Opinion of The Laurels School in Clapham please?

[JanieSa]

Does anyone have daughter at The Laurels? If so do you think that the advantages of the character education and tutoring system outweigh the perceived disadvantages of lack of sports facilities and clubs and no academic record? Any opinion or experience please?

I would definitely look at the accounts - carefully. Unlike the Cedars, The Laurels isn't owned by PACT. It is owned by one individual. It isn't a charity (it can't be a UK charity as someone owns the shares). It isn't clear what role this person has with the school. Obviously on start-up the school is making a loss, which falls on this person to bear, but I would look carefully at how the school is set up and what safeguards are in place to ensure that the finances are secure. What happens when the money used to set up the school runs out?

Worth looking at the PACT accounts too. It has been some time since I've seen fraud reported by an independent school. What have the parents been told about this?

I know a number of happy parents at Oakwood and Cedars, and have happily recommend Oakwood to families. But when you are at secondary school, especially when approaching exam years you need to know that the school is still going to be in existence when your child is going to sit those exams.

Thank you for your observations Ladymuck. What are you saying about PACT and fraud?

This is what is in the accounts:

"During December 2014 PACT identified that a fraud had taken place. A full internal review has been performed into the activity and PACT reported the matter to the police and the Charity Commission and are assisting both with their investigation into the matter. The Trustees are taking steps to recover the amounts due to them."

I assume parents will have been told about this. There is nothing to say that a member of staff was involved, and it could be some third party who has committed the fraud, but again, it is worth knowing what the facts are, and what parents have been told. Whilst PACT doesn't own the Laurels, it is still involved with the school, so you would want to ensure that the fraud could not be replicated at the Laurels.

New small schools can be exciting adventures, but you need to consider the risks of failure, as well as success. There is clearly of group of parents looking to make a success of the school, as with many free schools opening around the country. But in this case it is your money rather than state funding at risk.

Regarding Ladymuck's comments of 11:11. She is only quoting information that has long been in the public domain, so there aren't any secrets. There are lots of very generous benefactors behind all the schools including The Laurels. As a parent I'm happy to help fundraise for the schools and be part of their development. It's exciting to see the schools growing so quickly.

What was the nature of the fraud?

Please feel free to write to the Chairman or CEO.

I wouldn't be happy with a small, sole owner independent school tbh.

Is it me or is this thread a bit weird?

Very weird indeed !!! I think some of the posters are the same person - surely! Or they've e-mailed round and decided to come on collectively. How would so many parents of a very small school even know about this thread otherwise? A lot of it seems almost cut and paste from the school website "social, emotional, physical, spiritual wellbeing" etc. Remember that members of Opus Dei have a duty to spread the word and recruit wherever possible! Glad they're so happy with their school though

If that is so, I think they've misjudged Mumsnet. We would never have considered a very small, newly established private school or a faith school for our children, and the mention of Opus Dei would have made us run a mile, but even without all of that there's a Stepford Wife quality about the sudden bombardment of posts on this thread that would have put me right off.

My immediate thoughts too London, total sales pitch!

Each to their own I guess, but reading this thread I felt quite unnerved by the robotic, even cult- like tone of most of the posts. The school website reads in a very similar way. Despite someone's best efforts, I think they may have done the school a disservice.

If I had a wishlist for my daughter, it would include for her to be happy and resilient; to have friends; to know right from wrong so she can make good decisions on her own; and to do well academically. The Laurels gives my daughter those things. It's a small school but it's not cliquey or weird. It's really warm, welcoming, and accepting. I'm not Opus Dei and do not intend to ever become so. But please don't base your understanding of Opus Dei on Dan Brown. I can only share honestly my own experience of the school, which is very positive. And if you're looking for a school for your daughter, then visit on an open day. You will find happy, energetic girls who are being challenged and supported to fulfil their individual potential.

I must admit I am of the same mind. Whilst I think it is fantastic that there are new schools being set up ,especially those that don't set out to be academic schools of excellence. Let's face it not all children are academically brilliant. Some children do need a different kind of education.
I too thought that the posters recommending this school were either the same person or the school themselves. I also thought the fervour with which they wrote was almost cult like and gave me the creeps.
Previous threads about other new schools eg Rad nor House or Kew Green have felt much more balanced and less evangelical.

