Kew house

[cantwait2020]

After a long tiring 11+ process we've been offered Kew house school, views from parents from here would be great my daughter has slow processing speed so would like to know if the support is good? Any other positive or negatives would be good to hear thanks a lot

Our neighbours kids go there and they love it. They are completely different boys (one is sporty and into science/maths, the other more creative/drama focused). Also, a mother at my current school highly recommends the structure of the school curriculum and the SEN help which her older son receives - he is in year 8. For those who need SEN support, its usually before or after school (doesn't disrupt coursework) and the english and math is done in 6 separate sets based on ability. So, your daughter will be in a group that hopefully is at the right pace for her for english and maths. My son is going to start there in Sept so I have been speaking to a lot of current parents who all say really positive things. Glad your process is successfully done!

Thank you for your response it really helps... hope to meet you soon I've also heard a lot of positive things so hopefully all will be good. looking forward to it all.

Unfortunately my child joined Kew House School a few years ago and we removed them. The school had some good points but the bullying was on another level. The ex headmaster was lovely but serious issues of bullying were not addressed or properly dealt with. Having friends with kids still there I am aware the bullying continues both within and outside school grounds and cyber bullying is a serious issue. Nothing would compel me to recommend this school and I personally would take any other private school as an alternative. Sadly bullying is endemic here and until that is addressed this school is not a viable option.

I have friends with children at Kew House (in yrs 7,9, 11 and 13) and they are mainly really happy with the school. There does seem to have been some issues with some children in certain year groups recently during on-line learning, with various instances of "zoom-bombing" of assemblies, including a very unpleasant event at the Holocaust assembly. But I have heard nothing to support @anon1442's suggestion that bullying is worse at KH than other schools

It’s well known among parents at other London schools and quite a few families I know have refused to send their children there. Bullying has been an issue for years with the school refusing to exclude the bullies. There have been some horrendous issues of bullying with many kids too frightened to speak out. It’s not worth the risk until the school brings it under control.

I have two children at Kew House School and have found it to be an extremely kind and caring environment. I moved one of my children to Kew House after they were bullied at another London school because I knew Kew House had a good reputation for its pastoral care. We haven’t experienced any problems at Kew House. Parents often comment on how the teachers go above and beyond expectations to make sure the children are supported and respond quickly when matters of unkindness arise. We think it’s a great school.

We heard that the “zoom bombing” incident was reported to the police and it was found the person who did it was from outside the school. The school responded very quickly and handled the situation well.

We have 2 children at the school and completely disagree with the negative reports above. Both of our children are so happy here, it is a small, gentle and kind secondary school, with a really lovely student body and a teaching team who are so dedicated to the kids and their well being. Of course no school is perfect, as no child is perfect, but from our families point of view Kew House offers our children a happy, nurturing and innovative learning environment, incredible sporting opportunities and outstanding facilities whether you are academic, sporty or arty - you feel encouraged and rewarded from the start. The children have made the most wonderful friends and any issues that have ever cropped up within the school are dealt with immediately and efficiently with honest and open communications between the school and the parents.
We cannot recommend Kew House highly enough.

I am surprised and frankly appalled to see this thread about bullying. My son currently goes there and I know personally that they do deal with the bullying. I cannot recommend Kew House highly enough. For every one person that has a bad experience of a school, you will find 20 that have a positive experience. You can't tell me St Paul's or Latymer don't have issues. Kew House don't have the problems that many other London private schools have. The bullying is dealt with, but unless you tell the head or the deputies, how can they deal with it?
There is a new Headmaster now... who seems very good. The pastoral care is good and the lessons are challenging. My youngest will hopefully be offered a place for next September.

The bullying at this school is an issue and has been of a very serious nature. The schools handling of it was underwhelming and insufficient. Bullying continues.

Whilst your experience may have been awful, you are not in the knowledge of what other issues have been dealt with well. A new Head there, new staff by the looks of it... lets not condemn a school of its past.. Current parents, if they have an issue can take it up with the new Head. My one son has not long left and was there from Year 7 through to 13, he is currently at uni.

I agree and whilst I clearly have sympathy for any parent who’s children are bullied at school, I do not think it is helpful or constructive for any families reading these pages - whether prospective, current or past to make such sweeping statements about a school you are no longer connected with. I think as illustrated above that the positive comments from current families confirm that these negative experiences do not reflect the experience our children are having at Kew and are most certainly not a true reflection of the school.

It is comment pages like this that give prospective parents an insight into the school and the bullying that may pervade it. I am by no means the only parent who has had a dreadful experience I can assure you.

Just an observation but this thread was started a year ago. I find it telling that the two negative posters aren’t even parents at the school but they are seeking to rubbish the school in Decision week.

It’s a bit like posting a bad restaurant review on Tripadvisor years after you ate there.

I'm really surprised to see this. I have a child at Kew House school and bullying is something we haven't encountered, first or secondhand.

One of things I really liked about the school right at the outset was their policies on social media. They strongly encourage to keep kids off social media and/or monitor their use and said quite clearly that if they became aware of any bullying on social media they would treat it as if it was occurring in school.

They do have great pastoral care with personal tutors and very involved heads of year. I'm really sorry if you had a bad experience but I don't recognise the school you're describing.

We were both parents at the school so our views are as valid whether current or past. Stop trying to rubbish other people’s opinions just because they don’t accord with yours.

Here's what I find interesting.

