West London prep schools

[Alessandra1987]

Hi all!
We are looking for high quality primary schools in Notting Hill / Kensington area. Academic (not touchy feely and artsy), co ed, preferably with reasonable international presence..
So far we have considered Chepstow House, Thomas Kensington (feels a bit subpar academically?), Knightsbrdge (also not sure how strong academics is?).. Would be extremely grateful for any tips!! Xx

Hello

I don't live in west London so can't comment on the schools you have mentioned. However, how old are your children? Are you from the UK or have you moved from overseas? Both of these may be relevant to those who can comment on the schools.

My son is due in June 2017. I am Italian but lived in the UK for 15 years, and educated here.. Thank you !!

For co-ed in West London, you could also consider Norland Place, Fulham Prep, Sinclair House and Notting Hill Prep. There's also Ravenscourt Park, which is a bit further out west.

Make sure you have all of the registration forms completed (other than date of birth!) before you're due and have them sent no later than the day after birth.. good luck!

For coed, I would say Thomas's is better then Fulham prep, as it is more sought after. All the people I know who did not get a spot at Thomas's, kensignton prep (for the girls) etc ended up getting a spot at Fulham prep and going there, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but there must be a reason why all these people are putting Thomas's, Kensington prep etc as first choice. We didn't apply to any of these schools and did not view any of them. I just know from a lot of moms that did.

Your child hasn't been born yet. Won't it depend a little on what they are like as to what schools will suit them?

The nature of west London prep schools is that it's necessary to register immediately after birth for many of them. The sensible thing would be to register at 4-5 schools and then make a decision closer to the time.

Am not sure how helpful this is but this site is very focussed on west London preps.

www.londonpreprep.com

You may also want to get a copy of the Good Schools Guide for London North (and, possibly, South).

Yes, it sounds insane (and it is) but it really isn't all that difficult to get hold of the forms and fill in the information you have while you are pregnant. Then you can post the forms (and the cheques) as soon as you give birth.

Also, have you thought about nurseries / preschools? Quite a few also require registration at birth - they will give your child a reference and some (not all) will do some practise for the 4+ assessments. It's probably worth going to have a look at a few while you are pregnant.

Most of the preschools will have a list of leavers' destinations and will be able to tell you which ones you need to register for at birth.

It's really not true that most west London prep schools need registration at birth. Only wetherby as far as I know, and isn't relevant for the OP as boys only. Really don't have to until 2-3 yrs old

Now, nursery schools - that is another matter. Much more worthwhile