American School London lower school experience

[belgarion005]

Hi,
We are relocating to London and considering ASL (American School London) for our children. We like the lack of academic emphasis in early years, not having 7+ and 11+ pressure and location of the school. However, a few things put us off during a recent open house.

1. Lunch is not provided to Junior Kindergarten(Reception) and Senior Kindergarten children(Year 1) children. Admissions team told us this is due to limited capacity of the cafeteria. Given the fees, a bit disappointing to hear that they don't have resources to provide lunch to little ones even for an additional charge.
2. No foreign language exposure till Grade 1(Year 2). We have not come across any other independent school that doesn't include lessons in either French or Spanish from reception onwards. So we found this a bit surprising.

Majority of the parents at the open house were there for middle/upper school. It almost felt like lower school is less of a priority at ASL.

We would love to hear from any parents of children at ASL lower school and their experience there. Would love to hear both pros and cons.

I had friends from the US who sent their elementary aged twins there for the five years they were in London (for work).

They loved it and loved the community.

The emphasis in kindergarten in American schools in general is not on direct teaching, though children do get a versing in phonics and an intro to arithmetic. Hence the lack of exposure to a second language. There is a lot of focus on verbal self expression, self care, getting along with others, and developing openness to new experiences. By first grade, the children will have the tools they need, mainly the social and emotional tools, but also a glimmering of phonics and the start of an understanding of number bonds,, to learn in a more formal way.

There isn't the hurry to produce academic results that you find in British schools.

I wouldn't be too disappointed in the lack of school-provided lunch. Your child is more likely to enjoy a balanced and nutritious lunch if he or she brings one from home.

If you are coming from the USA I suggest you look at this blog - from a US expat who moved to the U.K. and was adamant she wanted the kids to go to an American school. They didn’t and it was the best thing that ever happened to them!!!

https://abroadpurpose.com/british-school-impact-on-american-kids/

It doesn’t sound like you are happy with what you saw at ACL. Why pay for something you’re not happy with?

A better link actually

https://abroadpurpose.com/british-schools-vs-american-schools/

Talk about damning with faint praise - the advantages of British schools comes down to being able to tie a tie and play different contact sports (you can also play American football if seeking a head injury)? Baffled by the assertion that American kids don’t learn to climb trees or that British schools teach this. And she’s clearly comparing private British schools to dubious American state schools if she sees an advantage wrt arts or technology. My American nephews had offerings in state school that honestly match our private British school.

anyways, the American school London : friends child went there (now at uni), and loved it. The lunch thing would bug me - I would take a closer look at facilities in general. The foreign language thing less so unless you have some really good alternatives. When looking at schools this was one of my criteria, but scratch the surface and a lot of schools offer fl as a bit of a box ticking exercise- one lesson a week isn’t really going to make much of a difference to ultimately achieving fluency. Mine are now y2, have nominally had French since reception, but don’t really have much more than a very basic grasp - probably the equivalent of what is taught in one term to older students (counting, a few songs, basic phrases). Unless you are looking at schools that make it part of the daily curriculum, I wouldn’t necessarily make that a key deciding factor.

@Labraradabrador I think the point she is trying to make is that actually she was scared of moving away from the US school system but in the end that fear was unfounded. It was only after going to see the American and International school offerings that she realised they were generally poor in terms of what some British curriculum schools offered.

She also found pleasure in the small things and her children were happy. It comes across as reassuring.

Anywat, she felt that ACL had a large transient student population with children leaving as expat contracts came to an end. She felt the move was disruptive enough on the children without them having to face friendships being taken away regularly.

Thanks for sharing both blog posts. Great to read about the positive experiences in the British system by american expats. A few things led us to believe the British system might be too pressurizing: a) Looking at content of 7+ exams for competitive schools and parents getting tutors to prepare 5-6 year olds for this exam b) Emphasis on destination schools at 11+ at pre prep private schools. I do believe academics are important but we are not big on having our kids at age 6 or even 10 take these big exams.

@Labraradabrador thanks for sharing your friends' experience. Did the child go there in early years?
Yes, no lunch due to limitations in capacity is a relatively bigger concern of the 2. We are unsure where else resource constraints might show up, especially if lower school is viewed as less important internally - at least that is our concern.

