Austin Friars

Please think long and hard about investing in any way at this school as I don't think it will last much longer than 2 more years and could close with no notice to parents or staff.
Already the head teacher has Quit right in the middle of his flailing campaign to raise £2.5 for a sports hall that he keeps changing his mind about - embarrassing to all who are involved and god help the investors so far. He has taken a great school and ruined it in his 11 years there and is now running away, leaving demoralised staff in his wake.
The bursar is a bully who blackmails anyone who dares to question anything, especially wrongly billed invoices. Lets hope he follows the old headmaster and quits too.
Ask around if you are thinking about putting your children in here. It has gone downhill and is managed by overpaid, under-qualified staff who care only about the money coming in.
They must hate parents as they treat them so badly.
They must hate staff as they get no thanks for their efforts and give them no training or development.
Some teaching staff are nice and kind.
most are not given the chance to be trained to be better so they never get better than their last teaching year since they arrived.
Some arrange their own training to better themselves.
All staff in senior and juniors told to be authoritarian.
Not all children feel safe.
Bullying is Rife here and not dealt with, just hidden.
They don't keep child assessments as they don't bother to do them as not ofsteded.
No children are allowed to speak up for themselves. Told to shut up.
Boys who are not sporty get ignored and left out.
Boys who are sporty get told to "man up" when clearly hurt in rugby.....in 2023!.
Teaching is mostly done via videos on you tube and legos.
The education is substandard now, they advertise small classes as being a benefit but how can your child make friends if there are only 7 other classmates?
Your child will never get a fair shot at anything as most kids have a parent who is a working teacher or member of staff in the school, So they get picked first before others. Staff get 75% off fees so with 100 being enrolled, it's hoaching with children getting preferential treatment. Everybody complains about this but they wont recognise any complaints , ever. they just get rid of parents or staff if they make a fuss or suggest improvements.
Throughout the entire school, Children are not encouraged to be free speaking. Anyone with extra needs are never addressed properly or are made to feel substandard, many have been told they are no longer welcome because it will reflect badly on the schools figures.
To offer balance, Good points, some Children say food is a bit better than before, astro turf pitch is ok, building looks good from far away, some children are polite, parties/do's are good offsite, flags look nice, awards ceremonies are good in chapel, saturday sports are good to watch, kids do good pantomime at end of year and pimms good at sports day on field. kids like casuals day
My answer would be a whole new management team moving forward.
The funny thing is, they are so pompous that they will never think to look at their own reviews to see where they could improve. Do your homework and listen to what people really want to say but are too scared to on other sites as they will get sacked or thrown out the school. Do yourself a favour..... steer well clear.
NB - these are my own opinions and based on my information.

Any child (or indeed family) who doesn't fit the school's narrow, outdated profile is not welcome in the school. They have an especially awful track record when it comes to children with additional needs. They say they are inclusive but they are not. Exclusion (often permanent) is their preferred method of dealing with children who have difficulties.

As for the bullying at the school, depends on who is doing the bullying. If it's a child from one of the families who think they own the school then nothing will get done about it. Instead your child will be made to look like they are the ones at fault.

It's also very, very expensive and the fees paid don't necessarily reflect the facilities that are available either.

In short, avoid, avoid, avoid.

Impressed by the School both academically and pastorally. Children thrive and very much worth the investment. I don't recognise the negative reviews as School very caring and supportive

absolutely great school, children are given amazing opportunities, extra help is always there and teachers are always willing to lend a hand.

Terrible school. If you want to pay through the nose for the children of staff to get all the opportunities before your kids, then this is the place for you. Bullying by rich families is ignored. No wonder they’re desperate for students number to rise.

Absolutely awful school, head teacher kicked students out for mental health reasons. Not Christian at all !