Prince George Thomas;s Battersea

[user1473882712]

Read an announcemet that Prince George is starting in Thomases in Battersea, quite an unexpected choice as it was originally reported that he would be starting in Weatherby. Is Thomases in Battersea a pushy tiger parent/yummy mummy type school? Ethos sounds quite different in that all kids have no best friend...

[FataliePorkman]

I don't see why it matters really. I'm sure the applications to the school (if they can still be made) have exploded and there will be plenty of pushy parents prepping their child on being friend to heir of the throne.

Why do people need to know- especially after what happened in London this week

[Out2pasture]

from what I've read the school discourages one best friend but encourages having several best friends. a very healthy perspective.
pg is often seen in battersea park and Thomas's uses the park regularly.

[jeanne16]

Plenty of pushy yummy mummies at Thomases in Battersea!

[muuuuuumy1]

Looking forward to seeing little George start school tomorrow. Thomas's must be an amazing school seeing as the little prince is heading there!

[Needmoresleep]

Amazing....

Years ago people we knew went to an open day and asked "what is the difference between Thomas' and Newton Prep" - another well regarded Battersea prep school. The answer "the parents". They looked around and opted for Newton.

Locally it has a reputation for being popular with the highly paid banker brigade, whether British or international. So well organised SAHM mothers, with strong academic ambitions, and an eye on the high-level extra curricular which are so important for Ivy applications. Quite different to, say, the trad British educaiton girls like Diana received where achieve was two O levels and a prize for best kept hamster.

[dumbledore345]

All London prep schools are frequented by children whose parents can afford to shell out up to £20,000 per child per annum. If paying from disposable income and taking deductions into account a three child family needs to be able to find £90,000+ per year to spend on something they can access for nothing in the state system.

Nobody who is not themselves highly successful and ruthlessly ambitious for their children will do that. And that applies equally to all the London preps. There really is no difference between the parents.

[Needmoresleep]

dumbledore to some extent I disagree. People earn money in all sorts of ways. At the time Newton had a reputation for more arty parents (Geldofs, le Bons, Ramseys etc, but also less high profile people who made their money in advertising and creative professions) as well as more middle management types determined to buy their way out of Lambeth education, and the odd aristo who wanted to avoid some of the more pushy places. My observation is that people whose own careers have depended on getting top grades and graduating from top Universities are more focussed on results. People who have achieved their success mainly through talent, skill or inheritance, tend to be more relaxed. A good education is important but grades are not the be-all and end-all.

Which is why it is interesting the they opted for Thomas'. It is going against type. I assume though that the fact it is co-ed, a regular feeder for Marlborough and probably a good option security wise, weighed in its favour. The fact it is near impossible to get to, especially with a school run dominated by Chelsea tractors, would act against.

[jeanne16]

I cannot understand why they have chosen Thomas's in Battersea. The journey there and back every day will be horrendous. I suspect that the Cambridges will also create additional problems for other parents in terms of the school run. There are numerous posh prep schools much closer to Kensington Palace, including other schools from the Thomas's group of schools.

[Supergran58]

And Fox - probably the best state school in the country is on their doorstep.

[Sunshine5050]

I'm not familiar with the school but I heard they chose it for security reasons because there is a protected drop off area.

[Logans]

including other schools from the Thomas's group of schools.

They couldn't have chosen those as they only go to 11+ which would mean they'd have to move at age 7 to a Prep that went to 13+ to then go to Eton / Marlb.

[Logans]

If you look at leavers destinations, Thomas's has a better history of getting DC into public boarding schools than the other 13+ Preps nearer to them..... AFAIK.

[AnotherNewt]

Newton Prep is as good if not better, in terms of leavers destinations (though I believe both are named as feeders by Eton). It's also fully coed and could have car drop off.

And I do agree that the difference between those two schools is largely the parents. Most prep parents are affluent (and many extremely rich) but the schools each have a distinct ethos and families will be drawn to the one they feel fits them the best.

[Fekko]

I don't expect royal children to have to jump the same hoops time get into secondary schools that others kids do, so not really a case of which school is a feeder to Eton or Marlborough.

I wouldn't even think they were close enough to Fox - isn't the catchment are about ten feet these days? St Mary abbots maybe.

[Logans]

I don't expect royal children to have to jump the same hoops time get into secondary schools that others kids do, so not really a case of which school is a feeder to Eton or Marlborough.

Of course they won't need to jump hoops, but having friends leaving for similar schools / general cultural preparation might be a factor?

[BruceAndNoush]

So basically the only reason they chose it was for its security?

[AnotherNewt]

We'll never know their full reasoning, but it's reasonable to assume that security plays a part (after all a secondary reason for Eton was that the close protection team could be housed off-duty at nearby Windsor Castle, thereby saving a considerable sum).

Yes, there may well be special consideration for children of alumni (it's still in the Eton form) but, even when that applies, the prospective pupil still has to be at an academic level to benefit from the school. Eton asks for about 60-65% on CE. It would do a prince no favours whatsoever if he were considerably adrift (and there's actually no reason to think that he wouldn't be at that level as he's attending a school that has a track record of that preparation).

No idea where a girl might go for secondary. So a co-ed prep with a good range of leavers destinations with a head who can advise on possible places from the academic/co-curricular POV is clearly going to be a good thing. Then the security of the possibles can be assessed and idc the parents decide from a shortlist of workable options. They can't exactly visit themselves - they'd have to send a trusted friend if they want views on how schools seem during an ordinary day.

Or for secondary, stick to the schools they know personally

[Fekko]

Logan - that could be any number of London peps. Hill House for one.

[Fekko]

Isn't Eton 70% these days? Either way, not exactly a breeze.

With all the wherewithal of royalty you could tutor a kid into a school - it's the 'other stuff' you don't need to bother about - what clubs they are in, instruments played, confidence - that the schools look out for. Which Head is going to turn down royalty because the child wasn't confident at the interview or doesn't play sports/an instrument to a very high level?

My guess is that they have friends or relatives who have recommended it.

[goingagain]

Boys at other Thomas's schools can move at 11 to Battersea or Clapham until they are 13, so I don't think that was necessarily a factor in choosing Battersea over Kensington or Fulham though it will have been taken into account as there will obviously be security issues and diseconomies in moving for last two years. Fulham also probably bit worse commute. Kensington site is not as good as the other three, much smaller in a townhouse on a residential street.

Whether they want him to go to Eton I would think might have a lot to do with his own father's experience there. My husband was there at the same time as Prince William and we have a relative starting next year. The demographic since my husband's time has changed quite a lot apparently.

[Logans]

that could be any number of London peps. Hill House for one.

Except that many people regard it as shit. And it failed it's OFSTED rather spectacularly and the new Head only lasted a term (one before current one).

Yes, Eton is 70% or just above. I heard rumours of 72.

Last year at Harrow the qualifying entry CAT score was 126 if you were Scholarship level sport / music / art etc. So if that's the bare minimum at a far less academic school than Eton then 😮

[Logans]

For Charlotte, Cheltenham Ladies College???

[Needmoresleep]

My guess is both for Marlborough. That said there are plenty of girls London day schools who are practiced with the security requirements of Oligarchs.

[wobblywonderwoman]

I think Marlborough is highly likely - Kate seemed to be really happy there and moved schools initially - she would want the same type of life for her children

[Logans]

Y to Marlborough for Charlotte. Can't imagine George going anywhere but Eton.

I wonder if KM is reading this PSL at the speculation over her DCs schools?!