Warwick Prep OR Bablake

[Vallydi]

Hello,
I'd be very grateful if anyone has experience of either of these schools, could you please share your experiences and views?
We're considering our daughter starting at one of these but I am really facing a tough dilemma, with Bablake being merged with Henry VIII, I am just not sure how would this affect the quality.
Also, if anyone could share where can I find any rankings, I'd really appreciate it, I am fairly new to researching independent schools.

I would highly value people's views, as I appreciate those sometimes are more valuable than rankings..

Thank you!

How old is your daughter? Both schools have good reputations, where are you based? It’s an advantage to have local friends

Bablake and King Henry's in Coventry are merging, which seems like a reasonable step - they've been struggling to fill both school intakes for the last few years. But any experience of the current school probably won't be relevant

Are you looking for a single sex education? Warwick prep is the feeder for kings high which is now on the same site as the boys school. Kingsley school in Leamington is also worth a look (girls only).

Thank you all for your comments.

She will be 3 this summer. I am looking at a nursery start.

We live in Coventry, so the commute might be an issue, I have no idea what the traffic in Warwick would look like in the mornings (outside of lockdown). I work PT so pick ups should be OK.

I'd really appreciate some personal experiences.

I am not sure why the two Coventry schools have been struggling.. Warwick on another side seems to have a long waiting list.

Would Warwick provide better all round standards??

I do not mind if it is a co-ed or single sex, though if anyone has experience of a single sex schools, I'd be interested to hear about your experiences.
I really have a better feeling about Warwick prep, but cannot really explain why.

I know Kings High well, can’t comment on Bablake. It’s an academically focused school - the entrance at 3 is just interview, older ages it’s academic selection. It’s a good school. The prep is mixed until the boys go to Warwick junior school. Then it’s selective entry to kings high but obviously the prep children are prepared for the exam. The girls school is very much moving to closer ties with the boys school and whilst they say they aren’t looking to go co Ed , i can’t see it will be anything else by the time your daughter is 11. A good school but so is bablake and the commute would be better for you

Also - the waiting list is just their marketing - if you register on time they’ll be in as far as I’m aware

Thank you so much for your comments, and for sharing this information, it is really useful.
Are they really good at encouraging love for learning and picking up a child's individual talents and working with them to help them develop those? How good is the pastoral care? What about bullying? I experienced that as a child and this is something that really worries me. Do you have any observations on how they handle this?
If you are able to share any more of your experiences I'd really appreciate that.

If you are thinking if Kings for your DD then definitely send to Warwick Prep. There is a big clique who transfer into Kings from the Prep and it is hard for girls to break into that in seniors.

Warwick has always had a better rep. Bablake is the poor mans private school.

Thank you for your inputs.
I really would prefer to keep her in the same school if possible, I've read they prepare them well for King's High at Warwick prep, but just wanted to compare the standards of the two, preferably with people's experiences

It doesn't look like many parents share their views, though, and it is difficult to make an informed decision.
I am not sure why Warwick has had a better reputation, though, is it about the teaching&facilities? Are those better? (I wish I'd have better ideas of those). The fees of both are about the same, aren't they?

Which school did you decide on in the end, @Vallydi ?

Hi, we decided on Warwick Preparatory. We were very excited to start this journey, having had high hopes.
They are extremely good at convincing parents this is the best place for their children. Have invested a lot in that respect.
The reality was a bit different though.

The worst thing was my daughter was being hurt repeatedly and consistently over time only a month after she started by another child, nobody noticing anything, when she told me about it, they brushed it off saying the child was just being rough and very affectionate. They even blamed me for having suspicions about their care given that they had 20 years experience in childcare.
Well, the very next day I collected my daughter all in tears having been badly pinched just under her eye by the same child. Nobody had even noticed until they saw her crying and the mark.
There was no paperwork about it, the member of staff who was ther at collection was extremely insensitive to the situation and how upset my child was at the time.
I had to demand a meeting with the manager, who was kind and understanding but sadly could not do much to improve the situation, nor could she give me reassurance.

Communication from staff is quite poor, not much detail given about their day at preschool. I emailed to ask some basic information about milk provided as my daughter told me she wasn't given milk, they denied it, then it turned out to be true, they blamed it on their system and mis-communication.
And other similar difficulties when trying to communicate there never seemed good enough time, at pick up and collection it was impossible, then emails they said were hard to respond to as they had no time. I had to organise a meeting even for basic things.
At the parent's evening they had allowed 10 mins, it was online, the meeting started later, which meant even less time. They had not noticed basic things like which hand my daughter uses predominantly, and other basic things. She is talented and learnt to read early, before starting there, they had not noticed anything.
Children watched cartoons during the day time even though we had been reassured this would not be the case until after the day finishes and the children are in afterschool club.
Anyway, we ended up pulling her out one term after she started.

They wanted to charge us a full term's fee for the next term because we did not give them a full term's notice.... in the end they did agree not to do that given our experience.

We have decided to home educate and it has honestly been the best decision ever.

I am honestly shocked by your experience @Vallydi! Hope your family and daughter have recovered from the ordeal. Your daughter sounds lovely and bright, I am so glad you have found home education. Personally have no idea how we would go about something like that, having no experience in the area.

From what I’ve seen online, Warwick Prep and King’s High seem to have a commercial focus. Not sure if this is accurate but it’s just my personal feel. Your reply is making us think twice and hard about whether we will continue to consider them as an option for our daughter.

@Kayeeg To be honest we were totally shocked as well. In fact we were so hopeful things cannot be as bad as they seemed that we ignored a few signs in the beginning, but things just went from bed to worse quite quickly.
Also, really disappointed with how commercial the focus is from such a young age. Definitely not the kind of values we'd want to instill in our daughter.
Thank you for your kind words. We recovered mostly, though, my little girl went through some awful times, she was badly affected, had nightmares and anxiety linked to what had been happening for quite a while, I did worry she was traumatised.. Thankfully we pulled her out before things were irreversible.
If this is the standard of care of 3yr old we were simply afraid to think what it would be like for the older ones. Even now she still talks about this child who hurt her, she felt totally unsupported there, my heart aches that this happened to her at only 3yrs old.
I could only advise you to consider things very carefully for your daughter and not to believe all they say and show in their adverts.
I so wish someone could share their experiences at the time, though I appreciate different people would have different experiences.
Wishing you the best of luck for your daughter.
For us this turned to be a blessing in disguise because I've now read and learnt so much about home education and its benefits and I am actually grateful we had this eye opening experience.
Best wishes ❤