A number of posters on this forum have had very negative experiences with this school, including me. Please do not disregard this. This appears to be ongoing and I think it is likely that it will take some years of disruption before it starts to improve.
The school is not something special or better than other schools. It was the vanity project of a sociopath (in my opinion) who manipulated many others including RBKC into buying into his very expensive ideas. £280k for a Head teacher - really? Company cars? Flowers, candles all that rubbish is only part of it. Every single thing: book, pencil, chair, paper, pen, paperclip was thrown away before the new building opened. An absolutely shocking waste. A teacher gave brand new books to my DC and their friends as they were about to be binned.
Please read the recent report and thing about all the stories behind it and consider the suffering of those brave enough to tell their stories. This is not just students but former staff also. For each one told there are dozens, perhaps worse, which have not been articulated. The school lied to and manipulated Ofsted for FFS. I know for a fact of cheating by a teacher/students in a GCSE exam.
My DC was one of the former pupils who complained and asked for an inquiry. The behaviour of staff was appallingly aggressive and bullying. Many of the SLT are still at the school.
My DC developed panic attacks and was referred to CAHMS by our GP who also referred a number of other students at the school. The pastoral care was non existent, all the school cared about was image and nurturing a small group of the chosen (mainly white, middle class, those of rich or famous parents).My DC is/was a polite, caring child, with kind and supportive friends, which is what saved her in the end. Other children were not so lucky. One actually attempted suicide at school.
My DC was an art aptitude student (although they would have got in anyway).
The art intake she was part of were selected on potential alone. It is quite disturbing to see that people are now taking classes and so on to prepare and of course the families who can't afford classes are left behind as usual.
By the way, art aptitude conferred no particular benefit once in the school. There were a few extra sessions mainly to facilitate ridiculous exhibitions with the art teacher telling them exactly what to make and how to do it and the school would try and flog the products to parents and guests at exhibitions - that was it.
In fact, I think it had a negative effect on my DC. She only really enjoyed school art at Sixth Form in another school and did an arts related degree and is now working in an artistic field. Her enjoyment of art and confidence were shattered by HP.