Eltham College A GSG School

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All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.

Sports

Fencing

What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since 2014, Guy Sanderson MA (Oxon) PGCE. Raised in Zambia, grammar school in Lincolnshire, modern history at Trinity College, Oxford and (briefly) a stockbroker. He then changed tack, joined the UNHCR, delivered aid in Pakistan and Afghanistan and taught local children during his free time. He ‘fell in love’ with teaching and returned to England to embark on his new profession. He cut his teeth in boys’ schools (St Paul’s, Whitgift and City of London) and then co-ed at Reigate Grammar, rising to deputy head before moving to Eltham.

An enthusiastic open-water swimmer, he has swum the Bosporus and is now planning his next aquatic challenge while also learning to play tennis. Recently, in one of the less likely additional strings to any head’s bow we have encountered, he was offered ‘a very, very junior job, arranging moss’ at the Chelsea flower show. It transpires that he is a qualified landscape designer but he takes no credit for the stunning flowerbeds around the school. He was, however, instrumental in the planting of 200 trees on the site and hopes to see a further 200 planted before he hangs up his teaching boots.

Parents, full of admiration, mention his ability to balance professionalism and friendliness, ‘He is a man who has a clear sense of direction,’ we were told. ‘He gets things done.’ One parent said simply, ‘I very much like him.’ Another praised his skills as a motivator and an orator and told us, ‘There is no doubt about the benefits he has brought to the school.’ One of these has been the move to co-ed which is now complete.

Entrance

Eltham was named London independent school of the year (2024) by the Sunday Times and record numbers attended a recent open day. Registrations are up but the head is keen to stress that it remains a local school and he does not aspire to having ‘tentacles reaching out all over London’.

At 11+, automatic transfer from junior school and priority for Blackheath pupils but parents must commit early and offers will be withdrawn if they apply elsewhere. Their children will then need to compete alongside external candidates for the remaining places (usually around 55). Eight or nine applicants per place with new joiners coming from around 35 different schools, ‘fairly evenly’ split between state and independent.

Around 30 join at 16+. Occasional places only in other year groups.

Exit

Eight to Oxbridge, nine medics, dentists and vets and 70 per cent to Russell group universities in 2024. Exeter the most popular followed by Oxford, Nottingham and Warwick with economics, history, law and medicine the most popular courses. Several to top drama schools and music conservatoires. Two or three a year to apprenticeships (KPMG, Rolls Royce and Deloittes recently). Similar numbers overseas.

Latest results

In 2024, 68 per cent A*/A at A level and 88 per cent 9-7 at GCSE.

Teaching and learning

Students we spoke to were enthusiastic about their learning and many mentioned the ‘amazing’ ICT support team who sort any issues with their laptops, including ‘finding’ work that has ‘just completely disappeared’, according to one relieved student.

We were told by parents that the staff are ‘a good mix’ in terms of gender and ethnicity and that some are ‘very cool and trendy’. In the lessons we observed, teachers were asking searching questions and giving students time and space to share ideas, test theories, reach conclusions and give clear explanations. Lots of practical work going on too, especially in the stunning new science block (so new that the smell of paint still lingers) where electrical circuits were being designed, measured and assessed.

When pupils are selecting GCSE and A level options, there is no feeling that STEM subjects are promoted more than languages, the arts and humanities. One parent told us how her son ‘was given leeway at the start of sixth form while he made his final decisions,’ describing this approach as ‘kind and pragmatic’.

At A level, maths, economics, physics, further maths, chemistry and history currently popular, languages also thriving. Subject choices are expanding with computer science and psychology added recently, and sports science to be offered (at both GCSE and A level) from September 2025. Three A levels is the norm, with further maths an option for some. An EPQ for those not taking further maths and without a significant sporting commitment.

The sixth form enrichment programme lives up to its name. Five-week courses include titles such as an introduction to relativity, the power of activism, sleep and dreams, workplace psychology and withstanding an earthquake. ‘Huge support’ is given with UCAS applications and there’s a dedicated Oxbridge programme for those going down that route.

Learning support and SEN

The school caters for a wide range of SEND, including hearing and visual impairments as well as specific learning difficulties. EHCPs are welcomed provided the school can offer the necessary support.

Screening, in years 7, 9 and 12, ‘is fundamental.’ Around a third on the SEND register, although this includes mild issues like ‘illegible handwriting’. Most are ‘high ability dyslexics’ and a growing number have diagnoses of autism and ADHD. The school has also, in common with many others, seen an increase in pupils with mental health concerns.

‘Once you are in and through the door, the support is all there,’ we were told, ‘nobody is left to flounder.’

Appropriately-trained staff support individuals in lessons or provide time-limited interventions to tackle specific issues. Practical adjustments are made too, including headphones, modified exam papers, fidget toys and allowing students to listen to music or white noise while working. Single page pupil passports ensure staff are aware of the needs of individual students and exit cards make it easy for those who may need to leave lessons if they are feeling overwhelmed. We were told, ‘Neurodiverse children often excel… it is not a barrier to success.’

The arts and extracurricular

The college is ‘culturally properly pro-music,’ one young musician told us. The music department is a hub of extraordinary energy and enthusiasm with nearly 700 individual music lessons and 55 different ensembles rehearsing each week. GSCE music is taken by around 20 per cent of pupils (five times the national average). One keen student asserted, ‘Eltham is the most musical school in the whole of London.’

