Perspective - Parents

Kings Langley School Parent Perspective

Parent 1

Our elder two children are at Kings Langley School with our third hopefully attending next September. As parents of a child entering Year 7, the change from Primary school was a little daunting, but that was for us as parents and definitely not the kids. They took it in their stride and it didn’t take long for them to be extremely happy and comfortable at school; and that’s even with Covid doing its best to disrupt everything along the way! Their form tutors and all teachers have been extremely supportive over the past few years whilst at the same time stretching the children to achieve their potential, no mean feat when a large proportion has been virtual. 

We love that the school offers a wide range of extra curriculum activities, our children partake and represent the school in lots of sports; results and pictures are often publicised on socials which is great to see and celebrate. Mr Fisher is also strong on celebrating achievements whether that be sporting, academic or otherwise; great to see on the weekly newsletters and socials, it’s clear he and the staff truly care about the children and their all-round education.

Parent 2

As a parent of a child at Kings Langley School, I have been particularly impressed with both the detailed communications and intricate planning that went into managing the 2020/21 Covid 19 academic year. The staff at Kings Langley School have gone above and beyond in light of the current circumstances. 

The school was particularly quick to reintroduce the after school clubs and put a real emphasis on physical and team activities. I cannot underestimate how important this was during a year of relative inactivity, and this shows how well the staff work together as a team to make this happen.  

Having an older child at a grammar school I am in a unique position of seeing both a very academic school, (focused almost entirely on grades) and a mixed ability school. What has struck me most about Kings Langley is how warm, welcoming and kind the school is in comparison but very much focuses on the academic as well but they pay an equal weighting to each. Every child is made to feel special and achievements are celebrated far more passionately. 

The staff are very approachable and have a clear desire to work together with parents to help us achieve the best for our children. This is a breath of fresh air and very much appreciated. 

I am genuinely very happy that my daughter is at this school and look forward to her growing in confidence and achieving her full potential.

Parent 3

Both myself and my husband attended Kings Langley School many years ago and have only great things to say about our experience now as parents.

The teachers integrate compassion into their teaching standards and emphasise the importance of values & resilience through each of their lessons. The curriculum is second to none and this was shown through my daughter's amazing GCSE results earlier this year. Each child is treated with care and should an issue arise, it is dealt with in a very respectful, approachable manner. Some of the same teachers who taught us are teaching our children as well.

My daughter has attended Kings Langley for six years now. She absolutely loves the school. After moving house at the end of the summer she travels over an hour to get to and from school each day which is a testament to how settled she feels.

As parents we want to send our children off daily feeling safe and happy and at Kings Langley School this is achieved. I will be sad to see my daughter leave in 2 years' time but know that Kings Langley will have done a great job in helping her become a confident, resilient and well rounded young lady on the next stage of her education at University.

Well done and thank you Kings Langley - Keep going!!!

Parent 4

Being a parent to adolescents is a roller-coaster ride of joys and challenges. The transition to secondary school means letting go of a lot of the control we had when they were little and trusting them to go forth and make their own decisions. Some of those decisions have been cautious and wise; others less so! Throughout, we have had the security of the knowledge that they are safe and cared for and regularly challenged to be their best at school.

Where the personal crises and dramas have occurred, there has always been someone calm and informed to offer help and guide our daughters through. Special mentions to Ms Ellison for helping when our eldest was seriously concerned about the wellbeing of a friend and Mrs Rigby for intervening in the thorny issue of girls’ evolving loyalties in Year 9.

The most crucial development in the last two years under Mr Fisher’s leadership has been a relentless focus on standards. Whilst character is vital, achievement matters too. Our daughters are ambitious and proud of their efforts; they take responsibility for their homework and equipment. They have a growing knowledge about the world and are able to talk and debate articulately and passionately about equity, politics and human rights. They are challenged to move beyond their comfort zones. "This classroom is a safe place. I don’t care if you make mistakes, but you must always try," said Mr Shaw as our eldest embarked on her GCSEs earlier this month. "I will never be afraid of putting my hand up again," she said. In a school where children feel safe, where aspirations are high and expectations clear, the sky really is the limit for our young people.

Parent 5

I feel very blessed that my children have all gone to Kings Langley. It has really lived up to what I hoped it would, when I chose for my son to go there, all those years ago. A caring school that is not all about academic prowess, but will strive to enable children to achieve their best and not give up. The term stickability that Kings Langley prides itself on, has proved to be a great foundation for my son. I hope now that he will fly, work hard, party hard but safely and have a wonderful experience.

I just wanted to say a huge thank you again, to you and the team. It has been a tough two years for my son and to some extent, his younger brother, doing GCSEs. However, you never gave up on him and you kept him going when on several occasions he was about to quit. I also thank the teaching staff who under really trying circumstances at times, did so much for these children/young adults.

Parent 6

My daughter has suffered with anxiety for the last 18 months of primary school. I had great anxiety about her transition to secondary school. I was always impressed with the new Head’s approach to nurturing the students as a whole and encouraging them to be the best version of themselves they can be. Since starting at the school, I have been greatly impressed by the staff support and encouragement of my daughter and the confidence they have instilled in her to embrace all the school has to offer her and she seems to be responding to this with enthusiasm and as such her issues at primary seem to have vanished under the care of staff at Kings Langley School.

Local Resident

We moved to Kings Langley a couple of years ago, and live opposite the secondary school. We have a 3 year old. I'd just like to say how lovely the students have been. They're polite and kind and always take care when we're out with our son. I make special mention of a few occasions we've been on the common and some of the older kids have been letting off steam after school - but they're self-aware, notice who else is around and adjust their behaviour. Not something you'd necessarily expect of groups of older kids out having fun together. In the two years we've been here I can't remember having a single bad experience.