Hill House is an outstanding school looking after the boys an girls under they care, amazing school great teachers
Y
You Jiang
10 years ago
As an alumni, I have nothing but the best memories of this school. For someone who came to the UK not speaking a word of English, I spent 3 wonderful years at HH and had fantastic memories of my time here. The school operates differently to what OFSTED is used to but doesn't necessarily mean it is a failing school.
M
Maria
10 years ago
Can't fault the education my two sons received
P
Peggy Linares
10 years ago
Great school, commited with academia.
F
Francesca Barrow
10 years ago
Alumni. Hill House is the most truly wonderful school in every sense.
A
Anonymous
10 years ago
My son did very well at Hill House, academically but must importantly he grew in confidence in a wonderfully supportive environment. Great teachers, great friends from all backgrounds . A really special school that may not have ticked boxes of a bureaucrat but certainly did mine (a successful UK lawyer)
J
Jon Connor
10 years ago
In January 2010, the Earl Cadogan walked in to the Oriel Restaurant on Sloane Square & ordered from the menu, the Earl was not happy with the quality of the food & ordered the restaurant to close, some would say that this was a little extreme but then again he is the landlord, so therefore has the right to do so. Three months later, a hotel that is also part of Cadogan Estate, was gutted in a fire, brought about due to poor fire safety procedures. The hotel was allowed to continue trading following the fire & it was a further two years before fire systems were upgraded to meet regulations, all this time peoples lives were placed in danger.. The name of that hotel is - No 11 Cadogan Gardens, Hill House upper school is in the same building block as No 11. The Earl has no problems closing down restaurants at the click of his fingers, but allows a school with a poor safety record to remain in operation, in a building block that houses a hotel that has an even worse safety standard that results in a fire... What's going on here?
G
Georgie Girl
10 years ago
I can't claim to have any personal experience of this school as a pupil but what I've learned about it from from former ones, and what I've read about the good old Colonel himself (especially his obituary! ;) ) I just wanted to bump for this lovely school and British Institution. Sooo fed up with the nanny state and political correctness destroying our countries tradition, heritage and all discernible character...so HH gets my vote! if I have children in the future (and get the fees together lol) I will be proud to enroll them at HH. Long may it continue to flourish!
S
Sue
11 years ago
My son was at Hill House from the age of 4- 11 only leaving because we moved to work abroad
M
m l o
11 years ago
As the mother of two children who very happily recently graduated from HH I am certainly surprised at the report. My eldest was at the school since the age of 4 till 13 and my youngest I actually had taken her out for 2 years as I thought she needed an all-girl education to regret it deeply and then returning her back to HH to finish at 13 and getting a scholarship. So having compared 2 schools for my youngest one (the other one being rated as "outstanding" by Ofsted) I am actually amused at the striking difference in treatment and reports compared to the actual substance I have seen and experienced. Also what I find very strange is that some primary schools in London get reviewed every year while others every 3 years??? I think not only this report is totally un-representative of reality but also I am starting to doubt about the objectivity of the inspector's body given what I have seen in 2 London day schools in substance. If parents are not happy with the school they can take their children out to an other one, as I did with mine later on to regret it. Well done HH, principals and teachers. My children keep very happy memories of the school, their classmate, the teachers (who are amazing) and the Principals. thank you
T
Tessa McMillan
11 years ago
Hill House was a wonderful school in more ways than one.
N
Nellie
11 years ago
Why close the best prep school in London? I enjoyed every day learnin at Hill House
Z
zinka mayer
11 years ago
My daughter enjoyed the school very much, liked the teachers who thought the pupils to a very high level. Thanks to them she is now attending the top secondary school in London.
M
M Kragt
11 years ago
I personally believe, as an ex-pupil, that what has so far been thrown around, by parents unwilling to accept change, as evidence of a "great school" is total rubbish.
The school lunches are appalling. There is little else to add to this simple fact.
The Townends, in my opinion, should not be held responsible for the successes of the school, as this, I believe, should be attributed to Mr Brennan, the former undermaster who's departure coincided very strongly with the current freefall of the school's reputation.
Many parents are convinced that the school is secure as so far there have been no events to contradict them; but looking at the situation from a different perspective and one can see that it is the neighbourhood which provides the safety and, from my own experience, I have seen little to no attempts by the school to have its own, independent security system; they have recklessly relied upon their surroundings in order to provide a safety they have little right to advertise.
