Eveline Day School, Wandsworth

[WizzyBizzy]

Has anyone got personal experience of this school? I'm considering it for DS for when he reaches 4+. Just got the prospectus and planning to go and visit. I'm really curious about the model - with wrap around/holiday care all included. Sounds a bit too-good-to-be-true (esp as the price seems to be the same / less than other local prep schools where you'd have to pay for wrap-around/holiday care on top). How does it work in practice? Do the children not get fed up of being there the whole time? I'm concerned our DCs might feel a bit abandoned - but in reality we'd have to have some other wrap-around childcare if they go to another local school, so the hours they'd be in others' care wouldn't be much different. If it is such a great system (and it sounds it, to me as a full-time working mum) why are there not more schools like this around?

Have to say that the prospectus is poor - almost unintelligible letter from the principal, littered with grammatical errors, and it doesn't really do a good job of explaining why it's such a great school. However, I'm prepared (I think) to disregard that if I get a good feel on a look round and if people with experience have good things to say. It certainly seems to get kids into good schools, so presumably the teaching is actually very good.

p.s. from where to children generally tend to come from to go to the school? Are they mostly very local? We are a bit further north - other side of Wandsworth Common. I'm sure I've seen some EDS uniforms on the Northcote Rd. Would my DCs likely have any nearby school chums or not?

bump

Bump for evening crowd

My kid goes to Eveline Nursery on Trinity Crescent. When DD joined, it was very good. However in the last 4-6 months, their standards have come done.
Lot of staff changes. Cleanliness has come down. My DD's face is always messy when I pick her up (She is not like that when I drop her off!) And when I asked once for a wet wipe, her carer simply used an old filthy cloth to wipe her face! I was taken back. If that is done in a parent's presence, I can only imagine what is done behind!

Plus, they are more expensive than a lot of nurseries around. AND you have to supply the nappies.

It is sad for a nursery with 50 years behind it to drop in standards. I loved it when I enrolled her two years ago. It is only in the last 4-6 months that they're going downhill.

I have applied to put my child else where... currently on waiting list. Can;t wait to get my lil one out of Eveline!

I could not disagree with you more Sarahnoone. My child has sadly only been at Trinity Crescent Eveline Day one year as when we moved to the area she had to go on the waiting list, as they were so popular and, from what I can see, continue to be. We have been exceptionally happy here and it's by far the most well organised nursery with the highest of standards that I have come across (we have moved house lots over the years and so, including Eveline Day, I have the experience of three very different nurseries). The staff here have been exceptional; I never cease to be in awe of the nursery manager and her deputy remembering every single parent's name. They even know my older child's name who never went to Eveline Day and whom they have very little contact with as he's rarely with me for pick ups or drop offs! Even the cleaner is a ray of sunshine!
My child has always been very happy at Eveline Day and I would have no hesitation in recommending Eveline Day as a top notch nursery with staff that give 110% in an environment that is clean, safe, educational and above all loving and caring. And it's got a massive garden to boot!

Am so, so surprised to hear your experience of Eveline Trinity Crescent Sarahnoone. My eldest daughter has been at this nursery since it opened 2.5 years ago (having moved her from a nearby, and now thankfully closed, shockingly bad nursery - so believe me I know a badly run nursery when I see one and wouldn't make that mistake twice). I have found the staff at Eveline to be nothing but caring, loving and nurturing and so patient. The manager and her deputy are very approachable and constantly available (one of them is always by the entrance at drop off and pick up) to discuss any issues or problems if they arise. For me there have been minimal issues - but any thing I have raised has been dealt with extremely professionally and with good grace. I am constantly taken aback by all the personal touches, home made birthday cakes for every child's birthday, the effort that goes into sports day, christmas show, parents evening, and graduation day...I could go on...and yes how they remember everyone's names (mums, dad and children!). My second child started 3 months ago and she is as happy and settled there as my older child has been. I always find it lovely that the staff in her room seem as excited as me when they notice her doing something new: learning to walk, new words, new skills, new signs. They are clearly engaged with and very aware of my little ones needs.

My older daughter starts at the Eveline School next week and I have joked several times with the manager at Trinity crescent that they are going to have a tough act to follow given how well Trinity Crescent is run and how happy we have been with every aspect of the nursery. My daughter will be leaving Trinity Crescent a happy, confident, independent little girl - thanks in large part to her time at this Eveline nursery. I feel very lucky to have had my children at this lovely nursery.

