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Kew Green Prep

17 replies

SashEB · 29/10/2020 10:07

Hi, I’m thinking of sending my daughter to Kew Green Prep and wanted to see if anyone’s kid is there and what they think of it? Or if anyone don’t like the school and why that is? Would appreciate your help

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Ripple11 · 29/10/2020 13:01

Have friends who have taken their kids out of more academic schools to go there and are pleased to have done so. Seems less pressurised than similar schools nearby.A happy slightly more laid back school imho. You have the advantage of a fairly certain senior school place at Kew House , even though they say they don’t guarantee it. Certainly the top end of fees within the area .

SashEB · 29/10/2020 13:34

Many thanks, would any of those academic schools be like Kew College? We are thinking between Kew College and Kew Green not sure which one....!

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Ripple11 · 29/10/2020 13:58

Ahh we recently left Kew College. Definitely more academic than Kew Green. A more compact school.., but a couple of years ago they bought another house next door but one, completely refurbished it and this means it now has space to breath easier!
Has a reputation for working hard whilst being very friendly and down to earth.They certain know what is required to get through the exams to senior school.Our children certainly enjoyed their time there.
Note the Head is taking retirement next year. Fees in our time were the lowest in the area....it helps they were bequeathed their buildings by the original owner of the school many years ago.

SashEB · 29/10/2020 14:39

And were you ok with the no lunch and your kids having their lunch at their desks? Did they complain about it? That is something we are a bit concern about...

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Ripple11 · 29/10/2020 16:22

No complaints from ours.....they soon got use to it.
It is a downside they don't automatically get the choice of a hot lunch, although they can take in a thermos with hot food. When they did the house/school extension they could have gone with a catering option, but went for more classroom space.
Of course making the lunches every day is also a bit of a chore!

SashEB · 29/10/2020 16:58

Thank you so much for your insight very very appreciated 🙏🏻🙏🏻

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Stilllookingfor · 30/10/2020 01:24

The no lunch at Kew College is certainly a point a few parents have struggled with. It speaks to their heritage as KC started as a y3-Y6 push school where academics and the maths/English exam was all that mattered. They are far from it now although the legacy remains visible with the no hot lunches, no canteen and no outside space and a very regimented day so they can make best use of the outside space available. The new premises to house the two-form year 5 and 6 are good but do not solve the chronic lack of space in the end (Imagine how bad it was before!!) and they chose to have an art space over a canteen but then probably you could not have had a canteen for the whole school as not enough space still (and the house in the middle neighbours would have objected the to and fro between the two buildings)

Depends on your child in the end. KC suits a more compliant and quiet child. Kew Green more mainstream but great facilities and can deal with a wider range of children (including very academic children). Kee Green more expensive than it should be (and will eat any savings from Kee College is you end up there).

Kew College is also less friendly with working parents overall. Watch out KC if you have a happy and active boy too. Everything is more regimented and controlled, 2-3 children leave in every year group at a minimum over the first 3/4 years because they cannot keep up with the academics (check in the Kew College Review magazines when Y6 children joined) and school fills back in years 2-3-4 with carefully chosen local state children. (Speech or running commentary is 'oh no KC don't cull but beware, the pace is really fast so you need to keep up' so you wonder what happens if!) KC entrance rules are not super clear so if you are looking for a place starting Y2/Y3, rules change along the way depending on ? who knows what, but you may never get the chance to an entrance interview, the Registrar making up some poorly rehearsed excuse or backtracking what she said 2 months ago.

The latest year 6 year group at KC was particularly low in numbers, so they lost children and did not replace (I think there were 31 or so out for max 40, which they would have if they can, even when they have a total maximum cap on total children in the school); they had good exam results but not great results or not as good as previous years and a low number of scholarships versus previous years and versus other schools. So all of that speaks for their origins (prep school boot camp from Y3) and how they carefully manage each cohort to get the results they get out of a trimmed and reformatted year group, if you see what I mean. Singapore Maths method and lots of homework, which may or may not suit your child or family. If your child is anything out of normal standard development, then it may not be the best place, as all children are expected to keep up or else. Paradoxically Ofsted/etc doesn't like how they extend gifted children or teach IT (check the reports). That prompted the departure of the IT teacher last year (and Covid ejected this year's new IT teacher) but I think the issues are at the top leadership so a new HM will be a welcome change. Fairly high teacher/TA turnover too due to demands and an ethos that not everybody subscribes to. Extra curricular has improved a lot but at the end of the day, 11+ exams target is what matters (which may be what you are looking for, but beware not to push your child into a secondary school that doesn't suit them long term). Good relationships with Hampton (great actually, they take a few every year) and Kingston Grammar (great majority of Y6 sit for exam but less than half of those accepted end up going) and Ibstock (although this school less so given wider reach to other prep schools and increasing popularity). So overall provides 11+ results but you do wonder if it could have been done in a different way.

