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Fulham Prep School

59 replies

bottlebrunette · 04/07/2011 20:48

Does any one know anything about this school? We are thinking of sending our DS but have heard of children who slip through the net if not clever enough. Have a friend in W4 who has had an awful time despite trying to highlight DS not achieving potential.

OP posts:
fridayschild · 04/07/2011 21:27

I think you will find there are a lot of London prep schools where children are invited to leave if they are not clever enough. I was (naively?) very shocked when I discovered a lot of friends had similar stories about their various school.

Thereitis · 05/07/2011 09:07

Avoid this school. Short sighted. Non-inclusive. Discriminatory Principal and SENCO.

shoelover1 · 14/07/2011 16:13

My son has just left Fulham Prep after five very happy years there. I think it has something for everyone - sporty or non sporty, music, drama, art etc as well as academic - it is non-selective. This years results for secondary schools are excellent and they do try to find a school that matches your child's academic ability. I have had issues with a few teachers that I didn't think were up to scratch but thats an issue with every school, whether private or state. Go and have a look round for yourself and decide - based on our experience I would highly recommend it but its not a school for everyone.

Milkshake3 · 31/08/2011 22:14

I have 3dc at this school. They are all very happy and we have also been happy with it. Agree with shoelover1 that you should go round both the pre prep ( if your dc is yr rec-2) and the prep and decide for yourself. The results are good and there are lots of opportunities for children to try new activities with loads of clubs. Also plenty of music ( from award winning Chamber Choir to African drumming, orchestra and jazz group) and sport. Class sizes are small and support is there if extra help is needed ( one of mine needed extra help with maths and I found teacher very helpful and willing to do some one on one with him). I have no experience of SENCO. I think it is a very happy school. Hope this helps and good luck!

tothinkabout · 07/09/2011 14:02

Our child joined in Yr 3 and we have been absolutely delighted with it - it is larger than some other schools but all the teachers seem to know everyone.All the parents i have met are very friendly and supportive - they each seem to have chosen the school obviously because it gets good results but also because it seems more relaxed less obviously pushy and hard on the kids than other local prep schools and yet the kids all seem to do well anyway.

iginla · 09/01/2014 17:55

Does anyone have any current news on this school? We are moving to London very soon and have heard and read mixed reviews. With three children the plus for us is the proximity between the pre-prep and the prep and where we will be staying.

one4themoney · 11/01/2014 14:06

I have a dc at FPS and I agree with previous comments that it is a happy school. We chose the school partly for the friendly atmosphere, but mainly because of the lovely and knowledgable headmistress who made us feel our child would be in capable hands.
However, the school is now under new management and I have concerns that this is having a negative impact; communication is poor and I do not feel as if the new head really knows what he is doing. If I were making my choice again, I might have some reservations about choosing FPS over others in the area.

Kayla1696 · 12/01/2014 19:03

Hi iginla, I have a dd at Fulham Prep and a ds who went there and left last year. One4themoney's post is correct. The pupils are very happy but myself and a lot of my friends are worried about the direction the school has taken. The new head seems unclear when putting forth his ideas about/vision for the school. Dh and I are a bit torn - our dd enjoys it and ds has great memories but I certainly think other schools in the area would now represent better vfm. I have heard a lot of parents at the pre-prep are now exploring other options rather than sending straight through. Do you have boys or girls? Hurlingham, Thomas's, Ravenscourt Park (depending on where you are moving to) all good options in terms of mixed schools.

iginla · 14/01/2014 11:23

Thank you for the comments. We were actually in town on the weekend with friends with kids of similar age at Fulham Prep and they mentioned much the same. There seems to be a huge drop in confidence across the school in terms of the communication of academics providing no rationale for changes made since management has taken over. Not for us!! We have shifted our focus to Hurlingham and Ken Prep.

photosmartprinter · 14/01/2014 11:29

I have a friend who has had one DC through the school recently and has 2 there. Her view is that the new Head has increased the rigour academically which she's massively positive about. This has involved change - some staff left at the end of the summer and were replaced with upgrades, again very positive, and she feels that the new Head, whilst still finding his feet, is doing the right thing. He is trying to improve communication, but in the past it was very poor, and her view is that this will improve. The old Headmistress is still there, beavering away with 11+ and 13+ references and guiding the secondary school process behind the scenes, although apparently is available for meetings and discussion if parents ask.

Her opinion is that change takes time, but that this was a school that needed to evolve and change, as it hadn't for a long time. She agrees that he is struggling to win the "hearts and minds" of the parents, but thinks this is inevitable as the school was all about the Headmistress before. She would suggest that anyone interested in the school should look round the prep (even if applying to the pre prep) and meet the new Head and form their own opinion. One last thing, historically people have always taken an opportunity to look around at all options with the transition from yrs2-3 apparently, as the move to the new site creates a natural time for a pause. Hope that helps.

Felinemoonbeast · 29/01/2014 15:13

Yes the new head is not anywhere near as capable as the previous head however this head will probably be taking on a less important post within the school and the previously positive balance shall be restored.

Felinemoonbeast · 29/01/2014 15:17

Caveat: This school is still very much a happy place where the interests of the children are always a first priority.

