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Original poster

St Hugh's or Kitebrook Prep?

35 replies

Isuxasanannyboss · 17/07/2020 23:26

Hi, we are moving from London to Oxfordshire and are looking to move our children (boy and girl) to a Prep school that goes to 13 and that offers some flexi boarding. We will be equidistant from St Hugh's and Kitebrook. Our children are not super academic but the boy is very sporty and the girl is quite into arts. I don't have any particular agenda of where they need to go after, rather I'd like them to enjoy their time in prep and be happy. I won't be working and don't have any local friends nearby so a school that involves parents in social activities would be great. Does anyone have feedback on St Hugh's and Kitebrook? Am I right that they are essentially pretty similar? TX

OP posts:
notachancethatshappening · 21/07/2020 14:21

100% St Hughs. Many people leave Kitebrook as it's so small and move dc to St Hughs instead. St Hughs is very sporty - everyone plays in matches on a Weds. Very inclusive learning, basically can be great for all kinds of children.

Original poster
Isuxasanannyboss · 21/07/2020 15:31

Hi Notachance, thank you so much for your reply!
Would I be crazy driving 30’ each way twice a day to take my dc there? I believe their catchment area is pretty big, however no school buses, I worry I will spend so much time driving that I will regret my move!

OP posts:
Jetset78 · 22/07/2020 08:07

I would encourage you to go visit both schools when it becomes possible. St. Hugh’s has a strong reputation but when we visited a couple of years ago we didn’t get a particularly warm or friendly feel from it. We were shown around by pupils and after speaking with several of them we just didn’t get the sense that they were having fun and enjoyed being there.

Original poster
Isuxasanannyboss · 22/07/2020 08:30

Thanks Jetset, I will visit both and also The Dragon to get a good sense -the families I know with children there love it- although I don’t particularly crave moving out of London and then driving into Oxford on a daily basis.

OP posts:
houselikeashed · 22/07/2020 12:03

St Hugh's is full of London families - you'll fit in very well.
30mins drive is nothing. I wouldn't dream of attempting to drive into the Dragon every day.

Original poster
Isuxasanannyboss · 22/07/2020 15:27

Thanks houselike. Yes I heard traffic into Pxford is hideous. Good point re St Hughs being full of London families. We have family in Scotland and overseas but not in England and will leave our friends behind in London so a school with a nice sociable atmosphere for parents is a plus.

OP posts:
notachancethatshappening · 28/07/2020 14:01

30mins isn't unusual for the school run, often more! St Hughs has many flexi borders too (kids love it) and the house parents are very very lovely. Even if you've never thought of boarding the kids often pester to do it for one or two night a week. Don't even entertain Oxford traffic on a daily basis!

Original poster
Isuxasanannyboss · 28/07/2020 15:52

Thanks for all your comments! We will visit both Kitebrook and St Hughs in the autumn (the first is 14 miles and the second 17 miles away and could be 35’ drive) but I suspect St Hughs will be more appealing to my children, I mean they already looked at the websites and said that’s where they want to go. I’m not fan of boarding at an early age but I think taking advantage of flexi boarding would be an organic and natural way to allow them to try and see if they want to go to a boarding school later on or not. They are excited with the move. I’m a bit anxious -non British and a townie all my life- but I feel I must give it a go! Thanks again everyone for your comments.

OP posts:
Beachcomber74 · 06/08/2020 08:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Isuxasanannyboss · 06/08/2020 08:59

Hi Beachcomber! I’m glad you wrote, thank you so much! I do think of Kitebrook as a better school for me location wise as it is closer and there are more things that appeal me nearby, Daylsford next door and Soho Farmhouse not too far away. As per the local community, I’m keen to get plugged in. I don’t approve of people that move out of wherever city or country and don’t want to adopt the local culture or embrace the community. I must admit though that I fear it’s harder to break into established circles of friends when people have lived in a certain place all their lives and who know their friends from way back, plus I’m an exotic South American with an accent! 😂

OP posts:
sophiesiobhan · 28/09/2020 10:02

Hi Isuxasanannyboss
Just saw this thread - am also weighing up SH vs Kitebrook for my daughter who is year 2 now (just started) - we'd be moving from London.
I wonder if you got any further with your decision? IMO St H has got quite glitzy and glossy over the last few years (my nieces and nephews went when Mr Nott was head teacher and it was more down-to-earth). So I might be put off by the glossiness... Hence considering Kitebrook which is smaller but an easier drive from where my house is!

