Thoughts on Thomas's College Richmond - those with offers and those at the primaries!

[Nottoolongtogo]

Interested to hear from anyone who is currently at Thomas's for primary and if they have any info on the College in Richmond and how many are seriously considering it for Year 7?

Also interested in thoughts of those with offers and whether you are seriously considering it. Has anyone's child been awarded a Founders Scholarship and if so, are you seriously considering it?

Thank you!

@TwoInARow2020
Can you tell us a bit more where you’ve got this information about Thomas’s from please? Is it based on others you know who have applied and been accepted/rejected? Thanks.
And why are older girls apparently leaving KGS in droves? This is also relevant to us so I’d be very interested to know.

It wasn’t from me. I was commenting on the post above 😉

@BigBoden
Can you tell us a bit more where you’ve got this information about Thomas’s from please? Is it based on others you know who have applied and been accepted/rejected? Thanks.
And why are older girls apparently leaving KGS in droves? This is also relevant to us so I’d be very interested to know.

@TwoInARow2020
Sorry! Realised that but picked the wrong name out. Rushing about…

The number of ex-KGS girls appearing at other schools. And the girls that got all 9* just up and left.

The names are out there and then a parent disclosed the “Girl Problem at KGS”.

We went to the Open Day. Impressively, the College hired the Lodge, in the middle of Richmond, for the offer holders. We went. However, we separated, then compared notes.

The children were impressive. The Foundation Scholars were fundamentally looking at 2040 in action; head boys and girls, musical prodigy's, Harry Potter cast, sporting leaders, tech giants as teens, politicians, Prime Ministers in waiting - that vibe.

Someone joked that there is “ A Quarter Zip Sixth Form (no suits, but a firm smart casual City atmosphere, shirt, chinos and brogues, no denim, no suits).

It’s going to be the leading Co-Ed space in London, if you have a mixed family. I think it’s on represented when both children attend the same school and feel they have a shared experience. Furthermore, they are in the same house and the family can get behind supporting that as an institution.

I have a girl and two boys. One girl accepted and one boy too.

Thomas’s mum here. I can assure you the ethos and values of Thomas’s are the exact opposite of your ego. Your comments are of very bad taste indeed.

@farfallarocks sorry I am jumping late to the thread but considering the school for both my daughter in Y7 (occasional place) and my son for sixth form a year from now. I am a bit taken aback though by the fact that they promised a place in the senior school and then withdrew it? It doesn't give me much confidence or trust if they did it in the past...they can do it again for any sort of future committment (i.e. secure place in sixth form and then sorry nope?)..any chance to have a better understanding of what happened and how they justified it?

Hi @Mafalda78 where is your info about offers being retracted from? I can't see anyone saying this in any of the threads.

No one had an offer retracted but families at the prep school who were assured a place was all but guaranteed in year 4 and 5 discovered this was not the case. In fact, the T&Cs changed for all prep school parents no longer giving pupils a preference. The school is clearly targeting a more academic cohort that originally envisioned.

Ah yes I see, so promises were made years ago but maybe it's changed direction since buying the new building and bringing in the new Head?
I guess it makes sense as they have lots of preps and only one senior school so not all children could 'fit in' if everyone was promised a place.

Yes, the change of direction was necessary once the partnership with private equity firm came into place. Before that, the vision had been to create an all-through school (from age 4 to 18) which would allow both the school and the families to avoid the time-consuming and stressful preparation for the senior school admission process.

The PE investors felt it was better for the bottom line to develop a school that was not only co-educational but was known for academic attainment. This meant selection was re-introduced. I can imagine a lot of families who chose the school a couple of years ago for their 4-year olds based on the previous vision are not happy. However there are so many changes in education at the moment, there is really no way of predicting how a school will look in a few years time. So much depends on retaining the leadership and the staff as well as managing your finances well so that the fees don't price out the majority of families. The fees for the Thomas's Senior school are particularly high.

What puts me off is the continual changing of strategy at the Thomas's group on the whole - first the plan to build next to Battersea, then Putney Vale, multiple historic changes of heads - obviously they now have outside investment and assumedly better management - but it does seem risky to trust everything they promise based on track record. And the fees seem very high vs many other schools.

Just wondering if there are any current Thomas’ College parents who would be happy to share their views on how the school is doing since opening?

It's early days, but child is loving it so far. Lots of clubs available and teachers very nice. Parents were invited to look around the site in the second week and it's beautifully done.

Our DC is at the school and we’ve found the staff very responsive. Pastoral care has been impressive too, any issues raised have been dealt with quickly. Also our DC noticed that teachers explain subjects (maths and science) much more clearly and interesting than in previous school.

I only know one child there but she is happy and in particular is enjoying the sports provision, although it is all off-site.

My daughter is in year 7 and really happy at the College. As said above, teachers are approachable and pastoral support excellent, communication with parents is great, there's a really wide range of clubs, and it's clear that the commitment to kindness is taken seriously. There were a few teething problems in first couple of weeks (no staggered lunch breaks, long wait for shuttle bus) but they were dealt with very quickly. The Head and others are open to feedback from students and parents alike and it seems there's a real sense that we are building the school together, which I think the children find exciting. I've been very impressed.

I have a child in year 8 - pleased with our choice. The school is listening to parents. My child is very happy about how friendly everyone is. Well organised, great quality education, lovely grounds and space. Smiling faces… We couldn’t be happier and hope our other child will be offered a space when the time comes.

Personally I’m happy about a school which is adaptable… We came from a very formal, traditional school who is now failing because of lack of innovation. Just my opinion. Schools often lose building spaces when growing. It’s unfortunate about the location for many, but the new location is exceptional.

Hi Everyone. We are considering Thomas's College Richmond Hill for Year-7 and was wondering of those who started attending, how everyone's experiences have been to date?

We are considering for year 9, interested to hear thoughts too.

I must admit we were very nervous about sending our child to what is practically a new school, but almost a full term in, I am delighted with our choice. Yes there have been teething issues, but my child so happy and always enthusiastic about going to school and can’t stop talking about how amazing it is. Loves being treated as a grown up, teachers are motivated and dedicated, lots of varied clubs available too.

I also feel the school are working incredibly hard on listening to parent and student feedback, not scared to make changes where they feel it is needed. Very refreshing!

I think there’s a fair amount of feedback from parents on how it’s been going so far on this thread but feel free to write back with any specific questions.

This is a great thread. We applied for y7 for my daughter, she will have the interview in January, and we applied for a master award. Do you know how the ratio of people passing the interview is?
we don’t know anyone attending it.
which type of kids have they been selecting? I assume the very academic go to the usual tops but I still hope for my daughter to be pushed as she is great in maths and can do very well when she is in the right environment . Is there a lot of drama and ballet? She loves that and from our visit they seem to be strong on it, but would be nice to heard from people attending. I was impressed by the DT department and teacher.
any experience on the above would be great. Thanks!!!!

My DD has an offer for Year 9 and is very keen. We are more open now that they have said they aim to have a school bus.

I would love to hear from any parents who now have a year under their belts at the school.