I would like to second Mamamiasu. My son has been at Trinity Crescent for the last 2 years and we remain very happy with the care they provide. The staff are enthusiastic and everyone interacts very positively with my son and he with them. Sarah the manager is always available to discuss any concerns I might have - such as when I was anxious about my son moving to the next room away from a carer to whom he was very attached, and she handled the situation perfectly. Joan, the deputy manager, keeps me up to date about my son's progress with regular informal chats, as do his key workers. The nursery is colourful, and stimulating, with plenty of photos of the children's activities and their artworks on the walls. Most importantly, the children all seem confident and settled there. We are very pleased we found this nursery, and highly recommend it.

I was really surprised at the negative review on here, both my daughters have attended trinity crescent and I could not be happier, all the staff really genuinely care about the children. They provide a safe environment in which to play, learn and be looked after. The managers there are amazing, very approachable and caring and I completely agree with the last two comments about knowing names. Trinity crescent have always gone above and beyond, they celebrate birthdays and have many other activities and tea parties where parents and even grandparents can join in and see the children having fun. The staff put so much effort into things like Christmas celebrations and I will never forget seeing my then 3.5yr old singing her heart out to whoopsie daisy angel.

I will be sad when it's time for my youngest to leave and I would only urge the negative reviewer to speak to the managers there as I am sure they would quickly address any mistakes.

I don't think WizzyBizzy was considering the nursery - she said the day school and for a 4+ year old.

But as that was nearly 2.5 years ago, I wonder if she's around and (if so) she'll reappear to say what she made of the school itself and whether her DS went there.

I also wanted to add my comments on the nursery as I am very surprised by Sarahnoone's experience. My daughter has been going there for 1.5 years and we love it. I cannot believe our luck in finding the nursery and am so pleased with it.

The nursery managers are always available and make time to talk to you. The manager sat with me in the morning for over half an hour to discuss potty training & what we could do when it wasn't going well. The staff and managers are so friendly and hardworking - the work they put into the scrapbooks for the parents evening clearly shows how much they care for the children & love what they do. And they make such an effort for all the birthdays and grandparents' days etc.

My daughter is so happy & confident and cannot wait to go there each morning. She rushes in and is off to her room without even a backward glance.

The support that they provide to you as a working parent is amazing.

We looked at loads of nurseries and I think you would be hard pressed to find another nursery as good in the area. I would recommend it to everyone.

I echo Molly1977's comments - go and talk to the manager about your concerns and she will sort it out. If you have been there for so long and your concerns only relate to the last few months, surely it is worth trying to fix the problems rather than unsettle your daughter by moving her?

I am another one that is very surprised at sarahnoone's comments. I moved my son to Eveline (after a long wait) from another nursery which I wasn't very happy with. He is naturally quite shy and nervous but has blossomed there with the care, support and affection shown by the staff and managers. He is always happy to be left there at the beginning of the day and happily talks about all the activities he has done at the end of each day. My one year old now attends Eveline too and I couldn't ask for more from the lovely staff in the baby room - my little girl is always giggling and smiling when I arrive to pick her up. Having experienced another nursery and visited most in the area, I can't imagine how sarahnoone will find another one of the standard of Eveline and I would urge her to speak to one of the very approachable and friendly managers, who I am sure would have wanted to know about her concerns rather than just posting them here.

Arf at the Eveline Day School invasion.

Staff, parents or just one sockpuppet?

I just wanted to write of my experiences of Trinity Crescent.... My daughter started settling in there recently (she's 2). I can't say how grateful I am to the managers and staff at trinity for making this an easy and happy process for her (and me) and how appreciative I am of their caring nature towards my daughter. We had been on the waiting list since she was born, because we liked Trinity so much. We're very pleased with what we see so far. For example, the very warm personal welcome each child and parent gets when they arrive. The fuss that is made of the little ones is lovely to see. My daughter speaks very fondly of the managers and staff. They get a high five when she leaves.
The way the managers have looked out for our daughter throughout the settling process has provided me with much comfort. Only recently, one of the members of staff actually stayed past her end of working day until I came to collect, because she felt our daughter was slightly anxious in the early days of settling.....
So, I really do get the impression the children are highly cared for and they all seem so happy there. I am surprised by sarahnoone's comments. But I hope that the numerous other good reviews will help others make an informed decision.
I'm more than happy my little girl is there and before I accepted the place, because my last visit had been 2 years ago, I re visited all of the nurseries we were offered a place at and Trinity came out top by far for me.....

