Rowan Prep - WWYD?

[Lookingtomoveperhaps]

Last month I asked for opinions on Rowan Prep in Claygate as I’d heard good things about it and thought it could be a good option for DD if she doesn’t succeed in gaining a place at GHS at reception.

We live over 20 mins away from the school by car (our local prep is just under 15 mins). However, if Rowan provides the experience I hope it will for DD then I think it could be worth it. What I’m questioning more is the cost. Since the introduction of VAT Rowan's fees have gone up considerably, relative to my local prep. Are the academics, pastoral care and social experiences at Rowan worth the extra money? I should add that I like that Rowan’s PTA is very active. Opinions from current and former parents would be really appreciated.

My local prep, which is co-ed, does not appear (although I have no way of really knowing this) to be as academic as Rowan and does not send any of its girls to the senior schools I would like for DD. Although it does feed into a very good co-ed senior school. However, I’ve started to feel that DD would do better in a single-sex environment.

I guess what I’m really trying to determine is, is Rowan worth making the additional sacrifices of time and money or am I better off sending DD to the local prep, even if I have reservations about her fulfilling her full potential there?

HELP please ! : ) Thank you!

What is your local prep and what secondary schools are you thinking about? Do you get a feel for either of them in terms of what may suit you/your family when you go around them?

Your DD is still really young to be firmly thinking about any particular secondary school as well. But I guess you’re after good academics and support for 11+ so you have a wider set of potential schools available?

Rowan do well in terms of destination schools, but of course there will be a lot of tutoring as well, as there is everywhere!

The prep my DD went to is now £8700 per term for y3-8. Lots more than Rowan. Many who go to expensive preps are very clear what type of secondary school they want and choose a prep accordingly. It’s all about destinations. Our old prep had DDs mostly going to boarding schools. Look at what you get: in terms of sport, music, drama, art etc and what clubs are there to enhance learning? Most schools deliver a core curriculum efficiently but it’s the non academic side of a school that makes it worth it. We valued a broader education.

@Choccybuttonsandprosecco Yes, there are many preps close to me to choose from. But since registering at our local prep I have learned more about what I would like for DD and what I think she might like. Single-sex is my preference. Unfortunately there aren’t any local to us. GHS and Rowan are the only two I am drawn to that are fairly commutable.

@TizerorFizz Much of the pull towards Rowan is the destination schools of the girls, as well as the academics, sports and co-curriculars. I have a sense that my DD would thrive more within the environment and I hope that involvement with the PTA will help with parent networking and feeling part of a school community.

The school is not convenient for us. That’s why I would like to feel convinced that the sacrifices are worth it. Any Rowan parents out there? What are your thoughts on the school?

I was 20 minutes away by car in normal traffic. 35 minutes at worst in the morning. Lots of parents were exactly the same. 15-20 minutes is not bad. We are quite rural and it was normal for girls to travel a distance to our prep as this was a very good girls’ prep and parents knew it was the only prep for the destination schools.

I like single sex prep. It means girls are the sole focus. Schools understand their needs and they can shine without anyone thinking boys are better, eg at maths. No experience of Rowan obviously but I would not put you off single sex. If you think it’s about your finances, that’s entirely another matter but if you want single sex to meet DDs needs, then go for it.

@TizerorFizz That’s good to hear, thank you. You can question yourself, especially when you constantly hear on MN that local is best. It’s more convenient but I’m not sure that it’s the best for us.
I guess I am hesitating because of the money as well. In honesty we can afford the fees on my DH’s salary alone. But I do like value for money so I need to feel convinced that it is truly that.

@Lookingtomoveperhaps , I live locally, Rowan is a great prep, it's owned by United Learning who as you know is 1 of the largest education groups in the U.K. owning independent schools including GHS and SHS and state academies. The fees are set by united learning and services like HR and Finance are centralised for independent schools, ie your fees invoice will come from united learning

You are over thinking getting into GHS, you can go to a state primary and get in with tutoring, you don't need to drive to Claygate to get in to GHS 7 years later.

Focus on what works best for your family now.

@Lookingtomoveperhaps My DD2 was not likely to get into a top academic senior school but we wanted her to enjoy prep. So all the extra clubs and art, as well as drama and dance, really mattered to us. She did lots of what she enjoyed and that’s pretty much disappeared from state schools. As DD joined in y3 though, and DD1 had stayed in state, we really could compare and contrast the difference. It was very obvious. Value for money matters, of course, and I would always look for a broad curriculum and extra activities to suit your DD. Then it’s value for money.

If your only goal is a certain very selective school, then there’s no guarantee your DD would get a place from anywhere. Lots of DDs from our school went to Wycombe Abbey. That wasn’t going to be DD but it didn’t bother us because she was able to flourish and enjoy her hobbies and interests. She was well taught. The art there was fantastic for example because girls applied for art scholarships at senior schools. Ditto music and of course academic scholarships too. The school was so much more fun than state. If you join the parents association you will enjoy that too.

