Hornsby House, White House, Telferscot or Henry Cavendish Post Reply

[brodhag14]

Hi,

We live in Balham and we're trying to choose a primary school for our DS. We've narrowed it down to two local state schools: Telferscot and Henry Cavendish and two private schools: Hornsby House and The White House.

We've visited all the schools and they're all brilliant so we're finding it hard to choose.

If anyone can share any experience or opinions with any of these schools we'd be grateful. In particular if you had to make a similar decision could you please share why you made a particular choice?

Many thanks in advance.

[Goldhawk]

The White House is a private company - I would recommend reading their accounts
Hornsby is a charity - check the charity commission for their info

For both expect fee increases of over 10% each year. 
Ask about pupil numbers - they are dropping and some smaller schools may close

Hornsby suffers from a small site and lack of playground space

[FatTony1960]

I agree on both points. But you can also see Hornsby House's accounts on companies house and you notice even though it is a charity it doesn't spend anymore on staff (per student) than do any of the other preps in the area (excluding the Dukes schools which is much less). The smaller schools are vulnerable IMHO, especially when the new VAT regime comes in.

[ClaphamMummy01]

Our children are at The White House. Their confidence has grown since starting the school and they are very happy. My son used to be quite reserved but he has really come out of himself since being at the school.

There is a real sense of community and the other parents are lovely. You can get involved in as much or little of school life as you like. It’s owned by a family and there is a sense of high standards and inclusiveness. The results are excellent but the focus is on being kind and curious rather than pushing children.

Our son and daughter have very different personalities but the school is able to support and promote each of their talents and learning styles. I can’t believe how far they have come and they both love school. I really debated where to apply to school but I’m very happy. We also got a place at HH but couldn’t face the commute from where we live. We can bike to TWH.

The other great thing is the clubs which go on until 4:30
and are included in the fees, this has made a massive difference as it means my children can experience different hobbies and helps with childcare.

[Mummingit]

Hello! I can't speak to either of the state school options but can share our experience in chosing between Hornsby House and The White House. I will say that for me, choosing a school is like choosing a house - when you know you know in your gut - and usually it is trying to make the pros/cons list that gets you in a muddle!

We had originally signed up for and paid the deposit for Hornsby House based on lots of positive feedback from our network and on forums like this. 

When we visited in spring last year, it really didn't feel right for us for a number of reasons. 

My main and overriding reason was it had significantly less diversity, both in children and in staff than any other school we visited - it really didn't feel like we were in south london at all. When I asked the headmaster about it he said that in that location there wasn't much he could do about it. This seems to be a total misunderstanding of the amazing level of diversity in south london - if you can't achieve it here where can you?! I wondered if I was being ridiculous, but was delighted that when my eldest son started White House in September it is a genuine slice of london life - not only are the staff far more diverse,  I think in his small class of 11 we have children with heritage from Serbia, France, India, Japan, China, South America, I've definitely missed some. Plus the knock on effect is you get a far more diverse and interesting parent group (and I say this as the white british, textbook 'clapham mum') - but it's nice to not have such a dominance of a very particular type of well off clapham parent at drop off and pick up. 

There were other reasons - I love the fact that the White House is family owned, and still run by the daughters (whose children are there so they are obviously incentivised to keep it great), the approach to lots of things felt more personal and intimate - e.g. when I asked about dyslexia, Hornsby mentioned their seperate SEN teacher/classroom. The white house mentioned that because everyone reads 1 on 1 with their teacher every single day, the hand on support is already there, plus they have the power to use after school clubs cleverly to provide an extra boost to anyone who needs it without stigmatising them in any way (and of course structured SEN provision as needed too). It was just a different 'vibe' about what was important and a bit less corporate overall in feel.

I also felt like there was a lot of parent friendly, nice facilities etc but there didn't seem to be as much joy/enthusiasm from the children, as I felt at white house.

we had set two very clear criteria for our choice before we started (as we were worried about being biased by our own educational experiences which while great may not be what is most important for children that will enter the world as adults in the 2030s/40s. One was clearly diversity as above, the others were mental health/resilience, and confidence. On those criteria WH was the clear choice for us.

Now we have started, I am so so glad that we chose the White House, I really love it and my son does too. There's just something quite special and 'hidden gem' about it and all the staff, parents and students are so lovely. And, if you care about academics/onward travel (which we don't particularly) the results speak for themselves. I'm sure I would have felt that about Hornsby too if I had chosen it, as both are brilliant schools, I've just tried to articulate a little bit of the nuanced reasons why we chose one way or another.

[Pipol20]

Lot of good feedback above. I would just add, it depends on where you see your kid going as secondary and how much you want to get them tutored.
Adding tutoring to a busy schedule of school, clubs, sports and music is very hard had not for all kids. It is also expensive. HH kids, as many kids from big private schools are heavy tutored. Small private schools, like White House, Dolphin, Eveline have small classes so kids are rarely tutored. At state school you need to heavily tutor from year 2 to be able to go to the private secondary, grammar or some of the selective state schools if you are not in the catchment (ie Graveney). Obviously there you don’t have the fees to pay, but kids are still tired especially if they do sport at a certain level.

