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Nursery - Falkner House (Boys) vs Eaton House Belgravia vs Westminster Cathedral Choir School

12 replies

GlobeTrottingMove · 07/10/2023 07:42

Moving to London from abroad. Our DS is kind and a bit on the sensitive side, so we want to index on both academics and pastoral care, with a preference for smaller class sizes. Not concerned about commute. Has anyone had to decide between these three schools (or some combination of) for reception?
EHB seems to have the best reputation, while FH is the newest, but seems to have had great results last year. WCCS is a bit of an outlier, but the school seems nice and has solid results too.

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PinkFly · 07/10/2023 14:19

I would pick between Falkner or EHB as they have better reputations.

Falkner is very much family run. You have to agree with the Head and her daughters' approach. It is slick and anything but complacent. I think it has every child's best interest in heart. But not a flexible school who will work with you, they expect you to fit their exact model and beliefs. I know lots of families who love it though.

We have family with children at EHB planning the 7/8+ route. We looked at it but didn't go for it. EHB is under the Eaton House brand which is excellent and good track record for 7/8+. The principal is well respected and really knows her stuff. The Belgravia head is changing so that is something to look into. They got screwed over by Mark Snell (ex Wetherby head) who dropped out from taking over as head. It is a shame as I know my sister was hoping he would modernise things a little. She always comments they are very behind on the tech side of things. The results are very strong. Although most do leave at 7 or 8. I am not sure if the school still goes to 11, if it does I think the last few year groups are very small or perhaps transfer to the other sites within the group.

Both these schools have nearly zero outdoor space. EHB does go to the big Clapham site for sports etc and benefits from those facilities. I am not sure about FH.

ChelseaLDN · 08/10/2023 14:03

We went with EHB. Had to decide during Covid when we couldn’t visit any schools - so deciding factor was the excellent 7/8+ track record which we wanted to keep open as an option if our son was that way inclined.

We love it and it has been a perfect match for our son. Class size is small (has varied between 10 and 14 each year) with one teacher and one TA. For a school renowned for its academic focus, the pastoral care has been an exceptionally pleasant surprise and our son has been cared for so well during some ups and downs. Teachers can vary, some exceptional some less so, but would assume this to be the case everywhere. Exam prep is thorough and they really dial up the communication with parents (as well as the school work and home work for the boys) so you are kept in the loop with the boys progress.

This is a school that if you want to pursue 7/8+ will support you through that. That being said - nearly all boys we know going for these exams are being tutored (at home or professionally) so definitely don’t think that just sending them to EHB is enough to succeed.

Also, EHB is basically a townhouse, no outdoor space on site and is very small. Definitely a consideration - my son needed a small cosy environment so that suited us. But know others who turned it down as they felt there boys needed a bigger environment. We visited FH and id say the facilities are comparable to EHB. Small.

We also have friends who went with FH and rave about it there. I think you can’t go wrong with either FH or EHB.

Sleepymumofthree · 07/12/2023 10:44

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ChelseaLDN · 07/12/2023 14:29

Having gone through 7+ at EHB, I do disagree with the statement that they do nothing. We were very pleased with the support we received from the school, and have found the academics far from basic. But that's life, what works for one does not for another!

Regardless of what school they go to, parents absolutely should know that it will be an exceptional few boys who will require no additional tutoring (professional or at home) and succeed in these exams. Tutoring your son outside of school has become the norm and not the exception. Do not believe a pre-prep who tells you that tutoring does not go on, or that you don't need to do it for 7+/8+.

Perhaps you will have a gifted, genius child in which case - bravo! But for the majority of boys, these exams are simply too difficult for their developmental stage and no school, no matter how academic will be able to change that.

elij · 07/12/2023 17:34

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I generally agree however your impressions of WCCS and WNH are slightly more favourable than is fair.

EHB and WNH for whatever level they provide in support (about the same imo) are generally the hot house option.

