Yes, both of my kids started at St. Andrew?s in the Nest (0-3 years) when they were around 9 months old. Now they are in the Children?s House (3-6 years) and Lower Elementary (6-9 years) and love it.
The beautiful main building and grounds make it look ?posh? but it?s a friendly school and isn?t snobby at all. The kids come from varied backgrounds with very well-off ones being very much in the minority. You don?t need to worry about kids comparing their holidays ? I don?t think that my kids are the only ones who don?t even have passports and think that 2 days at their Grandma?s is a ?holiday?!
Academically, I think that the school is wonderful and love the fact that they use the Montessori materials to provide a really good ?old-fashioned? curriculum, which the children gain an amazing general knowledge from. (Includes botany, zoology & geometry from 5). They?re also taught individually so learn at their own pace which suits all abilities. The children are never compared to one another and there?s no testing of any kind, apart from SATs at 11. (That last one was particularly important to me after being given a life long fear of exams from the constant testing at the traditional prep. school I attended in the 70s!) They also get a lot of attention as staffing levels are very good ? 2 teachers & an assistant for 13 kids in the 6-9 class. Parents like the fact that the teachers are very accessible without an appointment, which seems to be quite unusual. We also get very detailed feedback sessions & end-of-year reports. (Our last report was four typed A4 pages, all very individual with no obvious ?cutting & pasting?.)
It?s not a school for parents who want spectacular sporting facilities but I don?t think that that matters. From 5 they all do P.E., swimming, yoga and football/cricket and spend their play times running around the huge back lawn. Lots of kids also do jujitsu and/or horse riding as extracurricular subjects, during the school day. It?s a very rounded education and the school makes full use of its grounds ? even the babies are taken on regular nature walks in the school?s woodland and go to see the horses in the neighbouring fields.
There are also regular performances that the children take part in from the age of 3 e.g. Nativity play, Easter songs & poems. Learning songs and lines and performing to all of the parents seems to give their confidence a boost. (Our eldest went from shuffling across stage, eyes down at 3 years to singing a solo part at 5.)
In brief it?s just a really nice, friendly little school where the children learn a lot and are very happy!
Sorry that my reply is so long but hope that it helps. If you?d like any more information you can contact me directly (she says hoping that it?s straightforward & I don?t have to have set that facility up!!).