Radnor House / Kneller Hall - Anyone accepting an 11+ offer and how concerned are you about disruption?

[Rivermarsh]

Hi everyone,
We live walking distance to Radnor and DC wants a local, coed. Also mild dyslexia which I feel will be supported/the pace of teaching will be right at Radnor/Kneller.

Main concern is the disruption of building work - or more that Kneller Hall won't be ready and they'll be crammed into Radnor site.

If you are a current parent, what is the cohort like? Do your DC have a big/wide enough friendship pool?

Apparently it's been confirmed that the senior school is staying on the current site and the junior school is relocating elsewhere but it wasn't made clear where...

Wow, but not unexpected for anyone familiar with RBRUT planning Dept!

My understanding from a current parent is that the senior school is relocating to Kneller Hall in Whitton and the prep & pre-prep are staying at Radnor House in Twickenham.

Unless it's changed again since I heard this a few months ago?

How are they going to fit all those kids on the old site? Haven't they taken a y7 group of 150ish?

I thought the Year 7s are starting at Kneller Hall this September? There is loads of space on the Whitton site!

@Meredusoleil I know that was the plan, but I'm not sure if it's been confirmed that it's going ahead this year. @RNBrie has implied that there's been a change of plan.

I heard an email went out at the start of this week to all parents and parents holding offers...

The planning permission is not agreed for the development of the Kneller Hall site so I don't think they're planning on having any kids there in Sept...

Oh dear! Sounds like it could drag on for awhile then? I hope it doesn't take as long as the planning permission took for Turing House 😐

Years 7 to 13 will stay at Radnor house current site until sept 24 when the entire school will move over. Dukes have purchased the current site of falcons prep (closing down) to house the new Radnor prep school until they are able to move back to current Radnor side when senior school moves to KH.

Also ...
"We are delighted to announce that we have also exchanged contracts and agreed to purchase the Whitton
Sports Grounds on Wills Crescent (near Kneller Hall). This means that our pupils at both schools will now have
access to tennis courts (3 x grass courts, 2 x hard courts), as well as a pavilion, two squash courts and
expansive fields that offer multiple pitches for football, rugby, cricket and hockey."

Thanks for posting. We've just had the update too - all sounds positive. I'm pleased they have Whitton Sports Ground because they'll look after the facilities and open it to the local community which will create goodwill locally. There is a lot of opposition to the increased traffic schools runs will create.

Yes its a decent solution all round.
The million dollar question is how long the planning process is really going to take. Fingers crossed that now that the school have given the planners a little breathing space....they will also leave enough time for a Sept 2024 opening!

They really should prioritise updating their website, which still says they'll be moving to KH in Sep 23.

I think those starting in Y7 will move across for Y10. 2 years planning and 1 year to build.

Does anyone know the size of the incoming year 7 cohort?

Between 90 and 110.

Local news coverage (though sounds like a verbatim press release):teddington.nub.news/news/local-news/multi-million-pound-scheme-to-transform-landmark-kneller-hall-into-private-school-for-richmond-borough-is-delayed-175378

It will probably be delayed again next year.

Why do the local community oppose it? Is it to do with traffic?

You can read the objections on the planning portal: www2.richmond.gov.uk/lbrplanning/Planning_CaseNo.aspx?strCASENO=22/3004/FUL

There haven't been many, but it's not the number of objections that's the problem. Richmond's planning department merged with Wandsworth's a few years ago and they're understaffed, so everything gets delayed, especially complex projects on sensitive sites like this one. Another local school took several years to get their new building through planning, and there's also one on the other side of the borough in Mortlake that's been slowly working its way through the system over a few years. Those were both new builds on controversial sites, but Kneller Hall is Grade 2 listed and on Metropolitan Open Land so will have its own complications.

Oh dear- this will take years.

That's what I think too 🤔

The nearby Turing House school was established in 2015 and didn't move into their new building until 2022. That was nearly 7 years later 😯

Bumping this old thread for anyone who knows of update. Kneller site still not open..

Think I saw something in April/May 2025 that said planning permission had been granted, with a planned opening date of September 2027. So some time to go yet, but things seem to be moving.

Things are finally happening on the Kneller Hall site!
Opening Sept, 2027. Obviously they might not be 100% ready then, but pretty sure it will happen regardless.

I wonder how successful it will be once it opens - I know two families who were planning to go private, and were looking at Radnor House/Kneller Hall but Turing House is doing so well they are sending their kids there instead. Does the area really need another large private secondary?