WCCS pre prep I've not seen use the outdoor space beyond the courtyard since it opened a few years ago. And if I've missed something and they do use main school it's still a small area not worth writing home about.

Tutoring isn't mandatory. We don't do it despite what other families do and it's fine for us. The only factor that should be considered is proximity to home (3 schools here are nowhere near each other) and environment/arts.

In central London the only winners in terms pre prep outdoor space with grass are WUS (Vincent Square), Garden House (Burton Court/Chelsea Hospital) and Hill House.

Sleepymumofthree · 07/12/2023 17:50

I would have to disagree with EHB being a hothouse. It quite simply is not.

Having seen the direct difference between the WNH homework and the homework from EHB it is hugely different. Similarly, having viewed the 7+ material from both schools ‘clubs’ they are vastly different. Notting Hill has 2 clubs per week, one maths and one english compared to once a week from EHB. WNH material is created by the school. Their maths program is extremely advanced in comparison to EHB. WNH put kids in sets, which helps them hugely. EHB doesn’t have sets and simply gives the children different work in the same class. But they are all taught to the same level.

They have taken their eye off the ball in a large way. However, it’s likely Garden house, Falkner house etc are less ideal as they are 11plus schools.

My point is academically there really is only one 7plus hothouse. And it’s not EHB. Wetherby Notting Hill takes that crown. I think it’s very unfair to prospective parents to suggest that EHB is a hothouse.

elij · 08/12/2023 06:15

Sleepymumofthree · 07/12/2023 17:50

I would have to disagree with EHB being a hothouse. It quite simply is not.

Having seen the direct difference between the WNH homework and the homework from EHB it is hugely different. Similarly, having viewed the 7+ material from both schools ‘clubs’ they are vastly different. Notting Hill has 2 clubs per week, one maths and one english compared to once a week from EHB. WNH material is created by the school. Their maths program is extremely advanced in comparison to EHB. WNH put kids in sets, which helps them hugely. EHB doesn’t have sets and simply gives the children different work in the same class. But they are all taught to the same level.

They have taken their eye off the ball in a large way. However, it’s likely Garden house, Falkner house etc are less ideal as they are 11plus schools.

My point is academically there really is only one 7plus hothouse. And it’s not EHB. Wetherby Notting Hill takes that crown. I think it’s very unfair to prospective parents to suggest that EHB is a hothouse.

So my issue with the Wetherby hype, for both their pre-preps, is for all the hot housing and clubs on the other side it doesn't create an army of super soldiers in Y3 at the destination schools.

We are at WUS now and GHS gets comparable numbers to EHB (including this year). It's only when you add both EHB and EHM that this changes (because it's a larger chort).

GHS had minimal support when we were there and it was officially supporting the 8+ (this was perfect for us as we're against hothousing). But compared to GHS, EHB was a hothouse.

But it's the same for the Wetherby alumnus (who we've known since birth and like you compared work), there aren't that many coming in relative to the hype. And when they are here they're not top of the year in any area to justify the approach.

The biggest difference between kids is always what happens at home. And anecdotally the top kids aren't the ones tutored.

TheCurtainQueen · 08/12/2023 07:00

My friend recently left EHB because she was so unimpressed with it. I would really resent paying that kind of money for a school that has absolutely no outdoor space. They waste a huge amount of time every day on a bus to battersea park for a short run around.

Sleepymumofthree · 08/12/2023 09:32

I agree with a lot of it happens at home. Saying that, congratulations to you for getting your son into WUS.

I understand that now Garden House are very open with their parents regarding them not being a 7/8+ school, they now say they are an 11+ school. I’m sure there will still be children who leave at the earlier exit points though.

However, I disagree regarding the hype around WNH. I can understand why places at this school are so desired. Whether these kids become top of the year once they leave is almost irrelevant. The point is, they are getting in. Saying that, they are STILL being tutored and helped at home. It should still be taken into account how much more academic WNH is than any other school and would be remiss of anyone not to recognise how that helps.

