Durston House school

[Ealingmum5]

Dear all, I am interested in Durston House for my sons but was lookign to get feedback from parents there or any who were there bnut left to get a better feel for the place. Does anyone have any recent experience of the school since the new headmaster joined three years ago?

would you say it was academically execellent or just good? How is the pastoral care?

Thanks!

Hi,

We are also in Ealing and also considering Durston House - did you manage to get any feedback on it in the end? We should have a play date for our boys :)

Thanks,
Elena

We have two boys in the school. New headmaster is very good - far more modern, open to feedback and accessible - proactively talks to parents and treats the boys with respect too.

Since his joining, the school has implement a hot food service, opened up to boys leaving at 11+ (not yet 13+) and has commenced a merger with the nearby (Harvington) girl's prep school.

Thank you so much, @VaderX - sounds really positive! Are both your boys quite calm, diligent and academic? Do you know of many boys who didn’t exactly fit in and left DH?

Do you mind sharing how often your boys play sports and whether they enjoy any extracurricular activities - are those at the school or do you take them elsewhere?

How many hours of homework do they get per week? Do they usually need any help with it?

Btw would be lovely to meet up for coffee if we are not far from each other :)

My son started this term. He’s had one week there and is very happy so far. We’re disappointed there’s no clubs until year 5 or 6 I think. But music lessons are available. He enjoys the hot food and likes his teachers. Class sizes are small (15). My son isn’t quiet, but he can concentrate/ focus when needed. He likes running around and being boisterous though and yet he seems happy at DH. It is stricter than his old school but he’s acclimating to it. New headmaster is very visionary and seems to be on a mission to overhaul the school to shake off its old grammar style reputation and modernise. Making it co-Ed from next year for example.

That sounds great, glad your son is really enjoying it, @Ealingmum5! In what way is the school stricter than his previous school? Where did he go before?

I didn’t know they don’t have any after school clubs for the little ones :( Are most patents non-working or do nannies and childminders pick them up at 3pm every day?

When you say that they have 15 boys in the class, is that per one teacher or is there also an assistant at each class? How long are the lessons and the breaks right now? Do they get any homework already? Sorry for so many questions!

My son is VERY chatty and says he’s been told to stop chatting so much when walking to the games field and at lunch. He says that’s stricter than his old school. But he’s pleasantly surprised by other things like mindful colouring in some mornings before registration (with calming music) and golden hour every Friday where you’re allowed to bring in a toy to play with your friends. They have 3 breaks a day (it’s a long day for kids from 08:15 / 08:30 drop off to 15:45 collection time. So they need the breaks. There’s a teacher and an assistant per class I think. Homework is 10 spellings a week, reading (they say 15 mins a night) so you swap the book after you’ve finished and they send the boy home with a new one. I think they also get a bit of maths and English a week too. Mainly parents collecting kids. There’s no clubs but there is after school care where kids play supervised by teachers. You pay extra for that. The “enrichment” they’d otherwise get from clubs is built into the timetable with sessions designated as enrichment sessions each week.

That’s so helpful, thank you so much, @Ealingmum5! Just to confirm, is your son in Reception? Is he coping ok with that much homework? I’m assuming that’s around 30 min per day (in addition to 15 min reading?

He’s in year 2, not reception!

Ah that makes sense, thanks so much, @Ealingmum5!

Hi @Ealingmum5, we went to the open afternoon at Durston last week and heard really great feedback from parents about the school, but I must say I was much more impressed with facilities at St Benedict’s. And I know boys also regularly leave Durston to go elsewhere - do you know of many boys who left?

Do you mind telling me if you moved into the area or if your boy went to one of the other Ealing schools but preferred Durston? Please feel free to PM me. It’s such a hard choice. Thanks so much!

This is such a useful thread as we are having an identical debate in my household at the moment. Durston Vs St Benedicts.
We loved St Benedict’s but slightly anxious about going against the conventional wisdom of others who unflinchingly say DH is the clear choice.
My daughter is at NHEHS and most parents with girls there have sent their sons to DH. I know some leave and go to St Benedict’s to avoid the 11 plus process, and I’ve heard many parents complain that there is a lot of onus placed on study and homework at home at DH.
I went to one of their recent open days and was concerned at how cramped the school felt (with the exception of the building for years 3 and 4), will be interested to see how they incorporate the Harvington buildings.

@EalingCookie How does your girl like NHEHS? Was it a clear choice for you then, or did you also consider St Benedict’s for her? How is the commute there from Ealing?
For the majority of patents I speak to St Benedict’s is actually a clear choice, but I thought that parents whose girls already go to NHEHS, Durston would be an obvious choice as they are basically equivalent in terms of what they offer, aren’t they? - very academic, outstanding results, feeder to the top selective secondary schools, perfect for ambitious parents 😂Whereas most of the “average” parents would like to avoid a “hothouse”, competitive environment, lots of tests and hours of homework, so they either move closer to a good state school or would go for St Benedict’s. (I’m obviously massively simplifying and generalising here!) I must say I was really impressed with the facilities, space and bright modern classrooms at St Benedict’s as well as after school clubs, and I’m a bit worried about how old and cramped Durston is, but I suppose to little kids it won’t matter that much, and supposedly qualified teachers and bright classmates is more important… I’m really curious what you decide in the end 😁

@CuriousCat2021 @EalingCookie I feel very similarly.

