The Mead Tunbridge Wells

[TheFairyGodmotherSW6]

Hi! We are just in the process of moving to Tunbridge Wells and had chosen an area in town close to the Mead, 6 months into the move process and I am worried we have made a mistake. My future neighbours tell me loads of families are leaving and that the school might be on its last legs. We will be uprooting our children once so not keen to move them twice. Apparently the families are mostly moving to Holmewood House in Langton Green. I wondered why that school in particular as there are others closer which we have looked around and seemed lovely. Any insight grateful. Such a sad thing if schools are closing due to VAT but would really like to find the best next step for our children without having to worry about the stability of the school. Thanks!!

The holding pen for kids that didn’t get in to Claremont first time around

Hello,

I have 2 children at the Mead and they both adore it. It is true that in one year group, year 4, a handful are leaving but I do not feel worried and you shouldn't either! I am happy to private message you.

My eldest is doing incredibly well academically and on track for great 11 plus results as are most of her year group I believe. I have the same hopes for the youngest but it is too early to say to be honest.

Most importantly my children are very happy, keen to learn and are turning into kind, well rounded individuals.

There is always a lot of movement amongst the Tunbridge Wells schools because they all have spaces so if a parent gets slightly annoyed it is easy to move - unlike in London where schools tend to be full. So try to ignore the noise, if you got a good feeling looking around the Mead it is because it is a good place!

The school is in a great location and there is a lovely local community who will always fill the school up. Do private message me if you would like.

I think that's a little out of date! Claremont has lost its outstanding rating and the Mead has had an influx of unhappy Claremont parents in recent years.

Thank you! That is reassuring to hear about the 11 plus as I had also heard that most of the children in the current year 6 did not get the results they had hoped for which was partly why many families were leaving.

@TheFairyGodmotherSW6 I have 3 children at The Mead (including one in year 6) since Sept so I can give good insight on the school from a new parent perspective. Feel free to PM me.

@Fullofpop completely out of date view. I just moved my son from Claremont to The Mead. He had been there 1 term.

It’s a happy school. Very different to Claremont, which is good but as a state school has to be more focussed on maths and English. My children went to one of these schools and I have visited the other regularly through my work (don’t want to say more) and both are good options but there is always an element of luck when choosing a school in whether your child’s particular class is a good fit for them. The Mead will probably be better for settling in to a new area as a family in terms of a community feel. The local private school that you shouldn’t consider is Beechwood.

@TheFairyGodmotherSW6 re 11+ results. Having just gone through the process with my son, spoken to the headteachers at both Judd and Skinners’ in detail and looked through the complete data from KCC, I can say with certainty that it was a highly unusual year in terms of results at the top end (especially for boys). Feel free to PM me.

I wouldn’t move to Holmewood for 11+ it actually has a lower pass rate than all the other preps if you look at the data access requests on the Kent test. Holmewood pass rate is 60% vs 80% ish pass rates at most other preps (with higher pass rates at some of the state primaries than Holmewood) . Given the VAT situation and uncertainty for independents we looked into this quite carefully as definitely want the grammars as an option. It also has VERY small numbers taking the Kent test. A friend said last year only 5 out of a cohort of 60 went onto grammar (there is a reason they don’t put their 11+ leavers destinations on the website only the leavers at 13+ heading to independents ). It mainly feeds to independents - and increasingly independents like Bedes and Eastbourne College. The new head is v progressive and very keen on wellbeing - friends with children there have mixed feelings - some very feel nurtured others have left for schools with more of an academic focus. It’s great at sport and drama though and has great success in scholarships for independents in these. If you are thinking of grammar or independent though it might be worth either sticking with the Mead or looking at alternative preps. If you are definitely set on independent until 18 lots of families love it.

Yes @Pip290 I agree that Holmewood delivers students to private schools and not grammars. Holmewood only expect to send around 5 each year and given how large the year groups are that is a very small percentage.

