Hampstead Fine Arts school

[floandbo75]

Hi all

I found a thread from 2017 wrt to HFAS but cannot find anything since. Has anyone recently graduated from this school or know anyone that has?
we are UK citizens living in the USA, my kids moved here when they were very young and we are moving back in time for my youngest to start A levels. she is in the state school system here and I think she has been allowed to get away with far too much. She has danced competitively at a very high level since she was 5, but is loosing the love of dance unfortunately due to the requirements put on the kids to attend 20 plus hours a week.

I was looking at Tring, but she feels intimidated by the school which I can fully understand, She is a very talented dancer but not sure it’s what she was to do professionally in life. She is creative, has found an interest in photography and fashion and textiles and possibly graphic design. She has also lived a very sheltered life in the usa, we live in a ski town (she is not a mountain girl, hence the move back). we are looking to move around the St albans area, but my sister lives in Muswell Hill and she is desperate to be near her cousins. I am not opposed to a state school but I do feel she needs structure and more rules. having said that if she is doing something she enjoys major she will change her attitude to school. She is bright but not in a position to take the entrance exams that some schools require in the UK. The USA curriculum is very different, and mostly behind the uk, she does work with a UK tutor for English to help her catch up - I am not sure how she compares to the Math curriculum yet but we will be testing that soon.

Any advice would be appreciated please.
Thank you in advance

For most of the good arts courses at 6th form, especially performing arts - for example, somewhere like the BRIT school - applications close in November of the year before applying and auditions are from Dec to March.

Make sure you check that your DD will be in a position to complete the applications and interviews/auditions at the right time. There is no one timeline or process - each school/college has it's own system.

Have you contacted APS and Fortismere to find out if they accept international qualifications for A Level entry?

For dance, LSC is not far from Muswell Hill and they foundation course but no academic qualifications https://www.londonstudiocentre.org/course/fda-dance-performance/

DD went to a ballet class just around a corner from HFAS and we know lots of children living and studying in the area, including those into performing/creative arts, but somehow no one from HFAS... 🤔

Have you checked King Alfred School? It's considered good for artsy type but I've recently heard they are moving towards more academic path... Still worth contacting them anyway.

If you think your DD has been able to get away with too much, Hampstead Fine Arts and King Alfred is not for you at all. Hampstead Fine Arts is the school you go to if you're very rich and have SEN, or if you're very rich and have been kicked out of your boarding school. If you want A Levels and dance, have a look at Fortismere and LaSwap. Some of the girls on my DDs CAT scheme do dance A Level at LaSwap

Sorry just saw st Alban's. They have a very respected girls school too that's state

HFA is great for the creative subjects you mentioned. But the school day isn't very structured and the extra curricular offering is very poor. It suits students who like and want to pursue a full range of creative subjects (not music), and isn't just for "rich SEN" kids or those who have been kidded out of boarding school. It has quite an international cohort as well as British kids from all over London.
Having said that, you have to be pretty well off to attend any private school in London now. Agree with the person who mentioned Fortismere. It has a large sixth form which offers A levels in music, art & design and photography.

King Alfred is also a good suggestion.

Have a look at Queenswood. Lots of girls go there from the Muswell Hill area. Large number of creative subjects at A-level and definitely has more “structure” than HFA.

https://www.queenswood.org/sixth-form/sixth-form-academic-information/

@Soma The Op has clearly stated their child needs more structure and rules. Whether you agree with me or not re the cohort of kids at HFA or KA, they are absolutely not schools you'd go to for more rules and structure.

https://www.stags.herts.sch.uk/page/?title=Sixth+Form+Information+%28Years+12+%26amp%3B+13%29&pid=1629

Op this is the state girls school in st Alban's. Not to be confused with the private counterpart. They offer a wide range of A Levels including Dance and have a very good reputation.
It's unlikely you'll find a dance place that's equal to the 20hrs a week of competitive dancing they do in America tbh, it is much more chilled here in that area. Saying that, there's some dance schools in Herts that do compete on the festival scene (in the UK dance comps are called festivals)