Can anyone tell me about the managers? What are they like? I don't think anyone's mentioned them yet.

My Son joined Eveline Trinity Crescent in the baby room. We scouted nearly every nursery within 2 mile radius around Eveline and just loved Eveline as soon as we saw it. After a slightly longish wait, DS was 10 months old - started full time.

They were very patient and took care of specific needs my child had. The staff in Baby room, and in all the other rooms (he went there until pre-school) are awesome. In the toddler room, staff take care to let you know what your child has done during the day, what your child has enjoyed and highlight any areas of improvement. (I don't hear this kind of feedback from any of my friends with children in other daycare centers!)

Unfortunately we had to move quite far off and had to take him out. And trust me, I cannot find a better nursery anywhere else! The nursery is well maintained, more importantly clean and safe. Staff are very friendly, and my son absolutely loves everyone there. Which is what is important. There were days when he was not even keen to come home!

I would recommend Eveline to any parent without any hesitation. It is the best nursery in the area - and for many miles around! We are satisfied with Eveline nursery so much, that I even considered travelling for an hour every morning so my son can continue there until he goes to school.

Hello,
I am reading this thread that is a bit old and also moved from a question on the School to replies on the Nursery...
Has anyone any experience of the School (Reception to Year 6)?
I am choosing the primary for my little one and, as the initial question wrote, it seems too good to be true, with the full wrap around care. I also heards kids go to all the best secondary schools. I visited and the atmosphere is really nice, although the facilities are not as good as other independent schools. Any parents have their kids there and can give me their thoughts?
Many thanks!

This is an old thread but for any others out there currently considering schooling i thought i'd share my 2 cents on The Eveline Day School as I have two children there.

It is a small school compared to other schools in the area but this has provided them with excellent opportunities:

1. Excellent staff teaching with incredibly high levels of one on one teacher support (eg daily reading with their teacher) - this level of reading practice just does not appear to be available in larger schools and we have noticed their reading and spelling develop at lightning speeds.
2. A home from home feel to the school - all staff know the children and it’s an incredibly warm and welcoming atmosphere. My children feel secure; they’re known to everyone and it’s a tight knit community.
3. Performance experience - all children take part in the annual Christmas show which is a highlight of the school calendar. It blends poetry, singing and dance. The level of the performance is always exceptional and it is great experience for children to develop from a young age and gain confidence. There's also a KS2 production each year which is always performed to such a high standard. This year some KS1 children also took part.
4. Compulsory speech and drama - speech and drama is compulsory for all children from Reception upwards (I understand). Children take part in a Speech and Drama festival each spring. Developing the confidence and ability to learn set pieces and perform them in public are vital skills and it is brilliant that the children learn these skills so early on. The children always do well in the Speech and Drama festival and a number come away with awards.
5. Personalised teaching - given the small class sizes teachers are really able to listen to the needs of the children and flex their teaching around this. For example, my son’s year group doesn’t typically have a regular Forest School slot but because of their class size the teacher felt they could get through the curriculum in good time and that they could accommodate the children’s desire for more forest school learning.
6. Extra curricular clubs - there are a wide range of extra curricular clubs. These include ballet and tap, Japanese, computing and football (to name a few).
7. Full wrap around care - unlike other schools, the school has an incredible wrap around care offering (providing breakfast, lunch and tea) which is so helpful for working parents. It’s open 7.30am-6.30pm during the week and 51 weeks a year. This has meant we have not had to worry about finding holiday clubs for our children. They go to school with their usual friends during the “holidays” and are in a familiar environment with familiar staff / teachers. The school always puts on a fun selection of activities such as crafting, cooking and sport. Knowing that they aren’t worrying about making new friends and being in a new environment each holiday is beneficial to us all as a family. I believe it also helps them to continue to feel secure and enjoy these early years with an increased sense of stability.
8. Destination schools - from what I hear they have great success getting leavers into their chosen destination schools, including some of the top schools.

My children go in happily every day and feel safe and secure. The school really does feel incredibly special.