Wanted to add to this thread as I am a mum at Essendene and, having read all the back and forth above, i wanted to share our experience. Our son joined Essendene just over one year ago....he had been at one of the most sought after church schools in the area which he loved but we felt he was getting lost in the large class and he was really struggling with his reading.
Essendene didn't have all the expensive grounds and facilities at first view that many schools load their fees with - so for us, whose son was not that sporty, we thought it was a win win...the focus would be on his schoolwork as we wanted and the fees were a lot less than Oakhyrst and pretty much all other preps in the area. He joined after the previous headmistress went on maternity leave, so I didn't experience any of the disruption rumoured here and on other threads and cannot comment on that apart from saying it certainly seems very much in the past and the current Headmistress and teaching staff are extremely dedicated to the school and everything that goes along with their roles.
Looking back at the last year, and the fairly nerve wracking decision we made to move a very sensitive boy from a school which he loved, i am relieved to say that we definitely chose the right school. In one year his reading age has shot up by 3 years and is now far, far ahead of what we could have hoped for at his old school and so is his confidence thanks to his teacher's support and dedication and thankfully it isn't a hot house pushing him to just pass tests and exams like some that I have heard of. The sports facilities not being on site didn't turn out quite as expected too - he now does all the sports on offer, which I would never have predicted, as they take an inclusive approach so he doesn't feel he isn't good enough to join in plus Queens Park and de Stafford give the pupils better facilities than a lot of schools can offer. They even got 2 sports scholarships to Whitgift last year.
Every child is different and what every parent wants from a school is also different - but this school made a big difference to our son with classes small enough that he could get the attention he needed to happily reach his very own, individual potential. I think it is always best to visit all potential schools so you can make an informed decision - we are very happy we didn't dismiss Essendene based on threads like the above.
Our son had a taster day before we decided to sendbhim there and said he loved it. If you are considering the school maybe ask for the same and see what your son or daughter thinks.