Ken Prep Vs Putney High Juniors

[Rainbows18]

We are very lucky , my DD was offered a places in Ken Prep and PHS. My daughter is rather shy and sensitive but extremely curious and loves to be challenged. The fact that PHS is going is all through is very appealing, but I think Ken Prep seems very strong academically and the school is smaller, fwd thinking and creative.
I would very grateful for any advice and thoughts. Thank you.

Please also stop posting insulting individual teachers in identifiable ways. It is really nasty and bullying behaviour to do it so public ally, however you feel.

I am a parent with 2 girls at the school; one KS1 and the other in KS2. I am broadly happyy observation is there is a big difference in the demographics in the upper and lower school. My younger daughter's year is around 1/5 Chinese kids. They speak Mandarin to each other which excludes other girls, the mums are secretive and barely socialise and their kids are heavily tutored, from Reception on. In my older daughter's year the ratio is very different and I prefer it. I think this is something prospective parents need to be aware of. The derelict climbing frame in the playground is a bit of a disgrace - it makes the whole place look very run down.

That sounds better than my younger DD year which was 1/4 Chinese and same dynamic - girls and parents keep to themselves. Wasn’t the same higher up the school it’s a recent change I would say. Think the reception class is much more even this year I hear so hopefully the head got the message as I know a few girls left specifically because of this changed dynamic.

Another difference is that there are far fewer English first language kids in my younger daughter’s class. I’ve actually noticed her English deteriorate since she has been at the school as she is surrounded for most of the day by kids who have learnt English as a second, or even third language, and they don’t speak it well. I’m pretty dismayed by it, and it’s one of the major reasons I’m thinking about putting her forward for Bute at the 7+. I’m hoping my elder daughter will be at one of the Hammersmith schools, so logistically it would also make sense, but the composition of her class is a major push factor.

The English as second language is very normal in central London- used to not be so in Fulham but times are changing. It usually isn't an issue as it's just expat parents and DC are very fluent. Sounds like it might be a bit more at Ken Prep.

We are in fact at Bute House. I would highly recommend it. It is a brilliant school. The emphasis on wellness and girls being equipped to be strong in their mental health is excellent. Alongside obvious great academics. The cohorts are balanced with all nationalities. The tutoring still happens, as does pushiness from parents. On the whole the school manages it all in ways it sounds like perhaps Ken Prep isn't at the moment. Obviously it has the odd niggle but I have found they deal with any worries very well.

This post is becoming a bit more like trolling on Ken Prep. I am sorry if I helped a bit by asking too many questions about the head due to concerns raised.

As an expat parent myself, it does feel hurt to know that my DD would be seen as a liability to the school by fellow parents.

I agree @DoraSK. Insightful but take with a pinch of salt!

I’ve changed my name just for this post but wanted to agree that there seems to have been more of a demographic change - my daughter has just started in Year 3 at a SW school. Of course, that is not something I have any difficulty with generally at all, but would just echo the difference in educational ethos in terms of parents views on education/parenting etc from the older years (on average). Makes for any informal nature of a school to become more formal to meet the expectations of parents which is something we’ve been quite dismayed by but perhaps also we hadn’t done our research as well (not sure how we could have experienced this without being here though). Just wanted to add as I think it’s an interesting one - we are very happy for a diverse mix of children in the classes and my DD doesn’t even think about it (as is right) - it’s just the impact on culture of a school and interests and attitudes of her friends which seems to be quite real from our experience.

Stating the facts is not ‘trolling’. There has been a discernible demographic shift in the school in the last few years. There is a high proportion of Chinese children in the lower school. They do not assimilate particularly well, in my experience - I have not even spoken to some of the Chinese parents in my younger daughter’s year, because on the whole they tend to stick together. I am a parent with 2 daughters at the school and the change is noticeable. Others have corroborated these facts and I am not trying to ‘stir’ by stating them. I am not pointing my finger at anyone in particular. I actually quite like CH-M. I think the above information would be helpful for prospective parents to know. It was too late, as my older daughter was already at the school, to jump ship, but if my oldest was doing the 4+ now, I would probably choose another school, I’m sorry to say.

I would also say, in my limited experience, the school does not handle complaints well at all. It is odd that the board of governors is not published on the school’s website, and that in itself tells you something. And I can understand why other posters were frustrated by the responses they received from the school and felt the need to vent here, because if complaints are not handled properly then resentment will seep out in forums like these.

JuicyLucy you are spot on and I don’t understand why it’s called trolling or anything else when people state facts quite unanimously. Posters ask for feedback and then when it’s not all glowing others get annoyed - I just don’t get it. You don’t hear the same feedback regarding Bute although the school is very similar on paper. I wish we would have tried at 7+ but sadly didn’t apply.
I’m all for diversity in schools but when the children and parents mix and assimilate and buy into the ethos - this has simply not been the case with the proportion of Chinese students as KPS. Having said that a friends son started at Latymer prep and there the class is 3/4 Chinese girls this year so clearly happening all over SW London. Again not a big issue if all mix paper us and kids after all that’s why we love London but there needs to be a healthy balance.

