Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

The King Alfred's School

24 replies

daricohen1 · 01/11/2022 11:33

We are looking to move our kids, both of whom are dyslexic, to The King Alfred's School in Golders Green. I know from previous parents that they have a high number of children with various learning needs like my two, and having looked around, it looks like a school that will welcome kids at all levels of academia. But I have heard terrible things about the mums! I appreciate you might say don't get involved, but mine are young, and I'd love to participate helping out in their school when I'm not working. I have a friend who took her children out as she fell in with a coke-taking, open marriage crowd, and she was sick of the dramas overspilling into the playground. I don't want to sound like a prude but this freaks me out. Get a grip and send them there, and ignore the crazies? Or massive red flag? They are currently in a state school, and putting them in a private school is a big financial outlay for us.

OP posts:
Donotgogentle · 01/11/2022 15:03

Never heard this about KA mums but surely you can avoid taking coke, sleeping with other people and engaging in playground drama if you want to?

Meadowbreeze · 01/11/2022 18:37

This school has a terrible reputation for the way they handle bullying. We had a place for y7 and declined it due to this. It's also a child centered approach that doesn't actually work well with a lot of Sen kids as they need explicit instruction. It attracts people who have a very liberal approach to education so naturally they will have a liberal approach to life too. Drugs are in all types of schools and parent groups though, not just KAS. This is also one of the most expensive in the area. Have you looked at others?

priy283 · 01/11/2022 19:56

Yes, I've heard similar stories, with bullying amongst mums who treat it as an extension of Soho House rather than their kid's school. My sister sent her child there for 2 years which were happy ones, Reception and Year1, but she said there were lots of people hanging onto their old identities from ex fashion PR days etc, and desperate to be-friend the huge amount of celebrities etc, and network. You're quite right @Donotgogentle , it can be avoided, but I would say it doesn;t always make a pleasant school gate situation.

passport123 · 02/11/2022 14:35

It's well known to be a school where you send your child if they are unlikely to be troubled by the need to earn a living.......

SparkleHedgehog · 19/01/2023 15:38

passport123 · 02/11/2022 14:35

It's well known to be a school where you send your child if they are unlikely to be troubled by the need to earn a living.......

Utter nonsense. As a current parent of a child who is thriving there, I feel the need to defend the school from flippant, damaging comments like this. I personally haven’t witnessed any drama or debauchery as per OP’s comment, if I did I would feel comfortable escalating to the heads who I feel assured would take it seriously. The parent crowd is much like anywhere else in NW London, just with less tiger parents which suits me very well.

TizerorFizz · 19/01/2023 20:39

And Heads will do what about parents? Nothing. They have no power. I would probably avoid the school if you won’t fit in!

CoffeewitOatMilk · 12/10/2023 14:54

Commenting as a parent with a child who recently went to primary here, but has since been moved. For my daughter's year group, there wasn't the kind of parent drama you are concerned about. Albeit there weren't any celebrities in her year group either. I found most of the parents very nice and I became close friends with a few of them. Some could be a bit stand-offish, but friendly enough.

A majority of parents are what you'd see anywhere else in North London (many parents raised working or middle class), and then there are a good mix of hippy-dippy with world-views not based in reality (think Gwyneth Paltrow "Goop" type stuff). The latter parenting group in particular have "free-range" parenting styles, which didn't align with my values in how I think a child should be raised. So this does mean that there can poor behaviour from the kids that goes unaddressed at home, and then also happens in school. And it also means a portion of the kids are exposed to things that are not age-appropriate, which then makes it way through the entire class eventually. As an example, for their first PGA trip (Yr 4 I think), the girls were all talking about what boys they were going to kiss. Thankfully my daughter told me about this before the trip and I brought it to the attention of the Head, who then had to arrange for the teacher to do a special talk about the topic to ensure nothing happened. You'll see this higher level of being too mature for their age all the way up to secondary school. If you look at the older girls, for example, you'll notice they're wearing lots of make-up, belly shirts, etc.

