Guildford boys pre-preps

[angel17bat]

Hello!
We are in the process of short-listing pre-preps for our DS. We are signed up to attend the assessments at Laneborough for Shell 2021.

We have also short-listed a number of other local schools including St Hilary's, Barfield, Greenfield, Hoebridge - are any of these selective?

Our DS thrives on learning through play and too much structure doesn't suit him well.

Can anyone offer any advice or opinions please - how competitive is Lanesborough entry at Shell and are children exited for prep if they don't fit?

Thank you in advance!

Hello,
I don't know about Lanesborough, but my children are both at St Hilary's and love it - it isn't selective but gets good results. I think they are having virtual tours and personal tours at the moment so it's definitely worth getting in touch and having a look around.

Hi there
I'd be interested in knowing what you decided in the end please. We are in a similar position of having to make decisions

Our (very different) sons are at Lanesborough and all of them love it. It’s unashamedly academic but there is room for all and it’s very nurturing (particularly in pre-prep). The EYFS curriculum is play based, but come year 1 it is quite a structured environment. There are very few boys that don’t head ‘over the road’ and the school works hard to make it work for every boy. I believe there is about a 1 in 3 chance at shell entry (same at nursery).

Hi there
Thanks for posting
It is so helpful for people like us.
Forgive my ignorance but what is a shell entry?
And does head over The road mean they are asked to leave ? 😱
Unashamedly academic is good but does it mean the boys generally have to be above average compared to their peers in other schools? Do they have many SEN children do you know e.g. autism or ADHD

Apologies - Shell is reception and 'over the road' is where the boys move from pre-prep to prep to start year 3. Pretty much all the boys move from pre-prep to prep and if they don't it's generally for a pretty good reason (ie they will really struggle with the increased rigour of the prep school). Many parents hope that their sons will continue on to RGS (the schools are closely linked but there is no automatic progression) so there is pressure on the school to make sure the boys are able and best prepared.

It is an academically selective school so all boys are assessed accordingly. The standard is high and there are a lot of boys that are very bright. That said, the nursery/shell entry assessments are completed when they are 2 or 3 years old so there is a still a good mix. Also, they don't just look purely for academics but whether they think teh boys can benefit from Lanesborough. Each boy is celebrated (and applaud others) for their talents whether they be academic, musical, sporting etc.

In terms of SEN I can't really speak confidently about it and it would be best to give the school a ring. They do have boys with Autism/ADHD and the school works hard with them, but doesn't really cater for those with very high needs.

I’d first consider where you live to the school. School journeys can be a nightmare and traffic is exceptionally light now with covid (wfh) unless the nanny is taking the child

I wouldn’t be worried about secondary schools too early.

Lans is on a tiny plot and small classrooms compared to Hoebridge when I looked round it.

Good luck !

Thanks. We haven't yet got a house so don't really know where it will be.
I do worry about secondary schools as the thought of going through this all over again is so incredibly stressful.
Thats where Cranmore becomes attractive!
Lots to think about. Its just so hard to know about Lanes because of lack of league tables etc so we go by parents experiences which have all been largely positive

Is hoebridge another school- is this where yours is? I haven't got a feel properly for the 'good/top' boys schools yet.

Indeed Ilovechoc12, you don't go to Lanesborough for the grounds, it is very much a 'town' school.

The leavers destination schools tend to give you a good idea of how academic a prep (assuming that's what you mean by good/top). They are often published on the school's website.

Apologies for my long hiatus from the group, I'm the OP :-)

Our DS was offered a place at Lanes for Shell 2021 and we are so delighted! We managed to meet the new Head ahead of assessments and we felt it would be a good fit for him!

Its a difficult decision to make so early on but we feel comfortable with the decision and very excited for what Lanes can offer him. We think he will really thrive there and the EYFS gives him time to adapt to the structure.

We managed to look at Greenfield, Hoebridge, Barfield - they were all good schools offering different strengths.
Unfortunately we didn't manage a visit at St Hilary's but attended the virtual tour and we fell in love with the school even though it would have been a real challenge for us logistically.

Personally for us, our top 3 were as follows: Lanes, St Hillary's followed by Hoebridge in terms of where we felt our DS would have thrived and excelled!

Good luck with your decisions @sonners123