Lyceum vs St Paul's Cathedral School

[Butternut2018]

Why is choosing a primary school so stressful? DH and I are struggling to pick between Lyceum and SPCS for our DD. We love each school for different reasons and each have amazing qualities. We are so lucky to be able to choose between 2 great schools but it is causing sleepless nights as it is now "make your mind up time"! Lyceum had a lovely family feel and I was impressed with the "happy children create a happy and productive learning environment" ethos. We loved the new Head and Head of Early Years and the school staff have been so accommodating with visits. They also seem to be a school on the up with lots of positive changes.
We are also very impressed with the Head at SPCS. Love the new outside space and we know 4 children who have been through SPCS and are well rounded, confident, clever young adults who have gone on to great secondary schools. We also bonded with lots of parents on the open day.
Any recent parent/child experiences would be very much appreciated and would help us make the all important decision. We really are torn and don't want to change schools at 7 if we don't have to. TIA :D

Did you already get an offer from SPCS?

We had our son at a nursery which was taken over by Dukes while he was there and based on that experience we immediately discounted The Lyceum as an option for him and for us.

That's interesting. Would you mind sharing what put you off? Please pm me.

@Butternut2018 , Dukes Education are a group buying up schools all over the U.K. especially in West London. You can search on MN for threads on Orchard prep or Radnor House to see the parents response. In west London they have bought an enormous site called Kneller Hall that in time they can feed all their nursery and prep dc into. It's good to have the investment in any school site but bad that in a long term the company has to make a profit etc. Its worth studying their website with a cynical mind.

It boiled down to installing a person to manage the nursery who is not very good at their job, especially communicating with parents. Also sidelining the founder and creating a culture where in a short time a significant proportion of the senior staff left.

Now, The Lyceum has been a part of Dukes for a bit longer, so perhaps if you're still getting a positive vibe they've managed to do a better job with it. Funny enough, we moved our son to the nursery class of a school which is also a part of one of the private equity educational conglomerates that are well represented in London and our experience there has been less than ideal as well. Starting to get the feeling that when looking at private schools it's better to stick to ones that are also independant of big, for-profit owners.

With all of that said, there's something about SPCS that just gives me a warm, positive feeling. Probably would have been our top choice, had the arrival of another sibling not necesitated going to state school.

Hi OP

I am a SPCS parent and am extremely happy with it. My children both started in Reception and have had a wonderful experience. I would be happy to speak with you if you would find it helpful - please PM me if so.

Thanks CruCru. I have pm'd you.

Super - I’ve replied

as others said, one is an establish, historical school not run for profit, the other is part of a private equity property investment business with high turnover of staff and leadership. I would choose SPCS in a heartbeat!

We are at the lyceum and I don't recommend it. They have had a massive exodus of staff in the past 2 years and the 'new' head is now also leaving. She is a master of PR so what you will see / hear at the open day is absolutely no reflection of the how the school is day to day. I agree stay away from the ones run by private equity funds.

Sphereet, thanks for getting in touch. Would you mind if I pm you as we were leaning towards Lyceum. Any info you can give us would be really appreciated.

Yes butternut, no problem at all.

I would echo the Duke’s education caution. We were at a school in Putney taken over by Dukes (complicated by the inspirational head retiring and being replaced by her deputy) and we left quite soon after the Duke’s purchase. The ethos of the school changed before our eyes, and since we left quite a lot of other parents have pulled their children out too.

Just want to note my disagreement with Sphereet, who has a particular view. My child has been at the Lyceum since Reception and is now in Year 6, and we are very happy with how the school is run. In fact, and totally counter-intuitively, it has only got better since the Dukes take-over (admittedly, it went through a rocky patch before then). The school is well run, by a dynamic head. The teachers are excellent, run a genuinely creative and effective curriculum. And the kids are happy and achieve to their fullest potential. I love all the 'immersive learning' side of things eg if you're learning about the Great Fire of London, let's trot off to Pudding Lane etc; if you're learning about street art, let's get our coats on and see some Banksys on the streets of London etc. Anyway, I really wouldn't listen to one unhappy parent (which you will find everywhere). Visit and go with your gut!

My son is thriving in Y1 at SPCS. So happy with the school. Has a very local feel despite being in the middle of the city. The parents have high academic expectations for their kids but in a very down to earth way and the teachers support this well. We’ve had 2 leavers after reception, both due to a move out of London. I was sold by the head also but it’s since surpassed my expectations.
The bike racks, the flexible varied after school care, the trips, the sports, the cathedral (despite only experiencing the school through a pandemic) all over and above what’s on the prospectus. If you’re looking for something with a inclusive/exclusive feel SPCS’s the one :)