Holland Park School 2025-2026

[Peace1989]

Does anyone have children in Holland Park school? Please can you help me learn more about the school

☺️ Thank you

Does anyone have children at Fulham Cross Girls’ School? Please can you tell me about the school?

Thank you ☺️

Have you been to visit and have opinion ? I personally do not like . I visited twice over a year from y5 and again in y6. It was not a school I wanted my child at. But many like and do well there.

Have heard HPS is doing well now.

I have two children at Holland Park School- a son in year seven and a daughter in year nine. Both started in September of '25. We are pleased with the school. They are both nicely settled and well supported. The teaching is engaging and the extracurricular offerings broad. My son enjoys the science and design technology clubs and my daughter adores the art history club and has recently joined a drama club specialising in Shakespeare.

The SEND department holds monthly coffee mornings with inspiring speakers. Sensitive children are accommodated thoughtfully.

My son is very shy and the school contacted us within a few short weeks to discuss strategies to help him integrate. We were impressed that they were so observant and responsive, particularly given the scale of the school.

We have been surprised by the frequency of parent days / evenings. The teachers are accessible and we feel they know our children well

Dame Sally, the current head, is very respected.

The school offers many opportunities beyond the spacious campus. Our daughter has attended a West End Musical on a school trip, enjoyed a netball tournament and competed in a maths competition. Our son honed his social skills on a week long residential trip to a countryside farm.

Both children have made lovely friends.

PTA events this school year have included a garden bbq, a quiz night for parents and teachers, an international evening and a murder mystery theatre evening. A comedy night will take place soon.

We are grateful our children attend this nurturing school.

Thank you for your detailed post.

I have heard from one person that the school is an exam factory, and that it doesn't leave space for more exploratory learning and generally suffocates the kids. Is that fair?

I believe the head teacher has really turned things around, but plans to go back into retirement soon. Do you think that will have a big impact on the school?

Would you say there's no issues in terms of behaviour in and outside of the school? (Ie at secondary a lot of issues can happen just before or after school.)

Hi WLParent123,

In response to your questions...

-No, we have not found the school to be an exam factory. The academic subjects are set in four bands according to ability / attainment. So, the school is intentional about catering the pace of learning to the child. Because it is a comprehensive, the school's student body varies widely. The bands are reviewed with each exam cycle and adjusted, as helpful.

Also, we have found the teachers receptive to feedback from parents. For instance, our daughter is dyslexic and finds completing reading assignments online often leads to headaches. So, she is now able to read physical books instead.

The extracurricular clubs after school cater to a myriad of academic interests and teem with exploratory learning opportunities.

The school has a new programme for children seeking extension called Bright Sparks. This week they will be learning about the mechanics behind Spotify's algorithm. Adorable.

-Yes, the current head is likely to retire year after next. United Learning, the multiple academy trust that runs the school, is actively recruiting a new head. United has big ambitions for the school so is sure to seek someone dynamic.

-We have not encountered any problems with behaviour in or outside of school. Yet, HPS is a large, inner city comprehensive. Parents are welcome to drop off and pick up the children at the school gates, if desired.

The school takes discipline seriously and conveys clear expectations to the children, which are consistently enforced.

Of course, all schools have room for improvement. There is a new Ofsted report available online for review.

However, the facilities of HPS, given the central location, are truly outstanding. The SEN provision is supportive and we've found the teachers to be caring.