Kew College Prep

[WalkingDead99]

I liked the school a lot. They promise to take 11+ pressure off. Do you think the school is worth travelling to Kew College Prep from Fulham? I just cannot think of any school in Fulham that has such an impressive 11+ destinations list.

I don't have direct experience but know some children who went there.
I can't imagine wanting to travel there every day from Fulham when there are huge numbers of schools nearer.
I wouldn't believe any school that says it takes the 11 plus pressure off whilst simultaneously targeting the hardest Secondary schools to get into! It just won't happen!

@jonnyhatesjazzzzz : do you think children attended Kew College Prep required less tutoring?
I am not aware of a prep in Fulham (co-ed or boys) that is as academic as Kew College.
The prep my DS attends turned out to be very unsupportive. Very limited sports and music instruments teaching. I would say 70% are SAHM so they have time to take children to activities outside school.

@WalkingDead99 , Kew Prep has a focused academic curriculum and lots of exam practice, I'm not a parent but would presume there is lots of tutoring as there is everywhere. Have you thought about travel logistics, play dates and birthday parties, do you really want to spend every weekend driving to Chiswick, Richmond etc?

I'm sure tutoring happens there. The families I know are very driven!
What school would you like your DS to go to for Secondary?
I just had a nose at the website- they don't actually say where the children went which is odd.
I'm not sure their leavers list is worth schlepping across SW London daily!

@jonnyhatesjazzzzz : this is 2024 offers list https://www.kewcollegeprep.com/admissions/destination-schools/
This is way better than Hurlingham Prep or Hill House which are closer to my home.
My son is not even 5 yet. He is keen on football and music and loves math. I am thinking KCS Wimbledon, or Hampton or Emmanuel, but obviously difficult to tell how he will be by Y4.

@tennissquare : we are members of Kew Gardens so visit Kew quite often. Our current prep does not offer much of sports and music. I work so cannot take my son to sports club and music lessons after school. 70% of our prep's mum are SAHM so they have no issues. Kew College offers considerably more sports and have children's orchestra so my son will not feel lonely. At the moment my plan is to drop him at Kew College around 8am and then either continue to my office which is on District line or work from a cafe near school on my WFH days. I will be able to collect him around 5pm.
I also have a property in Osterley which is a bit closer to Kew. I may be able to move there if commute from Fulham will be too tiring.
I have hear children travel to London for top preps like Bute, etc.

@jonnyhatesjazzzzz : I understand tutoring happens there but the more work the school does to prepare for 11+ the less tutoring is required.

@WalkingDead99 , I think you are probably over thinking this as your ds is so young. The birth rate is falling and vat on fees will really impact the prep sector in SW London. The secondary schools will keep taking a large proportion of their intake from the state sector age 11 to get the best students. If you are bright you can go to a state school and with a bit of tutoring get into Hampton at 11, you don't need to go to Kew College. (Kew College is not the same at Bute, dd leave Kew preps to go to Bute if they can get in).
If you are keen on the school then move to Osterley. I think you have also probably underestimated the volume of play dates and birthday parties for a dc aged 6-11, it really drives your social life.

I still think it's a bit bonkers. I know lots of families at Hurlingham. If your son is likely to get into KCS or Hampton, he will get there from a school like Hurlingham and have the bonus of most of his friends living nearby.

But I'm probably a bit biased. Mine got into great schools from a state primary and everyday I walk past the hoards of school minibuses on Kings road ferrying children to prep schools all over London when they could walk to other prep schools in 5 minutes! It's not just the usual school day drop offs as well. Its the concerts, parents evenings, sports matches etc etc.

@jonnyhatesjazzzzz the main thing I am looking in a new school is more support to my son in reading and writing. My son is summer born so behind in these areas at the moment. Kew College assured me they provide extra support when required. Our current prep does not. Our teachers says 'they do not have time'.

The best state schools have bulling going on and management does not do anything about it. There is a growing trend of homeschooling. Tbh, when our prep teachers refused to help I was thinking of moving to homeschooling but I cannot afford not to work. Hence looking for a more nurturing and supportive prep.

Bit of a sweeping statement about bullying in state schools...
I'm guessing your son is only in Reception? Are you sure he's 'behind' or just where he should be, especially given he's a summer baby? He is so young and they all progress at different stages.

@WalkingDead99 I would go for it. Fantastic school. Great rep. And miles better than other local preps on destinations. Also they do have tons of extra exam support - their 11+ is a 3 Yr program (unlike other scools). We are in same situation and fig KC is better choice... Good luck!

The school is very focused on academics, but it has some downside. The school is very small and classrooms are small, and there's no canteen, so students eat in their classrooms. If a student falls behind academically, they might have to change the school, even though it says it's non selective. It's better to enroll early if your child is good at academics, as they might not accept students who aren't up to their standards by Year 4.