In fact, my main arguments for this comment will pivot around the fact that the school as a whole should not be congratulated for things they have not actually achieved themselves.
The buildings themselves are not suited to being a school. The hallways are like bottlenecks and parents get little taste of what it is like when students move between lessons as they are toured when there is nobody in the corridors. It is difficult to notice fire exit signs or in fact, any kinds of safety instructions. Both of these features combine to make the school inherently unsafe and not a good learning environment.
Teachers do not use authority appropriately. They are often too strict and it is noticeable when they use their authority to get students to accomplish completely redundant tasks.
I personally believe that parents should really only be petitioning if they have had, in my opinion, the misfortune of experiencing the school. Change should not be stubbornly held up. The change
M
Maureen Zaccaria
11 years ago
I have had direct knowledge of this school thought friends and their children and I strongly believe that the unfavourable judgement on Hill House is biased for some unknown reason.
C
Christian Atherton
11 years ago
I am a parent with one child currently at Hill House and another to start next year. I have read the OFSTEAD report in some detail and find that the statements made about the part of the school with which I am familiar bear little resemblance to our experience. The Small School at least seems very well managed and the teachers appear both capable and motivated. Class sizes are small and this is an enormous advantage. A teacher has to resort to the statistics and controls that the inspectors recommends when class sizes are 20-30 or larger. At Hill House, competent teachers can keep track of 10 children with ease with a much more individualised treatment. This is why we chose them.
B
b c
11 years ago
It is not actually "blindingly obvious" "by any measure" that HH staff do a very fine job as Ofsted have assessed them and found HH to be inadequate in all 5 areas they inspect.
It is not a lack of an on paper procedure for complaints that I am most concerned about; it is the fact that if you have a problem or issue to do with your child or with the school, then your complaints/concerns are not heard or dealt with, which of course means the only choice you then have (as the above poster reiterates) is to withdraw your child from the school. This is hardly satisfactory.
J
Jenny Eclair
11 years ago
My daughter went to Hill House in the nineties, she was very happy there, it's where she began to grow as an independent thinker with an original mind. I still think the school motto about a child not being a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled, is one of the most sensible sayings I've ever come across
J
Jane
11 years ago
I know children at this school and as a teacher myself I can honestly say that these children have had an excellent education
A
angelika bolliger
11 years ago
My son is just in reception class, but I am already able to say that we are very happy with the school and more importantly our son is. He was always very shy and the teachers were able after the second day in school make him feel very much at home. He love to there everyday and is full great stories when he comes back. That is all I need to know to feel I have found a good school for him.
Hill House is an outstanding school looking after the boys an girls under they care, amazing school great teachers
As an alumni, I have nothing but the best memories of this school. For someone who came to the UK not speaking a word of English, I spent 3 wonderful years at HH and had fantastic memories of my time here. The school operates differently to what OFSTED is used to but doesn't necessarily mean it is a failing school.
Can't fault the education my two sons received
Great school, commited with academia.
Alumni. Hill House is the most truly wonderful school in every sense.
My son did very well at Hill House, academically but must importantly he grew in confidence in a wonderfully supportive environment. Great teachers, great friends from all backgrounds . A really special school that may not have ticked boxes of a bureaucrat but certainly did mine (a successful UK lawyer)
In January 2010, the Earl Cadogan walked in to the Oriel Restaurant on Sloane Square & ordered from the menu, the Earl was not happy with the quality of the food & ordered the restaurant to close, some would say that this was a little extreme but then again he is the landlord, so therefore has the right to do so. Three months later, a hotel that is also part of Cadogan Estate, was gutted in a fire, brought about due to poor fire safety procedures. The hotel was allowed to continue trading following the fire & it was a further two years before fire systems were upgraded to meet regulations, all this time peoples lives were placed in danger.. The name of that hotel is - No 11 Cadogan Gardens, Hill House upper school is in the same building block as No 11. The Earl has no problems closing down restaurants at the click of his fingers, but allows a school with a poor safety record to remain in operation, in a building block that houses a hotel that has an even worse safety standard that results in a fire... What's going on here?
I can't claim to have any personal experience of this school as a pupil but what I've learned about it from from former ones, and what I've read about the good old Colonel himself (especially his obituary! ;) ) I just wanted to bump for this lovely school and British Institution. Sooo fed up with the nanny state and political correctness destroying our countries tradition, heritage and all discernible character...so HH gets my vote! if I have children in the future (and get the fees together lol) I will be proud to enroll them at HH. Long may it continue to flourish!
