King Alfred's School London

[Hansibird]

We went to look round this school last Spring for my DS who is due to start reception 2016. I completely fell in love with it; the ethos, the informality, the grounds but the more I read about the school (on here mainly) the more I am having my doubts about it. What I like about the school is that they don't hothouse at all, their aim seems to be more to get children to love learning, be inquisitive, good problem solvers etc. However, what I'm worried about is what if my son ends up being very bright academically - will this sort of environment challenge him enough to keep him interested? I'd love to hear from any parents who have their children at the school what their experiences have been so far...

No direct experience so feel free to ignore this, but it is incredibly pricey even by private school standards and has a lot of celebs children. It has a reputation as a place for kids who aren't likely to be troubled by the need to earn a living.

i suppose if he turned out to be very bright academically and you didn't think his needs were met at the school or it didn't suit him - then you could move him?

I agree with fizzy. However the schools ethos suits some children ( or is it the parents?) well and they thrive in this environment. For others it just doesn't work.
What I am trying to say is, if you find it doesn't end up suiting your child, move them. I know three children who attend King Alfred's. All really lovely boys with very different personalities. One absolutely loves it and is doing well academically. Another just couldn't settle, didn't like the school and moved to a more conventional private school and has excelled academically. The third is having a lot of fun...

Thanks for the advice and yes, we could move him if it turns out to not be right for him. I just wanted to try to make sure it would be possible for him to do well academically there if that's important to him (not that they're so relaxed the teaching isn't up to pupils who want extra challenges).

Hi my son will be joining reception this year. We are not Catholic but i have chosen 2 catholic schools: St Rapheal Primary school and Edward Betham Church of England Primary School. What are the chances he could get in? They are both less than 2 miles from where we live.

Does anyone know about the two above schools and these 2 below.
Charville primary school
Gifford Primary School
Any reviews, experience would help.
Alternatively do you know any good school in the area of Northolt,Yeading or Greenford.

I've been on MN for a while looking for info about King Alfred school and I've found the same comment from Greenfizzywater on every single thread: you don't know anything about it but it sucks. Either she's git a beef or an agenda or both. In any case entirely unhelpful.