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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

UCS Hampstead

29 replies

Juliet57 · 17/02/2020 21:11

Hi, my DS has been accepted into UCS from the 11+. We are very happy as we thought the school would be a good fit from the visit however we don't know anyone going to the school. I was just wondering if anyone had any personal stories about UCS, pastoral care...Thank you.

OP posts:
waterbottle12 · 18/02/2020 11:56

Don't know the senior but the junior is amazing for pastoral care and I get the vibe that it's taken v seriously all the way up. They want to promote independence not spoon feeding which I like.

Original poster
Juliet57 · 18/02/2020 17:40

Thank you that's good to know!
Anybody in the senior school happy to share their experience?

OP posts:
Original poster
Juliet57 · 21/02/2020 16:20

Bump anyone?

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awana · 23/02/2020 11:38

It looks good on the surface, as all these public schools do but it has historically, and more recently had a problem with drugs. I personally know of expulsions for dealing and very sadly, one of the kids died from it a few years back. Pastoral care can be good but my friend's son had a hard time as he was bullied throughout his time there. It didn't seem that this was fully taken on board by the school.
Have you been offered anywhere else?

tenpence · 23/02/2020 16:52

Independence is good if you have a son that is incredibly self motivated. I understand that middling kids often get ignored/ left out. Apparently the worse ones get released if they are likely bring grade average down. It can be difficult if you're not at the top of the class

Thankgoditsover · 23/02/2020 17:01

I really don't recognise the last two descriptions. My son is pretty nerdy as all his friends. He tells me that there are some kids who take drugs as well as the inevitable vaping, but I don't think it's a problem any more than at any London school.

A few years back, he had an issue. I wouldn't call it bullying but some friends were unkind and after a while we reluctantly went to school about it. They were on it like a ton of bricks and dealt with it swiftly, effectively and, above all, discreetly.

I don't remember any kid dying, but maybe it was before his time. One boy has recently been asked to leave.

DS the right side of middling and enjoys it. We feel he has a lot less pressure and homework than our friends' kids at other schools. The whole GSCE thing only came into play at the end of y10 and even then it was light touch. I'm amazed they get the results they do given that they seem so unruffled and some of the boys (usually the ones who've been there since the age of 4 when it's harder to gauge academic potential) aren't natural intellectuals...

awana · 23/02/2020 17:23

It's lucky you haven't had that experience with your DS, Thankgoditsover. Unfortunately my friend's child had a much tougher time of things. Surprising, they were not more supportive, esp as the post says above that he was very good in class- he did very well in the end and got into a good uni.

Here's the article: www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/father-s-appeal-death-of-hampstead-ucs-schoolboy-joseph-benett-laughing-gas-toxic-cocktail-1-2186095. We've had discussions about drugs with 6th formers there, and they appear to be aware of their use.

Thankgoditsover · 23/02/2020 20:06

That poor boy was before our time. Very very tragic, but you'd be naive to think that there's no laughing gas being taken by teenagers. My friend's daughter had a party and the garden was littered with those little canisters (a high-achieving state school).

I can only offer our current experience as parents of a boy at the school. You can't help viewing it all through the prism of your own offspring - mine happens to be very square as are all his friends. I've been impressed by how much he seems to learn in lessons, with lots of free homework less time in the evenings.

I'd also suggest that if you're talking about a boy that's now at university, your opinions aren't as current as ours as well as being vicarious.

Original poster
Juliet57 · 23/02/2020 22:16

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. I really appreciate. It's really helpful.
Another question I have is how the new boys from the 11+ integrate with the boys coming from the junior school? If I understand well, they only represent about 1/4 and so I imagine a lot of strong friendships have been formed already...

He also has an offer from Ibstock. We like both schools even if they are quite different.

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horsemadmom · 24/02/2020 00:09

There's bullying in every school. In my experience, UCS deals pretty well with it. There's drugs in every school. @awana, please don't use this as an example as you've just found a MNer who knew the boy who died. It's really hurtful to have you use this tragedy. The drug in question was from a freak batch of something most of us have used. It's the 'gas' in gas and air.
OP, the boys who come up from the JB are pretty tired of each other by Entry. 11+ boys are instantly popular.
I do think that boys who are not super academic or struggling or discipline problems can be ignored. My son was in that category. He did love his time there and his UCS friends are still his best friends. Did horrendously on his exams but is steaming ahead in a field he loves that he wouldn't have known existed had it not been for opportunities at UCS. It gave him a good kind of confidence. He learned to ask for opportunities and to work hard to prove himself. He didn't come out entitled or arrogant.

Thankgoditsover · 24/02/2020 12:56

Blimey where do you live OP? Ibstock is miles away.

In our experience, the boys at UCS come from a sort of arc following the overground from Queens Park over to Islington/Dalston way with a huge chunk in Hampstead itself. If you live a long way from these areas then I think it wouldn't be a good choice. As the crow flies, I think 95% live within 5k. It's one of the nice things about the school.

