Or they miss the bus!
Ease of being able to get themselves to and from school without depending on the parent is really important in my view.

Re: KEGS or QE???

Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 7:48 am
by rocket19
4.30-5pm kegs to Barkingside - I really don't think so

Re: KEGS or QE???

Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 7:48 am
by loobylou
Assuming moving isn't an option you want to consider, then I would say to look at the ease of public transport.
When they're 10/11 it's really hard to imagine forward 5-7 years, so you only really imagine them going to and from school at normal times.
But they grow up and want to stay for clubs or matches - or hang out with friends or visit friends on a weekend or inset day (when parents are working).
Or they miss the bus!
Ease of being able to get themselves to and from school without depending on the parent is really important in my view.

Re: KEGS or QE???

Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 12:17 pm
by resrtr
Second that. My son travels by train from east london to KEGS, and for me his independence in commute was a major factor - you join a grammar school not just for the academics, but also for the various extra curricular activities that the school offers. And kegs offers a lot if your child is proactive. I am not saying QE doesn't but the train service and the independence was our deciding factor for kegs and my son is loving the school.

Re: KEGS or QE???

Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 1:29 pm
by rocket19
resrtr wrote:Second that. My son travels by train from east london to KEGS, and for me his independence in commute was a major factor - you join a grammar school not just for the academics, but also for the various extra curricular activities that the school offers. And kegs offers a lot if your child is proactive. I am not saying QE doesn't but the train service and the independence was our deciding factor for kegs and my son is loving the school.
restr - can you advise Caesar on the actual timings of your son's commute as I really don't think 4.30/5pm is realistic!

Re: KEGS or QE???

Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 2:48 pm
by resrtr
My son reaches home at 4:50 if he catches the 3:55 from chelmsford. If he catches the 4:09 from chelmsford he reaches by 5 or 5:10 pm.

If he stays for afterschool he comes back by 6- 6:15.

The travel has made him independent and resilient and he doesn't complain about the journey as he seems to be having lots of fun in the train.

But when he gets to higher classes, i dont know if the 1 hour travel will be a bit too much because of the work load.

Re: KEGS or QE???

Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 5:52 pm
by sonu17
We were in the same boat 4 years ago and can relate perfectly to your quandary. This is what I think...

The commute to KEGS is much easier/smoother than the commute to QE. If you intend to relocate then KEGS is the better option, esp. if you have other younger children then there are more grammar school places in that area (Chelmsford/Colchester/Westcliff/Southend) as compared to Barnet. Both KEGS and QE are perfectly commutable from Barkingside, there are a number of children doing it for many years but eventually in later years, the workload and the extra-curricular clubs/activities are much easier to manage if the child lives close to the school. Certainly with QE, the workload and expectations increase in later years and daily commute has a detrimental affect on the time available for scholarly as well as extra-curricular activities. Also as you know there's no practical route on the public transport between Barnet & Barkingside if your DS has to stay back after school for whatever reason.

If you're willing to relocate now or later and wish to make a decision purely based on what the school has to offer, then QE offers a good mix of academic excellence and extra curricular activities with a notable stress on the former; KEGS does the same but is more balanced in my personal opinion. Also, I strongly suggest you ask your DS which school he liked better on the open day- in most cases this is where the answer to your question lies :)

Re: KEGS or QE???

Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 6:43 pm
by Caesar2019
Dear All,

Thank you I really appreciate all of you taking the time to respond. This is a real dilemma for us and I am leaning towards kegs for the ease of commute but my ds really loved QE and all the school had to offer, hence the struggle! It seems clear to me that the demands and expectations set by QE could be a real issue in later years if ds has to make that journey from Barnet to Barkingside everyday. Moving is not an option for us right now, but I do have other younger daughter and son to also think about.

Will be mulling this over and no doubt we will change our minds several times before we actually decide!

Thanks again
Caesar