King Alfred School North London

[LindsLou]

2 and half years ago my son who was in year 9 was asked to leave the school he had been attending for 7 years. It's a long story and I won't bore you with the details. They failed him miserably and he/we were treated appallingly.
I have been approached by some exparents who heard about us and wanted to share their experience, which is not dissimilar to ours. They are aware of other disgruntled parents, as am I. I was wondering if in fact there were more people out there in Mums Net World that have had a negative experience at this school and and are not happy to sit back and let it carry on happening to other people. Please feel free to send me a private message.

[Greenfizzywater]

It's always had an odd reputation, but I thought the pastoral care was supposed to be excellent. What happened?

[NotTheKitchenAgainPlease]

I didn't like the look of it - what's wrong with it?

[HeartsTrumpDiamonds]

Yeah I've only ever heard good (if "alternative" - teachers using first names, no uniform, flexible timetable.... ) about it.

[HeartsTrumpDiamonds]

The grounds are amazing for a London school.

[LindsLou]

Unfortunately Greenfizzywater, It's all smoke and mirrors. It would be quicker and easier for me to tell you what is right with it NotTheKitchenAgain.
I don't think calling teachers by their first name and no school uniform are the only ingredients for a good school. The time table is very inflexible, mainly becasue the school is so small and they would be the 1st to admit this.
There you go NotTheKitchenAgain, HeartsTrumpsDiamonds has compiled the list of good things about the school for me.
North Londers are dying to get their kids in there to rub shoulders with the uber groovey celebs and are blinded by it. The school trades on this and is very complacent, feeling safe in the knowledge that if a child leaves these another one to fill the place.

[Greenfizzywater]

I knew two children who went there when I was growing up,their parents were multi millionaires and I only knew them as their parents donated to a charity that my Dad ran. It had a reputation as being a place where you sent children who were unlikely to be troubled by the need to earn a living......

[LindsLou]

There is a lot of that going on but also people send their kids there if they don't pass the entrance exams of other private schools in the area. Some people do genuinely believe that a more relaxed approach to education is the way forward or right for their child. It's only when they realise their kids are not perhaps doing as well as they should that they panic and by then it's too late as it's difficult to get them in anywhere else, or the good local state schools are full and in any case they are worried they might be sending their lamb to the slaughter. What happens is they end up paying over £5000 per term and getting tutors. In actual fact you would be surprised how much of that goes on in the private sector anyway. My son had a tutor and with the exception of my son who eventually went to state school and a girl who was home schooled all her pupils went to fee paying schools.

[pinkfrocks]

Just observing but do you not have to be a little careful about what you write about schools this way because of slander/ libel law?

It seems a little unfair that the forum can become a soap box like this but no one from the school will presumably reply to give their side to the complaints.

[Greenfizzywater]

I have seen a thread about the West London Free School where the head of the primary school came on and replied, so schools can reply.

[pinkfrocks]

They can if they wish yes, but I'm still wondering about possible legal action if a school is slagged off on a public forum when there are always 2 sides to everything.

[4321gabster]

King Alfred's, Trevor Roberts or Heathside Prep?
Any 'what's it's really like' info will be super helpful! Thx xoxo

[aleina123]

LindsLou I really think that you are being unfair in generalizing the school and the children who attend as well as presenting a maybe biased opinion that was an unfortunate experience for you and your child but does not necessarily reflect the ethos or the school as a whole. By saying that the main reason that North London parents send their kids there is to "rub shoulders" with other children who's parents are rich and famous shows the parents to be pretentious and shallow. Its misleading to say that parents will realize that there children are struggling there and that they may not do well because of the relaxed approach of the school, which I believe is only in place to give the children a childhood as well as an education.I don't believe that privately educated pupils are the ones who spend a fortune on outside pupils as the education taught in any school is only useful when the child is willing to apply themselves. I know that in other schools the children are forced into learning and applying all of the education that they are being taught but King Alfred's teaches the children to want to use and learn the information rather than them learning it merely because they're made to.

[GlamGiraffe]

I can see this is an old thread but some people still might read it. My son is at the school. Doesn't know a single child of a celebrity or famous person or anyone especially rich for that matter. Of course families well off enough to pay the private school fees like any other independent plus a couple of scholarships. Most kids from humble homes. I am very surprised at this comment. Im also surprised at comments of bad behaviour amongst the pupils. I tjink it can look disconcerting that tgey arentcdressed in uniforms, but when i see the truly hortific behaviour oftje vadt majority of state school kids in their uniforms in north london i tjink their must be dome kind of delusion. That is not yo say king alfred kids are alwaysspectacularly hehavef, but they most certainly arent bad. I have always been impressed how grown up and sensibke they seem for their age.
This aside I do not believe the school is without flaws. Teaching can be inconsistent and gapy and communication is terrible. That said the school does envourage children to want to learn for kearnings sake, not because you have to pass a test or ge the best. This is a sustainable approach and a way of life. It's about a quality of life not how much you can do or how high you can score. Finding and knowing yourself, that has nothing to do with celebrity, or money, respect, understanding and self expression.

[Zinnia]

the truly hortific behaviour oftje vadt majority of state school kids in their uniforms in north london

Well that's a sweeping and completely erroneous statement, GlamGiraffe. There are badly-behaved children in every school (I recently had the displeasure of a tube journey with a cohort from one of those private schools that is discussed endlessly on MN threads, an experience I would not rush to repeat). It may come as a shock to hear this but there are vast numbers of lovely, well-behaved kids at state schools, even in north London.

FWIW, I glanced at this thread as I have (normal, not multimillionaire or celeb) friends with children at King Alfred's. They too are very happy with it.

[redstapler]

Have to say that when I've had the misfortune to come across KAS in a group, I haven't been impressed. I walk past the school quite often and have more than once been there when they are heading out for a school trip - whole pavement blocked, refusal to make space for a buggy and no sign of the teachers enforcing any sort of good behaviour. To be fair though the last time was a few years ago.