I really believe in the ethos of the school, and they do an amazing job exposing the kids to all sorts of interesting topics and disciplines. I really love the head of the lower school, too. But unfortunately, I don't think they do a good job with pastoral care. My child is super sensitive with anxiety issues and was bullied from a very young age in such subtle ways that I didn't even realize it was happening for several years. The school did try to help her, but there were some repeat issues with the same kids over and over again, and nothing was done about those kids (they made it more an issue of helping my daughter deal with conflict rather than stamping out the bad behaviour of other kids). So for her mental health, I had to pull her out. It was only after I pulled her out and put her into a very small, structured and supportive school where there really is a zero-bullying policy, that I also realized how much they did not support her academically either. Her current school communicates with us frequently about how she's doing AND they've put academic interventions in place to help her with the things she's really struggling with. Whereas at KAS we rarely had any idea how she was doing (I do want to call out that there was one year where we did know a lot more about her progress, but that's because the teacher was so amazing and kept us in the loop). I realize they do this because they are child-led and generally let each child progress at their own pace. But in practice, this translated to letting her struggle too much and fall very behind in certain disciplines.

I don't want this to come across as bad-mouthing the school. There is much to love about it, including the facilities! But I think this school is not for everyone. The kids I saw thriving there were the outgoing, strong-minded, independent, and self-sufficient kids. Or at least the easy-going ones who are not bothered by much. It's not a school for kids who are sensitive and need a lot of emotional support, and it's not for the ones that struggle academically, as they're likely to fall to the bottom without a lot of attention or support.

On this latter point, if academics do matter to you, I recommend looking at their GCSE results as a comparison. There are plenty of state schools (typically the ones who are rated outstanding) who produce just as good results, and it's free!

In our year group, there was a lot of turn-over for many of the reasons I've mentioned above. So I'm not the only one who had these issues.

OP must have made a decision by now, as I'm posting 1.5 years later, but thought it might be helpful to other parents considering KAS.

CoffeewitOatMilk · 12/10/2023 15:08

Actually, one thing I forgot to mention....my daughter is now in a school with a uniform, and kids with families with more modest financial situations. I had never heard her say this when she was there, but now that she's out and the uniform creates equality in some way, she said the girls in her class would mention what brands of clothing they were wearing and she felt pressured to fit in with her clothing (or other "stuff" that everyone else had). So I do think the wealth of kids there is pervasive, but in a quiet way.

TherealDora · 06/06/2024 21:38

CoffeewitOatMilk · 12/10/2023 14:54

Commenting as a parent with a child who recently went to primary here, but has since been moved. For my daughter's year group, there wasn't the kind of parent drama you are concerned about. Albeit there weren't any celebrities in her year group either. I found most of the parents very nice and I became close friends with a few of them. Some could be a bit stand-offish, but friendly enough.

A majority of parents are what you'd see anywhere else in North London (many parents raised working or middle class), and then there are a good mix of hippy-dippy with world-views not based in reality (think Gwyneth Paltrow "Goop" type stuff). The latter parenting group in particular have "free-range" parenting styles, which didn't align with my values in how I think a child should be raised. So this does mean that there can poor behaviour from the kids that goes unaddressed at home, and then also happens in school. And it also means a portion of the kids are exposed to things that are not age-appropriate, which then makes it way through the entire class eventually. As an example, for their first PGA trip (Yr 4 I think), the girls were all talking about what boys they were going to kiss. Thankfully my daughter told me about this before the trip and I brought it to the attention of the Head, who then had to arrange for the teacher to do a special talk about the topic to ensure nothing happened. You'll see this higher level of being too mature for their age all the way up to secondary school. If you look at the older girls, for example, you'll notice they're wearing lots of make-up, belly shirts, etc.