I've got a daughter there.

No Stepford Wives here. The fact is that no school is perfect and it's up to you to decide what suits your child best. Obvs.

Personally I've been extremely impressed by the individual attention given to my daughter. That's what you get in a small school. She is being stretched and being given lots and lots of opportunities to do interesting things, trips, competitions, opportunities for service etc.

We are a Catholic family and love that the school is authentically Catholic as well -- while being respectful of other religions. We're not members of Opus Dei although some of the most impressive people I know are, and I get really fed up with the ill-informed, negative press it gets.

I don't understand the cynicism of people being shocked that several parents from the school have commented positively on this thread. Is it weird that people would talk to each other? Is it weird that people feel a loyalty or pride in their child's school?

OP, they do very well in sport as mentioned above. They do have clubs (there's a new DofE group just started for example) and as for academic record, I'm confident that my daughter is going to do well.

I did, in fact, consider The Laurels for my daughter some months ago, hence my interest when this thread showed up on Mumsnet. We were looking for a small, supportive school and are more than happy to be as involved as possible in our daughters education and development. On one level, it all sounded too good to be true, but when I read up on Opus Dei, I knew it was not for us. For instance, I would be concerned about how sex ed would be taught in the school. Would the girls be taught that contraception, divorce, abortion, etc are wrong under any circumstances? Not that I would be recommending any of these things to my daughter, of course, but I sensed that there was a lot more to the school than its welcoming rhetoric ( and I have not read Dan Brown)!

If people have found a school that suits them that's fantastic, but many of the posts here are very peculiar to say the least!

I can recognise some of the parents on here but not all. Quite a number of families are not native English speakers so that might explain what you've picked up as a strange tone. Plus, people are really invested in the success of the school -- and we've all taken a risk in sending our children to a new, small school. I honestly don't think there's anything dodgy. But it's not for everyone.

I agree with Angiepoise. It would be incredibly naive to say that every school was for every family. The Laurels walks the talk regarding values, and consequently it's pretty strict. That suits my daughter really well, but it's not for everyone.

But don't confuse upholding strong values with brainwashing or bigotry. My daughter questions everything. All the time. And I do mean all the time. I think that we can only understand who we are through that process of questioning. I'll give you an example, because the parents have used lots of superlatives and given relatively little substance. Once a week during philosophy, all the girls write questions, e.g. what is time, if good comes from bad, does that justify the bad, is a bad act justified by a good intention? The girls vote on a question and discuss it. The teacher only intervenes to bring them back on topic, not to influence the discussion. The girls are actively encouraged to develop their thoughts and justify them.

But I'm equally glad that there are clear rules for how the girls treat each other, the teachers and the school property. These girls also listen to pop music and go to Costa's after school on Fridays (other coffee shops are available).

As Angiepoise says, sending your daughter to a new school is a leap of faith. For that reason, we are invested in its success and probably share many values. But that doesn't make us robotic or cliquey. The school isn't perfect, but I've never once regretted sending my daughter there.

I think Ladymuck should take a real close look at the book keeping at Royal Russell school.
My son is at Maddon House within the school grounds.

I am a recent single mum and when I approached the school for financial help they offered me two choices:
A) We will take a charge on your family home if you want a bursary.
B) Try a state school.

The school is a registered charity with aims and objectives. It has a surplus
profit of over £1m per annum, and I wonder where that money ends up????

I asked them what is their bursary policy and they told me that they do not offer one!

Nice people to do business with.

Well, that last post would be enough to put me off. What a horribly arrogant tone.

I fear we're going off topic. The OP asked for opinions from parents whose daughters attended The Laurels. I think the posts have given a pretty good flavour of what it stands for. Others are free to take those comments at face value (and I can assure you they are from a variety of parents), find out more by visiting The Laurels, or choose to believe a more negative interpretation. But posts about other schools probably belong elsewhere. Hope you all have a good evening. X

"The parents have been fully informed about this serious theft and fraud."

So what has happened? Surely prospective parents should also know?

Good evening Ladymuck, again, may I suggest you write to the Chairman and/or the CEO with your concerns.

As for viability, I gather that the school is heavily oversubscribed for next year and is looking to change premises to facilitate expansion.