A quick search shows Mar513; parent76; and both WtLdnMum and RmondMum (who share strikingly similar names and use of ellipses) only exist on this one thread, in all of Mumsnet, and respond to each other remarkably promptly.

Is Kew House a nice place to work for?

@WtLdnMum @parent76 @RmondMum

After reading this, I am absolutely shocked that as mothers of children, you would try to disregard and delegitimise another mother who has had to deal with their own children being bullied. We are talking about children who have to deal with behaviour that I hope NONE of you would ever wish upon a child. How dare you try and say @Anon1442 is “not in the knowledge” of other issues being dealt well. It doesn’t matter if 99% of the issues are being dealt with if there are any cases which haven’t been sorted. Maybe you should try and deepen your understanding of the cases of bullying which aren’t dealt with and have a more well-rounded, unbiased view on a school which clearly has some issues which need to be ironed out.

I, for one, know that bullying has taken place at this school between the children and the stories are shocking. Although bullying happens at many schools, when you are paying thousands a year to send your child to a school, taking mortgages on houses and saving all your pennies just to afford it, I personally would be distraught to find out my child felt unsafe and depressed because of other kids, knowing the school wasn’t sorting it like their duty requires them to. I am sure that is something EVERY single one of you can sympathise with and agree with. Seeing anyone try to discount a poor mother who has dealt with instances like this is disgusting. Just because you and people you know have had a good run at the school, why does that mean everyone must?

And also, this platform is about speaking transparently and is a brilliant places for parents to find honest views on schools they may be looking at. To say that one shouldn’t be posting these kind of things has me gobsmacked. That is EXACTLY the kind of information parents want to know about. If they have a child who they have removed from a past school because of bullying will want to know if there have been any instances of it bullying at the prospective school.

If you parents can’t even sympathise and support each other how are you any better than the bullies! You’re not painting a great picture of the school when the whole topic is about the school ignoring bullying and you’re doing the exact same thing on here!!

Think about how you would feel if your kid was being bullied and you received no help and then apologise for implying this mother is a liar. I was only coming to look at the comments at this school but seeing the responses I had to make an account simply to post about this. Shocking.

P.s. @HomeSchoolPhobic, if you seriously know people who would actually come onto Mumsnet and rubbish a school that they don’t even know then I would start a new book club with some different yummy mummies who have more of a life than to spend their time doing that.

@111Fiona1967 Thank for your considered response.

I hope the new Headmaster is dealing with the issues you highlight. I will certainly be open minded about it and give him the opportunity to do so. A new chapter in the school’s history.

111Fiona1967
Thank you for your wise and frankly brave words. You are quite right that trying to shut down other peoples valid and honest views, is another form of bullying. How sad that it is such pervasive issue in this thread.

Given that you are complaining about bullying, it is ironic that you call me a yummy mummy and tell me to start a new book club. Let’s not be unkind and respect the rules on posting.

Having been made aware of this thread by a current Kew House parent, I am disturbed by how this seems to have escalated. I have just checked our bullying log and pastoral online system and cannot find any reported incidents that in my opinion may be the foundation of the original posts. I have also had a phone call with the previous Head and he could not recall any such incident of this scale.

I am concerned that if there is a genuine young person or persons out there that has/have suffered in this way and that we were not have been made aware of, that they may still be feeling the impacts. I would like to reach out to the posters on this thread and ask if they would be happy to be in contact with me so that I can do all I can to investigate the kernel of this issue.

I would say that in my brief two terms at the school I have not come across any issues of bullying that would not be put down to the usual maelstrom of "friendship issues" and adolescence. I am also not naive as to under-estimate the inherent difficulties of pupils disclosing any form of bullying, to peers or adults for fear of retribution. Indeed, this can often be a reason for under-disclosure or "guarded disclosure", wherein we are asked not to act on a situation as school leaders. It is only be gathering the fullest picture that we can all continue our work in safeguarding young people from anything that can be said, posted, or done, to make them feel in anyway "unwelcome" in our schools and society.

My email address for anyone wishing to correspond is. [email protected]. I am not a Mumsnet user and rest assured will not intervene or monitor threads as a matter of course - in this case my concern for the young person/people is paramount and I am grateful for the parent that brought this issue to my attention.

This thread is hilarious.

Woman offers her genuine feedback on her experience at the school - she has now left. However, 50% of the feedback on MN is from parents who have now left a school.

Others attack her for it, defending the school, all with suspiciously similar handles, with no previous MN posts.

Argument breaks out between parents and they gang up, in a good old dose of online bullying.

Head teacher of said school feels he needs to post on MN () to break up the fight between his parents, on MN.

In my entire history i've never known a head have to post on here to sort out an issue - how embarrassing!!

I'm pretty certain @Anon1442 said he child has now left the school, so reporting bullying in this case, would seem a bit 'shut the stable door after the horse has bolted' - but nice sentiment, I guess.

School, as a result, now looks like a right shambles on MN, with a parent community I certainly wouldn't want to be part of (albeit i'm sure 99.9% of parent are actually normal!).

You should all be congratulated!

Happy school hunting!

I disagree- I don't think the school looks like a shambles at all. The new head has simply come on to speak to the points raised as undoubtedly current parents are reading this with dismay. Actually, this is something the Head spoke about during the children's' interviews- that he is very much against bullying. My daughter loved this and found him to be very genuine. We didn't take the place as it turned out but I wanted to just say that to
me it seemed completely appropriate that the head should come on to address things. (No, I don't work for the school.). No idea if this helps anyone. All the best.