Dukes left the 7+ kids at EHB without a headmaster over their 7+ exams. It was a huge talking point within the school. The deputy head stepped in, obviously without any relationship with any of the schools. Thankfully, my son will have a headmaster for his exams next year. If we don’t take him out before….

Ultimately, I remember being that mother checking mumsnet when my son was little. Trying to find scraps of info about these schools. I wish someone had simply been honest about how much work these little people need to do and how little input most of these schools have. However, they will be the first to advertise how many children ‘they’ have successfully sent to desirable schools.

If you are desperate for 7+ try for WNH. If unsuccessful, I don’t think it matters where you send your kids. Location, outside space etc should be the deciding factors. You will be doing the work anyway.

logictrail · 11/06/2024 11:24

Well, I can't speak to the boys results as I have daughter, but I can say my daughter loves attending Falkner House Nursery. She loves going to nursery so much that on weekends, during half-term, holidays etc. she often asks if she can please go back to school. She's sometimes gotten very sulky or "fake cries" when we say no, because it's the weekend, but you can go back on Monday. Both my husband and I have also tried asking about her teachers, and she only has good things to say about them. While we were reading the book "Starting School", I attempted to ask if sometimes her teachers get grumpy too or are not cheerful (like in the book), and she said "No, my teachers are always nice." I kept trying to ask in different subtle ways, but she shot me down and finally asked if we could "please continue the book". Fair enough.

She only just started last September, but in less than 1 year, her language, math, social skills, and phonics have accelerated. We don't do any tutoring or reinforce that much more at home beyond the normal (e.g. reading bedtime stories regularly, weaving counting games in here and there), so I'd have to attribute at least 80% of this progress to the nursery. And to her, it's all fun and games. She's always so proud to show us her little book of projects at the end of term.

Note that the staff turnover is basically non-existent, which says something about how the school treats its staff (unlike some other well-known nurseries around West London which clearly have a profit-driven agenda due to corporate / private investor ownership structure). FH teachers are happy, they like their jobs, and that atmosphere clearly translates to the children. You can very much tell it's a school with a family run vibe.

I will say out of her class of... 20ish boys and girls, there are like 1 or 2 who have taken a while longer to settle or are maybe not settling in quite as well (the boys seem to all have settled in well though). However, I think this has less to do with the nursery staff, and more to do with either the kids themselves (e.g. just by nature, a very shy person) or perhaps their home environment (e.g. lots of change and no consistency at home, parents traveling all the time, a stressful atmosphere for anyone let alone a toddler going through emotional development). There are plenty of reasonable parents, but there's always one or two high maintenance / controlling ones who want things done their way or else. A parent once very rudely told off a nursery teacher in front of me because the school called the parent in to pick up their kid early the day before (as the teachers thought the child seemed unwell and would benefit from rest). I can't begin to describe how unprofessional this parent's behaviour was.... I've also seen parents ask the most ludicrous things because their child is a special snowflake that needs different treatment from everyone else (e.g. can the teachers learn a few phrases in language X so their kid can be understood? as if there are no other bilingual or trilingual kids in the class. Come on, this is London...). Note that the nursery will make individual adjustments for things of actual importance like medical issues.

Some parents think because they are paying X amount of money, the teachers are their servants and should do whatever the parent wants. If that's your attitude as a parent, then definitely give FH a miss, they won't tolerate that. But if as a parent, you view the school as a partner and you are aligned with their philosophy of how to raise and teach kids, then this is definitely a great school for you and your child.

logictrail · 11/06/2024 11:30

Oops sorry, I just realised you are actually asking about Reception and not Nursery! Apologies, it's because the title of the original post said "Nursery"

FunGreenBiscuit · 23/04/2025 11:58

EHB comments are sadly accurate. It has lost it's way. No idea if it did 'have it's way' before, but I was extremely sceptical when we joined the school and sadly am only being proven right. No single person to be singled out I actually think the PE behind it is also to blame.

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