Hill House vs Montessori Notting Hill – Any Experiences?

[WiseMaker]

We’re moving to the area soon, and I’m starting to look at primary options for my daughter. She’s currently in a lovely Montessori-style school and really thriving in that environment, so I’m hoping to find something with a similar ethos if possible.
At the moment I’m looking at Hill House and also the Montessori school in Notting Hill / Bayswater but I’d really appreciate any first-hand experiences or opinions on either. How did your children find the teaching style and overall atmosphere? And if you know of any other schools with a more child-led, Montessori-influenced approach, I’d be grateful for recommendations. Thanks!

Have a look at Ladbroke Sq Montessori. Lovely school. I did my teaching practice there years ago. Hill house is great my nephews went there.

Does Hill House have a Montessori influenced approach? I’m really surprised about that so I would double check.

Thank you. Yes, Hill House isn’t Montessori but I just wanted to hear anyone’s views on it.. Montessori would be more suited.

If you are still considering primary schools I wanted to share our experience. I have two children, both attended Hill House International School in London from Reception through to 13+ (girls usually leave at 11+, but some stay until 13+ due to the limited availability of secondary school places for girls at that age.)
Hill House is the best primary school I have experienced. I did extensive research before choosing it and if I had to make my decision again I would choose Hill House again. My older son is now in secondary school and my younger one will start his in September. They both absolutely love Hill House—everything from the teachers and lessons to the trips to the school’s Swiss branch in the later years (they have ski trips in winter, music trip in spring or summer and geography trip in autumn). It is an absolutely fantastic experience for kids.
From Year 5 (around ages 9½–10) the school begins preparing pupils for the 11+ exams and advice parents on suitable secondary schools based on child’s abilities and interests. The teachers know the children extremely well so their recommendations are very accurate when suggesting appropriate schools. The preparation provided by the school is very thorough and from my experience it is mostly sufficient to get admission to top academic secondary schools. Hill House offers an excellent balance of strong academics, sports and music. My kids were happy to go to school every day and were sad when they had to miss even one day. Having experience with my sons at Hills House now for 11 years I can see that other kids from my sons’ classes went to some of the top secondary schools, including Westminster, St Paul’s, KCS, JAGS, Latymer, Eton, Harrow, Brighton College and other. Also the school has a lot fo high-quality sports options, a wide range of musical instruments, orchestra and a school choir if your kids are interested in any side of music.
The teachers are outstanding—highly professional in their subjects, kind, attentive and very approachable. The school and teachers maintain excellent communication and relationships with parents while the children are at the school. It is a school as it has to be. I wish I could attend Hill House International in London when I was a child. I can only highly recommend this school for any parents who wants to have a happy child during formative school years.
Please feel free to ask any questions in relation to Hill House International. I will be happy to help.