Prince George Thomas;s Battersea

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Read an announcemet that Prince George is starting in Thomases in Battersea, quite an unexpected choice as it was originally reported that he would be starting in Weatherby. Is Thomases in Battersea a pushy tiger parent/yummy mummy type school? Ethos sounds quite different in that all kids have no best friend...

I have dropped off a friend's child at Battersea Thomas's and am prepared to bet that the single entrance enclosed car park is a good security bet. Plus Co Ed . I personally think Newton Prep is a better school ( other opinions are available) , but it has much more in the way of grounds / playing fields and more exposed if you were really worried about security. That said - they may have very different criteria , and - up to them.

Sad security breech at the school :(

I think if you started with Marlborough as your eventual target, Thomas' would be one of the schools you would be steered towards. Co-ed, sound academics, good sport and strong extra-curricular, producing confident, competitive and accomplished children. Newton tends not to send so many boarding and the central London schools have nothing like the same facilities. Plus security. You can't really see Prince George in pink corduroy knickerbockers (I assume that is what they are) in one of those crocodile lines filing through Knightsbridge or Chelsea on their way to classes or a leisure centre. Co-ed also means only one set of security.

A bit to bankerish for me, but perhaps it reflects Kate's middle -class ambitions.

DD left for University at the weekend. I am so glad we have finished negotiating Central London education.

According to a friend of a friend who claims to be "in the know" Garden House was a very feasible option for them & apparently had been seriously considered... Said fof was very surprised when Thomas's was announced...

Garden house has a very particular uniform - Thomas's is much more straightforward. Musing only - I suspect they had a lot more else to think about.

Garden House only goes to 11. No good if you want to move to secondary at 13.

Garden House don't do PE or playtimes on their site - there is no outdoor space. They have to be bussed/walk to Royal Hospital gardens, Battersea Park etc which is very open and probably a security nightmare.
It is a lovely school though.

Thomas's Battersea students are in the park often. George plays there fairly often, it obviously isn't a problem of the park. Probably more the drop off and pick up. I attended an open day at Newton Prep. parking was unpleasant, one way in construction and a dead end road.

Park around the other side of the school under the arches - loads of room! Besides that road is also used by parents at the school opposite (and they do try to get parents to walk, cycle or go by public transport).

If you are prepared to park on the other side of the main road and walk 3 mins - ( not a residential road) then parking for Newton really isn't hard - but probably more of an issue for a chap who is in line for the throne than my Ds - who when I last checked - isn't

No around the back - by the back gate. You can get a big car down there.

That reminds me of when we had a prince at DSs school.

We would drive if running late but god help us if we got stuck behind their (humongous and slow) cavalcade. Soooo many security staff (a really lovely lot but they looked like they could do you a nasty injury if necessary with their bare hands).

Shamelessly commenting, wonder if Kate is the most stylish mum on the school run... Glad Charlotte & George have settled in well over the years