Heathside prep school, Hampstead

[WanderingSwede]

Hi, I have posted a few times about this school but I'm afraid I am now posting again, I would so like to hear from someone with a child at this school. I went round it in December and thought it seemed happy and cosy however a friend of a friend has a daughter in year 3 who spends each night in tears because there is so much homework and it is so difficult. Apparently the school which I thought was unhothouse-y compared to other schools in the area is now upping the academic side of things. My son would be joining year 2 from a very gentle education in Sweden and I would hate for him to find not only a massive change in his school day (which is no bad thing) but also to find his home time filled with difficult homework at 7 years old. Thank you in advance!

[dsquare]

hello mummuzu - we have an offer atm fr NBH fr reception - ppl seem to be very unhappy there but when I look at the 13+ results they are v good fr boys - can I ask you why you re unhappy as we need to decide school - we have offerat DVH and NBH - DVH ppl seem to like it but results are v average - I hear good things abt Heathside but wiondering which one is best academically - would be great to have some info on your experience at NBH

[dsquare]

hello - how academic is heathside? if you are looking for a good academic school co-ed in north London - ( Highgate excluded) - I still want a good academic school without being crazy competitive - how was your experience

[BizzyBuzz]

I know children who really enjoyed their time at Heathside and felt very well prepared for secondary school. They ended up getting excellent placement. From my understanding, the school seemed to stretch the students just enough, and it wasn't too pushy.

[CB2009]

Have sent a PM MummyZu

[wickerlampshade]

sude62 best to start your own thread with a more specific title

[MummyZu]

Hi WanderingSwede,

I wonder if you can help me please. I came across your post whilst researching about Heathside as well as other independent schools in the area. I have two girls, 7 and 5 both currently at Northbridge House school in Hampstead in years 2 and reception. I'm not very happy with the school and would like to move them to another school. Now that you have been at Heathside for two terms please could you advise me whether it is a good school, is it academic? Do they prepare them well for that 11+? I really am desperate for advise on where to move my girls to. Thanks

[sude62]

Hi
Is there anyone there, who took their school (private) to court for failing their child academically .

[MNCamdenEd]

You could also try our MN Local site for Camden, which has a talk board where you can ask locals for advice & recommendations, plus thousands of listings including a What's On guide and local schools, where Mumsnetters can add their reviews local.mumsnet.com/camden

[CB2009]

Just to add re Heathside. We have family friends, our son best friends with their youngest, all of whom have been to Heathside. Mum is French and a huge fan/advocate for the school. All her 4 children have been there. Her eldest two children are now at Highgate (co ed, independent, well regarded school). All her children all delightful. Well rounded. Balanced. Not as pacy at the start as some of the other Hampstead primary/pre preps. Believe from what she has told me that the academic side increases in demands and pace from Year 3/Year 4 to get ready for good/strong secondary schools from age 11 onwards. Hope this helps!

[KamillaJ]

So great to read all your messages.

We are based in Sydney and coming to London end of this year, to start school in the January term (January 2016). We are relocating as my husband has been offered a job in London. We want to be based in Hampstead as I lived close by when I studied at UCL in my early 20s and love the area, and my husband will have an easy commute to London Bridge.

It's hard picking schools from so far away without having visited! I like the sound of Heathside's relaxed progressive teaching approach and am happy for it to be academic within reason. I will have a lot more time to help the kids with homework etc. and be involved in the school as a result of our move - I have my own business based in Sydney, and while I will be writing while living in London, I wont be hands on managing my business like I am now. I am looking for a warm community + reasonably academic (for at least one of my kids) but not intimidating for the kids.

I've got twin boys who would go into year 3, and a little girl going into year 1. It looks like Heathside may have places which is great, as I was hoping to have all at the same school.

Any chance I can email/PM you re the school EllieNW3? It would be such a great help so I can get a better sense of the school.

Kamilla

[WanderingSwede]

Oh wonderful, thank you!

