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 …
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 …
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 …
Most parents in London know how oversubscribed French schools in London are and how (almost) impossible it is to get into the French Lycée in South Kensington. Well, many parents’ prayers have been heard because as of September 2015, the top ranked secondary school in France, the École Jeannine Manuel in Paris, opened its very own London campus …
A visit to École Jeannine Manuel, a new bilingual international school in Central London Read More »
Advice and insights for the 2016 exams by guest author Faisal Nasim, tutor and director of Exampapersplus.co.uk (see further info and bio below) The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the topics and styles that came up last year as well as to offer advice on how best to prepare. The article is relevant to anyone …
St Anthony’s School in Hampstead / Golders Green is delighted to announce that they will open a new Catholic Girls’ School in September 2016. The school will be called St Anthony’s School for Girls and will be located in Ivy House, on North End Road, NW11. Ivy House is a magnificent three storey building with a …
St Anthony’s School for Girls to open in NW11 in Sep 2016 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 …
GCSE results for 2015 are out and the usual suspects in the top 5 are dominating the league table again. A few schools have shot up the ranking quite markedly, such as Highgate and Wimbledon High School. UCS in Hampstead just narrowly missed out on a spot in the top 20. The below ranking is based …
Ranking of London senior schools by 2015 GCSE results 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 »
Northwood Prep will henceforward be known as Merchant Taylors’ Prep; this formal union of the two schools will establish a ‘through school’ experience for boys at the school for the first time, the only such school in the Northwood area. The former Northwood Prep, now Merchant Taylors’ Prep, joins St John’s School as a member …
Northwood Prep merges with Merchant Taylors’ School 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 …
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 »
The recent inspection by the ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate) has given Kensington Prep School in Fulham the highest possible grades across the board – and the top accolade rarely received: ‘Exceptional’ for the ‘quality of pupils’ achievement and learning’. The inspectors’ judgements in all areas are ‘excellent’, the highest grade a school can receive. There is …
And the top secondary school in London is…. the St Paul’s Girls’ School (again)! The second place goes to Westminster School, followed by the North London Collegiate School. The data is based on the Telegraph’s 2014 independent school league table for all of England, but I included only London schools and have added a few more schools individually …
The renowned Haberdasher Aske’s School for Girls (‘Habs’) in Elstree, which currently accepts 20 girls via 4+ assessment and a further 20 at 5+ has announced it will be running its main 5+ intake assessment for the last time next year, in January 2016. The junior school will soon be two-form entry from Reception, selection …
Haberdasher Aske’s School for Girls to go from 5+ to 4+ entry Read More »
We have just come back from half-term holidays and it is already time to start planning summer activities! Summer holidays are long at London schools, especially in the private sector, so it is important to plan ahead and find enriching activities for July and August. London offers great opportunities for school aged children in a …
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 »
When a large Central London prep school was rated “Inadequate” by Ofsted a few years ago, many parents wondered what to make of school inspection reports. Opinions on this vary widely, with some parents adamant that they would only consider an “outstanding” school for their child, and others dismissing reports as irrelevant. Even among prep …
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, …
Still looking for Easter activities or holiday camps for your little ones? The Hua Hsia School in Hampstead is offering a Chinese culture Easter camp for children from 3+. They will have a action packed programme of music, arts and crafts, martial arts, drama and language, all taught by qualified teachers. The camp takes place in …