I really believe in the ethos of the school, and they do an amazing job exposing the kids to all sorts of interesting topics and disciplines. I really love the head of the lower school, too. But unfortunately, I don't think they do a good job with pastoral care. My child is super sensitive with anxiety issues and was bullied from a very young age in such subtle ways that I didn't even realize it was happening for several years. The school did try to help her, but there were some repeat issues with the same kids over and over again, and nothing was done about those kids (they made it more an issue of helping my daughter deal with conflict rather than stamping out the bad behaviour of other kids). So for her mental health, I had to pull her out. It was only after I pulled her out and put her into a very small, structured and supportive school where there really is a zero-bullying policy, that I also realized how much they did not support her academically either. Her current school communicates with us frequently about how she's doing AND they've put academic interventions in place to help her with the things she's really struggling with. Whereas at KAS we rarely had any idea how she was doing (I do want to call out that there was one year where we did know a lot more about her progress, but that's because the teacher was so amazing and kept us in the loop). I realize they do this because they are child-led and generally let each child progress at their own pace. But in practice, this translated to letting her struggle too much and fall very behind in certain disciplines.

I don't want this to come across as bad-mouthing the school. There is much to love about it, including the facilities! But I think this school is not for everyone. The kids I saw thriving there were the outgoing, strong-minded, independent, and self-sufficient kids. Or at least the easy-going ones who are not bothered by much. It's not a school for kids who are sensitive and need a lot of emotional support, and it's not for the ones that struggle academically, as they're likely to fall to the bottom without a lot of attention or support.

On this latter point, if academics do matter to you, I recommend looking at their GCSE results as a comparison. There are plenty of state schools (typically the ones who are rated outstanding) who produce just as good results, and it's free!

In our year group, there was a lot of turn-over for many of the reasons I've mentioned above. So I'm not the only one who had these issues.

OP must have made a decision by now, as I'm posting 1.5 years later, but thought it might be helpful to other parents considering KAS.

If you don’t mind me asking what school your daughter is currently attending as we are looking for a secondary school for next year for our son. But after reading all this comments about King Alfred which was on our top list, I don’t think we will be sending him there. Also, if you have any recommendation for good secondary schools, please do feel free to share.

howdydude · 06/06/2024 22:18

CoffeewitOatMilk · 12/10/2023 14:54

Commenting as a parent with a child who recently went to primary here, but has since been moved. For my daughter's year group, there wasn't the kind of parent drama you are concerned about. Albeit there weren't any celebrities in her year group either. I found most of the parents very nice and I became close friends with a few of them. Some could be a bit stand-offish, but friendly enough.

A majority of parents are what you'd see anywhere else in North London (many parents raised working or middle class), and then there are a good mix of hippy-dippy with world-views not based in reality (think Gwyneth Paltrow "Goop" type stuff). The latter parenting group in particular have "free-range" parenting styles, which didn't align with my values in how I think a child should be raised. So this does mean that there can poor behaviour from the kids that goes unaddressed at home, and then also happens in school. And it also means a portion of the kids are exposed to things that are not age-appropriate, which then makes it way through the entire class eventually. As an example, for their first PGA trip (Yr 4 I think), the girls were all talking about what boys they were going to kiss. Thankfully my daughter told me about this before the trip and I brought it to the attention of the Head, who then had to arrange for the teacher to do a special talk about the topic to ensure nothing happened. You'll see this higher level of being too mature for their age all the way up to secondary school. If you look at the older girls, for example, you'll notice they're wearing lots of make-up, belly shirts, etc.

I really believe in the ethos of the school, and they do an amazing job exposing the kids to all sorts of interesting topics and disciplines. I really love the head of the lower school, too. But unfortunately, I don't think they do a good job with pastoral care. My child is super sensitive with anxiety issues and was bullied from a very young age in such subtle ways that I didn't even realize it was happening for several years. The school did try to help her, but there were some repeat issues with the same kids over and over again, and nothing was done about those kids (they made it more an issue of helping my daughter deal with conflict rather than stamping out the bad behaviour of other kids). So for her mental health, I had to pull her out. It was only after I pulled her out and put her into a very small, structured and supportive school where there really is a zero-bullying policy, that I also realized how much they did not support her academically either. Her current school communicates with us frequently about how she's doing AND they've put academic interventions in place to help her with the things she's really struggling with. Whereas at KAS we rarely had any idea how she was doing (I do want to call out that there was one year where we did know a lot more about her progress, but that's because the teacher was so amazing and kept us in the loop). I realize they do this because they are child-led and generally let each child progress at their own pace. But in practice, this translated to letting her struggle too much and fall very behind in certain disciplines.