Original poster
Isuxasanannyboss · 28/09/2020 10:28

Hi Sophie! our children may end up in the same class, they will start year 3 next year (boy/girl twins). We lost the property we were going to buy when I posted this. That property was almost equidistant to both schools and I was struggling to decide because I preferred St Hughs from a school size point of view but selfishly I liked Kitebrook from a location point of view. I'm now currently geared more towards Kitebrook because the property we are trying to buy is 5' from it so it's a no brainer. The children of the current owner of the house attended Kitebrook and they used to commute in a donkey!
I'm happy to connect privately (not sure how that's done in Mumsnet) if you'd like to chat further.

OP posts:
Yahhi · 24/02/2021 20:00

I know this is an old thread but I'm resurrecting in hopes of getting more views on kitebrook. Ours are currently at st. Hugh's in preprep and really aren't very happy.

BML123 · 25/02/2021 20:22

@Yahhi interested to know why they are not happy. We are considering the school but have struggled to find anybody who says anything bad!

Yahhi · 26/02/2021 07:55

It's a very glossy school with fabulous facilities. But the quality of teaching especially in R-2 is poor which was a real shame after a cracking experience in nursery. The teachers lack any enthusiasm or warmth. There are a lot of big behaviour problems that don't get addressed as nothing negative is ever dared to be said to the parents. The new head isn't a patch on the old one. Some of the excellent staff like the forest teacher have left.

cosmobrown · 26/02/2021 15:30

StH staff are very much micromanaged.

Facilities are great.
Pupils are molly-coddled/spoon fed.
Pupil progress is monitored very very closely.
It's also a long day at StH.

Don't know anything about Kitebrook.

Beachcomber74 · 27/02/2021 11:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SaifTea · 27/02/2021 18:48

@cosmobrown I agree. We've known more than a few from STH who got into fairly selective senior schools and promptly had to switch schools as they couldn't cope without being spoonfed. Inevitably the parents comment on what a hothouse the senior schools are for expecting children at secondary will have the capacity to be somewhat independent. The thing that made us leave was the complete unwillingness to directly address the parents. The result is some very poor behavior especially from boys.

BML123 · 28/02/2021 15:47

@SaifTea thanks this is helpful, can I ask is this recent experience?

Cosmobrown · 01/03/2021 14:19

@SaifTea
There are some very entitled families at StH. Some very nice families too though!

@BML123 Poor behaviour is recent, yes.

SaifTea · 01/03/2021 14:29

@BML123 Our experience has been over the past 3 years including this one. There was one boy in reception who was late every day. The teacher kept telling the mother 'he's far more settled when he's in a bit earlier'. The mother didn't even realise she was late because nursery has a different start time. It took another parent to tell her. It's just a silly amount of dancing around. The head of preprep is completely out of her depth and has had several big cock ups.

CosmoBrown · 01/03/2021 17:41

@SaifTea
The parent in question had probably received so many e mails from StH she stopped reading them. Hmm Grin

BML123 · 01/03/2021 19:31

Lol @saiftea @cosmobrown i can’t decipher if the bad behaviour comes from the parents or the children? Possibly the parents are more of a problem from the sounds of it!! Shame the school have not buckled down on it but from all the posts it does sound like this is coming from a specific year group? I guess when you are paying so much in school fees you may feel somewhat entitled Hmm

SaifTea · 01/03/2021 20:27

The parents on the whole are very hands off. They aren't pushy in that way. The behavior of the kids isn't great. The staff are jumping off that ship mighty fast too. They've just announced the much loved boarding house parents are leaving. His father was the head of STH ages ago and he's been the PE teacher for a long time...it doesn't bode well.

Cosmobrown · 01/03/2021 21:16

There's behavioural issues all the time. It's just more pronounced as the pupils get older.

For me, I'd drive further to another school.
Do you have boys or girls BML123?