Hill House vs Thomas's vs Wetherby

[jlangthorn]

Our son has offers from these school, they are all so different and we don't know what to choose! Hill House is me and my husband's favourite but it's the furthest away (Kings Road traffic is horrendous so we would have to cycle in everyday).
We also liked Wetherby (Kensington) but our son isn't the studious sort (at age 3 anyway) and it seems a little rigid.
We are neutral about Thomas's, it seems fine but results are not as good as the others.
Any guidance much appreciated thank you!!

@jlangthorn : which school did you choose? Are you happy with your choice?

@Lily7050 we went for Wetherby Kensington. DS absolutely loving it, very academic, homework every day right away, a new book a day for reading, an hour of maths a day, but all done to make it seem fun and enjoyable. Compared to friends' sons at Falkner House, Garden House or Thomas's, academically this is way more of a head start . I guess they have no choice as pretty much every boy will be sitting the 7/8+. I think it will be down to whether you want this for your son. The parents are lovely so far, very international (similar to Falkner/GH in this respect). Good luck!

Thank you @jlangthorn .
I have heard Wetherby takes registrations from birth and I only started looking into schools when DS turned one.
He is registered with Thomas's Fulham but they said they got lots of siblings who are in priority. It feels there is little chance for my DS to get a place at Thomas's.
I have not registered with Hill House but was thinking maybe I should.

@Lily7050 Yes we registered from birth but many didn’t - no harm in writing to the school and getting on the wait list, it seems there is plenty of movement at all the SW London preps.

We have always loved Hill House, but sadly too far for us; if we lived closer to Sloane Square we would have gone for it without question. It’s a great school that is academic but fun and nurturing, and the family who runs it seem genuinely interested in what’s best for the children. Plus the fees are nearly £10k a year cheaper! The only thing is they don’t prep for 7+, although results for boys at 11 and 13+ are fab.

Thank you @jlangthorn .
For us the nearest school is Thomas's Fulham but they seem to have too many siblings so we may not get a place there.
The next nearest are Fulham Prep and Parsons Green prep. They also have a lot of siblings and Fulham prep has even got a nursery now.
Our first choice is Falkner House but who know how a 3 year old will perform at assessment. My DS has a good memory and seems quite bright but he is a summer born and emotionally does not seem to be as mature as majority of his nursery class.
If DS does not get a place in the schools he is already registered then I will start contacting schools a bit further afield like Hill House or Hampshire. Tbh I am not sure that my DS will suit to Wetherby. He seems to be quite sensitive at the moment.

If any of you have any questions on Falkner House, please feel free to pm me. Our son was at the boys school from reception to year 2 and joined St Paul this September. We (and more importantly He) love(d) FH. Very caring / attentive.

Thank you @Lolakath19 .
I know it is difficult to get information about assessment from 3 year old child and it has been a long time since your son did 4+ assessment/
Falkner's assessment is one and half hours long.
Just wondering if your son told you what he was doing during assessment and how Falkner House provides the feedback. Is it just offer/no offer or they gave a feedback on different areas of child' development?

Did you have a few 7+ schools to choose from? How did you land at St Paul in the end? Thanks

@Lily7050 he did tell me at the time but I can’t remember. He had a great experience though that is for sure and came back happy. I was a bit worried as well as some other boys went in with lots of confidence talking to the teachers while mine was a bit shy. Results came as a yes or no with the possibility to ask for some feedback. Even though he was accepted I asked for the feedback and it was spot on even though assessment did not like long. And I was so impressed that they manage to capture some little thing from him.

@Indigoo03 he sat kings and St. Paul’s only and we decided for St. Paul based on location mainly. These are the main 2 schools children there sit.

hope this helped.

Is it the same fees regardless of whether the child is British or overseas? Do some super rich parents promise large donations to curry favour during admission stage?

Just wondering for schools to balance their books whether they might take a higher revenue pupil even though other candidates have higher academic ability ?

Fees are the same whether you are British or not. We are middle class parents , both working so I don’t think we were chosen based on our revenues/wealth and I was certainly not the only mother working :)
the school is very transparent and I never had the impression than rich kids were treated any differently from mine.

Guess it's hard to say though what's the balance between middle class and super rich?

Well I don’t think there is a quota or something they just take the children for which they feel FB will be a good fit at that point. Assessing a 3/4 yo is not an easy task and not being offer a place does not mean anything.
The process can feel daunting but try not to worry too much :) your child’s future does not depend on a 4+ Or 7+ or 11+ assessment.

I am under impression that Falkner House is after good leavers' destinations. They try to choose children who potentially can get into St Paul's and other top schools.
Their websites says they do not guarantee places to their nursery children and to siblings.

Re. super rich, I thinks schools like Garden House, Hill House, Thomas's or Wetherby have more super rich families.

Why are you fixed on a private school? We had offers from one of these schools but chose state in the end, after initially accepting an offer (and beginning reception) at another Notting Hill prep school.

I'm not at all opposed to private education and my husband and I both went to private schools, on scholarships and assisted places. But, I now think, there is little value in non-selective private schooling for children without special interests or needs. Or, more precisely, the main thing going for private schools is high academic standards. You'll find equally or probably more intellectually ambitious parents and smarter kids at any number of good inner London state schools. You'll also be giving DC a socially much richer and more diverse experience. (And one that will be more valued / tolerated by other people/ institutions further down the line.)

It depends on your catchment area -- in the 80s I went to one of the best state primary schools (just off westbourne grove) and still good to this day.

Then moved and suddenly the only options were not great and the change was really obvious as a child.

Outside a small pocket around Kensington, central London state schools just aren't that great (possibly because the families here don't use them as much).

There's this really important choice before birth about where you want to start your family and that sets the tone.

On non-selectives I agree -- there are a lot of private schools in central London I would class as a waste of money.

On the social front we do extra curriculars outside that bubble and we feel this helps.

@Lily7050 FH is not pushing at all for 7+ or 8+ and boys are expected to stay until 11+. I felt like the education was really tailored to each child whatever their academic level.

Wetherby (Notting Hill) vs EHB vs WUS (4+) how to choose given recent changes in head teachers at Wetherby and EHB, as well as the introduction of 4+ at WUS?