Habs Boys / Lochinver

[Lavieestbelle2024]

Anyone heard about the Habs Boys / Lochinver House merger? As someone previously considering sending my son to Habs Boys (now looking at 7+ entry) I'm interested to hear parents' thoughts. Seems like it shouldn't make much difference to Habs but am only reading the very positive press releases...!

This is interesting. Lochinver House is co-ed now as of this coming September, so this technically impacts Habs Boys & Girls.

I would say this is beneficial to all involved and is more a sign of the struggling small prep school environment as a result of the VAT hikes etc.

How does it really impact the day to day of the Habs elstree schools though?

interested in what people think this means for academic standards if anything

historically it seems not that many from Lochinver go to Habs. Far more to St Albans.

Habs seen as the most selective school in the area. Will that change?

hear very good things about Lochinver but caters to a broader range of abilities

Most likely if it isn’t guarantee entry into Habs from Lochinver, then it’s nothing more than life support for Lochinver.

Habs have been open about wanting to move towards a more co-ed model for some time. The difficulty is that it takes some years for schools to become fully co-ed and there are often teething problems along the way. In addition, some parents deliberately choose a single sex environment but I guess you can't please everyone.

I worry that this is more indicative of both a small prep school and a larger, previously very sought after school struggling following the VAT increases. Only the other day Habs shared a story on instagram promoting a charity event - proceeds going towards subsidising the fees of current pupils who were struggling with the fee increases.

I think many schools will have to widen their criteria and become more inclusive in the current environment. Whether that will suit the current families at the school remains to be seen.

School leadership / governors can seen the data re drop in the birth rate in London and they have to keep innovating, if they don't support the prep system there won't be any prep schools left. As I said in another thread in the past few weeks Shrewsbury school / Terra Nova prep and Kings college Wimbledon Pre prep (squirrels) going coed from 2027 and eventually all the way through. Before Easter Sevenoaks and Solefield school.

Habs boys and girls are merged now for all back office stuff and for lessons from sixth form. This is a merger of the combined school with Lochinver.