@tennissquare Unfortunately I don’t live within a catchment that has outstanding state primaries. Of course, DD may get on fine at one of the local schools that produce average SATs, but I would like her to have more opportunities. It’s not merely the academics (although that is important) and getting into a particular senior school (again, this is not to be dismissed). It’s the extra and co-curricular activities that some of the indie schools provide, amongst other things that I have previously mentioned. She is unlikely to have the same experiences and opportunities going to one of the state primaries near us. So the issue is not state versus independent. It is whether or not to go to the independent that she is registered to attend, or to pursue others that I now think would work better for her. I have time to decide so really I don’t need to stress about it now. Although, admittedly, I have been thinking about it a lot in recent days.

@TizerorFizz That is exactly the type of experience I wish for DD – in addition to the obvious wants, I would like her to have ‘fun’. You’ve confirmed my suspicions that she’s less likely to have the same experiences at a state now. But I wouldn’t go private for the sake of it. I just happen to have seen (superficially) two schools that I think DD could really enjoy attending. We’ll know more over the next year, whether the reality lives up to the perception.

@Lookingtomoveperhaps My DD1 stayed in state because she loved the school. However in her y5/6 it changed a great deal. It acquired a poor head and didn’t deal with poor teaching. DD got the best available but many parents were not happy. The downhill slope was quite steep. I could see that DD2, a very different child, was not going to thrive there. She flourished with more to do. Fabulous ceramics for example. So see where you think matches what DD might enjoy in a school. It’s worth paying to get an experience your DD enjoys because they do their best in those circumstances (I’m assuming good teaching is a given of course!)

Having looked further into the commute, I see that Rowan runs a minibus to places as far out as Woking and Wimbledon. That means there are several DDs who do a 30+ minute trip to the school. This suggests to me that Rowan is well-regarded.
Are there any parents that travel from outside of Esher / Claygate to Rowan in the mornings? How long is your journey and where are you coming in from? What, if anything, makes the trip worthwhile?

Can you not replicate the journey to the school in the mornings? Just drive it.

@TizerorFizz Yes, we’ll check it out in due course. Hope it’s not bad as I really want the school to be a realistic prospect for DD. But I’m glad to know that there are other parents that travel in as I’m starting to favour Rowan over GHS at the moment.

Rowan Prep is popular with parents who send their ds to a school in the Shrewsbury House group.
Shrewsbury House school trust owns Shrewsbury House Prep which is boys only 7-13, Shrewsbury House pre prep (which is moving from Claygate to long Ditton in Sept) and The Rowans which is a mixed pre prep in Wimbledon and feeds to LEH juniors, GHS juniors and Rowan amongst other schools at 7 for girls. There are many parents who send a ds to Shrewsbury Prep and a dd to Rowan hence similar minibus routes.

Hi OP- have you decided what you will do? We are in a very similar position but will probably send DD to Rowan. I do worry a bit about the fees, but I do think they’re worth it. When I saw the school I loved it and I didn’t get that feeling from other schools I’ve viewed (trust me there were loads!!) we would be travelling from Cobham.

Our prep fees are now £8700 y3-8. That’s nearly £2000 more than Rowan.

If you do get a place at ghs and that is where you would wish for your daughter it’s a no brainer - practically a guaranteed space for senior school. Go for ghs

Rowan is good however do bear in mind the commute plus parking isn’t great around there. It takes longer than you predict maybe try it out.

There is only a morning bus too which makes you miss the morning clubs. It’s kind of manageable due to lift sharing. I wouldn’t want to do the evening pick up daily.

Or maybe stay local and re-evaluate the situation for yr4 and see which schools are doing well.

Having spent literally hours driving children around a local school is good and jump ship in year 4/ 5 for the prep. However it does depend how many children / schools / work set up etc

I’d avoid the “through schools” unless you definitely know exactly where you want to go as they never want to prep children for 11 plus (unless it’s leh / ghs etc)

Good luck!

Snap! We've decided it's Rowan for us. We visited GHS and weren't convinced it was the right school for DD. Feel free to message me if your DD is also going to Rowan.

@Lookingtomoveperhaps
I’m not local. However when looking at preps, destinations matter. For example where I live, there are state grammars. Lots of the no frills preps have dc wanting these schools. They are not the schools of choice for parents wanting top drawer private schools. They cost less because they offer less. By contrast the top preps are offering an education aimed at Wycombe Abbey and similar. Parents are looking for a top class all round education and will be paying £45,000 for the boarding schools of their choice from y7 or y9.

These schools also provide a secondary education for y7/8 and this is greatly enhanced by sport and extra curricular. Facilities are nearly always superior. This is what people pay top dollar for. It’s not about pastoral care and social experience. That’s a given. These schools have contacts with the best senior schools and your prep should match your ambition. It’s 100.% what happens here.