The Antony Barnard theatre provides the backdrop to the extensive drama on offer. In addition to a double lesson each week, every pupil has access to a major production each year as well as a whole school musical. The lower school play had obviously inspired one pupil. ‘It feels so professional,’ he told us.

Art and DT are taught in split classes with both subjects timetabled throughout the year. The onsite Gerald Moore gallery provides students and locals with an exhibition venue for internal and external artists while an artist in residence lends additional inspiration and expertise. Pupils'’ work is on show throughout the college, showcasing the talent that is nurtured here.

DT is flourishing with numbers taking GCSE doubling in recent years. No shortage of investment in tools and equipment and we saw some wonderful creations on display including colourful and cleverly designed skateboards, lights and bucket hats.

Co-curricular clubs abound with plenty for the sporty, the creative, the musical, the technical, the computer-savvy, the politically and socially engaged, the curious and the quirky. We were told, ‘There is something for everyone and if there isn’t something, we will make it.’

‘The school offers amazing trips and opportunities, but they can come at a price.’ A geography trip to Botany Bay raised a few eyebrows until parents realised it was Botany Bay, Margate (not Australia). Currently generating much excitement, however, is a planned 2026 trip to NASA (Houston), interest in which has been ‘massive’.

Sport

Fabulous facilities include extensive playing fields (including some top-notch Astro pitches) and, through a small door, the Eric Liddell sports centre, named after the school’s most famous alumnus. Reminiscent of the Tardis, the space behind this door seems to defy logic. A huge gym (with climbing wall) can accommodate the entire school for assemblies and suchlike. Also a six lane, 25 metre swimming pool, indoor cricket nets and a well-equipped fitness suite where strengthening and conditioning take place.

Core sports are hockey and cricket (for all) plus rugby and netball (for boys and girls respectively). Girls’ and boys’ sports are given ‘equal access and equal emphasis’ and there are some mixed teams. A parent of ‘a not particularly talented boy’ (her words) told us her son regularly plays for B and C teams, which has been great in terms of encouragement. ‘In a big school, being selected for a lettered team feels like success,’ she said. From year 9, core sports no longer compulsory with around 20 alternatives on offer.

Considerable success in local, regional and national competitions with individual pupils achieving national standard in netball, cricket, athletics, swimming and horse-riding (although the school does not have stables, or horses).

Importantly, sport is not always about forging ahead but is often about supporting those who would benefit from a little extra help so additional swimming lessons are given ‘for those who need it’.

Ethos and heritage

Founded as a school for the sons of missionaries, there is a Christian ethos with weekly attendance at chapel ‘a nice addition’, even for those of other or no faith. Outside the chapel, and worthy of a special mention, is the most amazing plane tree: protected and celebrated elsewhere in the school, it features in a stained glass window and a mosaic. In the central hall and on staircases, honours boards record the achievements of bygone generations alongside those of more recent high-achievers. History and tradition matter, but the school is not resting on its laurels and continues to evolve, to the delight of parents.

There are three schools in the Eltham College family of schools with Blackheath a new addition. When asked if further schools might be assimilated, the head told us, ‘I couldn’t possibly comment.’ We suspect they might.

Recent building projects have resulted in a clever juxtaposition of old and the new, most recently the science block, neatly sandwiched between two older structures, and the maths block, very ‘current’ in terms of materials with polished concrete and exposed ducting. Refurbishment, too, of some older classrooms and labs.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

Parents are confident that their children’s emotional and social needs will be met with one telling us, ‘A strong pastoral element is built-in from the get-go.’ Pupils all at ease discussing their feelings and know how and where to find help if they need it. The Foxbury medical and wellbeing centre is very much ‘not just an add on’, with an open-door policy and easy access to the school counsellor and chaplain as well as the medical staff.

In the lower school, form tutors cover the PSHE curriculum. For older pupils, a carousel of units covers a range of issues, with follow-up actions and activities if warranted. The school is realistic: not all teenagers are paragons of virtue.

The four houses (Carey, Livingston, Chalmers and Moffat) get together in house families with mixed year groups which provide leadership opportunities for older pupils as well as fostering lovely relationships between pupils of different ages.
Behaviour is generally good and there are plenty of incentives to do the right thing. On the other hand, we were told, ‘There is also accountability and if a pupil does wrong, they will know about that too.’

Pupils and parents

Parents reflect the rich diversity of the local community and are described by the head as ‘utterly supportive’. One told us, ‘At Eltham, the whole family belongs, not just the children.’

Pupils here ‘have to want to work’ as the school has clear expectations. It is not all about academics, however. The ethos is very much that pupils should ‘get involved’ and seize the opportunities on offer. ‘It could be hard for a pupil who does not have a striving nature,’ a parent said.

Money matters

Even with a 15 per cent fee increase due to VAT, parents we spoke to feel that the school is still good value for money.

Plenty of scholarships and most of real value, not just for kudos. The spaces and places programme aims to provide over 100 bursaries by the end of the decade.

The last word

A popular and desirable school. Pupils are grounded, facilities are good and getting better, staff are enthusiastic, opportunities abound and results (already impressive) are on an upward trajectory. Parents who may once have dispatched their children across London to more ‘prestigious’ schools now no longer do so. Why would they, when they have Eltham on their doorstep with a reputation to challenge any of its competitors?

Special Education Needs

Who came from where