Richmond Park Academy

RPA is an inspiring secondary school. It used to have a bad reputation years ago but it’s undergoing a significant transformation under new and visionary leadership. When our child was in Year 5/6 we agonised over whether to go down the private school road or give RPA a chance, and I’m glad that we did. It’s a big school with lots of different kids, which means that everyone can find their friend group. The teachers are dedicated and exam results are outstanding. There’s a lot of focus on rewarding positive behaviours and progress. The school still needs to shout louder about the extracurricular activities that are on offer and tighten its communication, but as far as the actual experience goes Richmond Park Academy is excellent and I suspect it will only continue to improve under the new Headmaster.

They tell us to come to school even if we have symptoms of corona

I have learnt to be independent because of this school, now you may think that’s great. But it’s not. I was forced too. The teachers here are shit. They will not help you and they will force you to do everything yourself because they sit around in the classroom and do nothing. They expect you to do everything yourself. If your not intelligent get out! That’s what this school thinks.
However, this school has made me stronger by throwing rocks on me forcing me to build a shield and become a tougher person. But also they throw out detentions for no reason and ice got accused for a lot of things I didn’t do.
But they don’t care.
The grades are increasing because they are accepting higher students now, now lower. The teachers will not always help you. I had only two great teachers for maths and one of them left.
There was this maths teacher, I needed to ask if I could do a psychology experiment in her class as she seemed very nice. However her response was “eh why yar asking me. No no no. I’m not doing that. Get out. Get out. No no.” How disrespectful and defiant! I asked a simple Nice question but got a rude answer back. Do not recommend this school. I’m at this school because I’ve been here for a long time and understand how the school works but other than that. If you can’t teach yourself stuff than don’t come here. It’s up to you. My experience is completely different to others.

RPA is a good school depending on the type of student you are. If you are someone who is geniunly interested in sports, then RPA is the place for you. They have a large and supportive sports dept. and outstanding facilities (field and astro turf) and lots of extra-curricular activites. RPA’s GCSE grades have been increasing in the past years however, the quality of teaching is really dependent on the teacher you get. If you are a student interested in arts and music, I wouldnt recommend RPA as the facilities arent the best.

RPA is an average school. Large outdoor spaces in the school considering it’s in London and there’s Richmond Park minuets away.
Teaching is average, depending on the teacher.
School spirit has fallen in recent years and the school has become more academic than artistic with events.