I don't want this to come across as bad-mouthing the school. There is much to love about it, including the facilities! But I think this school is not for everyone. The kids I saw thriving there were the outgoing, strong-minded, independent, and self-sufficient kids. Or at least the easy-going ones who are not bothered by much. It's not a school for kids who are sensitive and need a lot of emotional support, and it's not for the ones that struggle academically, as they're likely to fall to the bottom without a lot of attention or support.

On this latter point, if academics do matter to you, I recommend looking at their GCSE results as a comparison. There are plenty of state schools (typically the ones who are rated outstanding) who produce just as good results, and it's free!

In our year group, there was a lot of turn-over for many of the reasons I've mentioned above. So I'm not the only one who had these issues.

OP must have made a decision by now, as I'm posting 1.5 years later, but thought it might be helpful to other parents considering KAS.

Hi! Where did you move your daughter? I'm looking for a school in that location and the school you moved her to sounds wonderful! Thank you!

CoffeewitOatMilk · 07/06/2024 08:48

TherealDora · 06/06/2024 21:38

If you don’t mind me asking what school your daughter is currently attending as we are looking for a secondary school for next year for our son. But after reading all this comments about King Alfred which was on our top list, I don’t think we will be sending him there. Also, if you have any recommendation for good secondary schools, please do feel free to share.

Hopefully you mean academic year '25-26? Private schools have already completed their intake for' 24-25.

Apologies that I can't offer many suggestions for your son, as we went for a girl's school. We did apply and were accepted to Maida Vale School as a co-ed option, but my daughter has responded so much better in an all-girls primary school that we decided to maintain the status quo for now.

Good luck!

CoffeewitOatMilk · 07/06/2024 09:00

howdydude · 06/06/2024 22:18

Hi! Where did you move your daughter? I'm looking for a school in that location and the school you moved her to sounds wonderful! Thank you!

We moved her to The Village School in Belsize Park. It's super small....about a dozen kids in each year group. So they get lots of attention. We've loved it, and that seems to be the sentiment of all the parents. They are also starting a secondary school come September, so there is an option to stay on in the future.

Other girls primary schools in NW3 that we really liked that I recommend checking out: St Margaret's in Hampstead and St Christina's in Belsize Park. St Mary's was also on our list and we liked very much as parents, but my daughter had an issue with a teacher on her trial day, so we passed in the end.

If you're looking for co-ed primary in the area, the only one we considered was Trevor Roberts, but they couldn't take my daughter until the next academic year and I was looking for a mid-year move, so I only spoke to them on the phone and never went to visit.

Good luck! DM me if you'd like more specific feedback.

TherealDora · 07/06/2024 09:14

CoffeewitOatMilk · 07/06/2024 08:48

Hopefully you mean academic year '25-26? Private schools have already completed their intake for' 24-25.

Apologies that I can't offer many suggestions for your son, as we went for a girl's school. We did apply and were accepted to Maida Vale School as a co-ed option, but my daughter has responded so much better in an all-girls primary school that we decided to maintain the status quo for now.

Good luck!

Thank you, Maida Vale School is currently number one on my list at the moment. We visited and also spoke with heads and SENCO and it seems to be a very nurturing school for kids that require that extra support.

CoffeewitOatMilk · 07/06/2024 09:45

TherealDora · 07/06/2024 09:14

Thank you, Maida Vale School is currently number one on my list at the moment. We visited and also spoke with heads and SENCO and it seems to be a very nurturing school for kids that require that extra support.

If you're looking for SENCO, Portland Place is meant to be very good. Southbank International, too.

