Mount Kelly

[Stevie1der]

Hello there! First time post here...

I'm just looking for some up to date information on Mount Kelly School.
I'm aware that there were some (heated) discussions about the merger between the two schools a few years ago, but I'm just wondering how it has turned out? Has the merger succeeded? Are the parents happy with the schools current track?

I'm keen for my son to attend the school from the earliest age as it appears to me to have the right mix of of academic and sporting attributes (but I'm just going by the website). If my son is anything like his mother or myself, he'll be far more sporty than brainy! So the seemingly good mix of sporting opportunities sounds very appealing. I also like the CCF connection, as I was a cadet myself and it worked wonders for me.

Does anyone have experience of the schools part/day boarding? We won't be very far down the road, but I'd like him to get the most out of his time at school, while still being able to see him as often as possible. How is the schools day to day care of the students regarded by the parents (particularly part boarders)?
We have a couple of years to decide yet, but I'd like to be fully informed when the time comes.

We would appreciate any information on the school, good or bad, but please keep it to the "hear and now" or at least the recent past as I know there used to be some bones of contention that may now not exist...

Finally, its unfortunate that cost has to be brought in to these sorts of decisions, and it seems almost upsetting to have to talk about money... but I suppose one of the main questions has to be, does the schools price tag live up to the learning and living environment that it provides?
I realise that the school is far from expensive in comparison to many others, but an average spending over the 15 years of £12k+ has to produce some results! Be that in the way of academic results or more importantly, general wellbeing of the pupils (hopefully both!).
We want to be sure that the money we invest will give our son (and possible siblings) the best chance of a well rounded and happy education. If he doesn't look back on his school years with great fondness, I will consider the whole thing a massive failure!

Thanks in advance!

Wow, where to start! My children are currently at Mount Kelly, they have done some boarding, and been day pupils.
We have been very happy since the merger. Our children are very much more sporty than academic and are thriving. They are getting much better results academic than I ever hoped they would, a credit to the high quality teaching. The pastoral care I would class as good/ excellent, boarding is especially good. I feel my children are very well cared for, safe and most importantly are incredibly happy at school. They have wonderful opportunities too which they would not have at state school. When mine have boarded they have had a wonderful time, and have been very well looked after. Let me know if you need any more info!

Hi mountkellyparent, how many weekly/full boarders are there in the prep? Thank you!

Ask the school,I am sure they will tell you,but make sure you dig a little deeper,the senior school has plenty of boarders but if you strip out the non British kids and the children on swimming scholarships ,then you are left with very few indeed,not sure if the prep is similar.

We are not boarders, so unable to help. In days gone by, quite a lot of former day pupils boarded for the final year to prepare for full boarding somewhere more distant, but just for practice.

Morning, we are thinking about sending our two children to Mount Kelly and would be greatful for an update.

Entry into year 4 and year 5 and I was wondering about class size, homework load and as they are more sporty than academic would they fit in ? Any swimming info would also be great!
Do the prep children have to take the 13+ to proceed to the Senior School ?

Thanking you in advance.

MountKelly prep offers two streams; one preps for CE and another for those planning on attending MK college from 11.

There are lots of swimmers (as it has a national swim school, and won 8 golds in the Olympics/paralymics programmes) and the school is very actively marketed overseas. Locally, the critics have always carped that there is a small academic stream, although this appears to perform well in terms of university entrance.

I can't tell you how big Y4 and 5 classes are now (we are older) but they used to be 10-14 per class. It was not a disadvantage to be sporty, but there were lots of talented musicians too.

Homework in the prep is sensible, with little left to do at home... about 20-30 minutes per subject per week. The school day is from 8.15 - 17.40, lessons until 4.00, then sport, tutor group, or activities. You have to collect them and feed them quickly, then they are done for the day.

The new head wants to make his mark big time. Admissions are up substantially at all ages, and he appears to be recruiting well.

We have a dd in the senior school-but she is leaving after GCSE's,the senior school is very different to the prep.Many of the children at the prep do not go on to the college,some leave after the 11+ and some after common entrance to other senior schools,the cohort is very different to the senior school.
Numbers may well have risen at the senior school but that is not bec ause more local children are going to it,indeed many like us are going to move to other schools,the increase in numbers is due to more swimmers and many, many more foreign children,the school seems to have almost given up marketing in the local area and it really isnt a school with many local children even compared to a couple of years ago.
Sport is very so -so,we were told the school was sporty but have found it really isn't,the school struggles to put out teams and with ever more swimmers,who seem to be banned from playing the major sports and more foreign children ,then this is only going to get worse,we don't seem to play the bigger and better local schools and the coaching in the non swimming sports is not of a high standard,we have a new head of sport,who seems very keen,so he might do something.
Don't think the school did win 8 golds,it did fantastically at the para Olympics and won 8 medals but they were not all gold,they won nothing in the Olympics and I think they only had one competitor .
If academics are important to you then youll have to ask,the school doesn't make public its results beyond bare headlines,so you wont find much detail without asking and remember many of the swimmers do BTECS.
We decided that the sixth form cohort wasn't what we wanted and so we have decided to go at the end of the year,its a great shame but the direction the school is going in is one that as local parents really doesn't appeal to us
Children do not transfer from the prep to the senior at 11,they transfer at 13,so not sure how accurate the rest of the information about the prep in the previous post is.I would be surprised if the school day finishes at 17.40,Ive seen plenty of prep kids around Tavi well before 17.40

Tavinbloom the prep do finish earlier, at 5.00pm, I think. It's a long time since ours was at MH.

DC has just started Y12 and yes, there are lots of foreign students but TBH, it doesn't bother us as we have lived all over the world, and travelled a lot. The so-so sport doesn't worry us either, as DC hates team/major sports, but enjoys individual pursuits which seem fine. We are escaping from the extremely mediocre state provision locally, and do not wish to move house or look for a boarding school.

We aren't moving house,or looking at boarding,but we will subject to GCSE results have a daughter at a school that has a far broader choice of A levels,better academic results and is just a few miles away,oh and its free ,whats not to like.....

Hope it goes well, Tav.