Kew College Prep

This London prep has a rich mix of pupils who come from all sorts of educational backgrounds making it feel very down to earth. The recent refurbishment means it’s super smart too. And with wraparound care and full-time nursery provision (and a guaranteed place in Reception), for dual-income parents especially, it’s a compelling choice.

Located in leafy Kew on a quiet residential road, Kew College Prep comprises two tall, handsome buildings connected by a reception and small hall on the ground floor and a library on the first floor. There’s a decent-sized playground spanning the width at the back with another school building running along one side named the Octagon which houses one Reception class and Years 1 and 2. Floor-to-ceiling windows line the corridor looking onto the playground which has sheds full of educational activities that open during break.

A further two buildings two doors down are accessed via a gate at the back of the playground and a public footpath. Year 5 and 6 classrooms and the art room can be found here in the converted Upton house; while a big hall, two music practice rooms, the ICT suite and the science lab are located in a newbuild in the garden which is called the Sedum building after its living green roof. Between the two buildings on this site is a quiet garden courtyard. It sounds a little bitty, but it all works beautifully with a peaceful homely feel across the two sites. It’s well connected: Kew Gardens Tube station is minutes away, Kew Bridge station a 10-minute walk and there are good bus connections too. Most pupils live in Kew, Richmond and Chiswick, and come to school on foot, scooter, bike, car or bus.

Head Jane Bond is chatty and approachable. She clearly loves engaging with the children while pursuing her mission to ‘maintain the good stuff, build what we need to put in place and tweak as we go along’. She’s been at KCP for three years and has already built and tweaked for the better, with hot lunches and the aforementioned wraparound care and full-day nursery provision all now on offer. Specialist teaching for sport, music, art, French and IT is also a passion, with most delivered from nursery. ‘This means that pupils are getting input at a good level and meeting different adults; they are not with one class teacher all day,’ she tells us. Her staff are a great mix of ‘energy and experience’ with lots of younger teachers. She’s happy the school is a standalone charitable trust prep as it means money is reinvested with no third-party involvement, and she’s most proud of the ‘happy, well-rounded children’ at the school.

Numbers are on the rise; there are currently 275 pupils with a two-form entry in Reception which is maintained up the school with a maximum of 20 in a class. Nursery is non-selective and a nursery place guarantees one in Reception. For entry into Reception, children come in for a taster session with one of the Reception classes, and for entry into Years 1 and 2, children are invited to a trial morning and have an informal chat with a member of staff. Entry to Junior House (Years 4 and 5) involves a more in-depth chat ‘as academics are fairly pacey’, Mrs Bond says.

From Nursery, each form has its own classroom, with a form teacher and teaching assistant (from Year 3, one teaching assistant works across two classes). Pupils move around for sport, dance, music and IT, with a specialist French teacher visiting each form in their classroom. The rooms are all light and bright with interactive smartboards and their own mini-library. Guided reading starts in Year 1, and Years 5 and 6 continue reading out loud. The whole school library is a lovely calm space with full-height windows, comfy banquettes and books arranged by genre. It’s open for Year 3 pupils onwards at break and lunchtime, and children can start borrowing books from Year 1. From Year 2, pupils go to the lab for science where they learn about everything from circuits to bones; Year 6 dissects lamb hearts. The ICT suite is impressive and children graduate from learning typing to coding and web design.

From Year 5, all pupils are prepared for the 11+, including taking mock exams and having interview practice tailored individually depending on which school a child is applying for. Leavers head off in all directions – St Paul’s Boys and Girls, Kingston Grammar, Emanuel, King’s College, Lady Eleanor Holles and Hampton to name a few. Last year, 27 scholarships were offered to the cohort of 37 pupils.

The small hall is used for PE and dance, and an Astro rented from the school opposite is used for Year 1 and 2 outdoor games. The school also has use of Priory Park Club for junior games. From Year 3, children travel by coach two afternoons a week to King’s House School Sports Ground on the other side of Chiswick Bridge where they play netball, football, rugby, cricket, hockey (for Years 5 and 6) and do athletics and cross-country. Years 3 to 6 have the opportunity to participate in mixed sport. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 have swimming once a week at Pools on the Park in Richmond. There is a full fixtures calendar in all sports across the three terms, and the school participates in borough, ISA and London school events. 

The delightful art room is a hive of activity with children dressed in art overalls painting, sketching and modelling clay. Children in Years 3 and 4 also take part in arts and crafts club and fine art club. Each key stage has a choir, and there is also a wind band and string group who perform at least once a term, both in school assemblies and in the wider community. Peripatetic teachers come and teach in the two practice rooms, each of which has a piano – the most popular instruments include clarinet, violin, guitar and drums. 

Drama is taught to Years 3, 4 and 5 and LAMDA is available as an extra from Year 3. Summer plays by Reception and Years 2 and 4 are performed in the big hall. Year 6 perform at a local theatre and last year put on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. 

Clubs are on offer from Year 1 and include fencing, arts and craft, young engineers and a variety of sports activities. Once the Year 6s take the 11+, they run a Young Enterprise club with groups pitching ideas Dragons’ Den-style. Each group has a moderate start-up fund and work towards a day when they sell their product to see who makes the most money (all of which goes to charity).

Small pupil numbers mean a watchful eye is kept on every child, with class teachers and TAs supported by a head of pastoral care. Little ones have ‘worry monsters’ while the older pupils have worry boxes to post concerns in. There’s great communication with parents and pupils told us they feel well supported: ‘Everyone gets to know you and knows if you are sad,’ the head boy says. SEN provision is good; there are 40-odd pupils on the SEN list who receive extra support in group and one-to-one sessions. ‘Generally they thrive with support,’ says the head. Hot lunches are delivered by an outside catering company and eaten in classrooms, but plans are afoot for a proper kitchen and dining room.

Parents are an involved bunch, with a PTA that organises balls, discos, quiz nights and fairs.

A grounded school that has its finger on the pulse of what is best for each child. The result is happy, confident pupils who clearly love being at school – so much so that the head boy and girl told us they wished there was a Kew College Prep secondary school so they could stay.