The Mead does has the advantage against some of the other local privates that it has to offload everyone at year 7 rather than tempt some to stay so perhaps it works harder at the 11+ as a natural by product of this?

The Mead is a great, academic school but obviously doesn't have all the bells and whistles that come with enormous, fancy grounds! I think Holmewood is amazing if you have a sporty kid though.

We have son at the Mead that has been there since Kindergarden.

We love the school. The teachers are amazing, it very much has a small village primary style school feel, but with 15 kids in a class.

In every school, there will be people complain. Yes, the Mead doesn't have significant sports grounds but instead uses the local grounds - and when it plays against local preps, they often come out on top. It doesn't have its own Theatre - however, the school does an annual summer show, held at the local theatre, and the school has a reputation for producing theatrical performances.

All we would say is it depends on what you want; there is no point going to The Mead if you value large sports grounds, or you intend to stay in the independent system.

If, however, you are clear that your objective is to get your kids an rounded grounding to get into the excellent local grammars, then The Mead is a super option.

Most importantly, all the Kids we come across seem to love it there!

We are currently looking /thinking of moving from Holmewood. So a reverse move to the one mentioned! It's just hard to justify the fees at Holmewood when your children (along with most in the class) are quite a bit behind the very good local schools. We got a huge shock when the Mead and Hilden Grange showed us what they had been up to for equivalent year groups.

It's a really hard choice as it's a great community and we have many good friends there. Holmewood is a great school for perhaps a livelier/busy/sporty/arty/drama loving child who is looking a slightly less selective schools at 13+ (I'm not sure if future years will be as well equipped to apply to schools like Sevenoaks). They do absolutely stacks of stuff, even more so with the new head, and it is huge fun! However, more and more keeps being added and the bits of the timetable that seem to be sacrificed are the core subjects in the curriculum with areas like phonics being cut for weeks on end as soon as there is a whiff of a play (which happens at both Christmas and in the summer) and lesson time in Maths and English feeling as if it is ever shrinking. I couldn't help but think after my child told me about the latest wellbeing morning singalong initiative that they could really have done with the time spent on phonics. My (and DCs) wellbeing would be significantly improved if bed time reading was more of a bonding vs battle experience 😂

From our experience and the experience of friends I think if you have a child who thrives in a calmer environment and you want a bit of push I would stick with the Mead (assuming you only want schools that start at 11) or look at somewhere like Hilden Grange. If sports & outside space are really important Somerhill, as still feeds lots of children to grammar and independents but academically seems stronger & calmer than Holmewood (at least a pre prep). If you are set on 13+ and your children love sport, drama (and want a theatre) and are generally full of beans Holmewood is still a great choice. They all suit different children and there is lots of movement in the prep sector.

I think in a few years Holmewood will likely self correct and it is perhaps a bit of a case of a very passionate, but headstrong , new head over correcting for old reputations of hot housing. So depending on when you want to start I wouldn't necessarily rule it out. It's just hard to predict what the leavers destinations for Holmewood will look like in 5-7 years given current experiences of literacy and maths.