Meadowbreeze · 07/06/2024 12:42

CoffeewitOatMilk · 07/06/2024 09:45

If you're looking for SENCO, Portland Place is meant to be very good. Southbank International, too.

Portland place is closing in about 4 weeks!

TherealDora · 07/06/2024 15:48

Thank you so much will arrange a visit.

TherealDora · 07/06/2024 15:50

Just checked and unfortunately Portland place will be closing permanently this summer.

FKAT · 07/06/2024 15:52

Every child I've heard of who's gone to KA has immediately identified as non-binary within a week of attending.

Suncream123 · 08/06/2024 18:13

KAS well known as where you send your child if they won't really need to earn a living - loads of tutoring going on for those who actually want decent exam results - I'd be very wary for kids with any sort of SEN. The behaviour of KAS kids out in a group whenever I have encountered them is awful, with no control by the teachers.

TherealDora · 09/06/2024 11:03

from all the stories we’ve heard our son definitely won’t be able to cope with such kids, he will be a target for bully as a vulnerable kid.

We will be settling for Maida Vale school or Eaton Square Schools.

thank you.

Isthisodd8 · 16/10/2024 17:44

Curious to know which other schools people recommend for secondary? We were considering applying for this school, but I have heard bad things about it locally and know parents who have pulled their children out.

A couple of people I know complained that it gets lot of kids who don’t get into the academically selective schools through 11+, but want their children at private regardless. (Also think it’s odd that there’s a selection process at 11+ at King Alfred’s since it’s not meant to be academically selective?)

Actively looking for a warm, friendly secondary school that is nurturing and kind and fun. But also doesn’t fail on academics!

Meadowbreeze · 16/10/2024 18:38

@Isthisodd8 King Alfred have maybe 2-3 spaces at 11+ a year. At least 3-400 applications. My DD did the process and she found it very fun and low key so I don't think it's selective in the academic sense, but it's a very particular child that would fit in. Each application cost £150 back in 2019 when we applied so I imagine it generates quite a bit of income too.

Isthisodd8 · 16/10/2024 19:43

Meadowbreeze · 16/10/2024 18:38

@Isthisodd8 King Alfred have maybe 2-3 spaces at 11+ a year. At least 3-400 applications. My DD did the process and she found it very fun and low key so I don't think it's selective in the academic sense, but it's a very particular child that would fit in. Each application cost £150 back in 2019 when we applied so I imagine it generates quite a bit of income too.

I thought they got more like 150 and 10 spaces - but that’s just what I was told by another parent (albeit an unhappy one who pulled their child out).

Did your DD go? Where else did she apply?

Meadowbreeze · 17/10/2024 12:24

Isthisodd8 · 16/10/2024 19:43

I thought they got more like 150 and 10 spaces - but that’s just what I was told by another parent (albeit an unhappy one who pulled their child out).

Did your DD go? Where else did she apply?

Edited

There was definitely more than 150 on the day we went, and I think they had another day I can't remember now though it was in 2019. It always depends how many stay from y6 and in the year we tried there was 3 or 4 spaces for you but it was the 2008 baby boom bulge year.
We only looked at it as I thought the idea of it sounded brilliant, and I heard their SEN support was good, my DD has severe dyslexia. I know most teens are idiots and I take what I see after school with a pinch of salt, but from what I saw, and reading between the lines, it was definitely not the type of people I wanted my DD to be with for the rest of her childhood. I knew for the most part the parents would have an equally liberal approach to things as the school does, so I just thought sending her there would mean war for me in the teen years. I am not super traditional, DD goes to forest school camps etc, but I don't believe in children having as much freedom as there is there, esp in the teen years and esp around their education. I also found their bullying and behaviour policy horrifying.
Simply put, once I saw past the happy kids in the woods, I realised my morals and values just don't align with their approach but I am happy that the school is there, I think it gives a very good option to families that would likely be miserable in a more traditional mainstream setting. DD didn't get in but we wouldn't have accepted it either way. She ended up in a state mainstream which we were happy with and she enjoyed.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread