Page 3 | Kensington Prep diversity?

Elrond · 2025-01-14T15:49:24+00:00

Hi all, I am considering Kensington Prep for reception for my daughter, but a bit worried about the school environment having seen Porsches doing pick ups! Wanted to hear from current parents on diversity at school, whether girls feel any peer wealth pressure, and make friendships regardless? How would you compare the school to other GDSTs in South West or other privates (Broomwood, Newton...?)

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MonGrainDeSel · 05/02/2025 17:10

Yazzi · 05/02/2025 08:42

"Bullying was never a problem or ever spoken about, at all. Was it really bullying or a highly irritating girl who annoyed everyone in the year group and struggled to form friendships because of this?"

What a very embarrassing thought for an adult to put into words, I don't think your support for the school will be all that enticing to many when linked to a mentality like this.

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Couldn't agree more with this. What a vile attitude.

LondonZebra · 06/02/2025 13:15

WestLondonPrep · 02/02/2025 15:12

If you're considering sending your daughter to Kensington Prep, it's probably best not to pay too much attention to an obviously disgruntled former parent or two.

Of course nowhere's perfect and improvements can always be made. It was a shame that the excellent head of science left, but she'd spent six years working for the current head and has left the teaching profession entirely - make of that what you will.

The former head of sport was completely out of her depth, however, and this was evident when she was on maternity leave. Her maternity cover was a noticeable improvement. No loss there and I wouldn't be surprised if she was managed out.

The longstanding head of music (Mr B) who left a few years ago, was a one of a kind and very well liked by students and teachers alike. The more recent head of music (Mrs R) was a marmite character, to say the least!

As a previous poster mentioned, this is London and turnover is to be expected.

Unfortunately some parents believe that paying fees at a West London prep school should guarantee their daughter entry to their school of choice. Naturally these types see no shortcomings in their own offspring!

Teaching has similarities to managing a football team - drunk bores in a pub think they can do better than a Premier League manager, except it's snarky messages on WhatsApp or Mumsnet with parents for teachers. That's not to say that teaching can't be improved, but is it a case of grass is greener elsewhere? Possibly..

On the whole, the seven years my daughter spent at Ken Prep (six of which was under Mrs H's leadership) was a highly positive experience. Bullying was never a problem or ever spoken about, at all. Was it really bullying or a highly irritating girl who annoyed everyone in the year group and struggled to form friendships because of this?

Tutoring is unfortunately rife at all West London prep schools. On the whole it probably makes little difference to the outcomes. Some parents tutor (I include parent 1:1 study time as tutoring - it's the same) because they have unrealistic expectations of their child. Other parents feel they need to do it so their child isn't at a disadvantage. The impact is probably marginal at best.

In summary, Ken Prep's a school that's well worth considering and is mostly attended by girls who live within walking distance of the school, giving it a local community feel. Having outside space for netball courts onsite is also a bonus that few central London schools can offer.

Good luck in your school search!

This is a hideous post - really unnecessary to name teachers and speak about them so publicly. Imagine if you were that PE teacher on mat leave or 'marmite' head of music. Absolutely disgusting.

This whole thread seems to be a bit out of control and extreme.

PGmumabout · 10/02/2025 20:07

We have two daughters at KP and they love it - We’ve found other parents very welcoming and the school/staff very nurturing and supportive. I understand that different people are looking for different things, but we feel it’s definitely worth the hard earned money that we pay. Also have a few close friends who's daughters (also KP) just sat for the 11+ exams and they were extremely complimentary about the school’s involvement and preparation of the girls. Definitely diverse in terms of cultures. However, this is my experience and opinion - I would recommend that you go check it out and experience the atmosphere, the pupils and the facilities yourself.

Itsmommy · 11/02/2025 10:28

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HawaiiWake · 11/02/2025 11:30

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Wow, your son achieve more in 2 years than 3 years for your daughters in KP. I would be annoyed, why should daughters not have the same education achievement and attainment as sons. Sorry, I want all kids to be stretch and supported and not give the girls an easier time in early years so that they have to crammed in later years and maybe impact anxiety levels?

Itsmommy · 13/02/2025 12:51

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Jackprep · 23/02/2025 21:36

My DD was offered a place at KP for Reception 2025, but after another recent visit to Fulham Pre-Prep, we have decided to send her there instead. With the new Headteacher in place at FPP, our tour confirmed that it offers a more nurturing and supportive environment, making it feel like the right choice for our DD.

Pocahontas23 · 08/03/2025 09:28

My DD spent 7 years in KenPrep. It was the best experience we could have hoped for. The teachers were amazing and extremely supportive. There was an instance of a child going around irritating other girls including my DD. We spoke to the class teacher and it was handled immediately and in a very kind way. Both my DD and the girl became friends after that. Girls are generally very kind and happy. In terms of 11+, if you are a parent who would consider not getting a place in SPGS an outright failure, then KenPrep is definitely not a school for you. The 11+ staff including the current head consistently ensure the welfare of the girls. The academic rigour is beyond me. My DD ended up a happy, resilient child in a senior school of her choice. I asked my DD the other day, how do you feel about the whole 11+ process. Her reply was - it was pretty fun especially the pizza party right after! Being kind has to go both ways. Please be respectful and kind to others.

HawaiiWake · 08/03/2025 10:15

Great to see multiple viewpoints with pros and cons and the way it being written. Ken Prep new head and the changes would be the main focus for current incoming students.

Dadhere83 · 20/06/2025 14:16

Hello, joined Mumsnet just to contribute to this! My wife showed me this thread yesterday and I was pretty taken aback. To add a different perspective

We are current year six and I don't recognise the school described negative comments above. Our daughter had a good experience at Ken Prep. She has a great group of friends. We are really happy with the school she is going on to.

Leaver destinations not yet announced but, anecdotally, seem very strong with lots of the most academic west London schools represented.

We found the 11+ support actually very good.

We like the Head.

That all said - have we had negative experiences during our time? Yes. But after seven years we'd put those down to the usual range of stuff we'd expect to deal with during seven years.

The bullying thing is interesting - our daughter did not experience this. We did sometimes hear some reports of behaviour that didn't sound great but we also put this down to the normal sort of stuff for girls aged 10 / 11 not a school specific thing.

I do recall speaking to a Mum with a child in the year above and being surprised by how strongly she felt annoyed with the school and there was a gap between what we both assumed the other felt. Different cohorts can certainly have different experiences of a school and develop different sub-cultures.

None of this is to contradict or diminish the views expressed above - I can only share that we didn't go through those things ourselves. It is bad that you felt not listened to.

As others have said, maybe the thing to do if considering KP for reception is try and speak to parents in a few different year groups. If I read this post consdiering KP for reception I'd run a mile! Overall we were happy with our experience.

HawaiiWake · 20/06/2025 16:53

Dadhere83 · 20/06/2025 14:16

Hello, joined Mumsnet just to contribute to this! My wife showed me this thread yesterday and I was pretty taken aback. To add a different perspective

We are current year six and I don't recognise the school described negative comments above. Our daughter had a good experience at Ken Prep. She has a great group of friends. We are really happy with the school she is going on to.

Leaver destinations not yet announced but, anecdotally, seem very strong with lots of the most academic west London schools represented.

We found the 11+ support actually very good.

We like the Head.

That all said - have we had negative experiences during our time? Yes. But after seven years we'd put those down to the usual range of stuff we'd expect to deal with during seven years.

The bullying thing is interesting - our daughter did not experience this. We did sometimes hear some reports of behaviour that didn't sound great but we also put this down to the normal sort of stuff for girls aged 10 / 11 not a school specific thing.

I do recall speaking to a Mum with a child in the year above and being surprised by how strongly she felt annoyed with the school and there was a gap between what we both assumed the other felt. Different cohorts can certainly have different experiences of a school and develop different sub-cultures.

None of this is to contradict or diminish the views expressed above - I can only share that we didn't go through those things ourselves. It is bad that you felt not listened to.

As others have said, maybe the thing to do if considering KP for reception is try and speak to parents in a few different year groups. If I read this post consdiering KP for reception I'd run a mile! Overall we were happy with our experience.

The leavers destination was given weeks ago via offers but no final places seems to be a trend among London prep schools.

SWsix · 08/10/2025 20:41

Disagree about diversity in SW prep schools, you just have to pick the right ones. Some (St James’ Prep, Thomas’s) even offer means tested bursaries.