Willington Prep Wimbledon

[Alice2021]

Hello,

We’re considering Willington Prep for our son moving into Y3 in September 2021 and looking for up to date insights from parents and boys of the school.
We like that the school is local to us, has a reputation of being friendly and welcoming, good standards without hot house atmosphere.

But with the new headmaster there are lots of changes (which sound rather positive e.g. move to co-ed) and wanted to hear from current parents of the school what it’s like under his headship. Does the school ethos remain, good balance of academics v pastoral care? Good prep to 11+ : do the kids have reasoning lessons for example, are they prepared for the written exams and interview? We hear there’s a lot of extra tutoring going on. Is it because the school encourages it or peer pressure or pushy parents?
Sorry so many questions! Thanks in advance for your input :-)

Hello,

We have two boys who absolutely adore this school. We honestly couldn’t be happier and genuinely feel Willington is the hidden gem of Wimbledon! I feel so lucky they are there for so many reasons.

People dismiss it because of its outdoor space (we nearly did!) yet they work around this amazingly and have two full afternoons up at their sports grounds from Year 3. When they reach senior school age I would very much like them to be in a school set in bigger grounds but at this tender age the benefits of this school far outweigh any on-site playing fields.

Our experience of teaching has been absolutely excellent (it was there for all to see over lockdown and we were so impressed). The new headmaster has made many positive changes and the school is really thriving under his headship. The ethos is wonderful, it’s such nurturing school, my children are so happy there.

Reasoning lessons begin in Year 3 which is ideal. We are not yet further up the school so preparation for written and interview I can’t answer. The percentage of scholarships they have achieved over the past few years has been impressive though and we are very much hoping to contribute to that list in Year 6 :-).

There is tutoring absolutely everywhere in SW London. I imagine the percentage of parents tutoring (either doing it themselves or hiring a tutor) is no different to any other independent in SW London and will be far less. We are in an exceptionally competitive part of UK for schools! Definitely not pushy parents in our experience.

With the changes in place enabling this school to become an official 11+ school I have no doubt we will be moving onto the senior schools of our choice. It really is a truly fabulous little school with an amazing community feel that so many independents don’t have!

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience. It's great to hear such positive feedback about the school!