[HelenSWmum]

Our kids have been at Henry Cavendish and we’ve had a very good experience. As well as the educational side, supplemented by lots of school trips, visits by external guests and an improved after school offering, it feels like a real community - most children live very close by and the PTFA organise lots of events and raise lots of money for the school. As parents, we have made lots of great friends ourselves in addition to the kids (not that this should be the priority!).

It mainly depends what you want and expect from a primary school. You obviously cannot expect the same from a state school as you can from an independent. If you want to go private at secondary, you’ll probably need to tutor from year 4, but there are very good non-selective state secondaries locally; private is not the only option. Our eldest has just started at a non-selective secondary and her classmates from primary have gone to a wide range of schools (selective and non selective; state and private).

[Guestyvale]

As a parent of a child recently at The White House school, I have personal experience and would not recommend. Unbiased reviews are removed from social media, that tells you everything about the school. My child, a child of colour, understood racism for the first time due to lack of diversity. Teachers a bit hit and miss and my child is now flourishing in Telferscot. The White House was an expensive mistake.. please avoid

[readysteadycook]

Hello! I can't speak to either of the state school options but can share our experience in chosing between Hornsby House and The White House. I will say that for me, choosing a school is like choosing a house - when you know you know in your gut - and usually it is trying to make the pros/cons list that gets you in a muddle!

We had originally signed up for and paid the deposit for Hornsby House based on lots of positive feedback from our network and on forums like this. 

When we visited in spring last year, it really didn't feel right for us for a number of reasons. 

My main and overriding reason was it had significantly less diversity, both in children and in staff than any other school we visited - it really didn't feel like we were in south london at all. When I asked the headmaster about it he said that in that location there wasn't much he could do about it. This seems to be a total misunderstanding of the amazing level of diversity in south london - if you can't achieve it here where can you?! I wondered if I was being ridiculous, but was delighted that when my eldest son started White House in September it is a genuine slice of london life - not only are the staff far more diverse,  I think in his small class of 11 we have children with heritage from Serbia, France, India, Japan, China, South America, I've definitely missed some. Plus the knock on effect is you get a far more diverse and interesting parent group (and I say this as the white british, textbook 'clapham mum') - but it's nice to not have such a dominance of a very particular type of well off clapham parent at drop off and pick up. 

There were other reasons - I love the fact that the White House is family owned, and still run by the daughters (whose children are there so they are obviously incentivised to keep it great), the approach to lots of things felt more personal and intimate - e.g. when I asked about dyslexia, Hornsby mentioned their seperate SEN teacher/classroom. The white house mentioned that because everyone reads 1 on 1 with their teacher every single day, the hand on support is already there, plus they have the power to use after school clubs cleverly to provide an extra boost to anyone who needs it without stigmatising them in any way (and of course structured SEN provision as needed too). It was just a different 'vibe' about what was important and a bit less corporate overall in feel.

I also felt like there was a lot of parent friendly, nice facilities etc but there didn't seem to be as much joy/enthusiasm from the children, as I felt at white house.

we had set two very clear criteria for our choice before we started (as we were worried about being biased by our own educational experiences which while great may not be what is most important for children that will enter the world as adults in the 2030s/40s. One was clearly diversity as above, the others were mental health/resilience, and confidence. On those criteria WH was the clear choice for us.

Now we have started, I am so so glad that we chose the White House, I really love it and my son does too. There's just something quite special and 'hidden gem' about it and all the staff, parents and students are so lovely. And, if you care about academics/onward travel (which we don't particularly) the results speak for themselves. I'm sure I would have felt that about Hornsby too if I had chosen it, as both are brilliant schools, I've just tried to articulate a little bit of the nuanced reasons why we chose one way or another.

I just don't want my child to go to an overly diverse school that has been engineered that way though - I wouldn't want to be in that environment. We are an 87% white country and I am sure all local schools more than reflect those % already - how 'diverse' are you trying to get ?

It's the above inflation fee increases that you have to worry about at some of these local schools, the governors are clueless. Hornsby doesn't add lunch into theirs (smoke and mirrors) and is now more than some Secondary schools at £7K a term. Finton has become cheaper than Hornsby at £6,400 a term (so £1500 a year less than Hornsby) and worth looking at. The White House is "only' £6,200 so much better vale than Hornsby.

Other options are Broomwood or Thomas' both Private Equity so significantly more. 


 

[Illcallu]

Maybe our country is 87% white on average, and possibly 99% in northern Scotland and western Cornwall. It is obviously not true of London where, according to my not-very-well-researched information (Wikipediea, demographics of London), the white population is less than 60%.

As an ex-HH parent I agree about the apathy around the social and ethnic mix. I am not saying it has to be 100% representative, but it should be better than it is.

Apart from that, class sizes are too big for a prep school, and it is very expensive for what it offers. Its reputation of 10-15 years ago has created a myth that it is exceptional. Many parents we know who had older children there have either chosen to place younger siblings elsewhere, including state, or are sending them to HH reluctantly because they feel caught in the sibling chain.

