11 Plus Exams Forum

I often see these two schools lumped together as the super selective boys' schools of west Kent.

I know very little about them and have yet to visit either as my DS is only Year 4 but am keen to start getting an idea of what might suit him. Lets not worry about the huge score he might need to get to either!

Can anyone sum up what they see as the strengths and weaknesses in these two schools? Why did you choose the one you did?

Thanks everyone

Skinners' felt right and I could see DS1 there, Judd didn't.
For DS2 I wasn't sure, but he wanted Skinners'.

I feel that Skinners' is more laid back and not as pushy for the boys to get A*s.

I'm a great believer in going with gut instinct, and have always used this to choose whether it be schools or houses.

The facilities however, are much better at Judd.

I don't know either school but having visited lots of schools, I quickly get a gut feeling as to whether it is the right place for your child - only way to choose if distance / results etc are much the same.

I have had a son at Judd - and he was very happy. However, since he left i hear from friends the pastoral care has slipped and unless you are sporty you are not a priorty....music and art are not as encouaged as maybe in other schools.
I am sure there are people on here who are having positive experiences there now which is great, Im just saying from the friends i have there now, things arent what they used to be since the change of head !

Thanks so much - all really helpful replies.

I agree that to visit, as many times as poss, is of prime importance but I fear that even 3-4 visits will still not tell you the whole story. The experiences of others is invaluable to build a more rounded picture.

Quite gob smacking that we base their next 5-7 years education on the strength of very little knowledge really. However agree that gut feeling is so often right.

The best advice is to go around both schools, and see what feels comfortable for your son. Judd felt 'right' for us. (NB. Pastoral care was mentioned alot at the first induction evening).

The pastoral care at Judd is very good . The facilities are excellent - the new Maths block was only opened the September before last, and the sports facilities are very good including astro turf pitches. Academically, it excells and strives to get the best out of all the pupils whatever their strenghts. I also like the fact that it admits girls in the 6th form which I think adds a different perspective to the school. But as others have said, you need to visit it yourself, as only you can tell what would suit your DS.

At this point I would simply worry about him just passing. That may just decide things for you. Judd is becoming harder and harder to get into each year. From the little I have seen on this board, it seems most settle for Judd if they meet the score and then Skinners for those who miss Judd by a few points.

Hello!
Skinners' is a much smaller school (only a four class intake per year) and the campus is also much smaller with the playing fields about a mile up the road in Southfields. Judds does have better facilities, but the regime is tough and the expectations high. I think unless a child is a high flyer, then they might struggle at Judds a bit. There is nothing more depressing than being near the bottom of the class. Also Judds take almost half from the private sector, where as at Skinners it is less than a third in recent years. That can be quite a shock to someone from a village primary who has done well and then find that they are traling behind as the private school children have had a more targeted education.

It is swings and roundabouts though. The GCSE results between Judds, Skinners and TWBGS are very similar. I think it also depends on how far the school is from home. We found, when we looked round all the schools, that the children were very charming and polite.

At the end of the day, the difference between the schools is negligible and it's down to gut feeling, location, ease of transport, in my humble opinion.