Harrodian, Hurlingham, Fulham Prep or Parsons Green Prep - views?

[Miesch]

Hi all,

We are relocating to London in April and the following schools have space to accommodate my son (4) for the summer term:
Harrodian
Hurlingham
Fulham Prep
Parsons Green Prep
On paper we have a slight preference for Parson Green Prep because of their French offer but we will visit all four and take it fro there. Just wondering if anyone has first hand experience with any? Any comments would be very appreciated as we want to make sure we send him to the best possible school for him :)

Thank you so much in advance!

[candycrush64]

I have a friend who is considering Parson Green Prep so all information greatly received!

[winterishereithink]

Are you planning on staying in London or are you here for just a few years?
Harrodian and Fulham Prep both have Senior schools so no 11plus angst ( although FP Senior is very new).
As a generalisation - Hurlingham - good solid Prep school with fairly normal parents, as is Fulham Prep.
Parents generally keen to get their kids into good schools at senior level.
Harrodian- a lot of monied and quite a few 'celebrity' parents- probably more relaxed academically.
Where will you be living? That is a v important consideration.
Don't know much about PGP I'm afraid.

[Miesch]

Thank you!
We’re not sure how long we will be staying. My husband is British and his family live in London but we love Switzerland so will probably try to come back here at some point in the future.
We know we want to live in SW London as that’s where his family is but quite flexible on where so will depend what school he goes to.
I would much rather he goes to a school with more ‘normal’ parents, so Harrodian might not be for us.
Thanks for your help

[winterishereithink]

I would have a look though- there are some down to earth parents there! Just a different feel to it!

[Miesch]

Do you know anything about Ibstock Place? I’ve seen mixed reviews about it having too much homework?

[Jellycat1]

If you're looking for normal parents Hurlingham has those in spades. Lovely school with a lot of 2 working parent families hence the very good wrap around care. We didn't look at Harrodian as we're not cool enough and it's a bit far for us. Fulham Prep nice but I much preferred the feel of Hurlingham. PGP I only know anecdotally as we didn't consider it but I think there are a few threads on PGP here so do a search.

[Jellycat1]

Did you look at Prospect House? Bit posher than Hurlingham and probably fewer working mummies but I loved it. For us it was between Hurlingham and Prospect House for 4-11 and Merlin if we decided to jump on 7+ train.

[Miesch]

Oh thank you so much for your feedback! I was actually planning on calling Prospect House today!

[Miesch]

So Prospect House did not have space.

In the end we will come next week and visit:
The Roche School
Orchard House
Parsons Green Prep
Harrodian
Hurlingham
Ibstock (hopefully)

After reading the thread on PGP I must say we are not as excited about it as we were before!

If anyone had any more comments about the above schools I would be so grateful for any feedback!! It’s not easy coming from abroad and having so little time!

[Avebury]

I know very normal people with DC at Ibstock. They do get homework even from reception but I don't think it's too onerous.
If you live in Sheen then it's a lovely walk through the park to school.

[Cheermumintherain]

You should also visit Fulham Prep id they have spaces and why not call Eaton House.

[Onceanexpat1]

Orchard House is a lovely school, I have lots of friends with children there who love the Montessori approach. St James is another school with a similar creative approach, it is quite close to Fulham prep so worth looking at if you are considering schools in that area too.

[Jellycat1]

Ah well worth a try OP. Now a lot of people love the Roche but I visited and did not register my boys. It just didn't do it for me. Felt a little cramped and I just didn't get the right vibe from the kids showing us around or the staff. Strange lack of welcome on arrival too. But I have friends who completely disagree with me. I'll be interested to hear your views. It was 4 years ago now that I went.

So my favorites were:
Prospect House - wait list?
Hurlingham - loved the HM and wrap around. Great buzz to the place and kids were so 'up'
Merlin - are you up for a pre prep? Loved Merlin. We chose in the Merlin in the end but have had to defer as currently abroad.
Tower House - a bit further up towards Sheen but doable from Putney where we were. Lovely but you'd prob have to wait list there too.

Decided not to visit Ibstock as didn't want an all through and preferred a true prep. Also heard mixed reviews. I didn't visit Fulham Prep as heard good but not great things from friends.

[Putneyww]

My children went to both PGP and now they are in Harrodian. I like both schools and actually think they are quite similar in terms of teaching style and overall atmosphere. I know people like to think Harrodian is cool and a celebrity pad...but the truth is at the end of day it is still a competitive London day school. They won’t be able to survive on celebrities! Families are friendly, local and hardworking. It’s not a playground for the rich and famous. Their exam results are improving year on year. My kids took exams to get in and I know how hard they have worked. They have made great friends at Harrodian and both are developing well. The school is big, offering many opportunity in sports, arts and drama. The academic pressure is kept at an acceptable level. I am happy with the overal teaching quality. But if your kids are academic and enjoy intellectual challenges, it may not be the best school for you. I know parents leave because it’s not academic enough. But i also know parents love the school because it’s not a pressure cooker.
If you will be in London only for a few years and will not consider to stay to secondary school, then I think all schools on your list are good. It will depend on your feel about the school when you visit, the teacher or students who show you around, the small things you notice, the atomospher you sense...I believe in gut feelings sometimes. I went to all the schools you mentioned...I choose PGP because it’s small, manageable and nurturing. I liked the headmistress at that time. I think their early years teaching was fantastic. I chose Harrodian over other schools (even though we had other offers) because the camps is stunning (I do believe the outdoor space plays a key part in children’s mind), the headmaster is excellent, and children genuinely seemed happy when I went on a tour.

So do visit all schools and see how you feel. I also think where you live plays a big part in this process. Fulham is not as close to Barnes as you think.

Good luck

[dolphin50]

if i lived in london my number one choice would be harrodian. i have friends whose kids go here. the amazing riverside location looks beautiful. the pre prep has a very creative and friendly feel. for the Harvest Festival children collect fruit and vegetables from the allotment and sell these via an honesty box, with the proceeds and donations of unperishable food being distributed to those in need and a summer Community Tea welcomes grandparents and local elderly to join the Pre-Prep for tea and cakes, to listen to their choir sing, and to chat to the pupils. in the prep there is a diverse curriculum. academic, sporting, creative. they also believe strongly in encouraging pupils to develop an interest in the world around them and to be inclusive and caring of others which i think is really important. there are philosophy and creative writing clubs as well as animation and coding. in the senior school they seem committed to letting students realise their maximum potential whatever direction their inclinations and talents may take them in. they can do as part of the curriculum 3D design, classical civilisation, drama and theatre studies, history of art, latin, further mathematics, media studies, politics, psychology and religion and philosophy. kids can do the duke of edinburgh award and there are swimathons, international book days and toy collections throughout the school. charity and pastoral care is high and kids here learn empathy. clubs in the senior school include treehouse design, music technology, cricket and debating and maths is the most popular a level. there are west end theatre trips with the english and drama departments and history trips to china and germany and history of art trips to venice, new york and paris. impressive and its more laid back to nearby st pauls. its a co ed non school uniform find your strengths type of school