Following recent press coverage on oversubscribed London nursery schools, I was kindly invited by the most oversubscribed nursery of them all, Broadhurst School in Hampstead, to come for a visit and meet Principal Miss Deirdre Berkery and Head Mistress Mrs Alison Fisher. The nursery is located on Greencroft Gardens, a mere 2 minute walk from […]
A visit to Broadhurst School in Hampstead Read More »
It is still very early days but the first pre-prep schools have started releasing their 7+ results. This post will be updated as schools release their results. Children’s House Upper School, Islington accepted offers include… City of London School for Girls 2 Highgate 1 Northbridge House 6 South Hampstead High School 1 St Paul’s
Overview of 7+/8+ results 2016 Read More »
While Central London seems awash with excellent girls’ prep schools, there has for a long time be a shortage of excellent boys’ pre-preps, which is why competition for places at Wetherby or the popular co-educational prep schools is so intense. It is great news then that Falkner House is starting a prep school for boys aged
Falkner House opens a new boys’ pre-prep school in Earls Court! Read More »
Parents with children registered at Thomas’s Battersea have just received a letter that Ben Thomas, Headmaster at Thomas’s Battersea for the past 18 years, will step down from his post in July 2017, in order to become Chairman of the Group Board of Thomas’s London Day Schools and “to serve the wider world of education“.
London Heads on the move Read More »
The deadline to apply for state school places in Reception is looming on 15 January, so it is timely that the Department for Education published the 2015 SATS results, which form the basis for primary school league tables, just before the Christmas holidays. Here is a league table of London’s best performing state primary schools
Ranking of London state primary schools 2015 Read More »
Visiting nurseries and schools is a key part of choosing the right one for your child. Unfortunately, if your child is still little and you have no experience of nurseries, it is actually not easy to spot what a great nursery should look like, and most nurseries are experienced at showing their best side during
How to make the most of your nursery visit Read More »
Honeywell Infant and Junior School is one of those well known and oversubscribed state primary schools in London, which is why I was in two minds about writing this review. You already have to live within 150 metres to have any chance of a place at this school, so I don’t want to make the
Visit to Honeywell School Read More »
In early October, I attended a debate calling for an end of the “Tyranny of the Test”, a motion supported by Tony Little, recently departed Eton Headmaster, and Tristram Hunt, former shadow education secretary for the Labour Party. Former Wellington Master Sir Anthony Seldon moderated the debate, while Toby Young, founder of the West London
Are schools preparing our kids for the future? Read More »
Are you applying for primary school places to start Reception in September 2016? At many oversubscribed London state primary schools, catchment areas have been shrinking in recent years, although there is some relief in select councils. In Richmond, the newly opened Thomson House free school and the expansion of Sheen Mount School have eased the pressure. Other
Starting Primary School in 2016: top London state school catchment areas Read More »
Many of the most expensive British prep schools are located in the neighbourhoods with the highest property prices, which probably comes as no surprise! The fees quoted below are those for the Reception class (or equivalent at the international schools). Obviously, many private British secondary schools have much higher fees, so take this as a
London’s most expensive schools Read More »
I know it’s very exciting if you receive your first offer of a school or nursery place after fretting about oversubscribed London schools for a couple of years, but today I really need to caution my readers about accepting offer letters if you haven’t done your research or read the terms and conditions closely. I wish
What you need to know before you accept a private school place Read More »
I was honoured to be quoted several times in a recent Financial Times article on the trend of wealthy expats hiring consultants to advise them on choosing the best nurseries and schools for their children. The article was more balanced than I expected, as you never know what angle journalists might take on such a
Financial Times article on London nursery consultants Read More »
Most schools have published their 11+ exit results for 2015 by now, while we need to wait until the summer for Common Entrance results. But we do have the results from a few co-educational prep schools already, along with most girls’ schools, at least the important ones. I will update this post as they are released. Currently,
11+ results London 2015 Read More »
The deadline to apply for state school places in Reception is looming on 15 January, so it is timely that the Department for Education published the 2014 SATS results, which form the basis for primary school league tables, just before the Christmas holidays. Here is a league table of London’s best performing state primary schools
London’s best state primary schools 2014 Read More »
I keep getting asked by readers and clients if it is better to choose a pre-prep and focus on 7+ / 8+ exams, or a prep that goes all the way to 11+ or 13+. I was reminded of this debate on Sunday during a dinner with friends whose daughter is just preparing for her
7+ vs 11+/13+? Or one school all the way to 18? What is best? Read More »
Whenever you hear people talk about oversubscribed London schools and parents emailing registration forms from the labour ward, chances are they are referring to Wetherby Pre-Prep or its sister school, Pembridge Hall, on Pembridge Square in Notting Hill. While you might hear many stories about it, it is not easy to visit the school, since
Pembridge Hall School visit Read More »
Are you applying for primary school places to start Reception in September 2015? At many oversubscribed London state primary schools, catchment areas have been shrinking in recent years, although there is some relief in select councils. In Richmond, the newly opened Thomson House free school and a bulge class at Barnes Primary helped ease the
Starting Primary School in 2015: top London state school catchment areas Read More »
While there are many excellent private (and state) schools in London, there are also quite a few schools that are businesses more than anything else, and I want to highlight a few warning signs that your chosen school is indeed a McPrep, rather than a true school with the primary purpose of educating your child. It’s
Can you tell a McPrep from an outstanding school? Read More »
There is a lot of talk about how the cost of private schools has risen in London over the last years, and many parents who planned to send their kids to private schools are not so sure if they can afford it anymore. School fees have risen far above inflation over the last years and
Can you afford private school? Read More »
Have you decided already if you want to go for a state or a private primary school? Are you hearing very conflicting views on this? I talk to parents confused by the views they receive from friends and acquaintances all the time. They range from “private schools for 4 year olds are a waste of money”
State versus private: which one is right for you? Read More »
