Nice façade, but sadly that’s about it. Avoid at any cost!
Pre-prep is ok. Prep pretty poor at best.
No spelling, very little homework (school policy) and not the best staff.
Very poor management indeed at St. Michael’s. From the six month drama where they suspended the schools head, to legal disputes raised by parents or the school, to a certain teacher posing as a parent on some forum making the school look good and who knows what (can’t confirm the last statement, rumour that went around the school). Worst school I have ever seen.
Of course, there are people who love the school. Guess they have no idea, have nothing to compare it with or just love the extremely relaxed environment. The school also has a very high turnover in terms of students and staff, that says something.
How do some kids move on to good secondary schools?
Well, my daughter spent a year at St. Michael’s. She went to a very academic school before, so she was ahead. She said there is nothing she learned at St. Michael’s in the year she spent there. That says a lot!
So, the kids who move on to the top schools would be attending 11+ clubs, kumon or/and have private tutors. St. Michael’s will not prepare your kid for decent secondary school.
How do pick the right school?
Very difficult indeed to find the right school. You can certainly not trust the marketing department at St. Michael’s for example. They will sell the school at any cost. The various school reports that are out there can also be very misleading for the obvious reasons. Parents will have different opinions and most of them have nothing to compare it with, so they don’t know. Look at schools ahead of time, talk to as many parents as you can and do your online research. It also looks like the students of the various schools have the most information, they would be able to tell you all about it. They hear from students who have moved on from other schools and so on.