Please or to access all these features

Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Mount House, Hadley Wood

60 replies

CanteringAlong · 03/01/2024 21:34

I am interested to learn more about this school. However, I was reading the website and the governors seem to be venture capitalists, i'm guessing from the company that own the school. I'm wondering what this means for the school, who goes there, how things are run. I know private schools are a business really but this is new to me and I find it hard to understand.

My children are shy and I am looking for a small school but one that is nurturing with the right staff there with strong interest in pastoral care foremost.

OP posts:
chulfi · 11/02/2024 13:17

My daughter goes to Mount House and started in September. She is extremely happy there and has nice friends. The sports seem adequate to us given we were state school before. Choice of individual or team sports, lots of clubs, good and caring teachers and a brilliant headmistress who is really making the school a better one. We wanted a pastoral based, all ability school and we are really pleased we made the choice.

CanteringAlong · 11/01/2024 11:20

Thank you. I'm so glad to hear this.

OP posts:
XelaM · 10/01/2024 23:49

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

CanteringAlong · 10/01/2024 15:55

Just searching online I read that due to the VC ownership, they will take challenging pupils who have been expelled just to keep the numbers up. I hope not and am glad you haven't heard of any bullying.

My children are academic. We don't want overly pushy and unnecessary stress, but they must be challenged so that they reach their potential. Do they set the pupils for the core subjects from year 7?

OP posts:
neverflyunited · 10/01/2024 14:29

TBH I'd like to understand more about different ownership of schools too. I think being owned by a VC just means they have to work out how to make a profit in the long run, so a portion of school fees goes to that. It also means though that they would run it efficiently in order to get to that point and remain competitive on fees. I've been looking at the school too but have previously only personally experienced charitable schools structured and run as charities, hence wondering how it works when its owned privately.

northlondondad1976 · 10/01/2024 09:13

No issues that I could see by being owned by a VC and they have been spending money in the last few years on improving facilities. Many children choose to go there because of its small size and low pressure environment. The children are all very nice to each other and I've never known of any bullying.

CanteringAlong · 08/01/2024 22:37

anyone?

OP posts:
CanteringAlong · 04/01/2024 22:20

Thank you so much for answer. I know it's very small, small grounds so not many facilities and not too selective so has a range of abilities. I hope I can hear from parents who have children there. I want to know about pastoral care, bullying etc as my children are quiet and sensitive and would need reassurance about this type of care.

Being owned by VC is the concern.

OP posts:
Twilightstarbright · 04/01/2024 18:33

It’s local to me. It’s definitely small and not one that has a reputation as a hot house. I think it has less sports facilities than some of its competitors.

I’m a school governor and I work in HR, I’m not there to teach but to help the school run effectively and act as a critical friend to the HT and SLT. I can’t see why being a VC would be a bad thing as a governor?

CanteringAlong · 04/01/2024 18:21

bump?

OP posts: