Holland Park school HELP!! Anyone know it?

[tonyee]

Hubs keeps threatening to take out girls out of their school (private girls school where they r super happy) n to send them to Holland Park comprehensive school. Does anyone have any experiences there? I heard there is some bullying, I also heard it can be a bit rough. Any scoop? I'd love some feedback!! THANKS!!

Got shown the brochure this morning to Holland Park school as children left smiling to their present school which they love. Looks like DH is hell bent of State Schools. Does anyone know this school or have friends with children there? I read on a forum there are some pretty hard core kids there and you have to make sure you encourage your kids to stay away from the dangerous ones (!!??). Jeez.

tonyee, why don't you go and look round - meet the head teacher? One comment on a forum is a bit narrow to base your view on. I don't know anybody there, but am sure others will be on soon. Or contact the PTA there and ask to meet some parents - there must be one.

Yes, do make sure your dd's don't accidently touch a working class child

Every school in the country has bullying. State, independent, the lot. An y school that claims it doesn't is lying and therefore not dealing with it.

Darling Keith T, your comment was rather cheeky. Plenty of working class children in our realm and in the family, thanks for your concern though.

I went to Holland park from yr 7 to 11 and loved every minute of it. Admittedly, I was bullied a bit in the first term of yr 7 by a few boys(just name-calling) because of my height - I guess they were uncomfortable with being shorter than a female, but all the other kids were fine. The teaching was really good and I left with 11 GCSEs (1 C and the rest at grade B or above). The pass rate for gcse in my year was 69%, and it's gone up since then. The facilities were excellent, as students we couldn't have asked for more, and the school was aesthetically pleasing. To this day, I regret not staying there for the 6th form. A fair amount of people from the 6th form got in to oxford/cambridge and the other top 10 universities, or went off to study medicine/dentistry. In most cases, private schools are the best, but holland park comes close.

ms91, Thanks for that scoop, that is nice to hear!

I really wouldn't send my child there is a lot fighting and anti social behavior.
The lovely young girl I know who attends says it's a really bad idea to look at anyone you don't know, especially the girls.

Forgot to add drug taking and free flowing alcohol is how many of them spend there weekends. But not all, the girl I know certainly doesn't but that does make her unpopular. Her older sister (17) has been known to try ecstasy with her classmates. These are girls from a very comfortable home with loving supportive parents whom felt that smart kids excel in whichever school they go to, their now finding out maybe academically but certainly not socially.

OOh ,this is the same experience that my friend's daughter's have experienced at
Haberdashers? Aske?s Hatcham College.
Along with bullying ,stealing blazers ,memory sticks with important course work etc.
This is a high achieving ,non maintained school ranked as outstanding in last Ofsted report .

'drug taking and free flowing alcohol is how many of them spend there weekends. ' - have you met private school kids? That's more than true of them as well. It's a parent's reponsibility to keep their children safe at evenings and weekends - NOT the schools.

Yes Northernlurker I've met many privately educated kids the old chestnut of them getting drunk more doing drugs is just as much bollox as all the crap private educators say about state.

I was giving info on this particular school which is what the OP asked for.

My daughter is starting at Holland Park in September. Because I do not earn enough for a private school and don't go to church I don't have a choice where to send her.
The post about drugs does not surprise me - even at my grammar school in the 70s/80s it was not unusual.
My impression of the school on open day was not favourable. I felt really uncomfortable that boys are in the majority at the school and noticed there were very few girls in the top maths set for example. They are currently in very cramped and shabby conditions but the school being turned into a building site over the next three years is not great either.
I was not taken in by the Head Teacher's spin - something RBK&C is rather adept at -yes the school has improved but only 63% get both maths and English GCSE passes which is not great by any means.
I would be very interested to hear the views of any current parents. The few parents I have spoken to are either extremely defensive and will not say a word against it (oddly enough all rather wealthy middle class) or have major criticisms. It would be good to hear other views.
I also wondered if there is any advantage in the child being placed in one of the top sets behaviour wise or being awarded one of the art aptitude places?

Grove mum for what it's worth the DC that hasn't gotten into trouble is in all the top sets and she does have a couple of friends at the school that are very bright too and don't seem to partake in drugs and alcohol.

If Holland Park has a comprehensive, non-selective intake (sorry no knowledge of the school) then 63% A-C is not that bad really.

There are state schools with better A-C results but I they tend to be the selective ones, one way or another.

They are selective in terms of a banding test. They take 25% of the below average of the cohort tested - 50% average and 25% above. As the majority of the kids are from RBKC schools and they are one of the top performing LEAs for SATS etc I would expect that their intake is probably more capable that the GCSE exam results give credit for.

