central/north London pre-prep schools - advice please - Charterhouse Square, Dallington, St Paul's, Children's House, Lyceum, Rosemary Works etc

[northlondonparent]

Hi there,

There are lots of threads about the various schools that are near N1 on here, but none recent.

Was wondering if anyone had recent experience at any of the local(ish) City or Islington prep schools they could share with a confused/frazzled parent?

As a lot seem to have gone through change of late - Charterhouse new premises and move to two form entry, Lyceum new premises, St Paul's external updates and move to two form entry, Dallington and Cavendish new Heads, Children's House going through to 11, I assume the feel in them has changed a lot, and wondered if anyone had experience they could share?

I guess they all will also have changed post-Covid as I guess families have moved away from central London (classes seem pretty small higher up the schools based on our visits compared to reception).

I was also wondering whether the new co-ed status and location for City of London had changed the atmosphere at these schools - e.g. kids leaving at 7 who might otherwise have stayed?

Does anyone have any experience they could share, and advice on where to choose?

E.g. is Charterhouse hot-housey and do the large class sizes have an impact, as earlier threads have stated?

Would you have stayed at Children's House if it had carried on when your kids were there?

Is there a difference in the ones that are privately/charity owned vs. the ones now owned by bigger groups?

Happy with state primary but slightly terrified by the catchment and religion game playing required nowadays so have booked in lots of safety options. (Yes, we have scatter gun registered in panic...) I'm not-from-London, and state educated, so am entering a brave new world. And so grateful for any advice you can offer.

We have a nearly three year old child, and a lot are pushing to start at age 3 (ie a year before reception) to guarantee a place - is this just rhetoric or is it real? We were only going for co-ed, but have been recommended single sex by a few friends-of-girls.

So grateful for any advice anyone can offer! First time poster so please be kind and sorry if I've got anything wrong in how I've done this!!

Thanks.

Hi there,
We have 2 children at The Children’s House school and both are really happy there. It’s a really lovely school, not a hot house at all and the children are taught in a really creative and engaging way. We are really pleased it is now going up to 11, and nearly all the children are staying on for year 3. As you mentioned, the classes higher up the school are smaller as it has only just expanded (covid / brexit have also impacted most London prep schools I think) and the reception class is much larger. It has a new head who is lovely, and the expansion to 11 means more emphasis is being put on sports which is great. We looked at some of the other schools you have mentioned, but are really glad we chose CH. Feel free to message me if you have any specific questions!

Hello

I am a SPCS parent and both of my children started in Reception. We've always been extremely happy with the school.

I would not say that the City of London prep has had any impact but it is still pretty new. CLSG have had a prep school for quite a few years I think.

A few families have moved out of London but not lots (most have moved to another part of the UK but some have moved overseas). The majority of children who joined with my children in Reception are still there (my children are in years 6 and 4).

One thing to mention - both of my children had lots of children join in year 3. Now that the pre prep has expanded to a two-form entry, this won't be a common entry point (although choristers will carry on joining the prep school).

I am very happy to answer any questions. I will struggle to compare the schools you list though as I don't have any first hand experience (although I know a few people who have had children at some of the other schools). I think all the schools are quite different.

Hi there, we have 2 children at Dallington and couldn’t love the school more. It starts in pre-reception/lower nursery and goes all through primary school. The classes are small, emphasis is on creativity and learning for the love of it rather than hot housing. Kids see school as an extended family and the atmosphere is very close knit and inclusive. Like most central London schools there is no playground on site but they use the one nearby daily. Drama, Music, French all start from the beginning as well as fun sessions like forest school and circus skills. I’d suggest going for an in person tour to see what you think of it. I loved it from the moment I stepped in and knew it was the school i wanted for my kids.

We looked at all of these schools when researching schools too.

Go on a tour at each one if you can. For us Dallington was an obvious choice once we visited, and we have been happy with the love of learning that our child has developed there. It’s something our child can take with confidence throughout not just school but life.

Without having a child in each school at the same time it would be difficult to compare these schools. But, perhaps parents telling you why they like the school they are at might offer some guidance.

In addition to school visits, we looked at class sizes, student to teacher ratios and overall ethos when we selected a school. Good luck!

We have two kids at Dallington School and they are really very happy... They run happily into school every morning. The school's new headmaster, James, is fantastic, and has really done an excellent job of building a supportive and happy community for the children. Classes are good. The children are not put under the same pressure that the are at other schools like Charterhouse or Gower school, but the school still offers things like secondary 11+ prep starting from year for 4 for children that want to go that route. One thing I really like about Dallington is that the relationship between teachers and students is kept quite informal, which really seems to give all the children exceptional confidence when talking to adults and speaking or singing in front of the class. I've noted as my kids get older that many of their friends in other schools do not have the same confidence when speaking with adults. In my opinion, this is a skill that is really very difficult to teach.