Need some advice on schools for 3.5 year old son... Have visited the Abercorn School in St. John's Wood and liked it any thoughts...

[NYC6723]

that is the area we are moving to and have to sort something by September

Also visited St. Christina's and wondering how hard core the religion is?

Bink knows about Abercorn, I believe.

I know about St Christina's and really liked it. But it is fairly hard-core catholic, so you have to be okay with that. Cavendish in Camden Town is Catholic-lite, if that's what you're after.

Bump

Since frogs mentioned me ...
I have mixed views on A'corn. We began there with ds in reception, dd in nursery. The nursery was great - dd loved it and, in particular, I very much liked the other parents - all kinds of nationalities, but all quite consistently well-educated & cosmopolitan: nice group of people to know. (A'corn users are often professional expats, in London for a few years' posting: but - NB - as a result the demographic is transient. Children have to get used to losing a friend or two each term.) Dd was happy there & would I think have continued perfectly happy through the school.

We left though because ds, who is an educational square peg (bright with social difficulties), couldn't really be catered for. Individual teachers did try hard, but he was clearly off their scale of expertise, & I got weary of being called in & asked, slightly unsympathetically, to "explain" him (when indeed I couldn't, as his social difficulties mainly show up in school situations so weren't a side of him I knew then).

Bear in mind also that the St John's Wood bit only goes up to year 1 - from year 2 on they are down on the Marylebone Road, & from year 4? further south yet - so the initial convenience doesn't play on. However, if you're just looking for nursery/reception, it is good for that - especially nursery.

Just noticed your name, and am guessing you are about to be a professional expat too - so I should also mention that A'corn is genuinely good at knowing the different school systems different children may have come from/be going back to, and so well aware of the sort of adjustments that may be needed: which may be quite an advantage over more trad-ly London schools which expect children to slot into their norms.

Yes - will be there for 2 years coming from other EU country though actually...

My ds will be 4 in the fall had been in a montessori environment for the last 1.5 years and would join pre-prep class at Abcercorn - I guess then he would be in for both years?

Do you know about the afterschool care at the school. I think after looking at all my options I am going with Abercorn.

TIA

What about Southbank School in NW3. No personal experience, but quite an international base and has a nursery i think.

www.southbank.org

Have just noticed this is in "Am I being unreasonable ?" I think you'll get more replies if you post a request under Education. Go back to the main Talk board and check out the headings.

Abercorn has a "late room", definitely, till 5.30/6, though I am not sure how old they have to be before they can stay on. (Certainly you couldn't stay on after nursery, but I think you can from reception up. Worth double-checking.)

Lots of after-school clubs (though again worth checking whether these are only from yr 1 up), and compared to other schools lots of availability - ie you don't have to go into a lottery to get a place in a club.

And yes, if they haven't changed their accommodation, 4-5 year olds (Year R) and 5-6 year olds (Year 1) will all be in Abercorn Place, which is where the nursery is too.

Just wondered if there were any international schools in South London?