Ashandsash · 04/02/2014 19:59

Hi, my DS has an offer from Fulham Prep to start in reception and is on the waiting list for Thomas's. The comments above scare me a little about accepting the place at FP. Any advice and feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Tina1961 · 08/02/2014 19:10

Just to update people the headmaster recently left the school and Mrs E has taken back the reins.
My dd is very happy there and she has been there for nearly 5 years.
Would definately not rule it out as a choice but go and have a look round yourself.

zebra15 · 14/02/2014 17:19

Any thoughts on whether this change will be positive or negative for the school? What are the plans for the future? We are currently looking at this school and would welcome further news, in particular reviews of the pre-prep. Many thanks.

BeccaH · 27/02/2014 11:24

Hello everyone, we are moving back to London and we are looking at schools for this September. We have an offer from Eridge House for our children (dd going into 3rd year, ds going into reception) and I think it is very likely we will get an offer from Fulham Prep School. We are coming to London for a flying visit to meet the head teachers etc but I'm really interested in any further comments about these schools. I'm concerned about the size of Fulham Prep (and the fact that it is on 2 sites is not ideal for us) but I'd like to know whether things have settled down with the change back to the previous head. Eridge House is clearly a lot smaller but I'd like to know whether parents think it still has enough exciting and challenging extra-curricular activities. Thanks for your input!

pandith · 28/02/2014 05:01

Dear beccah, we too have an offer from fulham prep, but won't be visiting london to get a feel. Can you pls update once you do visit the school on what your thoughts are. Will appreciate that thx

sanam2010 · 28/02/2014 22:09

Beccah, you could also look at Sinclair House located a few doors from Fulham Prep and combines the best of the other two.

Fulham Prep is probably better academically than EH (or at least pushier) and gets better results for boys, and EH is probably the more nurturing one. Also EH slightly more European families, FP predominantly British. Both schools are businesses though, make no mistake (of course most prep schools are, but some still have more of a family feel, these two are quite openly businesses).

Notafullhouse · 01/03/2014 07:20

You could also visit Hurlingham in Putney. Small, nurturing and with good results. I have friends in FP, they love it. I don't know anyone in EH but I visited it, there is nothing wrong with the school the children seemed happy and polite but they are not at the same academic level of FP or Hurlingham.

SamAndPeg · 30/04/2014 12:30

We have 3 tremendously happy children at the fulham pre prep and the prep. The eldest is in year 6. We as parents are moderately on top of their homework ( in other words were not pushy but know what's going on and participate moderately). The school has very good management of the workload at school and teach them, as each stage comes , how to take full responsibility of their work. This prepares them so well for secondary school independence.

It's easy to say to people looking for a school " I hear that ( whichever school ) is good or bad because...." It takes your own research . You must take advantage of open days and ask questions. You can only get a really good feeling for a school by being there and seeing the students and teachers in their daily life.

Yes, there will be a change in leadership but one person is a constant, and that's mrs Emmett who founded the school. She is still at the wheel and doing a fantastic job. She knows every student by name and is involved personally while they go through the secondary school process. It is a big school at the upper but feels like a family.

You'd be truly naive to think any school is perfect. There will always be hiccups here and there, but that's real life. And this school prepares for that real life with a good balance of teacher personalities and healthy competition . It's a jungle out there!

I hope our 7 year's of experience helps.

Good luck choosing.

Fulhamschoolswhere · 21/10/2014 12:56

Hi all, just wondering if you had any updates on where you sent your DC to school in Fulham? Am just trying to decide at the moment for reception entry September 2015... I think it's between Sinclair House, FP and Thomas's (depending on assessment)... Any further advise / input / information would be really appreciated!

username009988 · 21/10/2014 13:34

I'd choose between FP and Thomas's. I assume you have a place at FP (which is non selective for reception) and T will assess but the waiting list does move and I know a few who have turned it down. I just wouldn't do Sinclair as it is unproven beyond age 7/8 and I personally don't think you get value for money from the extra curriculars in a school that small.

If you get offers from all 3, which would you pick? Where had the ethos that you liked best? Assume you've looked round all 3?

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Fulhamschoolswhere · 21/10/2014 16:46

Thanks very much for replying, yes I am veering towards Thomas's if she got accepted, even though I really don't like the fact they have to have an assessment to get in! But it's a very impressive school and they get great results. As do FP, I think the only thing that was putting me off FP were some people I spoke to, but maybe that was because of the principal issue as above and these have been solved.

Yes I am very sure about getting into FP as DS was 9 months when I put his name down!

AliQCG14 · 25/10/2014 07:52

We are also at FP having been through the per prep and now started the upper school. We are v happy with it and feel it has a great balance. Yes, there was a bit of juggling in the leadership but this is over, school morale feels high and the teachers feel like a great team. Kids are happy and looked after on a child by child basis. Ours has recently been called out as possibly needing a little extra help. Handled brilliantly by FP. Hope that helps.

Fulhammother · 23/11/2014 22:28

We have/had three children at EH and make no mistake, it IS academic. Children get offers from a wide range of schools from St Pauls through to some of the less academic schools - children go to the school that is right for them. They have a new STEM programme in place, daily chess and Numicon has been in place for a couple of years. Friends who have moved their children to other Fulham schools often tell me how advanced EH was but they just didn't realise, the school doesn't brag about it and they treat each child as an individual and it quietly achieves. My children love every day of school and my youngest begs me on Saturday and Sunday to go to school! That can only be a good thing.

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