Understanding London school scene with Yellowbird Education

‘That was amazing!’

When we walked out of the Yellowbird Education offices on Fulham Road the other evening Daddy T was all smiles. We had been invited to meet with Janie to talk about future schools for Baby Boy, and after the session we felt a lot better prepared for what’s to come.

Baby Boy should have no reason to worry. We left with a paper full of notes about his options, and a very specific plan for now.

Education is immensely important to us. It’s one of the main reasons for why we love living in London with children, and we want to ensure we get schools right from the get go.

I’ve felt I’ve learnt a lot from speaking to other parents about schools and touring different schools, but it was not before now I realised the true value of sitting down with an independent advisor instead.

Janie seemed to know it all. It’s a different experience than picking up bits and pieces of information here and there. It’s about getting the full overview and considering all options that could suit your individual child and family situation.

As an ex headmistress at a local independent school and someone who speaks to parents regularly, she’s very tuned in on London schools and the pros and cons of the different options. She’s heard what parents say about the schools and she has visited schools herself, meaning she’s able to offer her personal take-aways too.

For us, it was so far about ensuring we hadn’t missed registering Baby Boy at any relevant prep schools. We want no regrets, and Janie mentioned several schools that hadn’t been on our radar before.

We also gained a better understanding of the next steps, and for boys in particular, I think it is crucial to know more about the secondary schools in London before making a decision on prep schools, particularly since boarding schools is not something we’re familiar with from growing up in Norway and we feel more comfortable with London day schools.

We now have an idea of how we could ensure Baby Boy has the best possible opportunities to get into a school that would suit him. It may be way too early to say if he’s academic, sporty, artistic or someone with a ‘spark’, but that’s not the point.

We simply want to keep his options open and ensure we find the very best school for him when the time comes.

Yellowbird Education offers a consultancy service for families wanting to plan ahead, and families relocating to London. They can explain the British school system, as well as give specific advise on different schools, and they can also support parents through the school search process. The company has offices in Fulham but cover all of London, and has also been involved in advising on boarding schools abroad.

Tags: Boarding schools, Day schools, Education, Fulham, Independent prep schools, London, Yellowbird Education