Hurlingham Academy, Fulham

ZaraBlue · 05/03/2025 20:04

Laura2025 · 05/03/2025 11:44

Hi,
Any views on Hurlingham Academy?

I used to live a few minutes away and I think you can tell a lot about a school in the way the students leave at the end of the day/in the way they behave at the park and side streets after school. I would avoid at all costs

WHM0101 · 05/03/2025 20:12

ZaraBlue · 05/03/2025 20:04

I used to live a few minutes away and I think you can tell a lot about a school in the way the students leave at the end of the day/in the way they behave at the park and side streets after school. I would avoid at all costs

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+1
But at the same time it's probably the best non-faith option in Fulham if you can't move or can't get into West London Free school.

SamPoodle123 · 05/03/2025 20:39

ZaraBlue · 05/03/2025 20:04

I used to live a few minutes away and I think you can tell a lot about a school in the way the students leave at the end of the day/in the way they behave at the park and side streets after school. I would avoid at all costs

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Agreed! I live near the school and would avoid!

PForParent · 05/03/2025 22:05

OP, I don't know any family who sends their kids there.
I attended an open day and got a good impression, but then open days are just marketing and never fully reliable.

The impression is that this academy trust managed to turn the school around since it took it over a few years ago, but without resorting to the very draconian methods of schools like Ashcroft, Mossbourne, etc. of course it's just an impression.

If you look on their website they make a big song and dance about the "grammar stream". I think it's just marketing bs - other schools use sets and streams, here they just make a big song and dance about it adding the word "grammar" but I don't think the substance is very different.

I didn't like the fact that there is no 6th form.

It's also a fairly small school - this may be a big plus or a big minus depending on the child.

If anyone knows more, I'd love to get some colour.

@SamPoodle123 , @ZaraBlue Could I please ask you to elaborate?
Do you mean you see some kids misbehaving when they leave school?
I quite never know what to make of this; I see kids misbehaving outside posh private schools, too, but then I also wonder how representative it is if you see a dozen kids misbheaving out of maybe a thousand or so.

Original poster

Laura2025 · 06/03/2025 11:52

ZaraBlue · 05/03/2025 20:04

I used to live a few minutes away and I think you can tell a lot about a school in the way the students leave at the end of the day/in the way they behave at the park and side streets after school. I would avoid at all costs

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Thank you, I may just have to look after school and see what the behaviour is like.

OP posts:

Original poster

Laura2025 · 06/03/2025 11:54

PForParent · 05/03/2025 22:05

OP, I don't know any family who sends their kids there.
I attended an open day and got a good impression, but then open days are just marketing and never fully reliable.

The impression is that this academy trust managed to turn the school around since it took it over a few years ago, but without resorting to the very draconian methods of schools like Ashcroft, Mossbourne, etc. of course it's just an impression.

If you look on their website they make a big song and dance about the "grammar stream". I think it's just marketing bs - other schools use sets and streams, here they just make a big song and dance about it adding the word "grammar" but I don't think the substance is very different.

I didn't like the fact that there is no 6th form.

It's also a fairly small school - this may be a big plus or a big minus depending on the child.

If anyone knows more, I'd love to get some colour.

@SamPoodle123 , @ZaraBlue Could I please ask you to elaborate?
Do you mean you see some kids misbehaving when they leave school?
I quite never know what to make of this; I see kids misbehaving outside posh private schools, too, but then I also wonder how representative it is if you see a dozen kids misbheaving out of maybe a thousand or so.

I saw that their recent OFSTED was rated outstanding. I wonder if the grammar stream is segregated from the other sets, I hope not, as I don't think that would be healthy for the children.

OP posts:

PForParent · 06/03/2025 11:59

There is more information on their website. In practice, it kind of is segregated, it seems.
The grammar stream does more subjects (I think they must do 2 languages and 3 sciences, or something like that) and have more extracurricular activity.

I don't mind the concept of sets by subjects, if students can move up and down.

But here a big risk I see is that the kids who are not in the grammar stream riks being labelled as "not good enough" just at the beginning of secondary school.

My kids are quite academic but I am strongly against all of this. Children mature at different paces and not everyone does well in all subjects. Instead this philosophy rewards the kids who are already mature at 11 and who do well in all subjects. Someone who matures later and/or excels in some subjects only will be left behind.

Original poster

Laura2025 · 06/03/2025 14:14

PForParent · 06/03/2025 11:59

There is more information on their website. In practice, it kind of is segregated, it seems.
The grammar stream does more subjects (I think they must do 2 languages and 3 sciences, or something like that) and have more extracurricular activity.

I don't mind the concept of sets by subjects, if students can move up and down.

But here a big risk I see is that the kids who are not in the grammar stream riks being labelled as "not good enough" just at the beginning of secondary school.

My kids are quite academic but I am strongly against all of this. Children mature at different paces and not everyone does well in all subjects. Instead this philosophy rewards the kids who are already mature at 11 and who do well in all subjects. Someone who matures later and/or excels in some subjects only will be left behind.

Completely agree, I wouldn't want my child feeling that they were not 'good enough' to make it into the grammar stream.
I like the idea of sets for the core subjects.

OP posts:

Marie0511 · 01/04/2025 09:51

Do not send you child to Hurlingham it’s like a military camp. They don’t allow your child to go toilet during class times and a few children have wet themselves because of this. They throw children into isolation for the whole day for the silliest things but somehow the bullies get a way with a lot. Teachers have favourites too. I took my child out of the school after 6 months of being there

Emma5987321 · 03/09/2025 04:15

This was made a few months ago but I agree with everyone saying not to go.if a child is in the lowest set they get bullied.same as in the top.the kids are really mean and my daughter got put into a room with her bully.because she left smiling and was happy to be able to have it fixed she was called a liar and nothing was done against the bully.this school made my daughter fall Into a horrible depression, leading to her not wanting to go to school.the school did do something about it, say her behind a computer and let her draw all day, no learning whatsoever.though she attended a few classes that she liked she got dragged down the stairs by the safeguarding teacher, crying because she couldn’t bring herself to go to maths.this ended in her having a bruise on her arm.nothing was done about this teacher either.the teachers bully even worse than the kids a teacher telling my daughter “you were probably skipping in miss “…” office for my lesson” when my daughter returned from a year off.this school also locks the toilets during class and you cannot go unless you have a toilet pass.i do know this was made a few months ago but I just want to let more people know how horrible this school is.