We know a few local families who had to move their child out of Kew College Prep as the academic expectations were too high! It can be the right school for a bright child.

Hi there,
I’m in Fulham, have a summer born baby and do a commute to Wandsworth.
1 - I would advise if your child is a late summer baby you absolutely have the option of holding them back a year( ie as if they were born sept 1st) we did this with our eldest for specific reasons. 2 - there is a huge sacrifice with commuting - play dates, social activities etc is a challenge and ours miss out on a lot just due to logistics. 3 - We chose a school for its pastoral care (academics were good but we’re of the ethos - happy children learn -) one of his school’s big things is that they ask parents not to use tutors - they gear the academics to the child’s ability - helping where needed, challenging them etc because they don’t want children going to secondary schools where they will fail/fall/ crumble under pressure just because it wasn’t the right fit for them. They look at the child and help the parents choose schools that is right for their child. It is a small school and yes the leavers do go on to schools like KC, Emmanuel, Alleyns etc and others - all child dependent. As a mother of 3 I can say - pushing your child solely for academics may get “results” that make you happy but have you sacrificed their happiness, added stress etc - for what? In both of my sons classes there are children who are doing a year’s work above their grade, as well as children who have extra support if they dont have the abilities and the beauty of it all is that the children don’t care - are supportive of each other and are calm, happy children who’s well being is prioritised. Those I would advise are the things you look for when choosing a school .

Do see if kids are being managed out, if they can’t keep up. Some schools do this and extra support is more charges in some schools. There are schools with amazing results and 80% from the inputs from parents, grandparents and tutoring or maths/ creative writing camps.
Check good school guide for other prep schools in Fulham, Hammersmith etc.
Ravenscourt, Fulham Prep, Thomas.
Tutors (paid or family) does help for some kids in exam techniques etc and for secondary schools they all agree it was helpful. The one to one or small group of 8 in small doses is better than a larger mixed ability class. One family found their child maths was fine but lost points in fractions questions. So used tutor 3 times to explain and go over it follow by mother giving fractions questions to maintain skill. Their teacher just said needs some improvements in maths because it was the school reporting style and not specific focus.

I agree @HawaiiWake . Some of these results are achieved at the expense of managing less able children out in year 4. There certainly have been a number of children leaving Kew College to go to Kew Green Prep or Radnor House.

@WalkingDead99 both our children attended KC. Amongst the schools in Kew/Richmond we chose it because we felt it was the most academically rigorous available. We were not disappointed.

The school absolutely does provide support for children who need a little extra - our older one was a summer baby like yours. They needed the help with some reading and language impairment. By Year 4, they had ‘graduated’ from it and was flying. Our younger one was an autumn baby and had no such need for support.

Now a few truths….

1. Tutoring happens. The school - particularly the former Head - discouraged it as much as possible. But almost everyone was doing it, especially if you were shooting for a central London same sex or the elite mixed west London choices (eg LCB, StP, Lat Upper, etc). The parent group is aspirational, generally extremely smart, and academically very well trained. They are pushing their genetically predisposed children very hard.
2. Selective non-selectivity. The school does not have a selective policy at Nursery. That being said, they are very good at encouraging children who can’t keep pace to move to a more suitable environment. The ‘average’ child at KC by year 5 is outperforming on all expectations with CAT4 scores well above 120 (mine both averaged over 130-135+ across all sections). Those children that moved on either went to slightly less rigourous schools (like Kew Green Prep) or single sex Year 4 choices (like N&E). Most children who moved on reported feeling far less stressed, much more academically comfortable compared to peers, and extremely well prepared for their new schools.
3. Fantastic academic tuition. The primary subject teachers across years were generally fantastic. We had one dud out of the 15-20 or so academic teachers we had across both children. The quality of incoming faculty was always a very high standard and the majority of teachers had long tenure in the school.
4. Unusually good performing arts. The standard of music, dance and drama is very high.

All in all, it’s a very sweet school. We really enjoyed it and the children were incredibly well-prepared for secondary school.

Good luck with your decision-making!

@Poppypots do you mind sharing which school your kids go to? feel free to pm me 😊🙏

My children went to KC and it is a fantastic school, but the traffic in Kew in the mornings is dreadful and I think you would have a daily nightmare with the school run from Fulham. Parking is in short supply too.

@WalkingDead99 How did you decide?
I visited and liked it. It is a rather small school, but their academic focus is to my liking.
I think Kew College Prep is a very solid choice unless you have offers from the better selective preps, such as Bute and Falkner. For someone in SW London who isn't selected at the academic preps, Kew College seems like a good option.