Sarum Hall - any parent feedback?

[justanothermum2]

Hello,

I would appreciate any feedback on Sarum Hall in NW3, ideally from a current or past parent. How has the school changed over the last few years, especially given the frequent changes of Headmistress lately? Do you feel that the class size of 20+ girls is well managed by the teachers? Are girls who are academically strong being pushed further with more difficult tasks? Have the 11+ results been worsening/stable/improving over the years and is the school doing a good job at 11+ prep?

Also, do any parents still send their child for 4+ assessments during the nursery year at SH?

Thank you!

It was an exceptional school under the previous headmistress Christine Smith. Since then nearly all the staff left, so I cannot speak past that time. It was a lovely, supportive community for girls to grow up with good self-esteem and really blossom without the influence of boys. It was a bit too much IT, tech oriented which is a shame and not how learning truly happens. Worst I can say, very ugly uniforms which are desperate for an update. Hopefully, you can find a current parent to say more.

Thank you very much @Catnamedsocks for your insights. It's great to hear how fantastic the school was. I spoke to a current parent too and they seem to be happy. So hopefully the fantastic school legacy continues.

Hi @justanothermum2, I was wondering how you got on with answers to your questions above? Did you end up going for SH? Are you happy with the current headmistress and 11+ prep? I am currently in the position of deciding between Sarum Hall and Pembridge Hall and so would welcome any insight you have.

Hi @LostinSJW , yes we went ahead with Sarum Hall and are overall happy. DD is still in early years so we haven't experienced 11+ prep yet. Headmistress seems good to us so far. However, one thing we didn't like is that class sizes were increased from 24 to up to 27 girls in nursery / 25 in Reception this year and this was not well communicated in advance and took most parents by surprise.

I think the parental bodies are quite different when comparing Pembridge Hall and Sarum Hall. Have a look where you fit best in. Also, think which location is easiest to reach. Also, Sarum Hall is often the first choice for families when joining at 3+, where as Pembridge Hall is often a back up choice as it only starts at 4+ and is non-selective from birth.

Hope this helps, good luck with making the right choice for your family!

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! Yes, I have heard that the class sizes have increased for Reception and so I was wondering if it was feeling a bit crowded in class? I know they split the girls up into forms/houses for some subjects, so at least the student teacher ratio will come down to a reasonable level. Do you think they manage this well? Are academic girls given the necessary stretch? I do love how they work outside the curriculum as well as covering what is needed. It seems like a truly lovely school and great for fostering self-confidence. Thank you again for your time.

@LostinSJW hard to judge if the class indeed feels crowded on a day to day basis, but as a general consensus amongst parents smaller class sizes, closed to 20 girls like they used to be at SH, would be preferred. The classes are modern and not too small, but 25 girls is still a lot. The class is split into 2 groups, each having their own teacher. But I don't know if the 2 groups generally stay in the class at the same time or have different lessons in different rooms.
Also, given my DD is still in Early Years, it's hard to say about academics and if later on academic girls would be stretched enough. Probably a parent from the older years would be better to advise on this point.

That all makes perfect sense @justanothermum2 . Again, thank you so much for your time!