Loyola Prep School, Avon House prep school, Chigwell prep school, Forest school, St. Aubyn's school, Ray Lodge Primary, Woodford Wells Primary, Churchfields Infants' and Junior school

[PaddingtonCat]

Loyola Prep School, Avon House prep school, Chigwell prep school, Forest school, St. Aubyn's school, Ray Lodge Primary, Woodford Wells Primary, Churchfields Infants' and Junior school.

Hi all,

Our DS will be starting school next September and I would be grateful for your help on making a decision on which school we should select/rank in order on our application form. I am particularly interested from hearing from parents/grandparents/carers who have a child/children who attend or have attended that school in the past 3-5 years.

I am particularly interested in hearing your thoughts on the following;

1.Teachers - are they happy where they are? Do they enjoy working there? What is the staff retention rate like? What does your child/children who attend/have attended the schools above say about their teachers and the way in which they teach? Do they foster a "growth mindset"? Do they feel supported/encouraged? What do they do if a child is struggling academically?

1. Learning opportunities/clubs/activities/sports/music/school trips

What kind of activities (outside of the academic sphere) are on offer? Apart from the usual music lessons, football etc. What about Forest school? Drama? STEM activities? Dance? Coding? Cooking? Pottery?

1. Concerns/Improvements/School Inspection reports

What could the school be better at? Do you agree with their Inspection Reports? If not, why?

1. Unwanted/difficult behaviour, friendship troubles/bullying

What methods are used to deal with problems/negative behaviour?

1. How much time do they children spend outside every day? How does this change when they are older?

1. What is the school library like? Is this open at break/lunch times/after school? How often are books replenished?

1. Does it have a community feel? Are they opportunities for children to engage in community projects? Do businesses in the community support the school? Do you have a good relationship with many of the parents in your child's class/school?

1. Diversity across the teaching, non teaching staff and pupils? Is there a fairly even mix of ethnicities of staff and pupils? What about ethnic diversity in leadership/PTA/deputy/specialist teacher positions compared to caretaker/canteen/playground/teaching assistant staff?

1. Leadership - thoughts on the heads, who are on the PTA/boards? Are the heads more than just the "face" of a school? How much have they maintained/improved the school? What kind of links/franchises/affiliations do they have with other organisations?

Granted, there are a lot of questions there! Any comments big or small I'd be grateful for your "two cents". Thanks in advance!

You've asked 9 topics about 9 schools and about 9 sub questions in each. That's about 729 questions. I can't imagine anyone having enough time to answer even a fraction of this

None of it will tell you whether your child will thrive there. Just pick the one you like best!

@LondonMummer, did you read to the end of the post? I realised that there were a lot of questions, as I said any comment would be useful. It's aimed at anyone who knows of a child/children that attends any of the schools (not all nine). At most I wouldn't expect thoughts to be shared on more than 1 maybe 2 schools from that list. Also there isn't about nine sub questions for each- I don't expect ppl to have something to say for each one!

Choose a school with good onsite wraparound care if you think you will need it. Otherwise, pick as school a convenient walk away. Living near enough to visit your friends easily is a gift. Your questions 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 are most important. Concentrate on those, and only worry about diversity if your child will be in a small minority at the school.

You’re overthinking it. Take a deep breath, visit the schools, see which ones you like the most.

Update: We decided to go with Loyola in the end and very happy we did. He started in reception and the teacher is very good - she has been teaching that class for a number of years too. They have after school clubs and holiday clubs which are very nice to have and the class has a diverse mix of ethnicities (sometimes this is luck of draw and not easy to cultivate). Overall, I am happy to recommend the school based on one term. Will provide further updates in the future.

May I ask how you finalised Loyola for your child. I am confused between Loyola and St Aubyn’s. Also thinking about Woodford green prep. You insights would be helpful.
Btw this post helped me shortlist the schools.