Wetherby Kensington vs. Falkner House Boys

[GlassEagle]

Hi Mums, we are deciding between Wetherby Kensington and Falkner House Boys for our son. He has a spot at WK and will sit the FHB assessment in Jan.

We've visited both schools and initial reactions are that Wetherby have a nicer site that's more spacious and newly renovated. But we like that FHB are family run and keep the boys until 11+. Academically both seem on par with good leavers destinations?

Would appreciate any feedback on either school. My partner and I both work so would also gravitate towards a school with similar parents.

Thanks!

Surely you would wait until having both offers before making the decision?

Anyhow, assuming DS does have both options, Wetherby pre-prep prepares the boys for the 7+ (and 8+, although increasingly less so) exams for entry into the ‘big ticket’ schools (Westminster, St Paul’s, King’s). There is also the option to stay until 13 years at Wetherby Prep (different location). Falkner won’t prepare the boys for exit at 7+ / 8+, meaning they have to sit the 11+ exams.

There are pros and cons to both systems and a lot depends on whether your son is an early or later developer (sometimes it’s not possible to know when they are at the age when you have to make the choice).

Hello
My son went to Falkner house and sat the 7+ with success. He left 4 years ago and at that point at least, the school did prepare some boys to sit the exams. They were quite transparent about the readiness of each boy and did not prepped the ones they did not feel were ready. I am not sure if this has changed since then, but if you look at the leavers it looks like there are still boys leaving at 7+ and 8+.
But I think more than just the exam results, just go and visit the school. There is no way of telling if your 3/4 yo will be ready for such assessments yet anyway and you should focus on your gut feeling. I found Falkner House very nurturing very personal and very transparent (as mentioned before). Teachers/staff were lovely. The only downside for me would have been the sport offering and ground, which was also one of the reason we decided to move for 7+. I am sure Wetherby is lovely as well. Feel free to message me if you have any questions

Falkner no longer prepares any boys for the 7+