Dallington School, Clerkenwell

[TheTumblingDice]

What's going on with Dallington School? The last headmistress only lasted a week...

@TheTumblingDice

We have moved our children, as many have.

Since the amazing founder of the school Mog Hercules passed, many of the best staff have left.

Although there are still some exceptional teachers, the current owner of the school seems quite rudderless, with a high turn over of staff - it’s their second headmistress to leave in a year.

It’s such a sad business, we were all upset to leave, as the community around the school and families involved was so special.

But also, cross that basic failings, were not being addressed.

*as the community around the school and the families involved in that, were so special.

Hi. We are relocating from US to UK this summer and are really interested in Dallington. I didn’t realize they had so much turnover of head of schools. Can anyone provide more insight as to what is happening?

Hello my son is at Dallington in year 1. We actually joined this year. Overall we are happy, my son really loves his school, they do lots of things, music, swimming, french etc and I would say that academically the level is ok. It's very nurturing, and the classes size are small so lots of particular attention etc. On the not so positive sides, my understanding is that the headteacher who took over from Mogg was not up to the task and there have been some unhappy teachers and parents who left etc. The second headmistress who left didn't even start (never even saw her at the pick up/drop off) so I believe it was more for personal reasons than other things. They have appointed now an interim headmistress who is really good, and has made lots of good changes, and who will stay until they find the perfect headteacher, so might take a little while. She is really tackling the problems the school had in terms of lack of communication with the parents, organisation etcc So I think it is getting better and better. We did wonder if we made the good choice , as since we joined it's been' bumpy', but it's the only school we could find which is small, not too pushy, no uniforms, etc. So fingers crossed it will only get better!

@hampsteadmum2020 thanks for your response. We really enjoyed our virtual tour there and are still considering it. We have one son who is SN so I am a bit worried the general atmosphere might be too much. But I am definitely interested in the not too pushy, no uniforms, small aspects of it.

@krobhix20 happy to answer any questions if you want to send me a message in PM.

Our kids are at Dallington and have been there from nursery. We love the school and find it’s truly different in terms of a child first approach with a big emphasis on creative learning. A refreshing change from the other private schools we considered. The parents community is great too with lots of creatives. It is true the school has had a bumpy year after the founder’s passing with the last headteacher leaving due to personal reasons. However the interim headmistress is amazing and we feel the school is back on track. The teachers are excellent, class sizes are small and great for individual attention and children are truly happy to go to school everyday.

Our kids are at Dallington and we have experience of being at the school from nursery all the way to the older years.

Overall it’s been a positive experience. Teachers and assistants are fantastic. Children are engaged and part of their learning journey. Its’s child centred and cross cuticular learning (so a topic or theme is explored in multiple subjects at the same time). There is good emphasis on social skills, confidence building and teamwork. Homework is minimal and relevant - our older child enjoys a few extra curricular activities and has thrived at a school where they are not bombarded by tonnes of homework so there’s time for other things. Communication and admin has been up and down over the years but on the whole it’s improved since we joined. Staff are very approachable - you can have a chat at pickup about any concerns or questions.

Drawbacks are that you are in a small central London school so facilities are nice but small. The kids use a playground nearby rather than having their own one attached to the school. Sports facilities, concerts and performances are mostly in other off-site venues. It bothers me a bit that a venue or sound equipment / acoustics let down the Children’s lovely performances. On the other hand these performances are wonderfully authentic - it’s overly contrived… there’s a lot fun, energy and character. The class sizes become quite small towards the last couple of years which can feel like there are fewer social dynamics for the kids to learn from - there are pluses and minuses for this. There seem to have been some management / leadership issues and as another poster said this is being taken seriously and it feels like the wheels are in motion for improvement.

We have friends with children in other central London private schools and know that there is quite a lot of movement from the end of year 3 to year 5. This is true for all these schools including Dallington. It is some emotional upheaval to deal with when your child’s close friends leave.

If you’re moving from the US it’s worth knowing that there is a huge amount of parental panic and stress towards year 4, 5 and 6 about secondary school offers (I’ve been told it’s similar to NYC schools). It can be useful to look at which secondary schools children get offered a place to - most schools publish this info on their website.

As a two working parents household proximity from work / home to school was also important to us and might be a factor in your school search.

A very long post! I hope there is something helpful in here for you :)