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?

The 'opposition' are longstanding posters who I recognise. An advanced search of the posters in support shows that they have joined just to advertise the school. Amazing, I can hear the ping of emails between you all

"ill informed cackling old witches"

I'm a former member of MN (though I haven't posted for a long while). Have namechanged for this thread as I'd be easily identifiable and I don't want to share my previous posts with all the other parents... Might tarnish my halo.

Goadyflattery, I've been on Mumsnet for nigh on a decade.

The OP asked for experiences and opinions about The Laurels from parents with daughters there, so Laurels parents have shared just that - our own personal experiences. People may draw their own conclusions from the fact that these experiences have so far been overwhelmingly positive.

I'd encourage any prospective parents to come along to an Open Day, and meet the school, its staff and the girls in person, so that you can make an informed decision as to whether it's the right school for your family. It certainly is for us.

Yet the other well established posters are 'ringers'? The majority of advertisers on this thread have not posted on any other threads.
The sheer rudeness has been astounding.
My dcs are at three different schools which are frequently mentioned on here, I am able to give a balanced and helpful opinion without taking personal slight at any perceived critisizm or question.
I certainly wouldn't call people 'cackling witches'.

I think for the reputation of the school you should get the thread taken down.

Goady, the comments you (rightly, IMO) object to are from only one poster, and are not representative at all of the content or spirit in which the many other parents have posted on this thread - as I'm sure you will, in fairness, admit.

There have been two hagiographic threads this month.

And more Mnetters seem ready to identify as having children at this school than any other Clapham school.

CSLewis and others. For my own part, I have absolutely no axe to grind with your school whatsoever. As I said, I looked into it myself and could see some positive aspects.

Nor do I have any knowledge or interest about its financial status.

The various posts in the first half of this thread sounded like the same voice and this is why people will be suspicious. It's the same gushing, slightly-stilted language, mingled with quotes from Ofstead and repeated invitations to come and visit "us" that make it read like promotional material or a prospectus. There is nothing else like it on MN.

As you are aware, many people will have preconceptions about Opus Dei as it is. You are absolutely right that many of these preconceptions will be based on nothing more than ignorance. Other people however, will have taken the time to research the subject and will have formed their own conclusions. In either case, evangelical-style posting will not help the school's cause. People will read it as evidence that members of the school are fulfilling their duty to spread the word in everyday life by whatever means possible.

I do accept the point that the school is new and, as parents and teachers, you are naturally very invested in its ethos and success. In this sense I wish you and your girls the best of luck.

I agree with a previous poster who said in the interests of the school this thread should be deleted. Whatever the good intentions behind these posts are they have painted a picture of a school that attracts slightly odd and very similar parents. This isn't fair to the school.

I have lurked on Mumsnet for many years and found it a source of information and inspiration across a wide range of areas like nutrition, illness, and some excellent party ideas. But it's true that I've never posted before, because I've never really felt that I had much to offer. As The Laurels is small, I assumed that the more people who posted, the better, but the pool of parents with direct experience was fairly limited as there are less than 60 girls at the school.

I don't think the previous posts were robotic, but I can see what's perhaps a clash of cultures. It's often struck me over the years that many Mumsnetters are incredibly articulate. Some of the families at the school, as Angiepoise says, are foreign and English isn't their first language. This can come across as stilted and if you're looking for 'evidence', a bit unnatural.

But for those reading this thread back, you will see that every message from a Laurels parent (although not all posts) has been constructive. That's because in my experience, the parents are nice people. Some of them will belong to Opus Dei, and some of them don't. As has been made clear, we care about the school and believe the experience it offers will help our girls prepare well for the rest of their lives.

That said, the school isn't for everyone, and one of the advantages to living in and around London is there is plenty of choice to find a school that meets your needs. But please don't doubt that the previous posts were authentic and heartfelt, even if they differ in tone from other threads.

This thread should be deleted, because it puts an excellent school in a bad light. JanieSa, I can identify most of the posters on this thread.

This was an innocent thread. A prospective parent asking current parents about a school. Can it please stay that way?

The fraud was at the hands of their own financial director, or treasurer, which does say a lot.....She simply decided to syphon off a very large sum of money in an attempt to fund a rather lavish lifestyle. You are right, it should have been explained much more clearly to all parents concerned, but it wasn’t. Transparency, or lack of it, has always been an issue within the Pact schools. Incidentally, to those of you who, quite rightly, found this thread creepy, I’d respectfully suggest you’d take a look at the recent pile of reviews that have been left, almost in unison, on the Oakwood School Reviews page, after it had laid dormant for years....Extremely disturbing, yet very similar to these, in style and undoubtedly solicited to counteract rumours that have been spreading fast and large about recent problems within the school itself.....

Hi @ Ladymuck, I have just replied to your query although the answer comes up at the end of the thread.

London, mary and 4whatitsworth - I agree 100%. Everything about the content, language and tone (and remarkably coincidental times ) of these 'glowing' reports points to 'marketing-speak' and 'prospectus' writing.

Perhaps some are actually also parents, but there is definitely at least one member of staff/management at work here.

Unfortunately, if the posts are indeed genuine, it seems somewhat of a cult! teasipping is absolutely right that this thread posts the school in a very poor light indeed.

Apologies if this offends any genuine person, but I live (and teach) abroad and have a great deal of experience communicating with people for whom English is not their first language - people's suspicion of the genuine nature of the PPs comments don't stem from anything 'cultural', I can assure you.

I know a family who considered the Laurels for their DD and eventually decided against it, so I don't doubt it is a very gentle, caring school (which attracted them to it in the first place). However, I do dislike the disingenuous attempts of school management to promote their establishment under false pretences.

I'm a parent of two daughters at The Laurels, one of whom has been at the school since it opened. It's a small, nurturing environment with very dedicated staff, who try very hard to work closely with parents to enable each girl to achieve their personal best. If any prospective parent would like some actual factual information about it, do PM me - or check out the school's website.

I'm sad to see recent posters (not parents at any of the schools under discussion) making accusations, and stating as fact things which are actually just their own unsubstantiated and uninformed opinions.

I'd encourage any potentially interested parents to visit the School for yourself, and make up your own mind. The Laurels has certainly been a positive experience for my two girls (who had very different academic/pastoral needs).

Oh, and for transparency's sake: I have also posted at the start of this thread, under my previous MN moniker, CSLewis.

to visit the School for yourself, and make up your own mind.

Best words of advice to OP on this entire thread.