St Aubyn's vs Snaresbrook Prep

[sonia12345]

Hi all,

I was considering St Aubyn's and Snaresbrook Prep for my daughter. How do both schools compare? I heard that St Aubyn's is weaker academically, but their facilities look top notch.

Would greatly appreciate any feedback

Thanks,
Sonia

Hi
I have personal experience of Snaresbrook Prep and many friends of children from St A and numerous other schools in the local area.
I wouldn't recommend Snaresbrook. Their facilities are really poor and there is no chance of expansion as they have already extended as far to the boundary as they can. Their whole ethos has really changed over the years and they have had three heads since my dc has been there. One form intake, no grass space, no fixtures with local schools. Lots of heavy tutoring going on.
St A on the other hand has phenomenal facilities, much wider curriculum variety, far better enrichment and opportunities. Haven't heard of anything negative. Depends who you speak to of course.
The schools couldn't be at more opposite ends of the spectrum really, and this is most evident in terms of facilities. Snaresbrook is an old house with a concrete playground. St Aubyn's looks like a mini university campus. Depends what you want.
Snaresbrook have not published their results for a couple of years - you can draw your own conclusions from that. St A's 11+ and 13+ results appear very impressive.
Personally, I would also take a look at Woodford Prep, Bancroft's, Chigwell and Forest.
Good Luck!

Agree. My child doesn’t go to either, but we looked at Snaresbrook (SA just logistically too far). Small school, tiny playground, no green space.

Forest is good because takes you up to 18. I’ve plenty of friends with children at SA and they’re happy.

My child goes to a local state school but access to lots of green space so we’re happy.

Can't recommend Snaresbrook at the minute. Gone down hill in past few years. From what I hear, it does not have the standards set by former Headmistress. Some parents were very disappointed in recent years. Having said that, some may be happy. Can only comment on what friends tell me. Try to find people who go to the schools and ask them. Forest seems better, which explains why it is expanding.

Have my concerns. These are as follows: They employed a teacher, Mr Grant Twist, who left his previous school after writing vile comments on a whatsapp group. It is well documented so there is no need to elaborate here. In the past, dedicated teachers were made to feel unwelcome and encouraged to leave and instead - they support someone with a dubious background. They have dragged the school down to the lowest common denominator - refusing to celebrate and reward outstanding achievements (as it is not fair on the others). To me, that defeats the whole purpose of opting for private education. Those parents will WANT to see achievements, but in reality, they are getting the opposite. They have manged to get several negative reviews removed from several platforms, leaving the 'invited' ones on Trustpilot. The fact that they have had to resort to canvassing for positive reviews, is an indication that all is not right. In the past, when they did give parents what they were paying for, there was a waiting list to join the school. Reviews were not necessary. Before deciding though, it may be best to speak to a cross section of parents who could help you decide if this set up would suit the needs of your individual child.