Lyceum school, London - any experiences, views, opinions please

[rktb]

In my continued (!) search for schools for our dd1, our final (yes it really is the last feasible one) school for consideration (and a late contender so a tricky one) is the Lyceum in the City.

I like the theory of the school but I cannot find anyone who has actually BEEN there or who knows anyone who has been there, and would be really grateful if anyone out there has access to ANY hands-on information about the place - atmosphere/ethos, academic and social aspects of the place. Confidence-building and solid teaching are what we are after (and a warm, friendly environment) We love the emphasis on arts as long as the other subjects are taught well too. Any opinions gratefully received.

hi rktb

On your inspiration (and spurred on by the fact that dd2 is still only on the waiting list for our first choice school) I went to look at the Lyceum last week. I can see why it might be a great solution for you -- it does seem to combine aspects of both C and D schools. And very convenient too, straight down the 141 bus route.

I think it's not quite what we're looking for, for the same reasons it is what you are looking for! But I'd definitely consider it if our other options didn't work out. I really hope it works for your girls.

Oh that's interesting Frogs. Did you feel it was not quite academic enough? (won't be insulted either way btw, we are all different!). We do like it and think it is the most suitable option for us, but i still have my doubts too - i.e. are they any better off at the end of it in terms of education than if they stayed at state school? I am not sure i have answers to that - i know lots go on to Queens College which is known to not be very 'academic' so does that mean that they do not come out that well academically and cannot get into 'better' schools? We feel we had to choose it because it is the best option for confidence-boosting, and that is the key thing we want from the school we choose. Our concern in a more academic environment might be that our daughter just hates the work pressure so therefore it does more damage than good to her confidence (she already thinks she is pretty rubbish at 'work'). Oh I so hope we are making the right decision... I am still very worried about it - nowhere seems ideal... Perhaps L is the worst option because it is somewhere in the middle of D and C therefore neither one thing or the other? Argggggg!! It is obviously low on facilities too - but I think it works hard to compensate with outings and trips etc. It is so hard!!

I would be interested to hear more about what you thought about the place anyway. Good in a way for you that it confirmed your decisions so far are the best ones...

Oh no, it wasn't the academic side of it, or the facilities. Frankly, if I wanted that we'd have gone for City and had done with it.

Lyceum actually ticks quite a lot of our boxes mix of abilities, lots of music and other things going on, willingness to cope with quirky children in a non-sausage factory kind of way. I also quite like the slightly shambolic interior and mickymouse prospectus it has a nice non-schooly feel and suggests that they're spending money on important things rather than showcasing. It also didn't seem at all snobby or 'up itself', which i like. And very convenient for us -- a definite draw.

But in the end we have a definite preference for a school with a strong Catholic ethos, simply because that's the kind of community we have atm, and it fits very nicely with what we're trying to do at home. That was my reservation with Cav school actually -- lots of parents who want the standard prep-schooly thing for social and academic reasons rather than religious ones, with the head clearly trying to be all things to all people in order to get bums on seats. Our first choice school (st Chr in St John's Wood) is a bit more low-key than Cav, and less good facilities, but a sense of warmth and community that I didn't feel at Cav.

The only other slight reservation I have about Lyceum is that, other things being equal, I would prefer a rather more established school with a board of governors, rather than a proprietory setup simply because of the added security and backup. But I liked the head (we didn't see the co-head as she was away on a school trip) and L would be a definite contender for us if it came to it. Oh, and I don't quite 'get' the uniform. Seems like the kind of school that should be uniform-free, so what's with the silly hats and the ocean of characterless navy blue? But that's a minor gripe.

New Labour orthodoxy? That's interesting - I wonder which new labour politicians have sent their children to state schools (I don't count The Oratory).

Thanks for that Frogs, i totally see where you are coming from now - and your no.1 school sounds so perfect - really lovely. Let's hope you get a place! I also agree with what you say about Cav trying to please everyone rather than making its mind up and doing one thing or the other well.

I am glad that you liked lots of bits about L. I totally agree with you re: uniform - it's really odd isn't it - someone's folly it seems... I met the female head who was very nice so it is good to hear that the other head was nice too. I know what you mean about lack of board of govs etc. and it being early days for the school - but on the other hand i suppose it means they have to keep on proving themselves still and can't become complacent, which has got to be a good thing! I think once we're 'in there' I will definitely make it my mission to find out more about this uniform business! I suppose it is also a way for them to distinguish themselves from the state schools. As you say, the hats are bloody ridiculous!! My poor girls...

I too liked the lack of hard sell - from brochure to our conversation with the head.

Thanks again for sharing all your thoughts.