So more complex than it seems. I think the change of HM at Kew College will be a good thing, but not announced yet who is coming, they have been trying to recruit for 2 years but failed (I guess trustees not happy with how transition is panning out in the end, and see that culture in the school needs to change) and the so called potential "natural successors" left recently (including deputies and KS2 heads etc) so they have had to go back to square one.

Overall you get some very strong parent support for KC but also those that quietly leave (to Kew Green particularly). If you have a very academic and compliant and quiet child I would not hesitate to choose KC. If you have a boy or a sporty child, or a very smart but free spirit, a musician or want an academic but still balanced education, I would try any of the other 3 prep schools in Kew or travel to Richmond or Chiswick.

So that's it for a bit of detailed feedback, so you are aware of what is coming. Good luck in your choices!

SashEB · 30/10/2020 08:26

Thank you very much!!! Do you have or know someone who’s child goes there?

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Stilllookingfor · 30/10/2020 09:27

yes, hence the commentary

ZHally · 30/10/2020 11:33

Really useful thread. We too are considering either Kew College or Kew Green and a couple of the preps in Chiswick

@Ripple11 thank you for your feedback. Can i ask, based on your personal experience and the friends you mentioned, if you were to select a prep for your children again now would you still opt for Kew College over Kew Green? I really like Kew College and for us one of the criteria we are looking for in a prep is for it to support our son academically in the best way possible and help him reach is potential. Thus academic was something i felt to be a positive thing but from the some of the reviews I have the sense of it being a negative thing and perhaps there is a pressured environment. I suppose to some extent this is to be expected with it being non-selective and i just wanted a feel for whether this is an odd few who struggle or a general perception of the children? I wondered if you could kindly provide more detail as to how it is more academic? Is it the intensity of homework? focus on exams?

Secondly the reduced tuition fees at KC definitely seem advantageous. Aside from the hot foo at KG are there any other advantages that merit the increased fees?

Many reviews also suggest that many kids go on to Kew House? Does Kew Green adequately support children who may wish to go on to other places?

Many thanks in advance

Ripple11 · 30/10/2020 13:36

Hi @ZHally

Doing it again, we would choose Kew College over Kew Green and one of the reasons would be what you said " we are looking for in a prep is for it to support our son academically in the best way possible and help him reach his potential." Our children achieved the sort of senior school offers (including scholarships) we were really pleased with. However they also really enjoyed their 7 years there!

Over the first few years, yes a few children left (and came in).....a fair amount due to parents moving, and yes some due to wanting their child in a different school, be it St.Pauls Junior, Kew Green or back into the state sector etc. The last couple of years did see some children jump ship to other prep schools which had guaranteed transfer into the senior school, and so avoided the stress of 11+.
I thought the amount of homework was perfectly manageable, however it did ramp up in yr 5 in obvious preparation for the senior school exams.

Apart from hot food, I don't think you miss out on anything else other prep schools offer. Lots of school visits ,residential school trips, founders day celebrations, plays ,concerts etc.Sport/swimming is off site like most others.Art/music/extra curriculum is all there.

I don't agree with the "compliant and quiet child" or the "Watch out KC if you have a happy and active boy too" comment from Stilllookingfor .Plenty of different types at KC as you would expect in a non selective primary school, including lots of happy boisterous kids!

As said we have friends with kids at Kew Green and they are very happy with the school, so good luck!

ZHally · 30/10/2020 19:04

Thank you so much - all really helpful advice!

Stilllookingfor · 30/10/2020 22:28

Really recommend to look around the parent scene at pick up times - better than drop off so you see the mood of the classes going out of the school. You will be amazed about how much you lean about the culture inside and how compatible it is in terms of your expectations on pastoral care. Covid doesn't help to do this I know! But you can always stand on the other side of the road.
Chiswick schools: Know less but I am told all great options. Orchard House is full though. Heathfield really on the up in popularity, and run by a sensible HM. chiswick and Brentford Park also great despite the space, but you are tied to 7+ for boys.

And then of course you have Broomfield House and Unicorn in Kew and Falcons Boys south of Kew- so plenty of options.

Talksunderwater · 31/10/2020 15:59

My 2 “happy and active” DSs really loved their time at KC and look back very fondly. I agree wholeheartedly with @Ripple11 and would definitely choose it again too. They both have friends who went to KGP who would say the same about their school.

Martybelfast · 30/04/2021 10:26

Kew green prep - never again!

Coronateachingagain · 30/04/2021 22:11

@Martybelfast so a as re you going to leave it there? Where did you move to? Why? A bit unfair on the school otherwise? Plenty of good schools in Kew so I hope you found an alternative.

Martybelfast · 02/05/2021 12:23

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