I think some of the advice on this thread is slightly out of date because the head, Mr Beard, is less old-school liberal than the stereotype of yore. I suspect that coasting would be less tolerated now.

Re. integration in y7, I think it's about 1/3 new boys. My son didn't find it a problem and the boys who came from the JB seemed to be indistinguishable (although with a few more academic outliers). That said, I think it's a good move that they're getting rid of the y9 entry so that the y7 will be more 50-50.

awana · 24/02/2020 14:52

I haven't used that tradegy. I saw it in the paper and was upset to hear that had happened to a UCS boy. I'm glad others had better experiences. I can only say what I am am aware of. I spoke to the 6th formers in the last 3 months, and the experience of my friend's son had with bullying was recent too as he started uni this year. I guess if you've already bought into the system, there will be an unconscious bias which is natural.

awana · 24/02/2020 14:58

"Tragedy", sorry

Thankgoditsover · 24/02/2020 15:37

Maybe I'm wrong but I think that sixth formers having awareness of drug use is a good thing.

You seem to be suggesting that those with children there at the moment aren't qualified to give opinions as we've 'bought into the system' and those with some more tenuous connection should have the final word. I think it's very valid to share the experience of your friend's son but it's a) not current and b) not direct. Ds did have some low-level bullying and it was dealt with brilliantly. I think this, imo, is more relevant.

But perhaps we're both over invested?

Original poster
Juliet57 · 24/02/2020 23:19

Thanks for all your feedback. Really appreciate. We live very close to an overground station slightly outside the arc zone you mentioned @Thankgoditsover. The commute would be 30 mins door-to-door. I didn't realise that most of the boys live very locally. Do they often meet during the week end for games or other things?

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Thankgoditsover · 25/02/2020 14:16

@Juliet57, that location sounds fine and your commute not dissimilar than ours (and I think the Overground is one of the more pleasant ways of travelling in London. Or less unpleasant).

It's definitely less spread out than somewhere like City Boys. I think some of them meet up a lot, especially ones who might have known each other years or live near each other. DS isn't particularly social but meets up when he wants company, usually by using the overground. He hangs out with a close friend from school who happens to live near along with another couple of boys. Enough but not masses. Quite a lot of boys, from what I can see, are incredibly lazy and passive socially. Their mothers are often despairing but maybe better than the alternative.

Original poster
Juliet57 · 25/02/2020 20:36

Thanks @Thankgoditsover. The more I read about it the more I think it's the right school for DS.
I have one more question. I know some schools will kick you out if you don't have the grades they expect for GCSE (i.e if you get a 4 or 5 for instance). What is UCS position?

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waterbottle12 · 25/02/2020 22:06

You won't find accurate information on that @Juliet57 as no private school admits to it. If a boy is getting 4s then I think his parents would want to strongly question whether such an academic place would suit for sixth form but that applies everywhere. I don't think they are known for turfing out at any point, they certainly don't do it at 11.

Thankgoditsover · 26/02/2020 09:24

I don't know to be honest. Certainly the internal sixth form requirements are so low that my son told me not to even bother thinking about it. I think that something would be going seriously wrong if you were getting 6s and less across the board given the selective nature of the school and the teaching. If that were the case being allowed to stay for sixth form might be the least of the issues.

My son is consistently getting 5 for one subject in mocks etc. He's still encouraged to take it and they're doing their best to help him improve upon it, which I suspect he will. Eventually.

Original poster
Juliet57 · 29/02/2020 22:12

Thank you all for your feedback. As we decided to accept the offer at UCS we realised we had never seen the canteen. Can anyone, @Thankgoditsover, give me some feedback on the food at UCS? How big is the canteen? How is the food?... Thank you.

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Thankgoditsover · 02/03/2020 15:16

To be honest, I don't know! My son seems always to be hungry for snacks, but that seems to go with the teenage territory. The canteen is a nice space and it feels quite large. I think they eat in different sittings but he's not complained about having to queue for ages or anything (and he's quite quick to complain about even the smallest discomfort).

Original poster
Juliet57 · 03/03/2020 09:00

Thank you!

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wahaha · 18/02/2021 13:48

Hi, please may i ask if UCS sells second hand uniform? How can I find the information about school buses, if available? Thanks

Hotdrop1 · 19/02/2021 01:54

I don't think they have school buses to my knowledge. My son has been there three years and i've never heard of them. I'd call the school about uniform sales. They take place 1-2 times a year I think.

wahaha · 19/02/2021 13:20

Thank you @Hotdrop1. That's very useful to know!

Please may I ask if the Junior school's sibling policy is very strict? In the absence of school buses, I am a little worried about the time on school run if I have to send kids to different places in the morning...