Parsons Green Prep

[Lisa1m]

Hello Parsons Green mums!
Can Parsons Green Prep mums share your thoughts on the school in general? I am soo confused, our DS will start year 1 this september.

thank you!!

Hi,

Our daughter will start in September at PGP. In terms of co-ed she had offers for Fulham Prep, PGP, Thomas's Kensington and Ravenscourt Park Prep (did not choose it due to commute as we changed our address) and we finally decided on PGP
I really liked the head, had a long meeting with her the other day. The facilities much better than most schools in London, catering, location, STEAM room and programme, happy kids and great feedback from teachers, nice outdoor space, feels like if she turns out to be academic they will stretch her as this was my only concern and get her to a good school for secondary.
We decided no on FP due to mixed feedback, further away in trrms of locatioj, some of the facilities felt dated, larger school so not as much chance for the kids to be known by everyone, unsure of their desire to get you ready for 11+ as they have the senior school
Thomas's Kensington we loved that they are opening a new building next year, have a strong brand but lots of families are only there for a couple of years from what I hear which can impact friendships etc, results not better than PGP, larger so less personalised attention probably

Sorry meant to say great feedback from parents, i spoke to a few whose kids are in reception and a couple of parents with older kids
Good luck!

Would not recommend Parsons Green Prep school at all. They do not care about children. Classrooms are tiny after reception with up to 22 children packed in each room and no air conditioning. The emphasis is on profit not education, cutting back on teachers, assistants and experiences. Management do not listen to concerns of parents. (Get hold of the parent rep meeting minutes and you will see this for yourselves).
Fees increase wildly each year and are completely out of proportion with facilities, pastoral care, teaching, the estate and extracurricular activities. Teaching standards are variable with some very uninspiring teachers. Selection criteria for admission is not transparent and any child with additional needs is ostracised.
Families leave in their droves every year. Plenty of much better independent and state schools locally.

I do not recommend either. I agree with PGMum84 that they do not care about children. There is no support if a child falls behind, even in Reception when some of them are just 4. Once they label a child (4 year old!) as 'non-academic' and 'being behind' they will hold the child behind even if he/she catches up.
I got the summer born boy who was behind with reading until summer term. Then he caught up and was reading level 4 books at home. I bought second hand books from eBay and FB marketplace. I was listing the books my son read in his Children's Reading Records. The teachers ignored the records and were still giving him level 1 books to read at home. I had to teach my son to ask level 4 books from teachers.
My son loves stories about animals. Teachers did no bother to learn his interests and were giving him the usual "Kit, Chip, Biff" books which he refused to read. Reception teachers are ex-actors and turn teacher-parents meetings in their acting shows, cannot hold constructive dialog with parents. I sent the Spring term report to another prep and they said that based on the report Parsons Green Prep needs to sort out my son's learning support. When I asked the Parsons Green teachers how they can help my son and if they provide learning support, they said that they did not have time and the school would not provide learning support because my son does not have learning difficulties.
Since then I learned that good preps do not need diagnosis to provide learning support.
There is no wrap around care and very limited choice of extra curricular activities.
There are a lot of expats families who are in the school for a few years only.
Three children left at the end of Reception, hence the OP's child got a place in year 1 in September.

Our dd attends Fulham Pre-Prep. The small class sizes ensure she gets the individual attention and the staff are simply wonderful—so warm, attentive, and truly dedicated to the children.
The school’s new Headteacher is nothing short of amazing. He takes the time to know each child personally and understands their unique potential, which has been such a comfort to us as a family,
They recently installed a fabulous new playground has also been a huge highlight for our daughter. She absolutely adores it and talks about it constantly! It’s clear that the school goes above and beyond to create a fun, engaging environment that children love.
We couldn’t ask for a more nurturing and supportive place for our little one. Fulham Pre-Prep feels like an extended family, and we are so happy to have found it. Definitely worth a visit….

I agree with what has been mentioned above about Parsons Green Prep. Fees are astronomical compared to other independent schools and out of proportion with their offering. Not enough staff, sport is very poor, after school clubs terrible and overpriced, only offer french (whereas other independent primary schools offer french, spanish, latin, mandarin), no learning support, children are being written off from an early age and management and governance listen zero to parents and concerns and suggestions are being blatantly dismissed. Rarely a first choice for local families, PGP caters mostly to expats who only stay for a couple of years and need short notice school places for multiple children. Turnover of families, Headteachers and staff is way higher than in other schools which impacts consistency of teaching, quality of management and friendships.

We have now been in the school for over three months and so far with small exceptions our experience has been very positive. Our daughter learned to read within 2 months of starting, they invested in refreshing all the outside areas, the parents are very welcoming and some have three kids there for the full seven years. They all say that the Head who has been there for a few years now has really taken it to the next level.We do not use the club provision and the after school care is not until 6pm but disagree regarding the first choice. A lot of the parents we met had it as their first choice in terms of co-ed schools and a few moved to PGP from Fulham Prep this year. I think all local schools are good but do not see a better option locally in terms of facilities, class size, atmosphere, results and engagement.

Visited PGP 3 times before I paid deposit and 3 times I had/have a very good feeling about the school. Def my first choice in terms of co-ed schools in Fulham. I can't wait for my son to start reception this September.

Hello! Would love to know experiences of those on this thread who have recently joined PCP? I am so confused by feedback. Thank you :)

Hi, our daughter has been there for a year and our son is joining in September. Overall very happy with the experience except the interim head change but this would not impact the lowrr years and is only for a year. Thr school is striving to become more academic, they had their best leavers results last year, great facilities compared to most London schools outdoors etc, they tailor the HW to each child depending on their level.