Just to pop in and say that, as someone who profoundly disagrees with you all on leaving the state sector and thinks you're all wrong wrong wrong, I wouldn't dream of holding it against anyone in friendship terms, honestly. Plenty of my mates go the evil private school route and even though I think they made the wrong decision, as they presumably think I did, they're my friends, ffs, and I love them. I think it's very low and horrible indeed for people to distance themselves from friends because of schooling decisions. Hope your fears are unfounded, frogs.

psml at "evil private school route" Scummy

I know this is a few weeks/months down the line but I have just joined mumsnet today and was interested in this discussion as I am a parent of a child who attends the Lyceum. My son joined year 3 in September last year and like many people I had not previously heard of the Lyceum finding out about it in the Easter before my son joined in September. We had investigated many schools (both state and private) and have been forced down the private route due to our local state schools being so poor not just in terms of academic results) and the reasonable ones having such long waiting lists.
Anyway I just wanted to say that our experience of the Lyceum so far has exceeded our expectations. Although they have no outside space (this was my main concern) they actually do far more sports activities than any of our friends children do at schools with extensive grounds etc. The Lyceum makes great use of local facilities. For example the daily sports/PE lessons include; tennis, swimming, football, ice skating (at Broad gate), rounders, cricket and hockey. There is a strong focus on music (although note there is no pressure for children to learn an instrument) and the music performances have been fantastic. The children clearly really enjoy what they do. There is also an after school club - different activities daily between 16:00 and 17:00 which for the 7-11 yrs include Big Band, badminton, chess, Spanish, circuit training (different activities for the younger children) and a homework club between 17:00 and 18:00. There are also a number of trips each year (dependant on age) which relate to the topic work including residential trips (again dependant on age) which my son has really enjoyed. The class sizes are good (max 15) and there is very much a homely, friendly atmosphere. One thing we particularly like is that there are a number of male members of staff which we have found is quite unusual for a primary school. In summary this school has been an excellent choice for us and from what we have seen so far children moving up to secondary school have all done well and got into their chosen schools.

CLAC someone who used to Mumsnet a lot has a son in Year Three and they are very happy with the Lyceum too. It always sounded like a nice school

Yesm

Does anyone know if they take (mild) special needs at the Lyceum?

My daughter attends this school and I am incredibly impressed. Having been through the prep and private system myself in the UK (in top performing schools), when I embarked on the school search for her, I was looking for a school that would instil confidence, kindness and independence in my daughter, alongside nurturing and encouraging her natural abilities and interests. Alongside the core academic subjects, she enjoys music, dancing and sport, which the Lyceum encourage. We're both working professional parents and my experience is most others are too, so we have a lot in common and the children get together at weekends and in holidays. I think we've been lucky in finding the school when we have. It has just appointed a great new headmistress, is moving into new (fabulous) premises next door and the teaching staff are excellent. I was also very keen on Charterhouse, not so keen on Francis Holland and everywhere else I looked at (convenient for us) only took at Reception. i plan to send my daughter to City Girls or JAGs as do other patents I've spoken with. In my experience and opinion...a great foundation school!

We joined Lyceum a couple of years ago. The school clearly had lots of upheaval in the last few years, though that seems to be settling down under new and steady management.

The new building is definitely a great improvement. It is full of light as the PP said, and has quirky street art throughout. Now that there are actual classrooms with doors, I expect the learning environment is much better. Plus, DC says she's getting extra fit climbing all of the stairs! However, one unexpected down side we've noticed with the new building is that the kids are a bit less active in break time - they no longer go use all of the various playground in the area but stay in on the astroturf at the school. As there isn't playground equipment, it can be a bit limiting physically.

The main reason we switched was that the Lyceum seemed to get kids into much, much better secondary schools than DC's previous school (also an independent school). We also liked the small class sizes, the strong music programme and the previous head. Once we joined, we particularly loved the light homework, working parent friendly evening performances and the emphasis on being kind!

All that said, I'm not as happy with the academic side of Lyceum as I'd like to be. Indeed, half of the parents in DC's class registered concerns at the end of last year about the academic side of things for the class for this year - and the response from the school at the time was not particularly helpful. I can only hope that as the year unfolds that the school will prove that they really have been listening. (I'll keep you posted!)

When it was clear that the school wasn't going to take on board the parent feedback, I sort of went into overdrive lining up some outside of school tutoring / enrichment type things. Those outside of school learning opportunities have really brought DC a lot of confidence and sheer joy in learning, but I wish I hadn't had to go looking for them.

I do hope the school gets better at taking on board parent feedback, which does link into... The only other issue for me has been a feeling of something like a total lack of customer service. I tend to think that if we're paying this much money for a service/product, we should be treated like valued customers. And that isn't currently the case. (Though I get that is an issue with the whole sector!) It can leave a sour taste in the mouth particularly after paying the bill, so just be warned.

I don't regret moving DC to Lyceum. Mostly. And should DC get into her preferred secondary school (whenever we figure out what that is), then I won't regret it at all.

Hope it helps to have feedback from a real person with mixed feelings on the school?

@ExpatMomOf1 I am looking at the Lyceum for my daughter and was quite concerned reading your comments on the school. We are looking at somewhere with good academics and it seems from your comments that Lyceum is lacking in that regards? Have they improved this year since your last post?

Also, do you know if they prepare children for 4+/7+ exams (given its a bit of conflict of interest)? Thanks !