West London Prep schools- your thoughts?

[joannadoe]

We are planning to send dd to a prep school in the Kensington & Chelsea area and before we commit to paying registration fees for dd to go onto the waiting list, I want to make sure it's the right school to begin with.

So here is a list I have my eyes on:
Hawkesdown House School
St James Prep
Chepstow House School
Norland Place School
Kensington Wade

We don't want a too harsh environment where children have far too much pressure, we want dd to receive a solid education whilst having fun. A friend in a prep school in another part of London said due to covid and brexit, you will more than likely get a place in the end and not to stress about the registering from birth statement. Ultimately, we are also looking at state schools but haven't moved into London yet. Move will be sometime next year.

State schools:
Colville Primary
Thomas Jones
Fox's Primary
St Mary's Abbot
Kensington Primary Academy

We will try to rent a property close by the state schools if it comes to it. I appreciate your views, advice and other recommendations. This is just a basic research I have done so far and it is bloomin stressful already. We have one dd and as most parents, want our child to receive the best start but also enjoy education.

Many thanks

Hello anyone there :)

St Marys Abbot is CoE fyi...

St James is a lovely low pressure school with the cutest uniforms.

I wouldn't listen to anyone who says demographics means you don't need to put names down. Get on it. West London school entry is a dog eat dog world.

Also I believe Fox, Colville and Thomas Jones entry is via lottery rather than distance.

@joannadoe: This is one of the top state primaries in the country and it is in K&C www.bousfieldprimaryschool.co.uk/
www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/schools/bousfield-primary-school-london
The school got very small catchment area, but if you can afford to rent very close to the school your DD may get place there.
I read some old reviews and apparently Bousfield facilities are better than any private schools in the area.

St James looks like a lovely school and larger compared to the other prep schools I've searched although there's probably more students (I haven't checked). I really want DD to be taught good English, Maths and Science and not fork out on private tutorials as I will already be stretching thin with fees and extra curricular activities.

For state schools, I don't mind whether it's a catholic or coe school and if need be, I wouldn't mind getting private tutorials on subjects it dd falls behind as I wouldn't be paying for school fees as much as prep schools. The reason why I'm looking at prep schools is smaller classes and a school that advocates for a child's individual needs as all children are different.

I honestly didn't know about the lottery though.

I just want to make sure it's the right schools before I register for a waiting list and I feel as though you get the tour after registering!

I think the point is that with an oversubscribed CoE or catholic school you aren't going to get in without regular church attendance and or baptism in the faith.

St Mary Abbots isn't going to be possible unless you have played the church game.

https://www.sma.rbkc.sch.uk/uploads/5/6/3/9/56391091/proposedsmaaadmissionpolicyy2020-2021.pdf

Thank you for letting me know about that as I honestly wasn't aware with it but I've had friends children from different religious faiths attending these schools but maybe it's because it's in different areas with less application volumes. With the renting flexibility I do have that as a advantage as I can move closer but I am also keen on prep schools as well due to smaller classes etc.

Has anyone had any experiences with these schools below?

Hawkesdown House School
St James Prep
Chepstow House School
Norland Place School
Kensington Wade

Thank you in advance.

There is a thread re Kensington Wade in the Primary Education part of Mumsnet. Obviously its a unique school and would need several visits before committing. If you have visited the contributors on the thread would probably welcome your feedback.

St Mary Abbots is looking to change its admissions policy for 2023 onwards so you might want to take a look at the requirements they are proposing: smaemails.files.wordpress.com/2021/12/2023-sma-admissions-pack.pdf

I would be curious to know how the numbers break down for a regular entry class at St Marys...

Let's assume a decent portion go to priority 1 and 2 (siblings and looked after) then of the small percentage given to open spaces before foundation- in theory that could end up being like less than five spaces. So you would literally have to live next door to the school to even attempt a non foundation spot. I am just basing this on my knowledge of how bad it can be with one class e tries at oversubscribed schools. I had friends at John Betts in Brackenbury and some years there were like two spaces one siblings were accounted for.

OP - getting a non church place at an oversubscribed religious school in West London is a completely different beast to getting one in a chill suburb or countryside. I am afraid you may be hanging your hat on a slim chance. I would definitely focus on lottery for good state primaries and getting a prep place

@dilettante73 thank you for sharing your knowledge and observation. This is why I think good state schools are a bit of a long shot and I'm concentrating on prep schools rather and making sure dd has a place offered first and as soon as we move, we can also apply for state schools and try our luck there when it comes to it as they have specific timescales to apply within rather than long waiting lists at prep schools.

I have my eye on a few prep schools and want to find out if any of the users here have any knowledge or experience with the schools I've mentioned earlier. I just want dd to receive a solid foundation in all the core subjects such as English, Maths and Science.

Latest list for prep schools, I've also included Basset House school. What do you think about these schools? We are definitely thinking of living in Kensington Chelsea and don't want to commute long distance as traffic in London especially during rush hour which surely is a beast. So the areas we are looking to live in is Notting Hill, Holland Park, Kensington.

Basset House School
Hawkesdown House School
St James Prep
Chepstow House School
Norland Place School
Kensington Wade

Maybe you should repost on the "primary" sub topic and make sure you are clea in your subject that you are looking for prep feedback in the area. You might get more responses.

I really don't know much about those school as I didn't consider them for my DD. She is in her last year at Bute House. I do know parents who love St James. I also know a few who went to Chepstow but they all moved on at 8+ to more "prestigious" schools. Don't know much about the rest. I don't believe Notland has a lot of grounds and outdoor facilities?

Also are you not interested in Glendower or Pembridge? What's about Kensington Prep?

Hi there, afaik fox is very hard to get in. Catchment is not only the requirement, you have to win the lottery draw. But we were also suggested to move into the catchment area of one state school as a back up plan in case independent schools fail through. We were lucky that DD were offered a place in Kensington Wade three years ago. We are happy with the school still.

My reading of the St Mary Abbots admissions criteria is that if it is very oversubscribed then there are a maximum of 1 or 2 open places. You literally need to live next door to get in.

I’m pretty sure Hawkesdown House closed recently. Don’t know too much about what happened but that’s what I’ve noticed online from their website.