Private primaries around Wandsworth Bridge Post Reply

[Olivia654]

Hi,

I'm expecting my first child and know that London is a bit manic with school places. I'd like to put them down for 1-2 schools straight away just in case, and would love your thoughts on the following, or if there are any I've missed within easy travel of Wandsworth Bridge/Wandsworth Town area. 

My main criteria is that I'd ideally like confirmation of a place as soon as I register, I really don't believe in assessments for such tiny children. Also how do you go about getting them into the relevant nursery, most admissions info seems to focus on reception. Is the best approach to phone the registrar in any case?

So - which of the below schools do not assess and offer firm places in order of registration, and what are your views of them? Are there any you can get away with registering when the child is older? Have I missed any?

Thomas’s
Dolphin School 
Hurlingham School 
The Roche
Wandsworth Preparatory School
Parkgate House
Northcote Lodge
Broomwood Hall
Eaton House The Manor

Thanks!
 

[WhiteKnight]

I can highly recommend The Roche, both in terms of location from that area and also as a fabulous school. You should contact them and ask all your questions.

[Nutshell]

Finton House is also a wonderful (non-selective) school, with such a friendly and welcoming environment.    
I can highly recommend this school.    
https://www.fintonhouse.org.uk/

[Beachboys]

I have two children at Dolphin School and one who's recently finished year 6 there. I can highly recommend it for lots of reasons - please pm me if you'd like a chat or have any questions. It's non-selective and has a feeder nursery (Noah's Ark). As to your specific admissions questions, I wouldn't want to give you the wrong info so I suggest you call or email Mrs Vivienne Benson, the registrar. She's lovely and friendly.

[juliette_cap]

We had a very similar list of schools for our first child. Ended up selecting Hurlingham for its academics - its exit results are definitely some of the best in the area. It has absolutely blown us away. Eldest is now in year 4, middle in year 1 and youngest at the nursery. The pastoral care in the lower school in particular is spectacular and the teachers so lovely and warm. Real emphasis on kindness and inclusion. The academic promise proved to be absolutely true and the kids are progressing beyond our expectation. All in all we are very happy with our selection. Couldn’t recommend it more!

[Vista321]

I agree with the previous post about The Roche. location-wise, its perfect and there is no assessment to get in and early registration should secure you a place. There is an open day there this week so contact the Head or Admissions staff to book a place if you want to.  It is a lovely school in every way.

 

[Tbirdklm]

We moved our two children to Hurlingham in September and honestly couldn’t be happier. We have been so impressed with every aspect- the quality of their teaching, the pastoral care, the communication with parents, the virtual schooling, the breadth of activities, the friendliness of the children and other parents - etc. We had been happy with our previous school until the eye-opening experience in the 1st 2020 lockdown. Our Yr1 child had a lot of catching up to do, but Hurlingham did an amazing job and both kids are thriving and absolutely love their new school.

[Hardyboys]

Hello,
My son goes to Wandsworth Prep School (WPS) and it’s a really lovely small school that I would absolutely recommend and fits most of your criteria.
Best,
H

[Atnluk]

We have two children at the Roche and love it! There is no assessment and it is a small school with a really warm, welcoming atmosphere, which we personally find most important for our children at primary school age. We only registered our older one at 3y but might have been pure luck! I would definitely give them a call to discuss your options and join a virtual open day. All the best.

[laureate]

We decided to go for Hurlingham, despite the fact that we need to cross Putney Bridge, which can be tricky *we cycle or walk.
It is an amazing school. My two children love it. The pastoral care is out of this world and we could not ask for a better support during lockdown 1 and 2.
The new head is very welcoming and a very good listener and the academics is excellent.

[Teacherlady]

Wandsworth Prep are an amazing school. I used to work there until we moved away from the area and I can, hand on heart, say that it’s the best school I’ve ever worked for. The staff are a genuine team, they care so much for the children their outcomes, the curriculum is exciting and diverse, you get the ‘forest school’ aspect which is hard to really achieve in central London, the head is AMAZING (caring, dynamic, solid leader) and finally, I have never, ever seen a school as committed to getting their school leavers to the best place for that child. The effort that they put into getting the children interview and exam ready is insane. No other school in that area offers that. I worked supply as a stop gap in between leaving an independent school I’d worked at for 8 years so I’ve seen a lot of schools. A big plus is also that the seniors (year 4-6) get a subject specialist teacher for Maths/English/Science.