Francis Holland Junior - occasional place admissions

[DuvetCurtain]

I’m considering sitting my daughter for the assessment day for a place in year 4 at Francis Holland Sloane Sq. Does anyone have any experience of the assessment process? The school mentioned a computer based test, being observed in class with the current cohort, and a meeting with the parents.

What does the test involve? And what are they looking for when they observe the child in the class and meet the parents?

Thanks.

Get a subscription to Atom learning so she is use to computerised tests. They will be looking at how she learns and interacts with the teacher and other pupils. Is she coming from a U.K. based primary/prep school?

Thanks. She’ll be joining from a local state primary where she is currently exceeding expectations in all areas.

@DuvetCurtain , she will be fine! She will probably enjoy the experience.

Good luck! It’s a great school. As a veteran of 10 school gates (lots of dc, expat stint)
Senior even better! Are you rich though 😂 and if not how far are you prepared to compromise to fit in. We got away lightly but “Monclergate” still rankles nearly 10 years on.

Also one of our many moves was from state to another prep near to fhs and it was a great success. It’s a good age.

Yes, this is a bit of a concern. We certainly won’t be buying her moncler. We can afford the fees without going without anything, but she will likely be one of the least well off there. Presumably there are kids on bursaries who will have significantly less money?

My DD went to FH-SS for Sixth form. I don't know what Moncler is, but her classmates came from a variety of backgrounds, from living within five minutes walk (houses worth £5m up) to commuting in from zone 3. She might have been slightly envious of all the holidays some kids went on, but far more jealous that they had an extra 45 minutes in bed every morning!
Honestly wealth of her cohort was not an issue (though I found it harder to fit in when I went to the odd parents coffee morning, but that may have been because I was new and everyone else had established friendships).
It's a very good school, I found it more academic than expected, and she came out with three A stars (last year) so it did its job!

@mondaytosunday and@DuvetCurtain I certainly sensed the school was definitely becoming more mixed and the teachers were happy it was moving that way. And academics were excellent.

It’s a great school, we have a few friends whose DDs go there and they are very happy, confident children. It is worth noting the prep school is moving offsite to a new location further down the King’s Road in September. Not sure if that will affect your decision but the ‘new’ school hasn’t opened yet so you might not have had the chance to visit.

Yes, we’re aware of this. The first open day at the new site is in September. Sadly this makes it a little further from home, but the new site looks nice. I can’t quite work out how much outside space they will have though.

A friend with a relative at FHS has told me that the kids all have tutors, is that correct? Surely if you’re at a good school (and paying a considerable amount in fees) you shouldn’t also need a tutor. I want a nice school, not a hot house.