My son passed both Sutton Grammar school & Wilson’s Grammar school tests.
Are there any parents who has a child already attending Wilson’s, who entered the school not knowing anyone & how the school help them settle in & help them make new friends?

Generally, from how far away do the boys travel to the school? Wondering how the boys find the traveling at such a young age of 11/12? Do they have an after school homework club or do they go home if not attending after school clubs?

Any feedback from parents whose boys are already attending Wilson’s would be really appreciated
Thank you

Boys travel from a wide area. I think most boys live within 45 minutes to an hours travel. The school tends to put boys who came from the same primary school in different classes to force them to make new friends. When the boys start, they all put pins on a big map showing where they live, so they can identify classmates they live near and could travel to and from school with. The boys seem to adapt and cope with the journey well. He school is strict from day one and they quickly learn that they need to be punctual.

The boys have an induction day in the summer term and an optional sports week at the end of the summer holidays which is a good opportunity for them to meet up. All boys in year 7 learn a musical instrument and they spend the first couple of days of term trying different ones and deciding which one they’d like to try.

Boys tend to leave the school at the end of the day unless they have a specific reason to stay, for example CCF (year 9 onwards).

Hi there.
My 2 pennies worth.
Making friends:
My son only knew one other boy from a different school. We encouraged him to make a conscious effort to get to know as many people in his year from day one and he had a pretty stable group after around 2 weeks...he didn't attend the sports days in the summer holidays.
Travel:
My DS gets 2 buses ...45 mins to school and even though the drive would only take 15 minutes he has got himself to and from school with ease. In fact he loves the independence and it is an opportunity for the boys to get to know each other.
School work and life:
We are very pleased with how comforatble our DS is with the homework they are given...not huge amounts but enough to keep them occupied every day.
All in all a positive 6weeks into life at Wilson's.
Good luck to all for March 2019!!

My son was the only one from his primary school in his year, he went to the sports week in Year 7 but does not participate in any teams. He has made new friends - both in his class and through the school quire.

He gave up on the bus journey fairly quickly, as it is overcrowded and waiting times are long. He prefers to walk all the way together with one of his classmates.

Wilson is amazing at settling children in, encouraging them to get on with one another and looking after them at the bus stop. Absolutely exemplary.

Plenty of them use buses from Croydon, Wallington and Purley and the journey is usually trouble free as long as they leave home early.

Good facilities before and after school.

The pastoral care is absolutely fantastic. The staff work very hard to settle them in. In my sons year ( now sixth form) the 155 boys came from over 70 primaries so most children will only know one or two other boys.
From year 9 the houses are split into two tutor groups per house so only 15 boys per tutor who stays with them until end of GCSEs.

Wilson’s School has got Sunday Times title State Secondary School of the Year.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/best ... 1543131307