My son was at Hill House from the age of 4- 11 only leaving because we moved to work abroad
As the mother of two children who very happily recently graduated from HH I am certainly surprised at the report. My eldest was at the school since the age of 4 till 13 and my youngest I actually had taken her out for 2 years as I thought she needed an all-girl education to regret it deeply and then returning her back to HH to finish at 13 and getting a scholarship. So having compared 2 schools for my youngest one (the other one being rated as "outstanding" by Ofsted) I am actually amused at the striking difference in treatment and reports compared to the actual substance I have seen and experienced. Also what I find very strange is that some primary schools in London get reviewed every year while others every 3 years??? I think not only this report is totally un-representative of reality but also I am starting to doubt about the objectivity of the inspector's body given what I have seen in 2 London day schools in substance. If parents are not happy with the school they can take their children out to an other one, as I did with mine later on to regret it. Well done HH, principals and teachers. My children keep very happy memories of the school, their classmate, the teachers (who are amazing) and the Principals. thank you
Hill House was a wonderful school in more ways than one.
Why close the best prep school in London? I enjoyed every day learnin at Hill House
My daughter enjoyed the school very much, liked the teachers who thought the pupils to a very high level. Thanks to them she is now attending the top secondary school in London.
I personally believe, as an ex-pupil, that what has so far been thrown around, by parents unwilling to accept change, as evidence of a "great school" is total rubbish. The school lunches are appalling. There is little else to add to this simple fact. The Townends, in my opinion, should not be held responsible for the successes of the school, as this, I believe, should be attributed to Mr Brennan, the former undermaster who's departure coincided very strongly with the current freefall of the school's reputation. Many parents are convinced that the school is secure as so far there have been no events to contradict them; but looking at the situation from a different perspective and one can see that it is the neighbourhood which provides the safety and, from my own experience, I have seen little to no attempts by the school to have its own, independent security system; they have recklessly relied upon their surroundings in order to provide a safety they have little right to advertise. In fact, my main arguments for this comment will pivot around the fact that the school as a whole should not be congratulated for things they have not actually achieved themselves. The buildings themselves are not suited to being a school. The hallways are like bottlenecks and parents get little taste of what it is like when students move between lessons as they are toured when there is nobody in the corridors. It is difficult to notice fire exit signs or in fact, any kinds of safety instructions. Both of these features combine to make the school inherently unsafe and not a good learning environment. Teachers do not use authority appropriately. They are often too strict and it is noticeable when they use their authority to get students to accomplish completely redundant tasks. I personally believe that parents should really only be petitioning if they have had, in my opinion, the misfortune of experiencing the school. Change should not be stubbornly held up. The change
I have had direct knowledge of this school thought friends and their children and I strongly believe that the unfavourable judgement on Hill House is biased for some unknown reason.
I am a parent with one child currently at Hill House and another to start next year. I have read the OFSTEAD report in some detail and find that the statements made about the part of the school with which I am familiar bear little resemblance to our experience. The Small School at least seems very well managed and the teachers appear both capable and motivated. Class sizes are small and this is an enormous advantage. A teacher has to resort to the statistics and controls that the inspectors recommends when class sizes are 20-30 or larger. At Hill House, competent teachers can keep track of 10 children with ease with a much more individualised treatment. This is why we chose them.
It is not actually "blindingly obvious" "by any measure" that HH staff do a very fine job as Ofsted have assessed them and found HH to be inadequate in all 5 areas they inspect. It is not a lack of an on paper procedure for complaints that I am most concerned about; it is the fact that if you have a problem or issue to do with your child or with the school, then your complaints/concerns are not heard or dealt with, which of course means the only choice you then have (as the above poster reiterates) is to withdraw your child from the school. This is hardly satisfactory.
My daughter went to Hill House in the nineties, she was very happy there, it's where she began to grow as an independent thinker with an original mind. I still think the school motto about a child not being a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled, is one of the most sensible sayings I've ever come across
I know children at this school and as a teacher myself I can honestly say that these children have had an excellent education
My son is just in reception class, but I am already able to say that we are very happy with the school and more importantly our son is. He was always very shy and the teachers were able after the second day in school make him feel very much at home. He love to there everyday and is full great stories when he comes back. That is all I need to know to feel I have found a good school for him.