If you’re going St Albans way you’re likely to have the pick of great state schools for 6th form. They have a consortium where they offer a really wide range of A levels. Look at St Albans Girls, Sandringham and Beaumont and save your money

Thank you all. My sister and my dd actually went to visit HFA today, my sister was very impressed but obviously some things remain hidden until you get there. She did say that it was very small and thought that would mean more individual attention. They also assign a tutor who works with the cild throughout the year. The extra curricular activities aren’t great, but back in the day I didn’t do anything through my 6th form but it was state. I sort of like the fact that it would encourage her to find those activities outside of school especially as the school is relatively small. But if the kids are "rich SEN” then that is a little off-putting, maybe they are just more of the creative kind? My eldest went to Charterhouse, her experiences of the kids there weren’t great. We don't come from money and definately don’t have a rich and luxurious lifestyle but we can afford to put our kids through private if needed.

I was looking at Sandringham but it seems the catchment is so small (within a mile) due to demand and I am too old to move to an area for the schools - been there done that, and I am looking to settle into a our forever family home. But I will definitely consider it as it looks great!

Fortismere doesn’t really offer the range of courses she is interested in - she loved design but not art, drawing is not her thing and so many friends kids have put her off due to the amount of coursework. If she is also doing textiles and fashion I can imagine the course work is just as much, so to do 2 subjects that mostly focus on this would possibly be too much.

LASWAP does look good too, it was on my list as is Queenswood, but my only reservation, having never visited Queenswood, is its location. I read that its quite isolated.

I think Dance would be a very easy A level for her, but also feel she would have more enjoyment doing photography, textile and graphic design then attend classes or even joining a company at somewhere like The Place or the London Studio centre.

It’s so hard being this far away but I think we plan to come back during September to look and we will have to hope that most open days are around the same time.

There is a part of me that thinks if she is enjoying the school and courses she will show more commitment to her school work. She works very hard at dance, because it is/was such a passion so I know she has it in her.

If anyone has any other suggestions that would be great - thank you again all!

Queenswood is isolated which has both positives and negatives. On the plus side you can’t really leave campus during the day which helps focus but the huge array of extra curricular activities means they fill that time with much more productive stuff. It also affords a really close knit community where there’s nowhere to hide. School transport is door to door and there’s the option of flexi or weekly boarding if that’s something of interest.

They offer dance scholarships as well as A-level and their dance department is excellent. Probably as good as you’re going to get at a non vocational school. It’s nowhere near going to support her current levels of dance though. There are heaps of places to take class at a very high level in London though - Pineapple and Danceworks.

I have a dancer / art focussed daughter who goes to Tring Park Performance Academy at weekends. HFA came across as very “free wheeling”. Huge emphasis on the arts but little in the way of discipline or pastoral. Known for having a not insignificant drug culture (mainly weed) and rich kids who perhaps aren’t exactly motivated.

If boarding is an option then Hurtwood House would be a fantastic option

Thank you

I like the sound of Queenswood more and more. My DD has been through a very traumatic experience, she lost her BF, who was more like a sister, to cancer when they were 11, she witnessed some very distressing things and saw her BF 2 days before she passed. She struggled for the first 2 years after losing her with friends, I think she was scared to make friends again so pushed a lot of people away. She is only now starting to find friends so maybe an environment like Queenswood will be good for her. Boarding is an option, she did mention it. She is independent, chasing her sisters out of the door..... and can't seem to wait to leave home - I guess thats one of the traits of being the youngest of 3 girls.

I think it’s because of her experience that I am a little more concerned about her and where she goes. I do feel bad about bringing her home, but I do feel the culture and opportunities for her are better near London and my family are getting older. She has dual citizenship so can come back if thats what she wants to study at Uni or work here.

I don't know of any 6th form that doesn't have students taking drugs, whether state or independent.

You don’t need to worry about catchment for St Albans sixth forms it doesn’t come into play. The students come from a fairly wide area

@floandbo75 my DD is at the place, shes part of the CAT scheme and dances for the company too so PM me if you have questions.