It is unfortunate that the meaning of "trolling" has expanded so much beyond the original (malicious posts directed to the owner of the account) to anyone writing an opinion anywhere when someone doesn't like that opinion, no matter how well-founded, well-reasoned and neutrally written it may be

I don't think it's trolling but the school has huge issues.
Where would you go to complain? For us it was too late speaking to the head as the 11 plus was done and dusted, results out. Staff were sympathetic but there was a general attitude of well this is not a normal school, what did you expect? Actually I had no idea! They also blamed a lot on the pandemic but many other schools both state and private handled the situation well by keeping the children calm.

We liked the diversity and its not something that bothers me having been born and raised in west London and my parents were immigrants who settled in Kensington. I'm British but sometimes people who've moved to this city don't think I am 😕 My husband is white and English and he also liked the diversity. We are in Wandsworth and the prep schools are less diverse - we thought the diversity at KPS would be a good thing. ( so oif that's what you're after consider the preps in Wandsworth as they definitely feel more British) The few Chinese girls who joined in year 5 were unproblematic girls with immaculate English. I'm guessing they were ahead in many areas which is why they fit in.
Girls they take in the latter years have to be girls with strong potential to do really well. When my daughter sat the entry in year 4 her CAT score was in the 130s. It went down to 120s and at one point even lower while at KPS. The lovely Maths teacher mentioned, suggested it was down to stress and not to worry. Many staff members indicated her year group was particularly batshit in fact but what did they do about it?
Who is responsible? How can parents feel safe discussing their concerns? Why are they only listening to the most pushy and aggressive parents?
As for the bullying, after the results were out in the summer term one of the girls knocked my daughter to the ground. My daughter was more appalled that her friends didn't say a word to support her. They just watched and said nothing. I approached the mother as I had had enough of my daughter rmissing school and the mother said her daughter was also a victim of bullying.
To be honest a few girls were suffering even more than mine. On anti anxiety medication and self harming. This is now bad it was!
It put us off private education altogether in London and daughter now in year 8 is so happy and doing very well at her secondary school. She's in top sets for maths and sciences, doing well in most with a nice bunch of friends, playing lots of sports, really supportive teachers. At KPS she was led to believe she was weird and incapable. It makes me so fucking angry when I think about it 😤
I'm also an ex gdst girl but my school had a lovely relaxed and supportive environment, a far cry from what we experienced.

@eglantine7 , hugs to you and your DC. The amount of low level bullying in different Year groups was not being resolved in a timely manner. So many girls have left at different points due to loving supportive families trying their best. The girls’ level of dieting, anxiety medication and self harming at such a young age. Listening to the year group would have been beneficial and not as you stated just the pushy and aggressive parents. So glad your DD is flourishing in Year 8 and for many years to come.

Thank you HawaiiWake. I apologise but I find this episode of my time in motherhood quite triggering as it was so awful. I know I'm one of many which is the sad thing that the shiny facade continues. So I hope there is some positive change there soon ❤🤞

Hi sorry for the bad choice of word "trolling", especially to eglantine7 , sad to hear what happened to your DD and happy to know she is now happy and thriving, not affected by what happened back then!

THanks all for your contributions and insights. What I was meaning by the last comment was that this post was asking about KPS vs PHS, and recently it was "flooded" by bad reviews (if this is a better and more sensitive choice of word) of KPS and no one was mentioning anything about PHS and no one was defending KPS (Although it could be because the problems you mentioned was serious, but still feels quite strange to hear this one-sided review for a school with so many students. And that sock puppeting comment from mumsnet certainly made the feeling stronger. )

Anyway, the comment about self-halming and anti-anxiety really shocked me and KPS is formmally out of our option list. Thanks and sorry again if anyone's feeling is hurt.

@DoraSK , earlier post. Putney is GDST and curriculum is same as Ken Prep. We know kids in Putney staying on, kids moving at 11+ into Putney and away to boarding or Hammersmith schools, also going CoEd due to brothers. There is a new Head in senior school. So if joining at 4+ DC would not have the same peer groups until 18+. The option of doing 11+ without the major stress since senior school place is there.

Is the condition at Ken prep still the same or any better?

It's worse, sad to say. My DD left last year. Bullying was rife and the Head refused to acknowledge any of it, every good teacher bar one has left (including Heads of Music, Sport and Science last year), 11+ results are purely down to tutoring or enormous parental effort. Cannot really put into words what an unhappy place it was during KS2.

Myself and some other posters have gone into more detail on this thread.
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/primary/5252223-kensington-prep-diversity

But basically, every negative thing that has been said on this thread about Kensington Prep is true.

Our DD got the senior school she wanted, but purely down to mine and DH's efforts.

When I mentioned KPS to DD this week, her response was "God, don't mention it. You're giving me PTSD." Pretty much says it all.

Thank you @TheGreatOutdoors23 .

@eglantine7 would you mind sharing which state school your child ended up in? I’m interested din good secondary schools in Hammersmith and Fulham. TIA

Search KPS in different threads and you will find testimonies of ex parents who suffered from the toxic culture, bullying and declining academics. As an ex parent with 2 daughters from there, my experience was horrendous (for my second daughter). Bullying ( including physical violence) is the default culture. Beware

Hello, I am very interested to know which school you decided on and your experiences. Please PM if more suitable. many thanks