Holland Park school HELP!! Anyone know it?

They are selective in terms of a banding test. They take 25% of the below average of the cohort tested - 50% average and 25% above. As the majority of the kids are from RBKC schools and they are one of the top performing LEAs for SATS etc I would expect that their intake is probably more capable that the GCSE exam results give credit for.

When it means that more than 1 in 3 kids do not get either English or maths GCSE - I think that is failing them. 98% do get 5 GCSE passes but that includes "soft" or vocational subjects. I understand they also push less capable kids into BTECS rather than GCSEs.

If Holland Park has a comprehensive, non-selective intake (sorry no knowledge of the school) then 63% A-C is not that bad really.

There are state schools with better A-C results but I they tend to be the selective ones, one way or another.

Grove mum for what it's worth the DC that hasn't gotten into trouble is in all the top sets and she does have a couple of friends at the school that are very bright too and don't seem to partake in drugs and alcohol.

My daughter is starting at Holland Park in September. Because I do not earn enough for a private school and don't go to church I don't have a choice where to send her.
The post about drugs does not surprise me - even at my grammar school in the 70s/80s it was not unusual.
My impression of the school on open day was not favourable. I felt really uncomfortable that boys are in the majority at the school and noticed there were very few girls in the top maths set for example. They are currently in very cramped and shabby conditions but the school being turned into a building site over the next three years is not great either.
I was not taken in by the Head Teacher's spin - something RBK&C is rather adept at -yes the school has improved but only 63% get both maths and English GCSE passes which is not great by any means.
I would be very interested to hear the views of any current parents. The few parents I have spoken to are either extremely defensive and will not say a word against it (oddly enough all rather wealthy middle class) or have major criticisms. It would be good to hear other views.
I also wondered if there is any advantage in the child being placed in one of the top sets behaviour wise or being awarded one of the art aptitude places?

Yes Northernlurker I've met many privately educated kids the old chestnut of them getting drunk more doing drugs is just as much bollox as all the crap private educators say about state.

I was giving info on this particular school which is what the OP asked for.

'drug taking and free flowing alcohol is how many of them spend there weekends. ' - have you met private school kids? That's more than true of them as well. It's a parent's reponsibility to keep their children safe at evenings and weekends - NOT the schools.

OOh ,this is the same experience that my friend's daughter's have experienced at
Haberdashers? Aske?s Hatcham College.
Along with bullying ,stealing blazers ,memory sticks with important course work etc.
This is a high achieving ,non maintained school ranked as outstanding in last Ofsted report .

Forgot to add drug taking and free flowing alcohol is how many of them spend there weekends. But not all, the girl I know certainly doesn't but that does make her unpopular. Her older sister (17) has been known to try ecstasy with her classmates. These are girls from a very comfortable home with loving supportive parents whom felt that smart kids excel in whichever school they go to, their now finding out maybe academically but certainly not socially.

I really wouldn't send my child there is a lot fighting and anti social behavior.
The lovely young girl I know who attends says it's a really bad idea to look at anyone you don't know, especially the girls.

I went to Holland park from yr 7 to 11 and loved every minute of it. Admittedly, I was bullied a bit in the first term of yr 7 by a few boys(just name-calling) because of my height - I guess they were uncomfortable with being shorter than a female, but all the other kids were fine. The teaching was really good and I left with 11 GCSEs (1 C and the rest at grade B or above). The pass rate for gcse in my year was 69%, and it's gone up since then. The facilities were excellent, as students we couldn't have asked for more, and the school was aesthetically pleasing. To this day, I regret not staying there for the 6th form. A fair amount of people from the 6th form got in to oxford/cambridge and the other top 10 universities, or went off to study medicine/dentistry. In most cases, private schools are the best, but holland park comes close.

Every school in the country has bullying. State, independent, the lot. An y school that claims it doesn't is lying and therefore not dealing with it.

Yes, do make sure your dd's don't accidently touch a working class child

tonyee, why don't you go and look round - meet the head teacher? One comment on a forum is a bit narrow to base your view on. I don't know anybody there, but am sure others will be on soon. Or contact the PTA there and ask to meet some parents - there must be one.