[EllieNW3]

I will PM you

[WanderingSwede]

Hej EllieNW3! Thank you for writing. Our move is fixed and the children are starting at Heathside in September so it was perfect to hear a lovely positive comment here! Our son will be starting Year 2 (he'll be one of the older ones as he turns 7 this summer but the school were happy for him to move down a year which I'm very happy about) and our daughter into Reception. It would be wonderful to hear some more about Yr2 please! x

[EllieNW3]

Hejssan ,

Sorry I only saw your thread now. I am a Heathside mum and a fellow Scandinavian (the non-Swedish or similar language speaking kind). You have probably made your decision by now but please do let me know if I can be of any help. I know a Swedish mum there too whose all children are either at Heathside or have moved on from Heathside (to a top secondary).

Yes, homework is quite a lot. My daughter is in year 2 so I would be able to tell you in quite a detail what you could expect from that year. We love the school and have had such a pleasant experince :-)

Good luck with your move regardless. I know it can be stressful. We came back in summer 2013 after having had lived abroad for five years.

[sleepwhenidie]

I think the child is 11+ yes, so don't panic!

[WanderingSwede]

Sleepwhenidle - 4 children?!! Only goes up to 11 so that's bad. Understand if 13 as some leave at 11. Oh dear. Don't think I dare check though as we are accepting the places ??. Fees for ASL are pretty shocking, more like a boarding school!

[sleepwhenidie]

Understand on the class size, they tend to be approx 14 at The Academy, but I know someone who's child is at Heathside in a class of 4 - iirc think she is older child though, whose peers have left. May be worth confirming numbers at Heathside if you haven't already .

Yes and yes to ASL, fees £20-£24k pa and I'm sure mostly paid by overseas employers.

[WanderingSwede]

Thank you so much sleepwhenidie, crazy long holidays :). Homework starting properly at Yr 5 makes a lot of sense, that's about how it is in Sweden too. I have heard lots of good things about the Academy but in the end decided not to apply because there was a suggestion the classes were too small. It will be tricky for my two to come into a class as it is so I thought slightly bigger would be better. As I said to some others who posted though it is good to know some other good schools if things don't work out at Heathside (we have places now).

Do you mean the American school when you say ASL? Hadn't checked out the fees. Will have to snoop now! I suppose a lot of children there have their fees paid for by their parents' work if posted from overseas so they can charge (even) more than other private schools.

[sleepwhenidie]

Oh, the Academy School is on Rosslyn Hill btw, slap bang in the middle of Hampstead.

[sleepwhenidie]

You'll need v deep pockets for ASL!

[sleepwhenidie]

wandering I have friends with DC's at Heathside and they are, on the whole, fairly happy. It's probably worth considering The Academy School too, not as relaxed academically as King Alfred's, gets kids into a full range of secondaries, not just the academic ones, ie they cater to the child, not to results for their own sake (like most hothouse N London preps). They also don't have lots of homework (at least not until y5) and have crazy long holidays due to starting lessons at 8am .

[WanderingSwede]

H4dley, thank you for your message. I will google Dwight now. As I said to someone else we have just heard that we have got places at Heathside so I think we will go for that. It is very good to have other schools to think of though if we find it doesn't work out. Thank you again.

[WanderingSwede]

Thank you very much Wiifitmama, I have now got places at Heathside so I think I will go for it but I will keep this in mind in case we feel the homework is making life a misery. My mother spoke at some event at the American school in North London and then met with parents afterwards and was lyrical about it and the attitudes so I can imagine the same about the one you speak of. Will have to go and google it now!

[Wiifitmama]

Hi. I am not a mum with kids at these schools but I tutor children in Hampstead all at different private schools. My experience is that all the prep schools have a heavy homework load as they are preparing for the 11+. However, the international schools are different. I titir a child at Southbank International school (campus in Hampstead) and it is a much more well rounded experience with significantly less homework. The children are from all over the world too. I believe the holidays are long too. I went to an international school myself (in London) in high school and loved the experience. Just a thought