Has anyone heard from Arnold House?

[cantwaitforspring]

They had said they would let us know "over the Easter holidays" and they are already on break so I wondered if anyone has heard yet. Am guessing not good news but wanted to confirm before accepting another offer.

We haven't heard from AH either. Has anybody heard?

We heard yesterday. Good news via a letter! I'm guessing you should hear in the next post. Good luck!

Congrats! I assume its negative but hopefully will know for certain soon. Wonder why they don't just email.. When is the deadline to accept? Thanks

I thought it was going to be a no as well but it goes to show you that you never know! I know the wait is stressful, best of luck!! 3 weeks to accept. Obviously if anyone has any up to date thoughts on the school, we would love any feedback! Particularly any thoughts relative to The Hall. Have read past threads but wondered if anyone has more current info.

I have a friend with two boys at The Hall and they are very happy there. She says that it is actually very nurturing and the results are fantastic. She really recommends it. Congratulations for being offered a place there! You must be so pleased!

Thank you very much for the feedback. I really appreciate it over a holiday weekend.

We are indeed very happy but also quite torn. We liked the facilities and organisation of The Hall but do worry about its reputation for (parents mainly!) applying a lot of pressure on the boys from a young age. AH sounds more nurturing but it's a smaller school so one needs to feel that it is the right fit. Tough decision to make!

We are also torn between AH and The Hall - it's a fortunate position to be in but it's so confusing trying to choose between the two! cantwaitforspring are you any closer to a decision?

It is a really hard decision! We have been thinking about it as well.

We are currently leaning towards The Hall. After talking to parents from both etc, we think that the parents in each of these schools are actually quite similar. The Hall is working hard to change the reputation that they are a hothouse. They seem to have a very supportive team. The headmaster does seem to have a great relationship with the senior schools and the team will help to find the right senior school, for each boy, when the time comes. In the meantime we feel that it is a strong, supportive environment, where our DS will be happy.

The good thing is that whatever is decided, there is no 'wrong' choice. That is probably true of all the North London Prep schools, some have more 'prestige' than others but ultimately they all offer a good education .

What do you like about each school?

That's interesting, I have also heard a lot about The Hall trying to change their reputation and when we met the headmaster he really reassured us that they are a nurturing school.
However, we are leaning towards AH as our son is extremely sensitive and I've heard AH is more nurturing than The Hall. Also we have a younger son so the sibling policy at AH is very attractive. Whereas I have heard of a lot of siblings not getting into The Hall.
But as you said I think that they are all excellent schools and really there is very little between them, and you won't go wrong with either of these two schools!

For us, AH was the top school. It has a lovely headmaster and the reputation of a nurturing family environment is very appealing. From what we have heard, Hall puts too much pressure on the boys and that is not something we are keen on! Unfortunately, we are not lucky to have the choice!

Also interested in the feedback on The Hall. Our DS really enjoyed going there for his “play date” (and kept asking to go back). whereas he found the one on one interview at AH quite stressful. The reputation is that AH is more nurturing - which is what we want - but that just didn’t fit with our experience.

Our son was happy but exhausted after The Hall assessment. AH was fine but the lack of a biscuit and toys meant that it was his least favourite school!

We are still torn. We liked the facilities at The Hall, the fact that it's a bigger school and also our son is the more athletic, big boy that should fit in well. However we hear stories of Kumon/tutoring from reception which indicates to us that some parents put quite a lot of pressure on the boys from a young age.

In terms of AH, we liked the head at our interview and really value a more nurturing environment. It feels like a much tighter knit community than TH. But much smaller which presumably means you either fit in or you don't.

Academically they seem to have similar exit results?

The Hall has better results generally.

AH has built a reputation for being nurturing and has that 'exclusivity' added to it (in a way that St Anthony's, which is considered to be even more nurturing & with similar exit results, doesn't quite have). But I did not get the feeling that The Hall is less caring of the boys. If anything, due to their reputation, they seem to be trying harder.

