Bancroft's School in Woodford

[Changeandchangeagain]

I am considering this school for my DS. He will do the assessment in Jan for the prep school dept, which we have visited and liked. However we don't know as much about the senior school besides its reputation of being quite academic. Wondering if anyone has any current knowledge about the school? I think the senior school head is relatively new too, has the school changed in its ethos? Is it really as results oriented as some people suggested in the past? Any comments/advice would be really appreciated!

[ChestnutsRoastingOnAnOpenFire]

My DD got an offer for the senior school -11plus entry this year. I really liked it but she didn't warm to it at all, so we went with a different offer. I remember there was quite a high geek quota at the offer holders day and she didn't think she'd fit in. It had nice facilities but not on a big plot and you couldn't walk on the quad or the girls use the sports pitch, which seemed reserved for boys rugby.

[Changeandchangeagain]

Thanks Chestnuts! DS is kind of geeky although he is so young it is hard to tell how he will develop. I think I am hoping for somewhere pretty academic but healthily so, not over competitive within the school. I really liked the teaching staff when I visited the prep, and can see my son being happy there, but can't really tell for senior school.

[ChestnutsRoastingOnAnOpenFire]

The teachers seemed ok but the open evening was horribly crowded so you don't really get a feel for it until you visit on a normal day. The kids showing us around were nice, it seemed to have a higher proportion of oddballs in the younger years (years 7/8) than in the older ones. I guess that is because year on year it is harder to get into and you don't get interviewed unless you 'pass' the exam. I didn't get the impression it was horribly pressurised, as with all these schools they get the grades because of the selective intake. Having said that I did think there was an air of it being quite grade and league table smug, and the offer letters contained a caveat about children needing to maintain their academic level to stay in. That put me off a bit as teens can have their moments. Having said that I've heard the pastoral care is good, so who knows. DD has a better bullshit radar than me and she really hated it so I bowed to her judgement.

[Chippednailvarnishing]

I know someone who taught there and didn't think it was worth the money...

[ChestnutsRoastingOnAnOpenFire]

Ps the families felt less rich than at the other schools we visited. The mums I spoke to were working, lots of first time buyers, I did like that. And they don't interview the parents which I think removes any bias, I liked that too.

[ChestnutsRoastingOnAnOpenFire]

Forgot to say, we visited the prep and I thought my child's state primary was better. I don't think preps are worth the money really.

[Changeandchangeagain]

Thanks again Chestnuts! The state primary DS is in is definitely not better than Bancroft's unfortunately! The teaching in our state primary is good but the extracurricular is truely lacking. It is a lot of extra money to put DS into prep instead of starting in year 7 but not having to do 11+ is a very attractive idea. Good to hear that the families there are not all super wealthy, I want somewhere with excellent resources but still comparatively down to earth. Mind if I ask where your DD has chosen eventually?

[bojorojo]

I would just check that every prep child gets into the senior school. Not sure about this school, but quite a few filter out if they find children are less academic than they want. A friend's DD went into the 6th form and did very well. She preferred it to her previous school but she had boarded before.

[Changeandchangeagain]

Thanks bojorojo. I think they said at the open day that children from their prep will automatically have a place in the senior school although they do take the school 11+ entrance exam for scholarships. In reality I think the DC who are deemed not academic enough will probably be told earlyish to consider other options, which I gathered, unfortunately, is rather commonplace these days. I am more worried about day to day over competitiveness I guess, I don't want to put him in a cutthroat environment. I want him to do well and happy!

[QueenofLouisiana]

I'm an OB, there are a few of us on the site. Yes, the school is "keen" for the children to achieve, but most London day school are the same I think. I enjoyed the wider opportunities available to me than I had at my state secondary school (I moved midway through school) and I think I benefited from them.
I went back several years after I left for advice about applying for a post-grad place at Cambridge and got lots of help. I was told that they were pleased to help; I wasn't ready for Oxbridge when I was 18, I was at 22.
As for the pastoral care, I really needed it at 16 and again when my world fell apart- physical health and family issues combined in a few really shit months- the school looked after me, helped me catch up on time missed and nursed me through my A Levels.

[Changeandchangeagain]

Good to know that the school did their part to help you when you need it, QofL. For some reason parents I know seems to have the impression that the school pays a lot of attention to their star pupils but not so much the others. However those parents I spoke to don't actually have children in the school. Did you find that when you were there?

[QueenofLouisiana]

I was far, far away from a star pupil! Very much bog standard (albeit within a selective system).

I still had chances to access all sorts of things and was very well supported by a lot of staff. I'm still in contact with my form tutor and he remembers the residential he took my economics class on- which is quite nice so many years later!

Certainly at the time, the house system meant that staff in your house knew who you were and kept an eye out. My life had potential to have gone very tits up at 17/18, but they made sure I was kept on track and were delighted that I got into my first choice of uni- even if it wasn't a Russell Group uni to study law or medicine.

I look back on my time with fondness, not exactly happy but that was due to all the other shit going on.

[Changeandchangeagain]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me QofL. It gives me more confidence in the school, and hopefully DS will do well enough in the assessment!

[ChestnutsRoastingOnAnOpenFire]

The prep kids seemed bright, sparky, happy and not grade obsessed when we visited, so I really didnt get the impression it's a hot house (unlike city of London girls). As I said, they do well academically mostly because the top tier of bright kids get in (and they should do well almost anywhere). The pupils (by exams opted for) seem very geared towards maths and science, with far fewer opting for arts. The school we opted for felt more balanced in this regard.

[Changeandchangeagain]

Morning Chestnuts! That's my impression for the prep school children too. I hope DS gets a place in Jan. It is weird trying to choose an all through school - everything feels so far ahead. It doesn't help that I know nothing about things to look out for in secondary schools...

[EmpressoftheMundane]

There is a new head. The old head was quite happy to focus on maths and science, and was very direct when we spoke to her about the aims of the school: to get children into medicine and the city because that is what their parents aspire to. The new head has a classics background, so it will be interesting to see how things change. The facilities are very good and well maintained. It is an orderly place.

I live in the area, and people talk in code quite a lot about Bancrofts. Bancrofts has a high proportion of asian students, probably more than half now with more skewing in recent years. There are many families who, for whatever reason, are looking for something "blonder." I think it is a very good school and will consider it for my own daughter in a year, but you might as well know what the innuendo is about.

[ChestnutsRoastingOnAnOpenFire]

My child was one of only 2 white applicants when we went for her interview slot with the rest mainly Indian. At the offers morning probably 10% white. It didn't bother us at all (the oddball quotient did though) but I know people who didn't apply because their white children would be ethnic minorities there.

[Changeandchangeagain]

I think I might possibly prefer the new head then, Empress. Obviously a city or medical career are no bad things to be aiming for but it surprises me that it should be a focus of a secondary. The world changes so much when our DC enter work the most desirable careers may well have changed. The proportion of Asian children is not a major deciding factor for me, although if it gets to more than 75% then the lack of diversity will become a bit of a disadvantage. Chestnuts, do you mean the children you met lacks social skills when you say they came across as oddballs?