Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Flip

Original poster

Prep schools Liverpool

8 replies

Da1ryQueen · 04/05/2011 09:18

Just wondering if anyone can offer any insider knowledge into the prep schools in liverpool? Moving there, so don't really know what the schools are like apart from how they sell themselves. I want co-ed, and would rather avoid hothouses...any recommendations, any I should avoid?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

marialuisa · 04/05/2011 09:38

It's been a long time since we were there but.....Liverpool College is the big private school. Runnymede private prep feeds St Edward's (State RC secondary). Then there's Merchant Taylors in Crosby and St Mary's (RC) both go all through. Wirral has grammars so quite a few private primaries and then Birkenhead School (academic) and Kingsmead (less so ) which are all through.

HTH and someone with more up-to-date info comes along soon.

nwmum · 04/05/2011 16:22

Don't live in Liverpool but I went to Carleton House which has just moved to Mather avenue, there is also the Hamlets (girls)on Belvedere Road. Otherwise I would look at Wirral/Crosby schools. Defo give Liverpool College a miss as heard standards have dropped

sunnyday123 · 04/05/2011 17:53

merchant taylors by far has the best reputation in the area. I know many people who have been there. Blue coat is also excellent

Original poster

Da1ryQueen · 04/05/2011 18:22

blue coat is a grammar though isn't it? ie not prep age. Need to know where the best 3-11 place to go is! I looked round Carleton House, but it seems like all they do in the last 2 years is to prep for the 11+ / entrance exams, and I would like the kids to enjoy school!

OP posts:

EBDteacher · 04/05/2011 20:58

I went to Stanfield (prep to Merchant Taylors- girls 3-11, boys 3-7) and loved it- although that was many moons ago. The boys prep (7-11) also had/ has a good reputation.

newby66 · 26/09/2011 14:40

My son is at Liverpool College (seniors) he did not attend prep as the state school local to us is fantastic. However I can recommend the prep there and advise that the standards dont appear to have dropped and entry into the upper school is now limited to a guarantee to those coming up from prep and then perhaps 20 external places, the external places are very oversubscribed going into seniors and based mainly on academic merit. There are some scholarship places available but the bulk of those go to those coming through from the prep. Carleton House is most definately a hot house for entrance examinations and I know of several children of who have been there and their parents have removed them recently.

Liverpool College is definately on the upward trend academically but has an excellent mix of bringing about the whole person and not just focusing on the hot housing. the facililites are excellent

I would certainly recommend a visit to see the school and get a feel for it.

KTk9 · 27/09/2011 13:46

We have just been looking at exactly this and our dd started this term.

We only looked at Liverpool College - DH went there - and Merchants. We personally prefered Merchants, as the Preprep at Liverpool was in a not so great building and when we visited, seemed a bit of a muddle. A friend who is a teacher, also visited independently and noticed similar things and that a lot of work was being done on worksheets.

The Prep school however was lovely, light airy, open spaces around it and co-ed. They have had some changes recently, new head and some other stuff, but it all seems to be for the good, however they have started doing IB exams for 6th year, which is I believe a new thing for them and personally, not sure we would go that way, although have a few years to worry about it until that stage! If they had a better preprep (reception - Yr 2), we would probably be there now!

Merchants (Stanfield), has a great Pre-prep and the care the little ones received in Reception was lovely (when we looked around I noticed that they got help in the dinner hall etc), it was accepted that they were still little, not like my dd's old school which just left them to it. We also liked that the girls stay in the same building, so didn't go across to another huge school like Liverpool at Yr 3, so is consistent. However, the boys do go to the boys part of Merchants at this stage.

I am afraid I don't know about the other schools in the area, but so far am happy with our choice, my only little bugbear, is that there is not a lot of grounds/grass around it like Liverpool College.

If you want co-ed then between these two it would be Liverpool College.

Best of luck, it was the most traumatic thing that we have had to go through with our dd to date - choosing a school - (apart from giving birth!).

Fizzyfish67 · 29/10/2011 12:31

Both my sons have gone to Liverpool College, with the youngest one still there. He went to Prep School there and it was an excellent school. My youngest DS had the opportunity to go to Merchant Taylor's and I wish we had made the decision to move him, I feel its a superior school in terms of education.

Flip