Anyone have any advice about west London/Earl’s Court free school?

[Naqal22]

We are hoping to enrol our DD in to west London free or Earl’s Court free and are looking to rent on hammersmithgrove. Does anyone know if this address would be eligible for the school as it’s a 10 min walk away ? Also I always wanted her to go to prep as I had an awful time in state but unfortunately with fee hike and another baby on the way it’s literally impossible to afford the fees. The free schools seems lovely with a mix of kids so if anyone has any thoughts much appreciated.

Can I ask what have you decided to do? I am in a very similar situation and would like to hear your thoughts about WLFS primary or if any parents send their dc there atm, your insights will be much appreciated.

We had an offer from a very good prep but have had to reject it as it’s a lot of money so will go for wlf or st Stephen’s

I’m literally in exactly the same situation but for my DS. Really not sure how much better is a very reputable private prep vs WLFS primary. Any thoughts/insights on this from current parents will be hugely appreciated.

Can I ask which prep did you end up rejecting? Is it one with a 4+ assessment?

We have had to reject an offer from Bute , was Avery difficult decision :(. I visited wlfp… they are very academic and it seems children have a lot of homework but thats why I am guessing it has an outstanding rating

I know 3 families who have turned down Weatherby for Bousfield - I think if you can get a prep(ish) experience for free and save the money for a secondary Indie then it’s a no-brainer.

Oh I can only imagine how tough that would’ve been for you esp if you got into Bute through the ballot. Have you toured both schools? How did you feel they compared?

My DS has a Wetherby offer but in addition to the huge expense, WLFS is only a few mins walk (compared to a 30-40 mins bus journey) so not sure which option would make more sense. Is the Wetherby experience significantly better than WLFS?

You have to remember that they are selling a luxury item , a brand so they put on their best and comparing state to prep can be depressing which tbh I have been over the past few weeks . When I went to see WLF it was understated but children seemed well behaved and keen to learn . They get 5 books a week to read and start half an hour earlier than other schools in the area in the morning. Many children go to mix of state and independent schools. In terms of Bute I don’t think you can match their ethos and facilities but then you are paying 30k a year which is not that feasible even for dual income professionals like myself andDH. Also wlf class size is 28 bs Bute which is 24 which is not such a difference. I used to live near Wetherby and the vibe I got was millionaire … children being dropped off in sports and chauffeur driven cars etc , and also know some one taking their children out as they are not happy with the standard of teaching . It is a tough call but we have decided to try to enrich ds and dd with experiences/tutoring instead and aim for selective/ independent schools at 11+ .

Also a commute on top of such a huge expense for such a small child might prove very challenging and tiring.

Thank you so much for your insights. Hugely helpful. If you have any more impressions about Wetherby I will be most grateful if you could share them. Also the person you know taking their children out, is that in reference to Wetherby Nottinghill or Kensington. Also do you know where they will be going instead?

Also purely by chance I met a WLFS parent at the park today, they said the school does have an academic focus but that they were slightly put off as they recently received a stern/threatening email from the school about being a bit late in the morning which they felt was a bit extra.

It was the Wetherby in Nottinghill. I am not sure which school they are moving to . If you are very keen on a prep school you are near Kensington wade and Ravenscourt Park prep but from my understanding looking at various forums local primaries are just as good as RPP.

Yeah tbh I won’t stretch myself financially if it isn’t something that is markedly better. Hence my original question about how “top tier” schools like Bute and Wetherby compare to academic state options like WLFS…