Radnor House School

[castlesintheair]

Has anyone been to have a look around or has a DC starting in September? I am going later this month and wondered what people think.

Last academic year it was fairly evenly balanced for all ages 7-10. You can see exact numbers in the school census zip file SFR21/2013, the file that counts pupils by age rather than national curriculum year.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2013

Hello
Just seen this and to reassure you, there are equal numbers of boys and girls in the junior school. I am not sure about the seniors but going forward, numbers are even and it is a top priority of the school to balance these out. I have 2 children there, a boy and a girl, both absolutely love this school and especially the inspirational teachers. I hope that helps.

Hi, I am thinking of sending my daugher to Radnor House September 2015 (year 3) and would love to hear from any experiences or parents of children in the junior years. Many thanks

A sad disappointment for us. Inexperienced staff and very poor pastoral care.

High Staff turnover impacting continuity and consistency of teaching exam courses was a big problem for us. As someone on another thread said the quality of the replacement staff has not been as good as some of the original staff. That being said DD loved her time there.

Hi i did not know there was a high staff turnover at Radnor - is there a reason for this ? I am thinking of putting my children there and would love to know more about the school. Thanks

Likewise: anyone with up to date experience of the senior school (year 9 upwards)?

My first hand experience of the school for GCSE exams was that a number of children were asked to drop subjects at the eleventh hour (the day before in our case - we refused after all the effort which went into revising - DC felt that she should give it a go and got a 'B' on results day) by the head of curriculum which upset children, parents and the subject teachers who were not made aware that children had been asked to drop their subject. Some children sat just 4 GCSEs and some 6 subjects. 'Celebrating Every Individual' is their mooto - but it would appear that leagues tables are more important. A broader range of subjects with a mix of academic and less academic might have been a better way to go.

Any views on Radnor House School for girls as opposed to St Catherines?

I'm surprised at Radnor's GCSE results tbh - 36 per cent A star /A seems very low and a significant number getting D grades? Is it because it's still a comparatively new school? I loved the atmosphere there and, as others have mentioned, the apparent focus on the individual, but is it style over substance? Any views welcome please?

St Cats results much stronger - percentage of A star/A grades around 54 per cent. In Art they have had all As and above for about 6 years by the look of things which sounds fantastic! The head is very clear about the value added there which she says is one of the highest in the country for indie schools. May not have the "buzz" of Radnor, but a lovely, calm atmosphere in there I thought. Only a third of families actually Catholic.

2014
Was it last summer that pupils were asked to drop GCSEs or a while back? How many pupils were affected? Sounds very odd indeed!

It was June 2015, know know if they did the same the previous year as and that was their first year of GCSEs. They did not publish their AS results this year. Bear in mind that it was basically buy a blazer and you're in for the the first few years. They are becoming more selective now at 11+. Staff turnover doesn't help. There were 3 very strong candidates last year who pushed up the A* numbers.

Thanks for replying 2014. Dd has been offered a place there for Sept, so also trying to weigh things up. Would you say St Catherine's is a safer bet for girls? Also, on the tour, I'm sure David Paton said that taking triple science is compulsory for all pupils. Maybe this is a new initiative?

I'm afraid I don't know St Catherines at all. Yes, it was supposed to be triple science and compulsory foreign languages for everyone, IGCSE maths and IGCSE languages. However some kids did GCSE maths, and double science when it was felt they couldn't cope, but everyone did IGCSE language and the ones who couldnt cope were asked to drop the language. Some were asked to drop geog at the last minute also. The school is trying to set itself up to be an academic school, and just offers academic subjects, so the less able kids end up with less GCSEs. I guess they will sort themselves out eventually, but there have been casualties in the process.

Thanks again. Yes I definitely got the impression they are in a drive to raise results which is fair enough, I guess, but there are so many results-driven schools in SW London as it is! I'm sure they'll get there, as you say, but wonder about the impact of the transition to two form entry into Year 7. Would you say communication and pastoral care is good there? Sorry if this is a bit like 20 questions!

Hi any recent views? I'm thinking of moving our DD to join Y3 after the Easter hols as I feel she's getting a bit 'lost in the middle' as a reasonably bright but young (July baby) in her class?

Thanks!
Mindy

Radnor House. Can anyone give some new feedback on this school please? We've been for a visit - son going into year 9. Facilities are a bit small, but would like any feedback re general academic life and general happiness of children. What's the culture of the school? Thanks.

As you can see I am spending a very sleepless night. We have been looking to move our son from a state school to Radnor house in September this year starting year 9. The admission was completed in early 2015 when he had just started year 7. Since then clearly he has settled into his current state school plus has grown up enough to have his own (and strong) views. He went to the induction day at radnor last week and was unimpressed. He felt that the school was not going to be academically challenging. They had apparently brought out their best teachers for the lessons and he did not feel they were engaging at all. Frankly I don't feel much impressed anymore either. Their induction day letter came with basic errors on the dates, there was no explanation as to when the fees need to be paid and on contacting them it turned out I had to put up the fees much earlier than I thought - you would think they might want to let parents know! plus their administration seems to be having problems as one team had our correct address and another didn't. When I visited the school in end 2014 I was impressed with Paton. But he has since moved on and it appears so has the team l. I wonder if this is right anymore. Meanwhile the fee payment date is looming. My son's view is there is no material difference and that he is better off aiming to change at sixth form preferably attempt grammar as this was not something he could do in year 7 as we were not in the country. His current school has a number of issues but has been working hard to improve. As an academically bright child I worry whether I am making the right choices for him. Any views highly welcome.

Its a lot of money if you don't feel completely confident.

Thank you. .and you are right....its quite a financial commitment for us and Iam no longer sure it will be worth it. ..I was wondering if anyone else had any recent views re. Radnor.

Hi.
My first post. I'm a father with a 9 year-old daughter. I am looking for feedback please from parents of Radnor House School Sevenoaks.
It seems the school was bought in 2015 by Albion Ventures, a venture capital company.
The same company gas just bought St Martha's School in Barnet, where we hope to send our daughter.
I'm particularly interested to learn if parents are happy with the progress and standard of education at Radnor, since it changed ownership.
Choosing a secondary school is a huge decision, and I do not want to make a mistake sending my daughter to St Martha's, if the feedback for Radnor is too negative.
My fear is a venture capital company seeks a profit, which may mean squeezing budgets, under investing in talented teachers and increasing fees.

I hope someone has feedback.
Thanks