Rose Hill, Somerhill or Kent Collage prep schools..

[Klaudie333]

We're moving to Tunbridge Wells and are interested in independent schools for our DD, aged 2. We'll obviously go to open days and visit the ones we like but just for now, can anyone give me a heads up on the main differences between say: Rose Hill, Somerhill in Tonbridge, Kent College? The school visits you get are good, but clearly they're giving you the hard sell. I don't know many people with kids at either school so really want to hear anyone's views on them. How much indiviual attention does each child really get? Are you actually only paying for the range of extra-curricular activites on offer? Is it worth it, basically?

[Beth123]

I would definitely say Rose Hill, but it depends what you're after and where you end up living. The traffic in Tunbridge Wells is dreadful - far worse than where I used to live in London.... It can take a long time to get from one end of town to the other and if you're doing school runs x 2 a day it can get really tedious. So if you're in Tunbridge Wells I would say definitely consider Rose Hill.

Both my children are at the school at the moment and are both genuinely happy. I particularly like the small nurturing feel of the school. Pre-Prep (from Kindergarten to Year 2) is in a separate building, so feels very much like a small primary school. The Head of Pre-Prep is amazing and is on top of everything. I always felt like she knew my children inside out.

Both of mine are now in the Prep School and love going in every day. My son particularly likes the sport, which he does 4 out of 5 days of the week and my daughter loves the creative side with drama, art and even clubs like roller disco. I think there's something for everyone here. They support the less academic children (like my two) but get amazing results. A good chunk leave every year to go to the local grammar schools but this year a lot of children chose to stay on for Years 7 and 8.

I think choosing a school is such a personal thing, but I really like the fact that Rose Hill is a 'normal' Prep school, in that it isn't snobby or pretentious and seems to provide a really happy learning environment. Every day all the children seem to come out smiling and laughing. I hope this helps.