If you are going to spend on primary education I would look for schools with smaller class sizes and/or more academic leaver destinations on average. However, if I were doing this again I would go state for primary, with tutoring if necessary for independent school or grammar school entrance exams. A large majority of HH children are tutored privately anyway to get their places, which begs the question, what exactly are parents paying for?

[Pringle18]

I would avoid Henry Cavendish school at all costs. This is from personal experience of having a child with SEN. They are not interested in acknowledging concerns you may have about your child, will not communicate or implement any support for your child. They are not inclusive. Their attitude is to advise for you to look for alternative provisions for your child.
I know of six families who have removed their child in the last 18 months due to their unprofessionalism and lack of care to children.
The only positive responses are from those parents who are fortunate enough to have not required any support for their children.

[TyningTiger]

Hi. We’re in the process of looking at Balham schools for our child. How long was your child there? The White House seems nice but HH seemed better run. It’s just a minefield. Did you fall into the White House ‘accidentally’ as your child was at Woodentops? We’d like to try the state route ideally but we’re not in the catchment for the good ones.

[mememe]

readysteadycook wrote:
> [quote=Mummingit post_id=291362 time=1697120245 user_id=60183]
> Hello! I can't speak to either of the state school options but can share
> our experience in chosing between Hornsby House and The White House. I will
> say that for me, choosing a school is like choosing a house - when you know
> you know in your gut - and usually it is trying to make the pros/cons list
> that gets you in a muddle!
>
> We had originally signed up for and paid the deposit for Hornsby House
> based on lots of positive feedback from our network and on forums like
> this. 
>
> When we visited in spring last year, it really didn't feel right for us for
> a number of reasons. 
>
> My main and overriding reason was it had significantly less diversity, both
> in children and in staff than any other school we visited - it really
> didn't feel like we were in south london at all. When I asked the
> headmaster about it he said that in that location there wasn't much he
> could do about it. This seems to be a total misunderstanding of the amazing
> level of diversity in south london - if you can't achieve it here where can
> you?! I wondered if I was being ridiculous, but was delighted that when my
> eldest son started White House in September it is a genuine slice of london
> life - not only are the staff far more diverse,  I think in his small class
> of 11 we have children with heritage from Serbia, France, India, Japan,
> China, South America, I've definitely missed some. Plus the knock on effect
> is you get a far more diverse and interesting parent group (and I say this
> as the white british, textbook 'clapham mum') - but it's nice to not have
> such a dominance of a very particular type of well off clapham parent at
> drop off and pick up. 
>
> There were other reasons - I love the fact that the White House is family
> owned, and still run by the daughters (whose children are there so they are
> obviously incentivised to keep it great), the approach to lots of things
> felt more personal and intimate - e.g. when I asked about dyslexia, Hornsby
> mentioned their seperate SEN teacher/classroom. The white house mentioned
> that because everyone reads 1 on 1 with their teacher every single day, the
> hand on support is already there, plus they have the power to use after
> school clubs cleverly to provide an extra boost to anyone who needs it
> without stigmatising them in any way (and of course structured SEN
> provision as needed too). It was just a different 'vibe' about what was
> important and a bit less corporate overall in feel.
>
> I also felt like there was a lot of parent friendly, nice facilities etc
> but there didn't seem to be as much joy/enthusiasm from the children, as I
> felt at white house.
>
> we had set two very clear criteria for our choice before we started (as we
> were worried about being biased by our own educational experiences which
> while great may not be what is most important for children that will enter
> the world as adults in the 2030s/40s. One was clearly diversity as above,
> the others were mental health/resilience, and confidence. On those criteria
> WH was the clear choice for us.
>
> Now we have started, I am so so glad that we chose the White House, I
> really love it and my son does too. There's just something quite special
> and 'hidden gem' about it and all the staff, parents and students are so
> lovely. And, if you care about academics/onward travel (which we don't
> particularly) the results speak for themselves. I'm sure I would have felt
> that about Hornsby too if I had chosen it, as both are brilliant schools,
> I've just tried to articulate a little bit of the nuanced reasons why we
> chose one way or another.
> [/quote]
>
> I just don't want my child to go to an overly diverse school that has been
> engineered that way though - I wouldn't want to be in that environment. We
> are an 87% white country and I am sure all local schools more than reflect
> those % already - how 'diverse' are you trying to get ?
>
> It's the above inflation fee increases that you have to worry about at some
> of these local schools, the governors are clueless. Hornsby doesn't add
> lunch into theirs (smoke and mirrors) and is now more than some Secondary
> schools at £7K a term. Finton has become cheaper than Hornsby at £6,400 a
> term (so £1500 a year less than Hornsby) and worth looking at. The White
> House is "only' £6,200 so much better vale than Hornsby.
>
> Other options are Broomwood or Thomas' both Private Equity so significantly
> more. 
>
Exactly. Plus Hornsby is a first come first served school so they can't control who's applying in what order can they? They actually have a lot of asian kids now compared before, whether that means *indian or *chinese. Maybe its their reputation, its the only school nearest to SW12 worth paying for - check out their destinations and scholarships! So much better value others but you get what you pay for with these schools ....

>