We did like the headmaster at AH. He has been there for such a long time, first as a teacher and then as head which is great. Hopefully he will stay for another 10 years but if not they will probably hire a similar head.

For us the fact that The Hall is a bigger school is also an important factor for us. As family oriented as AH is meant to be, there is the feeling that one has to 'fit in'. And that can be a little unsettling.

The fact that there is a sibling policy in AH is definitely a plus if you have younger sons. In my case, it's daughters so not so important.

The more we think about it the more we lean towards The Hall. I think it's the right choice for us.

Hope that you are able to conclude soon as all the back and forth is stressful in itself Both schools are great. Cannot make a wrong choice.

I definitely get the feeling that AH is a much tighter knit community and the families are really involved with the school. This is great if you like the other families there but I can imagine is a pain if they are not your cup of tea!

The facilities at The Hall are undoubtedly better and the results are generally a bit better too. But my worry is that they drive out the less academic boys to keep their results strong...has anyone heard anything like this?

I had not heard anything about the Hall driving out the boys that turn out to be less academic, none of the parents we spoke to said that to us. Are you sure?

I asked them how often they made mistakes in the intake and then had to ask boys to leave; they said very rarely. Not sure whether to take that at face value!

I too have heard of this covert and subliminal pressure at Hall. While it can be difficult to accept for some it helps to keep the standards of the school up. I have known a couple of boys who’ve moved out after a couple of years at Hall because of this.

Hello! In the end we went for The Hall. What did you decide?

Hi there! We went for The Hall too. Difficult decision, but we felt it was the right one for us after speaking to parents at the school.

So glad you made decisions that feel right, we went for AH as felt like a better fit for my DS (and also for DS2!) - good luck with the new schools!

Hello mommies, are you able to please share your experiences of both Arnold House and the Hall so far? We have to choose between both schools and it's a very hard decision to make! Any guidance is much appreciated, thanks!

Hi I would be very careful about sending boys to Arnold House. I know two local families who have recently removed their boys further up the School. Deposits have been returned and everything hushed up by the School. The culture there is geared towards turning a blind eye to bullying and physical violence. The stories I have heard are shocking and there are boys who should have been excluded long ago (according to my sources). Boys across the year groups punch and kick each other daily and one friend of a friend's son regularly came home covered with bruises. We have heard that issues do not get nipped in the bud early on and the Head is arrogant, reticent to do anything citing 'boys will be boys', and values his relationships with parents more than the safety of the boys. So be careful is all I would say. We will definitely NOT be sending our son there!

I’m afraid I have to back up what mumfromthewood has heard. The Head is awful (and is very different in reality to the image he likes to portray)
I am a current parent and I bitterly regret having sent our son to AH. Many of us are very unhappy with the school and are trying to move our boys out. My advice would be, if you have another option, take it.

I have to say I am completely shocked about what I am reading. I have two sons (senior and junior part of the school) at AH and I couldn't be happier. AH is nurturing as well as academic. No, it is not a crazy "hot house", its a perfect balance. My sons have matured into happy, bright and confident young men and I owe part of this to the school. They look forward to going to school every day with a smile on their face. What more could a parent ask for?

I am certain there are incidents in any all boys schools where there may be a bit of rough play but I can assure you that AH does not turn "a blind eye" to something as serious as bullying. Schools are a personal choice. If your son is not happy then yes, you should look into changing their environment...but as for Arnold House being the right choice for my sons, absolutely, I wouldn't have it any other way!

I’m afraid we too are having difficulties with AH. There seems to be very weak leadership when ‘incidents’ arise and the boys do not have a good example set when culprits go unpunished/sanctioned. We’re also dreading the inevitable external tutoring that it appears almost everyone in the senior school has to have, due to the inconsistent teaching. It is not easy to move our son midway through prep school but we are having to look at alternatives. Have heard Hereward House is excellent, does anyone have personal experience, please?