We have one week to decide and I'm very torn. I think he's too young to make the decision himself, and he's so young it's hard to know whether he would thrive in such an academically rigorous environment. I really loved the St Benedict's facilities and focus on pastoral care etc.

A lot of my older neighbours whose kids are now in university are older rave about Durston House but all recognise St B's has come a long way in recent years.

Have you heard anything else recently that's swayed you one way or another?

@AmMomInLdn @EalingCookie
I think we’ve decided on Durston House for various reasons. Have you ladies decided?

@Ealingmum5 How’s you’d little boy doing at Durston? Is he coping ok with testing as well - I think they have it every week? Hopefully parent meetings went well? Any downsides or negatives to the school? Any updates on how they are planning to use the new space from September?

@CuriousCat2021 Yes, we've decided on Durston as well, for various reasons. Starting September 2023.

@AmMomInLdn Ah lovely, they’ll be in the same class! Would you like to arrange a play date some time, so the boys meet in an advance? Feel free to PM me.

All good so far. The weekly tests are just 10 spellings. The homework is easily manageable. He’s very happy. He didn’t like the hot lunches so we do packed lunches now. But from next September they plan to do full in-house cooked school lunches at no extra cost. Due to the merger with Harvington, we’ve been told they plan to house nursery to year 4 across the current Harvington and pre-prep buildings (which adjoin) and get architects to knock out walls / walkways to connect the two buildings. My younger son starts September 2023 too (I’m trying to get him into Harvington nursery prior, to assist the transition). I know three other kids who’ll be starting Reception in September 2023 too. We could do some park based group play dates in Spring / Summer to ensure they all know some friendly faces before they start? If you want to PM me, we can all swap details. @CuriousCat2021 @AmMomInLdn

@Ealingmum5 That’s fantastic, glad your boy loves it, and the school’s plans sound good!

Wow three other kids starting Reception - I’d really like a play date and meet them too! I’ll PM you.

Sorry to be hijacking this thread but any insights on summer born boys? I asked DH and they said they wouldn’t support a delayed start for a late August born boy and now reconsidering whether DH is the right choice. Thanks!

I had understood you have a legal right to delayed entry if your child is born after 1 April. It applies to state schools, see www.ealing.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/15996/ealing_community_school_admissions_arrangements_202223.pdf under “delayed entry” which states:
Delayed entry
Parents of a summer born child (born between 01 April and 31 August) may choose not to send that child to school until the September following their fifth birthday and may request that they are admitted out of their normal age group to reception rather than year 1.

But independent schools may be exempt. Either way, it’s a disappointing stance by DH if it applies by law to state schools…

Many / most boroughs in England do not allow delayed entry, or only in very exceptional cases. Ealing seems to be one of the few where it is very easy to delay. I am on a FB group just about delayed entry where there is a lot of discussion on this. I was concerned as my son is late June. That being said, my son is currently in state school and I decided not to hold him back.

He is now in Y1 and starting DH in September in Y2. I felt he was on the slower end of picking up reading and writing in Reception but now in Y1, he is definitely on the more advanced side in maths (which he loves) and above average in reading and below average in handwriting (I don't know if that's to do with his age and thus fine motor skills or just him in particular); so it didn't take too long to "catch-up".

To me, without exceptional circumstances, it just feels like trying to give your kid an unfair academic and/or physical advantage, and what would happen if everyone with a summer born boy did that etc., but if the borough/school lets you do that then you have to make the decision that's best for your child. My SIL held back both her July born boys and I think they're just bigger (in some cases A LOT bigger) than other kids in the year and more advanced, and one in particular is just a bit bored in their year. Also one of them joined his local football team with his classmates but then was later forced to join the older year group without any of his friends when they found out his age, since the league matches the school year cut-off.

Sorry didn’t mean to make this about delayed entry per se, I think everyone knows their child best and will make the best decision for them at that time, it was purely whether anyone knew if DH had a blanket refusal policy or if they allow it in some cases. Thanks!

Hi ladies,
For parents whose boys are already at Durston, just wondering if you’ve seen this report and if the school has addressed the concerns here at all?

durstonhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Durston-House-EQI-Report-v5-2022-12-01.pdf

@CuriousCat2021 Thanks so much for the insight into DH. My son is starting reception, September 2023

@Ealingmum5 I went for a tour of Harvington Prep a few years back, but because of Covid, wasn't actually able to go inside the classrooms. Any idea of the facilities they have? I am really attracted to the small classes and intimate feel, it makes the transition from nursery a bit smoother.

What is the general 1st week of reception like?

Are there many places left for people to join in year 1?

I suppose with the merger, there will be more classes for pre-prep and juniors?

@AmMomInLdn Hello :-)