Hill House International School v Eaton House Belgravia

[razzmataz]

Hi - we are moving back to London after a 10 year expatriation in Asia. We have offers for both the schools. The advantage of Hill House is that it is coeducational and would be able to accommodate my 3 kids (1 boy and 2 girls). Eaton House Belgravia Prep is all very new so wonder whether that route makes sense for my DS who is currently 8. Any HH parents out there that could give me some feedback ? I loved the school and the energy of the place. Kids seemed lovely. EHB was a little more traditional and conventional but seemed to be the safer route. I'd be grateful for any feedback. Thank you

Hill house, no question. Eaton house prep is very new and will have a tiny number of children. hill house will offer
Much more jn terms of friendships, sports, music. Very good exam prep as well.

having them all in one place, with one administration to deal with certainly has it's merits.
very different schools one being very traditional one more eclectic.
how will you be getting the children to school? think about parking and the fact that HH uses different buildings/sites.

Gosh, thank you so much for the prompt replies. My gut says HH, particular seem my younger children will be in reception and year 1. So definitely an advantage in having everyone in one spot. The uniform is really a bit odd but the kids were wonderful and I just had such a good feeling when I left the school. We could either take the car or the bus. I"d prefer the latter. We live in W8 but we are near lots of good bus stops.
EHB has the name but it just seemed so new and untested. Any recent HH parents who care to share their experiences ?

You could look at all the Ofsted history from a few years ago about HH and how it’s pulled itself out of a very dire situation! It’s fascinsting if you missed it all! Parents generally liked it but Ofsted were appalled! Big changes ensued for the better! It’s quite a large school so plenty going on. What sport facilities has it got? A bit marmite due to idiosyncrasies! However many parents love it.

Thank you. I just did and yes it does seem that they have turned themselves around.

Any Hill House International parents who currently have children at the school and can comment ? The exit results look really good. What's the teaching like and the atmosphere in the school during school hours ?
Sorry for all these questions but we are abroad so any insight would be much appreciated. Thanks

HH would win for me particularly if you’ve got both boys and girls. Except....the ONLY thing to bear in mind, particularly given your kids are just at the start of their pre-prep/prep schooling, is that HH’s head is old and there is no succession plan. The school is what it is because of him (and his wife) and it is not at all clear how the school will fare when he steps down. As a family owned and run school it will not be easy for an outsider to come in and take over (they already tried that once and it didn’t go well) and there’s a good chance the character of the school will change markedly.
In contrast the EHB head is in his 40s, quite new but seems to have made a very good impression on parents. Also, EHB prep will only up be til 11 - then they get bussed down to Eaton House the Manor until 13, where there are a lot more kids and facilities.

I have two kids currently at hill House. DS1 is in Y8 (will be leaving for Dulwich College for secondary after summer) and DS2 in Y1.

We are 100% happy with it. I can’t find anything to complain about and it really is such a safe and nurturing place for the children.

They manage to let the kids have fun and relax, while at the same time perform to their best academically, DS1 is super relaxed and happy about school, and also managed to get academic scholarships to some of the most selective London day schools.

For the little ones, they focus a lot of making them feel comfortable in school, getting to know the children as individuals and tailor homework to each child.

The communication between the teachers of the different years is really great, and I trust them all completely.

The pupils are very polite and pleasant, but in a relaxed and completely natural way, rather than a stuck up “do this or else” sort of way.

Dear LeFaye, thank you so much for taking the time to answer. What a lovely review of the school. we are very inclined to go in the HH direction. Your older child certainly did very well with his choice of senior school. I have yet to meet an unhappy HH parent.

I think Hill House is great. Considerably more independent kids than most schools with parents not very involved in the school at all. Lots of time outdoors, nice mix of kids, welcoming to all, and achieve happy independent kids who go onto good and academic secondary schools in spite of the school being non selective.

I’ve registered my son For Eaton House Belgravia 4+ pre prep admission but not Hill House. If he turns out academic I like the idea of sitting the 7+ to move. Something about the vibe at HH I didn’t like, it seems every more crammed than EH but I agree with the other voices on the thread saying that given those 2 choices prep school level Hill House has a track record and therefore a safer bet than Eaton House. It remains to be seen how Eaton House prep performs in the long term.