Hampstead Fine Arts College

[SLMater]

Hello,

I'd love to have feedback from you knowledgable people on Hampstead Fine Arts College.

DD is currently in 5th form boarding at a well-known, co-ed public school in Sussex but is interested in moving back home to London for 6th form to do her A-levels in a less traditional environment. She wants to do Eng Lit, Film Studies and Art History with a view to becoming a film or literary critic.

She's very gifted and quite challenging and is in full throes of typical teenage opinionated feistiness. Someone recommended HFAC to me as a potentially good fit for her but I have no knowledge of the school.

We are booked on an open day, of course, but all feedback or other suggested sixth form options in London considered.

Thanks!

I have a few friends who have DCs there and who are very happy with the college. A word of warning though, loads and loads of slebs' kids go there and it's paparazzi heaven at lunchtime when the students are hanging outside Starbucks. If your DD is self-motivated and hard-working she should be fine. Have a look around at the open day, but also go back on another day and check out England's Lane at 9am and 3pm when the kids are arriving and leaving...

I live nearby and know a number of DD's friends who have gone to HFAC (three of them are upstairs now!) and I know their parents. They are all happy so far but only a few weeks in. Two of DD's friends have transferred there for years 10 & 11 and those years are very, very small. Another who we know very well is there for years 12 & 13, doing subjects that would be hard to find at a school 6th form. It has a bit of a reputation for being for thick rich kids, and I think there's certainly an element of that, but it seems well run and has managed recent expansion well. I am also going on an open day in February!

I'm pretty sure that's the school Brooklyn Beckham has just left. But everyone can't be celebs children. He went on to Parsons, and it definitely does have a good reputation for art and design. University destinations are probably on the website. But not the school for science. I'd definitely choose MPW or Collingham for A levels if there is any interest in doing science.

Brooklyn Beckham did just leave and Rocco Ritchie is still there but so are lots of other unknowns. MPW has a really bad reputation for drugs, I've heard this first hand from a friend whose DS went there. Obviously Fine Arts is better for creative subjects, the clue is in the name!

Thanks very much for the feedback - the honesty is greatly appreciated! We went to the open day and I really liked it but DD felt it was too small and the facilities not great compared to where she is at school now, so sadly a non-starter!

That’s a shame because it seems to be going well for all of DD’s friends who are there. Given the subjects available and the level of independence students have, do the premises totally rule it out? Have you looked at UTCs, especially Elstree?