St Mary's Hare Park School

St Marys Hare Park says it is a small school with a big heart, but unfortunately, its size also means a lack of facilities and a real struggle to provide the well-rounded education and care that children need. While the teachers work incredibly hard, they do so with limited resources and little visible support from leadership. Many have been expected to take on multiple roles and there is no dedicated qualified SEND teacher meaning there's minimal support to those who really need it.

One of the most concerning aspects of the school has been the impact on student well-being and safeguarding. In our experience, the school does not take the time, care, and attention needed to create a fully supportive environment for students. Disruptive behaviour, bullying, racism, and homophobia have been raised as concerns multiple times by many parents, but the response has not always been effective or transparent. The school has not clearly communicated how such incidents are handled, and in our opinion, the anti-bullying policy lacks clear consequences, leaving children feeling unsupported and struggling to focus on their education. It left us with a real lack of trust with the school.

Several parents, including us, have found it difficult to secure time with the Headteacher to discuss concerns. While the school does occasionally seek parental feedback (eg asking parents about the school providing iPads for an additional fee), there is no meaningful follow-up or acknowledgment, leaving families feeling disconnected from key decisions.

The school’s facilities have suffered from years of underinvestment, with parents’ fees now covering basic maintenance and repairs. As a small independent school without government funding, families are effectively paying for upkeep (new roof, boiler, etc.) rather than improvements that enhance our child’s education and experience.

The playground equipment has been condemned multiple times over the last few years (and thanks to the lovely caretaker who has tried to repair it) it needs replacing. Yet rather than the school prioritising this, the Parent Teacher Association has taken on the responsibility of raising the money—effectively asking parents to fund what many would expect the school to cover.

Sports provision is extremely limited (which is so important for secondary school placments), with activities such as football using a foam-ball and hockey using plastic sticks taking place inside the school hall. While some external sporting events are available (if your child gets selected), parents are expected to drop off and pick up children during the school day—often with limited notice—which is not great for working families..

There has also been a noticeable decline in extra-curricular activities. Sadly World Book Day, once a real highlight of the year where children dressed up in costume; has now been reduced to “paint a wooden spoon and bring it to class,” showing a real lack of enthusiasm for making learning fun.

Lunches are not included in school fees, but if parents opt-in for hot meals, they are provided by the same catering company as local state schools—except here, us parents are charged nearly double the price, and kids come back saying they often didnt get the option they had selected.

In our experience, the school seems more focused on maintaining fee income than addressing student issues, possibly out of concern that families might leave. Rather than investing in a better education and experience for the children, fees are being used to cover maintenance and upkeep, leaving little visible improvement in the quality of school life.

While the school has a warm and friendly community, the reality is that there are better options locally that offer more in terms of facilities, extra-curricular activities, and overall value for money. If you’re considering private education, it would be worth looking at alternatives in the local area or enrolling directly in the secondary school you’re aiming for access to better resources and value for money.