Purcell school

[Mt2025]

Hi I'm looking for some feedback from parents who have had their child at Purcell.
I have a keen 10 year old that insistent that this school is right for them.
im looking for to speak with some current or recent boarding parents

I don’t know the school but you have posted in Higher Ed which is usually for discussions about universities and other post-18 options. You might want to ask for this to be moved to Secondary Ed or maybe Boarding Schools if this is a boarding school?

Oh dear! Thank you

When it was very close to where we live we had a lot of contact as my children's father is a music teacher. I have not had contact with it more recently but it was an excellent school when I knew it. I think it moved to its current premises when it expanded.

@Xenia i would really love some more information. The school is currently in bushy, I had no idea it was relocated.

Ah yes, I remember that move - it was just to get more space. I just don't have any current information. My own views on music schools are that the child definitely needs to be sure it is for them. I think Chetham's and Yehudi Menuhin are better known. My music teacher at school had her daughter at Chetham's (the local authority paid the fees).

If you want to do a lot of music and are happy to be away from home I expect it can be really good. I have been to some concerts at the Purcell School but not recently. It always seemed a very happy nice school. We deliberately didn't want our children in a music school - three of our 5 children got music scholarships but not to music schools; as I (and also their father) didn't feel it is that easy to make enough money in those careers but I would certainly not that stopped any of mine wanting to do that had they chosen it and plenty of people go to a music school and don't have a career in music anyway.

my child has a real love for music, they are so passionate about it. It's the first they do when they wake up and get home from school.
one of my concerns is also wether it would give my child a comfortable life. My child has just started grade 8 piano and is grade 5 clarinet as well as singing. However they started playing much later than other children.
I am also looking at applying at an independent school however with the rising costs of fees I'm not sure if it is feasible.

Another option is a regular school with a strong music dept and then Saturday music school at RCM/Guildhall/RAM.

Some secondary schools in both state and private sectors offer loads of music opportunities. It can be quite a step up from Primary. But you would need to research carefully to find them.

And supplemented by holiday camps with NCO/English schools orchestra/National Wind Band etc. Sometimes these take place at schools like Purcell. My DC have boarded there and the facilities are great and the food is good!

@FinancialWiz i would really like to hear about the boarding. I am concerned that my child is quite young. I have also heard of some safeguarding issues. Do you mind if I ask what your DC is doing now? Are they still doing music?

My music teachers daughter went to Purcell for Saturday school and then boarded. She was one of the youngest finalists in young musician of year at about 14... She's a high profile professional musician now.

I know she enjoy led the Saturday school. It clearly served her well.

@golemmings that is amazing and so lovely to hear. How long ago was this?

Not Purcell but my DC went to another of the specialist boarding schools for 6th form (upto last summer), and experienced very serious safe guarding issues.

My advice when considering boarding school is to be very aware that, as parents, you have no way of knowing everything that is happening to your child.

This is my worry. However I feel our situation may differ from most parents as we will be collecting our child on weekends and school holidays. I still want them to have a family life. But again you can never really know exactly what is happening.

Our son was home for weekends every 3 weeks, as well as all holidays, and we visited him at school in between times too; it didn’t make any difference to the horrendous experience he had because of the school’s lax safeguarding.

@Alwaysplayspicc i am so sorry this has happened to you and your son.

1990s!

The Purcell School is an independent i.e. private school / fee paying. I think that is clear above but perhaps not.

On the issue of earnings my children's father who is a music teacher and organist certainly was never happy with pay and has said at times wishes his father has pushed him into accountancy etc. I am a lawyer and have always done tons of music, 4 grade 8s etc etc and have liked having it as a hobby, but loads of people are very content with a career in music. It is just hard to make an informed decision when are 10 about likely earnings. Lots of lawyers in London do loads of music and are in choirs, orchestras etc and some even read Music at Oxbridge so it is possible to do vast amounts of classical music at school and university and then get very high A level grades and get into higher paid graduate careers. IF money is important to the young person which is it not of course for plenty.

The other option is a choir school - choristers work extremely hard particularly at Christmas and Easter, but are with a other children who aren't choristers but in the same school so it may give a wider exposure to other choices.

There is the completely separate issue of if you want a child to board or not. I never been much in favour although offered my 3 sons the chance to apply of boarding school but they wanted to be home as teenagers not board which was perfectly fine with me.

@Xenia thank you I really appreciate this.

first of all you are incredibly talented, I couldn't play the triangle even if I tried!

my child has a great love for music and is insisting its want they want to do in the future. The worry about if it will pay enough for them is from me as a parent. I would hate to watch them struggle financially.
ultimately music makes them happy and happiness is the most important thing.
who wants to be a high earner but live a unhappy life, but then again who wants to be a talented struggling musician. I guess it's always going to hard to find a balance. As a parent I will worry regardless.
I think over the next couple of weeks I will spend some more time looking at the options we have for schooling but music is something we can't sacrifice. It brings them so much joy.
unfortunately the state schooling system is failing those children that are a little bit different hence why we went down the independent school route. However the fees have more than tripled plus now with added VAT makes it less affordable and quite literally a struggle.

in regards to boarding I would prefer not, my child wants to board. Purcell would work well as we would be able to pick up on a Friday night and drop them back for Monday and all school holidays will be at home so they would still have a family life which is very important to me.
The safeguarding issues is what is bothering me however I am looking into this.
one thing I have noticed is the more I look into it, it seems like all the MDS schools have had these issues as well as independent schools and state schools.

again I appreciate your messages they have been very helpful

I 100% agree with everything Xenia has said. FWIW we are a family of musical medics, scientists and engineers and a few professional musicians who all chose the Saturday conservatoire, NYO, Oxbridge choral scholar musical path rather than a music specialist school. If you live close enough to Purcell to be able to pick up your DD every weekend, then surely you live near enough to London for Saturday junior music college?

I had quite a lot of friends who were day pupils at Purcell as I grew up in London. Quite a few of them became burnt out and lost their love of music. It can be very intense at 11 being in an environment where everyone is living and breathing music. I would also add, just like some kids struggle with not being top of the class with no effort when they move to a selective school at 11, some of them found it tough being average in a school where everyone is musical.

What does her teacher think?

Have you considered Wells Cathedral School? It has a musical specialist programme within the school so it is possible to leave the programme without changing schools.

@KnickerFolder
Thank you.

I've had some time to think this through and do some more research. I appreciate your feedback.

I don't see my child being a medic or a lawyer. However 11 is so young may just keep them at their current school for another 2 years and see how they have grown. It's too young to choose. They may surprise me and choose a different route.

Their teachers have all said that they are very musical and naturally gifted.

I have other children and no support so at current traveling into London every weekend doesn't work but it will in a couple of years.

i don't feel comfortable with wells being so far from home but this may change in the few years.

I'm hoping they get a music scholarship at 11 but if that doesn't happen they can stay where they are and we will worry about it later.
children need to be children.

Purcell was lovely, the students and teachers were great but my child is also a bright child.

Thank you for your message I appreciate it.