I am pretty sure they went there from the start, but that would have been several years back. If it is just the early years you don’t like at ASL, would Montessori be something you would consider to start? Have you looked at the international school as an alternative?

I appreciate that others will have different experiences, but my experience with British early years has not been great- I think the British have a very different approach and different cultural mindset vs American (or many other countries where education has a gentler start). We started at a well regarded, not especially academic primary and I would liken it to the educational equivalent of gavage (force feeding a goose for fois gras). We moved half way through reception to a small private that is much more laid back (no SATS or exams, looser educational milestones in early years, more focus on enrichment activities) and it is much better than the first school but still more focus on ‘pace’ of learning than I would like. The kids will be fine and generally enjoy school, but I would have loved to give them a different start - we are no longer in London, so fewer alternatives.

@belgarion005 There are lots of “all through” schools in London and the surrounding areas with no 11+ or 7+. You just stay there until you are 18. There are also prep schools with attached secondary schools - some guarantee entrance so long as a certain academic criteria is achieved. If you let people know where you are thinking of basing yourself then they can make suggestions.

All private schools will require some admissions “testing” but for less competitive schools this can just be a taster day where they are observed in the classroom. As they get older then the testing would probably be more formal.

There are also some amazing state schools in London although this is very much dictated by where you live and whether or not there’s a space - no school zoning like in the states.

To also point out that all you will hear is the crazy tutoring and exam stress of London schools. This is totally perpetuated by the parents and a “need” to get their children into the top ranked academic schools. Unfortunately the pointy elbowed middle classes have made it that you now really do need to prepare for the exams to stand a chance of passing.

There are also a lot of parents who opt out of this mentality and go for what others see as “backup” schools. A horrible phrase and one that does great schools a horrible injustice. You’ll find a totally different vibe and ethos between every school. Here’s examples of a few all through schools so you see what I mean.

https://www.kingalfred.org.uk/

https://www.highgateschool.org.uk/

https://www.hamptoncourthouse.co.uk/

There are loads more.

Thanks @Labraradabrador. We have a strong preference to stay in zone 2 (or even 1) as we work in Mayfair and work hours can be long. The international/IB schools we looked at in zone1/2 seemed even more resource (especially in terms of space) stretched.

Your experience with the British system is what gives us pause as well. For example when I compare curriculums, multiplication and division is introduced in Year 1 in British system but Year 3 in American (Common Core). Quite a gap. At this age I cant tell how academically inclined our kids are.

Thanks @DibbleDooDah. I will check out the schools you have mentioned.

We prefer to be in zone 1 or zone 2. Following are some open houses we have attended:
Chepstow
Newton Prep
Devonshire house
Harrodian

Harrodian is the only one in that list that goes all the way to A Levels. The hammersmith bridge situation makes it a bit inaccessible.

If you have girls then Queens Gate School is worth a look (Kensington).

Wetherby if you have boys.

Coed have a look at Thomas’s Kensington. Part of a larger group with linked secondary school. The Royals used to go to Thomas’s Battersea and the schools are all very highly regarded. A school like that would give you the ability to change at 11 or 13 if you wanted (note quite a few transfer on to ASL) or stay on.

https://www.thomas-s.co.uk/thomass-kensington/

Kensington is just the other side of Hyde Park and much more family oriented than Mayfair itself.

The Eaton Square schools are actually in Mayfair but I don’t know that much about them.

https://www.eatonsquareschools.com/

A lot of school at the younger ages is very much play based. Some people go with the “state til 8” rule as a result as there’s not a huge amount of difference in outcomes at 7 - unless you are in one of the super academic hot houses (none of the above are).

Look also at UCS and City for later on.

@belgarion005 The above suggestions are great schools but they are very academic

Thomas will go to 16 years old but senior campus is maybe further than zone 2.
Fulham Prep and Senior goes to 18.
Knightsbridge school, goes to 16.
ASL has been downgraded by Ofsted in 2023.
Ofsted reports or https://www.isi.net/reports.
Check out Good schools guide online, worth getting a short subscription to check schools.
Or Londonpreprep.com.

@DibbleDooDah do you feel Thomas’s are less academic than the schools I mentioned?

Out of your list and what you’re looking for, Chepstow House ticks all the boxes. Coming from an American mom who is putting our little one in the British system. I’ve viewed all the schools and Chepstow house multiple times… it is a lovely school. Very warm. Less academic pressure because it’s non selective. Lovely head and so many activities.