When it means that more than 1 in 3 kids do not get either English or maths GCSE - I think that is failing them. 98% do get 5 GCSE passes but that includes "soft" or vocational subjects. I understand they also push less capable kids into BTECS rather than GCSEs.

Hello to all fellow parents and careers- I am a Holland Park student currently studying at year (censored)...
The A star-C results currently are actually 98.1%! and not around 60- that is just pure cow bollocks.
Students here CAN behave but some tend to try and get a bit of attention.
Yet it is still a fun school where you learn a lot and you get a sense of freedom rather than imprisonment.
Along with that the school is getting a major modernized upgrade in a few years.
You can search up the new school model on google.The upgrade would cost alot- an estimate of 70 million pounds!
Each and every (well most of the students I know) are quite creative and imaginative. Our teachers are totally awesome. Well some of them anyways- there's like 4 or 3 teachers that are a bit too strict but you can learn to ignore them.
Did I mention, the school's quite fun? It well takes up a new stage of learning through fun rather then just the typical method.
I am not someone who's advertising about Holland park but seriously it is quite a good school.
Bullying does happen- but it's more of joking rather then bullying- I hardly see anyone that's actually being bullied (well I haven't seen anyone being bullied in the school).
I also have a few friends that are from private schools and yet they're still getting A stars in their course work. They also really enjoy the school.
Even children in the middle set 60% of them get A stars because of the nice professional staff and having no pressure at all.
Along with that the school also has various and many things to participate in at all times.
No-one in this school is a "act big, gangsta wannabe" because people know how much they suck and how stupid being one is.
There are also a few fights that go on on the school but those are just small play fights by a few immature kids.
Overall, it's quite a nice school- but if your daughter has a strong mind and doesn't get too distracted by the attention seekers (they are quite funny and amusing- the kids are).
(Note: I am from a middle upper classed family).
It is also in the top 20 schools of the year book.

Also BTEC is for kids that peroform better in their course works and class- and trust me they do.
The only reason BTEC is considered bad is because it has too many attention seekers and clowns.
Most kids that are BTEC's peroform just as good as the GCSE or the top set ones. But when the exams come- they seem to flop...
But yeah, it is quite true that they push some uncapable kids to BTEC but mostly practical ones.

toynee why is Dh threatening to take your DCs out of schools where they are "super happy"? That's a big issue, regardless of where you'd be sending them next. .Regardless of whether you like/don't like HPC you have to think about how well they've settled, what year they're in etc..

I live near Holland Park School, and would not send my DCs there. Apologies if this offends anyone. I understand that the school is the reason why there is often a police presence at school finishing time along Campden Hill Road and the Tescos on Notting Hill Gate. Frankly, some of the students are badly behaved when leaving school for the day (can't comment on other times). I know of 2 incidents where non-student women were harassed. I am sorry I don't have a solution for you, just giving you my impression from living near by and also from speaking to other locals about it.

A Student-

98% get 5 GCSEs (including soft subjects)but only 63% get English AND maths. That is from the school's own figures which are published in the league tables - not exactly great is it - if a third of kids are not achieving that?

You are very unlikely to get a decent university offer without maths and English at GCSE.

I have heard from kids at the school that there IS a bullying problem or are they just making it up?

The government (last one) only aimed for 50% of the population going to university. We need trades people etc. as well as graduates.
Not all students are capable of getting 5 good GCSEs including Maths and English. 63% isn't bad, there is a thread her from someone who's local schools only get 37%.

I don't know the school, but for a comprehensive intake 63% isn't bad.

Umm - just my opinion ,but astudent's posts seem a little false to me ,like an adult trying to be a kid .
Could be wrong ,but that's my impression.

People who can afford to live in Holland Park probably don't send their children there. That just about sums it up. Is it a 'rough' school? No, it's a better-than-average comprehensive. But it's a comprehensive. Not City of London or St Paul's.

Hello BafanaBafana,
I am replying from another country as we are considering a move to London. To say I am overwhelmed with schools is an understatement! My 2 children are currently in a girls private school. However, as the cost of private school is so much greater in London we (my husband) would prefer a state school. I noticed you mentioned City of London School. Do you mean the girls or boys? I noticed there are two with same name. I believe the girls school offers a partial scholarship for art ability that my daughter may qualify for. My husband is also keen on Holland Park School as my daughter who will be entering year 7 in 2012 may qualify for one of their art ability spots. Also, do you know much about these new "free" schools?
Many thanks!