Portland Place School

I think if you live near Portland Place then most of the schools I'm looking at might be too far away from you as I'm mostly looking south of the river, but in any case, here's the list of schools I'm considering. I haven't been to all of them yet though.

Bishop Challoners (co-ed, all through, Catholic) in Shortlands, near Bromley
Cedars (boys, secondary, Catholic) in West Norwood
St Dunstan's (co-ed, all through, secular) in Catford
Royal Russell (co-ed, all through, secular) in Croydon
Thames Christian School (co-ed, secondary, Protestant) in Clapham
Emanuel (co-ed, secondary, secular) near Clapham Junction.

I definitely don't want a school with a narrow focus on exam success. A boys' school shouldn't have an alpha male attitude or cultivate the view that girls are theirs for the taking. Nor should it be too large. They have to be able to deal with kids who are atypical and might not fit the standard mould. I need a Head that I can engage with honestly and who will be honest back.

You might be interested in Alleyn's in East Dulwich - I haven't visited it as it's highly selective and that puts me off straightaway.

@ghislaine thank you very much for your thorough feedback. Out of curiosity, which other schools did you look at that you liked? You have interesting views, different from mine which I find fascinating.

@ghislaine We had a very similar experience. We went to see it but mainly to ask about the hybrid offer and we wanted to see what they do on Fridays.
I was really hopeful. I have learnt though that when a school tries to please everyone; children and parents, no one wins. That was my overwhelming feeling. I really wanted to love it. Some aspects I did. It really feels like whatever the parent/child wishes it will be granted. I dont know how that spans out in real life. Not everything about school will be happy. To me the young teachers were a massive alarm bell. Young teachers= woke teachers. I don't want that. There is enough of that everywhere. I don't want to pay £7k a term for that. I also want teachers with lots of experience. Some who are close to retirement. They're a dying breed and so rare in state schools. If you're accepting such a spiky cohort, you need people who can teach it, irrespective of your small class.
It felt like a tiny, glossy, posh state school in a liberal area trying to please the middle class.

It's a mixed report from us. There was a lot to like about it. The head's opening talk very much chimed with our ethos - children have to be happy at school, and wellbeing and emotional development take priority over academic results. Success means different things for different children. All music to our ears.

The facilities were good, especially with the renovation of the former sixth-form buildings. I thought that the DT and Art rooms were especially impressive. They had a nice cosy library as well. Most of the teachers were enthusiastic and friendly. They are clearly very aware of their lack of outside space and work hard to overcome it with daily PE and other outside activities.

A few things gave me pause for thought. Once was the median age and thus experience of the teachers. Quite a large proportion of the ones we met were new starters in September and presented themselves as refugees from the state sector. So I wasn't sure how they might deal with somewhat different children or what might happen when the novelty of small classes etc wore off.

Another was the overwhelming emphasis they presented on technology-assisted learning. I don't want my children staring at screens for most of the day. I prefer more hands-on learning - if this is what's on offer, then they need to make it clearer as it did come across as quite one dimensional.

It was a bit glitzy. There was a lot of talk about overseas trips for the children as part of the PP experience. Personally, I am not sure that one needs to fly to New York to see a play, or to Malta to play netball or to Tanzania to do charity work. I don't think it's environmentally responsible either.

The deciding point for me though was my interaction with the Head at the end of the tour. I had noticed a "pronouns" poster and display about being non-binary etc so I asked him whether the school was connected with Stonewall at all. Although I don't have daughters I am a feminist and am very concerned about the erosion of women and girls' sex-based rights through gender-identity theory and also the 'no debate' approach to such things. The Head's answer was unclear and evasive. He said they weren't "directly" involved with Stonewall and then something along the lines of they supported their students to be whoever they wanted to be. I did some digging afterwards and wasn't reassured that gender identity theory wasn't on their PSHE curriculum. I prefer a Head who is upfront with me and with whom I can be upfront. He didn't acknowledge that my concerns might be valid or offer details. So it's a no from us.

@ghislaine how did you find the open day? I've not been to one there, but met with the head and had a little tour last year. I liked it. The location would be very convenient for us as it's walking distance from our home. I like that it is co-ed and not an academic hot-house.

We are going to Portland Place’s open morning tomorrow. Any questions we should ask or things to look out for?

Does anyone have any experience with their new hybrid provision?

My son is presently finishing his GCSEs at Portland place. He’s mildly dyslexic but it’s a plus as he thinks outside the box. The school encourages individual talent & is very supportive. PP has been brilliant for my son. My youngest might join this year. It’s a nurturing & encouraging environment which is most important for me. The rest is up to the individual. I cannot choose my child’s path - only encourage it. PP is perfect for parents who think outside the box & hope to inspire & nurture the same in their children. My son is very musical but took economics, computer science & business. Straight 9s. We are creatives. Systematic hot housing is not what PP is about. I’d highly recommend this school.