Portland Place School

[winterrabbit]

Does anyone have any up to date experiences with this school? TIA.

@hibbledibble no probs. I know things can be misconstrued in text. My daughter would get a place at an outstanding secondary school but it's so big I worry she'd get lost. Their Sen dept is already stretched. Portland place gives me small classes. And extra senco support that she really needs

@MP2021 my ds is at king alfred. He is dyspraxia, duscalculia, dysgraphia and adhd. He absolutely loved it and their Sen support is brilliant

@hibbledibble

Sorry for any offence caused, my point was that the school has a poor academic record, and that often children would be better at their local comprehensive. I don't see what the parents who spend fortunes on their children's education there, for them to leave with zero/ poor qualifications (not a single A-level is some cases), achieved.

I honestly believe that private schools add at least as much value for average and below average kids as they do for bright ones. A 'non selective' London private school like PP in practice ends up indirectly selecting what's on average a less bright, maybe considerably less bright, bunch than you'd get at a local comprehensive. But PP's GCSE results are pretty good by non-selective standards. Many of these kids would achieve nothing at all stuck in the bottom set of their local comp. For the right type of kids & parents this type of schooling could be a solid investment.

I have a couple of children at Portland Place. They have never been happier. The teachers are excellent (enthusiastic and inspiring, plus they seem to really care about their students) and the pastoral care is superb. Sport is taken very seriously and there is a seemingly never-ending list of enrichment activities and trips. We looked at, and were offered, other schools, but are SO glad that we chose Portland Place!

@Schoolofrock1 thanks so much for coming back to this thread. It's great hearing from people who's children actually go there. We've accepted a place for my
dd for year 7. She really liked it which is always a good sign.

Are there any parents out there with children at Portland Place with Autism. My dc have burnt out under the state system with catastrophic results (think suicide attempts/hosp admissions). They are bright and want to learn. The pressure of ‘you must get 9s’ in mainstream just broke them. Is Portland Place the right environment for this child?

@imip - did you find anywhere or end up at PP? Our 12 year old DS was just diagnosed ASD and is really struggling in his massive, hothouse independent. It is too big, too loud, too bustling. His anxiety is worsening and I am starting to think we might need to move, so was thinking about PP.

My son went to PP for 4 years & was very happy there. It’s a nurturing environment where they encourage individual creatively & allow children to develop their personality. Education has changed drastically over the years & from my point of view, individuality is key. Mr Bradbury is a compassionate & forward thinking headteacher. Got for it!

Sorry, I missed this. Dd ended up going back to her mainstream academy. Another independent school in the area would not accept her.

Her mainstream was actually great at supporting her, but it was very very difficult and she still is not very well. I was surprised by the support they gave her and they really invested in her without and EHCP, which has actually only just been finalised. She is off to another state sixth form. We can only hope she goes well.

have you thought about an EHCP to get the reasonable adjustments you child may need?