As mentioned above, there are plenty of lower pressure private schools and great state schools in London. Parents cramming their kids to get into a few highly-regarded schools are a small minority even in London, even though they might seem to get a lot of airtime on Mumsnet.

Have you looked at prices and your income, and factored in the fact that fees are going to continue going up and VAT will be charged in the near future as well? In general, private school tends to be more of a pricy and premium product in the UK than in the US, in my experience.

@belgarion005 I think they fit a similar academic profile in that they take a wide range of abilities. One measure is to look at leaver destinations. They send children to a wide range of schools at 11 and 13 and work with parents to identify the school of best fit, including their linked secondary. I actually much prefer schools that have children going to multiple schools as it shows they know the needs of each individual as opposed to focusing on getting as many into the top academic schools to bolster reputation.

https://cdn.thomas-s.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Leavers-Offers-and-Destinations-–-Kensington-SEPTEMBER-2023.pdf

Top academic schools would be the St Paul's schools, City Boys and Girls, Westminster, Godolphin, Habs Boys and Girls etc and top boarding schools Wycombe Abbey, Brighton College, Eton etc

Chepstow House has a similar profile. Devonshire House is more north London focussed but again largely similar. I don’t know much about Newton Prep.

You’ll also notice that the most academic schools tend to be single sex. The majority of my expat friends just can’t get their heads around this as a concept.

To add that most children will make their own way to secondary school from 11 so leaver destinations also reflect the residential addresses of the children at schools like these. Devonshire House is more north, Thomas’s is more central and south.

I, personally, like schools that keep your options open. Somewhere like Thomas’s gives you the option of moving or staying put.

But honestly, the best thing you should go on is gut reaction. How do you feel when you walk in the school, do you like the head, what activities do your children enjoy outside the classroom and does the school do this well or have the facilities for it, do they have interesting trips, how involved are parents, what’s the journey like, what’s the food like, is there wrap around care etc. If you get this right then your children will be happy and more likely to succeed.

Thanks @mommytobe2020. did you consider the American school for your child? Were there any other schools like Chepstow that resonated with you?

We did consider it, but we’re staying in London long term and decided to go for the British system as I wanted my son to feel like he belonged here… if that makes sense? Asl has incredible facilities. We were also a bit turned off by some news articles that came out a year or so ago re: wokeness and a downgrade in rating. That said, it seems like an incredible school and I’m sure it is a nice choice.
We really liked Chepstow and would have chosen there if our son didn’t get into our first choice. You might also take a look at Brighton College Prep. It is a selective school but it is in an amazing location and just starting this year. It comes from a college group with an amazing reputation in the Uk. It is co-Ed and the head seemed fantastic. Commute was too difficult for us. We decided to go the single sex school route for our son as we found a lovely school that felt right for us.
If you’re looking for less pressure and co-Ed, you might also check St Christina’s. This school seems to have less sport offering, but also seems lovely. Thomas’s (as mentioned by someone else.. though I favored BCP more). Happy to PM more if you have more questions!

ASL give priority to Americans. We didn’t bother applying, but DD1’s friends who did, had a great experience. Re comparing the two systems, DD2 was educated in the US system until the age of 12. Everyone said she would be behind when she transferred to the U.K. system. She wasn’t. She was light years ahead in maths, French and Spanish, and also understood English grammar. Critical thinking was also a strength. She was less up to speed in history and geography, and sports were completely different. DD1 stayed in the US system and went to ACS Cobham for her last three years of school.

I'm not in London, so can't help with that, but I wouldn't worry about entrance exams for senior schools yet.

If you go to a prep school that only takes up to 11, then preparing for entrance exams really isn't a big scary thing because everybody does them. Lessons are tailored to being able to perform well in them without it being presented as a "we are working towards exams".

And if it's a good school that knows all the pupils well, they'll steer you towards the right schools for your DC and each DC will practice the right past papers and formats.

It's very different to children at schools that don't typically sit exams or are tutored, where it might seem more of a hurdle, especially if you have to learn different things from the rest of the class.

At my school, it was presented as a chance to show off what you knew and give the senior school a way to see if they thought you'd fit there. I remember a bit being nervous and wanting to do well, but I was never scared of those exams.