Kew house vs Fulham Prep Senior

[Stupidusernamefield]

Both schools are fairly new and there isn’t huge amounts of information on either site. Can anyone share insights? My son is smart (V high IQ whatever that means) but not academic - he’s very good at avoiding work!! He’s dyslexic (not severe), cheeky (but not rude) and non conformist (ie he’ll never dress up for a fancy dress day, doesn’t care about popularity). He’s not sporty. My favourite school is Emanuel but I think his chances of getting a place are second to none!!

They may not be near enough but look at Ewell Castle, Hampton Court House and Box Hill schools.

Too far away... I’m up in Barnes and want him to make more local friends

I have friends with children at Kew House. They seem to be fairly shocking with any sort of SEN requirement - so would consider carefully if your son's dyslexia needed any support.

Thanks - that’s good to know

I know someone who recently moved their son to Fulham Prep - the main reason being for support with SEN/dyslexia issues and are very happy so far.

Yes another friend told me the SEN provision is really good, so I’m leaning in that direction.

Just have to get offered a place now!! What’s the competition like? I’m assuming being new it’s easier to get into than Kew? Does anyone know?

Kew has had record numbers of applicants this year and they only take 88 so although I think I their waiting list does move, it's not an easy option like it was a few years ago.

I suspect FS will be easier to get into as its newer?
What are the premises like at FS? I heard they’ve renovated a building in Parson’s Green - surely this has to be a greener, more pleasant environment than being on Apex Corner? I visited KH a while back, and while I liked a lot about it, I felt as if they couldn’t open the windows and the views were of the M4 or an industrial estate. The location did put me off a bit.
Academically, they should both be able to get the best out if their pupils, so I doubt there’s much in it.

Am interested in several comments on this thread. We’ve just come through a gruelling 11+ process and have no offers - just one waitlist place from Kew House. My son sounds similar to Stupiduserfield’s - bright, high IQ but has dysgraphia and isn’t always the most focused.

I’d be really interested to know why KH doesn’t have a great reputation for SEN provision. We like the school and had been thinking we’d snap their hand off if DS is offered a place so would be good to know more.

We didn’t apply to Fulham (hadn’t heard of it until a month ago). Does anybody know if they’re likely to have places left? Is it even possible to apply to schools at this stage after the 11+?

A friend of mine moved her son from Kew Green after GCSEs, they didn’t like the school enough to leave him there for A levels. Which state schools have you applied to, if any?

Was your friend’s son happy when he was at the school? I’d only heard good things about KH so it’s interesting to hear a different view. Yes, applied to state schools. To a number of the Twyford group schools because DS has an outside chance of a music place plus Chiswick and WLFS. I’m starting to worry that DS needs more support than we previously thought though so would need a smaller school with good pastoral care, like KH.

Our nearest is Richmond Park Academy. I’d not really considered it before as it was poorly rated by Ofsted, but it does look like it’s improved a lot.

As it’s new, it couldn’t hurt to try? I went to an open day last week and really liked the Head. He seemed to indicate all offers for 11+ have been sent but now it’s a waiting game to see how many are accepted?

She moved him to WLFS so I assume she wasn’t that impressed with KG, so far so good. He’s having to work harder as there are more academic children than there were at KG. I think he’s doing STEM subjects. I’ve met other people who have been happy with their children’s experiences at WLFS. Students from Yr12 at Latimer were providing extra support at one stage, I don’t know if that’s still the case.

Thanks. I’ll take a look at Fulham. Good luck to your DS. Hope he gets into a good school.

Thanks LizzieTwins. Unfortunately WLFS is going to be even more difficult to get into this year. Two of the primary schools are going to start feeding in so, unless we move next to the school, I think our chances will be virtually zero.

Kew House parent perspective- in our experience the SEN support has been proactive and excellent. There are lots of kids with dyslexia/dyspraxia/processing issues in the school and they are welcomed and supported. My own DD has SEN and achieved amazing GCSE results last year. Yes, some kids "trade up" for 6th form to more selective schools (usually those who missed out on 11+ and went to Kew House as a back up) but 6th form is full and generally it's families who are actively choosing the school as their first preference.

Greetings, these two schools are among top choices for our son. He is bright, but makes a lot of random mistakes on tests, thus he did not make it to any of the more selective schools. Still, which school do you feel is more likely to challenge him academically, especially in the areas he is good at (maths, sciences)? I really hope he won’t feel bored... Thanks!