Kew House School

[pinkegg11]

Hi there
we are considering Kew House for our daughter (for entry in 2024). I’d love to hear from any current parents. Though I appreciate the school takes children with a wide range of abilities, I felt that their most recent GCSE and A-level results were a bit disappointing (compared to other similar co-Ed private secondaries, eg Harrodian, St Benedict’s, ibstock ). Do you feel that the teaching is strong and that the school supports higher attainment? And just as importantly what are they like on the pastoral side? I’ve also heard mixed things about the SEN dept (both glowing and scathing!), so feeling a bit lost.
TIA

Be careful to judge apples with apples for all schools. If the school does not select on the dreaded "down to this line on a spreadsheet ", academic criteria only, then you need to look at its Value Added (on the uk.gov website). If the school does admissions by spreadsheet then go ahead with the non-contextualised absolute, grade percentages.

I have a son at KHS, he started in year 7 in Sept. So far not blown away, though he is happy socially. I definitely don't think its set up for SEN, they had a new coordinator start in Sept and while apparently good, they are overstretched. Not a fan of the Head, who seems a bit set on certain ideas and in my opinion is overly defensive to parental feedback. A recent residential was very poorly planned. Communication from the school is very, very patchy and inconsistent. The difficulty is, if you want a not-high pressure yet decent independent co-ed, there is so little choice in this neck of the woods. One thing I like is that they offer Spanish as a language and also that Rowing is available as a sport - the only one my DS seems to be keen on. Happy to speak via DM to any parents who want more input... and no school is perfect.

mind if I DM you @LalZ83 ?

To update - our less than positive views of the school have only intensified since we joined. It's not value for money.

Is this part of the same group/ownership as the Maida Vale school? The reviews on that are similar.

They charge the same fees as the likes of City, Highgate etc but are not at all in the same league!

Yes they’re owned by The Gardener Group of schools. Their prep schools are good. The secondary schools IMHO lack any decent leadership.

Yes be careful of this school. They promise a lot of things. They are non-selective, so they have very low expectations of the students (there are a few who will be outstanding). Which means if your child is lazy, they won't encourage them, teach them to improve study skills or love of learning. They'll just say, oh, the child is not academic. This can affect the child's confidence of course, from having low expectations of them. A vicious cycle. Of course some teachers are better than others. Children generally happy because there is very little homework. There is high teacher turnover. 5 DT teachers have left in a short period. Maths teachers have left over a dispute about how to teach and not being allowed to give more homework. Also, students are admitted into their primary school, Kew Green Prep, even in Year 6 for the specific reason of entering Kew House without having to do any entrance exams--no 11+ exam. Take from that what you will.

Send them somewhere else.
Over priced for what your child gets.

It's not a registered charity - they are in it to make money. For example fees are being put up by 5% in September and not all the children have a locker! School office does a terrible job of keeping parents updated and there seems to be a large turnover of teachers. This really is basic stuff and they don't seem to be getting it right!

Sounds like Maida Vale. High teacher turnover (a few left mid-year), lots of pupils leaving (a few mid-year), quite a few dull teachers, no lockers. This is not value for money. With 20% VAT incoming taking fees to 30k, think very carefully. I can guarantee you’ll get better teaching at a good/outstanding state.

When you google Kew House, you get a description that says it has personalised learning, strong pastoral care, and inclusive environment. That has not been our experience. The PT never returns emails and that is supposed to be the first point of contact. There is high teacher turnover, bullying that the school ignores, and definite exclusion, not inclusion. Certain children are given a great experience, but the rest are just part of the fee-paying rabble.