Hopefully you will visit each of these schools and find out firsthand what makes them ‘tick’ and ask these questions of the Head. Choosing the right school is such a big deal: the biggest and most emotional decision you’ll ever make!
I can offer a pov about Holmewood House and its academics as my children went there and one has only just left this summer - it is academically ambitious - lots of academic scholarships each year and children at age 13 head to the tops senior independent schools in the country (Eton, Harrow, Wycombe Abbey, Tonbridge, Wellington, Sevenoaks, Brighton College – the list goes on and on) having sat the ISEB Pre-test for these school in Year 6. Comparing a bigger, international Prep school (with boarding) like Holmewood, with smaller local alternatives Rose Hill, The Mead and Hilden Grange is like comparing apples with oranges because they provide a very different educational journey. Along with many of their peers, my older child was awarded a 13+ scholarship to Sevenoaks– so yes, Holmewood is very academic! However it’s a non-selective school - and the school celebrates diversity of all types. I know that they got 21 scholarships this year in Year 8 across academics, the arts, music, sport etc (in a cohort of about 42 kids). So there are obviously going to be many different routes – theysay they see it as their job to help parents find the right destination school for their child (that’s the very definition of a ‘Preparatory school’). The kids get all kinds of wonderful opportunities which prepare them for life and the parent community is warm and supportive. theyn recently brought in a forward-looking enrichment curriculum for life skills and at the end of the year parents were sent an academic round up which showed great standardised progress, in englishand maths, so I do think the pendulum is swinging on that one.
All my friends with children opting for grammar were fully supported to sit 11+ - around 18 in my children’s year sat the Kent 11+ test and passed - but only 5 or 6 children in their years took up their Grammar School offers, opting instead for independent senior schools. It seems to be that parents use the 11+ test as a ‘practice’ for the ISEB test (poor kids!) and Holmewood do prepare children for the ISEB pre-test as they predominantly prepare for independent senior schools
I’m pretty sure the statistics quoted in this thread from KCC are wrong – or at least misleading in that they don’t tell the whole story from a quick search. Eg, for 2024, I found this (hyperlink below) online, which says that 7-12 passed out of 12 taking the exam (they don't give exact numbers in some instances because of GDPR, though knowing the families I think it was closer to the higher end of that bracket who were offered places this year). I also found another document online which had a lower score but was reissued as being incorrect (though is still available on the internet), so I would really recommend going straight to the horse's mouth on this one rather than basing decisions on documents which might be out of date or incorrect.
If you want to go down the grammar route, or want to keep it open as an option, you should speak to the schools and ask them directly for their stats. I'm sure they would be happy to help, and will be clear about whether they can support your family in achieving their goals. For many at HH, it just isn't a goal, though times are changing of course so that might change! I hope this is helpful. There are lots of great options and it is a vv big decision. Best of luck for the move to Tunbridge Wells! We love it here.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/2019_2024_kent_test_11_data/response/2868987/attach/2/FOI%2048097162%20amended.xlsx?cookie_passthrough=1

I have children at The Mead. We considered all schools but found Holmewood to have a bit of a wanky vibe. I have a friend there and the head said openly 'we don't help with 11+' and then another mum said 'ew, you can't seriously be considering grammar school'. The Mead has definitely turned around from a few leavers in Year 4 and offers so many amazing opportunities. It is very nurturing and one of the best in Kent for performing arts, the children all have that true lasting confidence. Amazing grammar and ISEB results too.

Hi , I am looking at this school as well. What did you do in the end? Any updated information?Thank you

It's worth being aware 11 children left Year 2 last year at Holmewood. Based on comments from friends this was mostly due to concern about the standard of teaching in pre prep at Holmewood. In a Year 1 class 11/14 children finished on pink level (read write inc) at the end of year 1 and some children were on the same phonics level for an ENTIRE year with no progression (lots of upset). Quite far behind the local state schools and very far behind some of the other preps. Other issues have included parents being told their children are "fine" and then bombing out in national standardised tests (despite parents raising concern previously) . The issue seems to be the consistency in teaching - some teachers are very good but others are frankly poor. Prep seems to have much more consistency in teaching quality (although I do know friends have complained of a few exceptions). We are hoping things pickup with a new teacher after a lot of promises and a lot of inaction to date (we are hanging in there for the promise of a better experience at Prep but will have to see). The community is great, facilities great, co-curricular great, drama amazing etc but the teaching in our experience has been highly variable. I also think if you have a very bright and confident child you might be able to weather the odd bad year more easily.

Lots and lots of information on this thread! I'd be happy to help as have visited all of these schools, spoken to admissions teams, toured classrooms and spoken to current parents - they are all quite different and you should always choose the school that is right for your child and your family, while trying to avoid the school gate gossip of families who may have had one good or bad experience! Happy to help anyone looking at Kent schools - PM me for a chat!