Broomwood vs White House Prep Post Reply

[Elizabeth82]

We are looking to move our son out of local school as he’s been struggling a bit with larger classes and lack of attention to some academic work.
Any thoughts on both schools so welcome please. He’s currently in year 1. We worried White House was perhaps too small- do boys all tend to leave at 7+ ?how do they play sport with smaller classes ?
Also welcome any thoughts on moving children at unusual times as aware he could be only nee boy which makes me nervous. Thank you so much

[shai_lo]

Hello.

My daughter is in year 3 at the White House. She started in reception. We chose the school because of the smaller class sizes. I do not regret my choice at all.

There is a real family feeling to the school. Everyone knows each other. Even most parents.

They really care about the children’s well-being. My daughter suffered really bad anxiety during the pandemic and the school went above and beyond to help her.

They have sport/PE everyday. Small class size doesn’t seem to affect that. They encourage children to play with with other year groups. Most year groups have 2 classes. So although one class may be small, the year group will be larger for sports etc.

They really pulled it out of the bag during the pandemic offering much more than some other private schools.

They are an academic school. But the children are exposed to everything else too.

Good luck making the decision.

[Buni]

My daughter is currently in reception at The White House. It’s a great, family-run friendly school and provides a wonderful, safe and fun school community for children and parents.

We chose the school because of the small class sizes. Our experience is only positive.

All the best with your decision.

Helen

[HazInteriors]

Dear @Elizabeth82

Hello, I have two children at The White House, a son and a daughter. Both have been there since nursery. It is a lovely community of parents, teachers, and children. 
My son is in year 6 and has just recently finished the 11 + process. We never felt the need for him to leave earlier as you mentioned at 7+ as everything he needed was at The White House, It was not even a thought and we are delighted with the school. My son's year 6 teacher has been incredible with all my questions throughout the exams which with covid were turned upside down but the school and his teacher handled the situation and me so well, so grateful.
After receiving 4 offers from amazing secondary schools. The school has been amazing throughout the years and my son will now go to one of the most academic and sporty boys' secondary schools in London. So he has achieved what he needed whilst also having the happiest school life throughout. My son is very sporty and the children are involved in sports daily, Just in the past week, my son has played tennis, swimming, athletics, and cricket club. Academically The White House I have always found in advance with the curriculum and school work when speaking to friends with children at other schools which further firms my decision. The benefit of the smaller classes is an asset to say the least.
My daughter is in year 2 and a brilliant swimmer already, she also is very involved in music and plays the piano, so although very academic she loves many subjects.
To sum up the school ticks all the boxes both in academics, sports, drama, and music, but like any mother what makes the school is the fact that my children have never gone to school unhappy or without excitement for the day.
Lastly, the open-door policy of being able to speak to the Headmaster or Principals or teachers whenever required or for any concerns should have them is worth its weight in gold for parents. Should you have any other questions feel free to DM me.

[Tinajn]

Hi,

My daughter is in Year 2 at the White House, and has been there since nursery.

We find the small classes and the community/family feel of the school to be fantastic, and our daughter is thriving there. The advantage of the small classes is the individual teaching, catering for children of all abilities; to complement this there is interaction with classes across the years which my daughter really loves, when you walk out of the school gate children of all years are chatting to each other.

In terms of sports they use facilities outside of school, such as the local tennis club and La Retraite. In September the new building will open, which I believe will have more gymnatistic facilities.

School holidays have several club weeks happening - including a sports week and musical magic (drama week).

In terms of ratios, we have slightly more boys than girls in our class, so definitely and haven't seen any pattern of boys leaving.

Good luck with your decision :-) I'd definitely recommend it!

Tina

[djmdtzfd]

I have 2 children at White house, the eldest is a boy in year 4. The class sizes in both their year groups mean that the children get a lot of individual attention. I have always been impressed at each first parent-teacher chat of the school year how well the teacher knows my child both academically and personality-wise after only a matter of weeks, which is a direct result of the class sizeOver the years a number of children have joined year 4 - we have lost a couple of children as families have relocated outside London during covid, but far more have joined, and the school and particularly the children are very welcoming. There wasn’t an exodus for 7+, the reverse was true as a result of Oliver house sadly closing. We have had children join partway through the year many times and the kids take it in their stride and are very welcoming - in a smaller year group it seems easier to embrace a new child in the school family.Alternating years are 2 class intakes and so larger year groups, but for one class intake school years for sports fixtures, which the school have plenty of, year groups will be mixed to get enough boys/ girls for a team, and many fixtures like touch rugby are mixed anyway.If you are looking for a school where all staff and children know every child in the school by first name, a nurturing environment where teachers focus on your child’s specific development and school journey, both academic and extra curricular, then I recommend the White house very highly.

[NVHusband]

We were in the same position in 2018. Broomwood had a lovely feel about it when we visited. In the end we decided to go local as fortunate that we are in catchment for both state schools BTC.

One thing I liked about Broomwood Hall is that they were part of a family run business (Northwood) and the fees were quite reasonable.

However, I read recently that the family sold the business to a private equity company (under the name Dukes Education). I also believe this company has acquired Eaton House and Kindergarten (Mouse House etc).

So appears this company is slowly acquiring the private education providers around this area. No doubt they will sell it as a conveyor belt type arrangement… your child enters at nursery then proceed to prep and secondary. So guaranteed income over 15 years.

Unfortunately, once a company dominate (monopolise?) a particular area, they are in a strong position to increase fees. Also, Private Equity model will be very interested in the assets of the school (notably the real estate) to finance further acquisitions. Afterall, leverage (ie. Debt) underpins their business model.

I am indifferent to the wider debate on public vs state education , but I am uncomfortable with the private equity model entering the education sector.

If I did choose to go private, I’d consider schools that are not-for-profit; all profits and any debt raised will be reinvested back in the same school.

Also, Opposition leader Keir Starmer is considering VAT on private schools that are run for profit.

Education system in this country is quite complicated, and with Private Equity entering the market, and Opposition leader talking tax hikes, it has got more complicated.