Of course any establishment with young people that age will have some students who dabble in drugs but it’s at home and in private or at parties.

I’ve seen / smelt HFA kids smoking pot on the road outside the college entrance. Definitely connected to the school as I saw them come out. A higher than normal proportion of vapers too. Whether it constitutes a “culture” at the school is best answered by someone with a child there, but if you live in the area you’ll know what I mean.

Yup. Exactly. HFA is a brilliant school for a very very specific child and that's not the child OP describes. There is no denying that it is a school of very well off kids with parents in the arts, often quite famous ones. It's a lot of tiny classes and hand holding which is brilliant for kids who have struggled in more academic larger privates. It is very very liberal, first names, no uniform, come and go pretty much as you please. Obviously there is some rules but it's much more of a uni atmosphere which suits kids who struggle with rules and harsh discipline that is very common in most schools now.
I'm not saying it's a bad school, but people need to be honest about the sorts of kids that go there and what needs they can meet. There's drugs everywhere but a school like HFA will have a higher % of that in a very small environment. Believe it or not, there are parents who will have absolutely no problem with this. There are lots of parents in those circles who will happily smoke blunts with their kids etc. Those are the sorts of kids that are happy at HFA.
HFA just wouldn't be able to meet the needs of a child that requires more rules and discipline, that's not the ethos of that school and not the cohort they have. Same applies for King Alfred, and in some ways Fortismere.

I’m a current parent at this school. The school is amazing. My son’s extremely creative and he’s excelling. He absolutely loves it. Since we’ve been at the school there has been no issues at all. I only wish I’d sent him sooner. If you would like more information. Please DM. Hope this helps.

Sending my child to this school ended up being a highly regrettable and costly decision. The pro’s are that the school seems to excel at creative A level subjects, and has some friendly and supportive staff in some (not all subjects), and some very nice administrative staff who made up for some lack of friendships. However, I found it very disappointing and bordering on unsuitable for Y10 entry. There are some highly disruptive students who compromise the learning of others with zero consequence. One is a child of a celebrity, and I feel this adds to the lack of consequence, given the school is very proud and vocal of its celebrity parental network. No additional support is offered to students whose learning is severely compromised by this disruption. Bullying was a significant concern. Some students openly bullied my child infront of another teacher, and there was absolutely no intervention or consequence. Bullying also made its way onto social media platforms and was a significant part of our decision to leave. The bigger concern is how rife drugs and smoking is amongst some sections of the student community, at a very young age, even during the school day. Some friendships were offered on the transactional ability to provide drugs, consumed at lunchtime and off site. Should you find this environment is not for you or your child, there is zero movement on the need to give a term’s notice, though very little commitment (well, none) to sharing the outcome of any investigations into bullying concerns that have allegedly taken place. My child is now thriving in a less disruptive environment, where bullying and drugs are of much lesser concern. Some students might thrive in this environment, but I would give it very serious thought and consideration if it is suitable for your child. I am a very liberal parent, with a creative background, and thought my child would thrive in this environment. How wrong I was. I am sure this would be fine for A level, or for younger people who struggle in mainstream schools. The casual and informal atmosphere was not the issue at all. The the freedom to bully, infront of teachers, with absolutely zero consequence is a major red line for me that was crossed more than is acceptable in a single term. It would be very naive to think that drugs aren’t an issue in most schools, but they were far to present in Y10 which is of course a major concern. The fact that the only person to acknowledge my bullying concerns is the Head of Finance is bizarre. I feel they just want their fees settled rather than to engage in any meaningful discussion.

I am so sorry you and your child went through this, I wasn’t’t overly impressed when I went to look, I hope things are better for you all now. I felt very claustrophobic when I looked and none of the kids smiled or said hello, my eldest was actually with me, she is 20 and she said it was the type of school she would have been bullied at. As an update we just accepted a place on scholarship for Hurtwood house for a number of reasons. Mostly because all kids will be starting together but also because of the dance programme. I have had conversations with a couple of ex students who absolutely loved it there, so praying my DD has the same experience.