The Acorn School, Morden and The Acorn School, Nailsworth

[splodgypickles]

Any advice or reviews on this school please. We're thinking of sending DD and DS there and would love to hear from any current parents. Honest opinions please!

[spandexbob]

I know some former parents of the Acorn school local to me. They found the regime rather difficult and moved to a Steiner School in one case and mainstream state school in the others.

Have you visited? Have you read the headmaster's blog?

[Noitsnotteatimeyet]

Have you looked at it really carefully? It is effectively a Steiner school and you only need to do a cursory search on these boards to realise how contentious Steiner-based education is ...

[spandexbob]

It isn't quite a Steiner school, though. The head invented his own system and is very, extreme. Head's blog

[botheredandbewildered]

I have a 10 year old daughter at the London Acorn. She started in September and is absolutely loving it. She was previously disenchanted and disengaged in a decent primary school. The Acorn has totally turned her back on to the idea of learning.
The school has close links with the Acorn in Nailsworth, but operates independently. It is similar to a Steiner school, more so in the kindergarten. Parents agree to a charter which states that children under 12 should not watch any television or use computers/tablets/mobile phones, etc. Devices are then gradually introduced as the children get older. This has actually been very easy, and my daughter doesn't seem to think she's missing very much.
I would highly recommend the school. There is an Open Morning on 23rd January, so come along and have a look!

[splodgypickles]

thanks everyone for their feedback. Difficult to know what to do - if anyone knows of a holy grail school for us... great academics, not overly punitive or pushy with a 'whole child' ethos? IS there such a school out there?!! I'll go along to the open day tomorrow and see what's what.

[Haahooooo]

I'm not sure of your location OP but if near Wimbledon have you looked at The Rowans?

[splodgypickles]

thanks Haahooooo
will check it out :)

[M0ther4]

I would say to any parent: stay away from this toxic school! It is not child centred as it claims but serves entirely the ego of the headmaster and the neediness of his wife. Children get 'rousted' (as the headmaster refers to it proudly) which basically is a shaming and blaming procedure, they get 'put in their box' and the help is offered which creates the illusion of goodwill and in effect dependence. Parents are always made to feel inadequate and failing their children. It is a vicious cycle and as one can get so caught up in it it reminds me now of a 'cult'. I am talking from first hand experience!

[BillyRuff1an]

A friend tipped me off about this thread, knowing that my children had been at the Acorn School in Gloucestershire. At first we thought we'd found a real gem, the holy grail of education. The head's Colonel Blimp manner can be beguiling, at the beginning, and it seems a close knit community of students, staff and parents. But for us this unravelled bit by bit. Our children were presented as 'problems' (not child centred at all), we were asked if we'd thought of another school (the message 'you're not good enough for here'). It was a hugely undermining experience for us as parents and, most importantly, for our children. The community is riven by insecurities created by the way the school is run - a shame as there are some lovely people there. We got out once we finally realised what was going on. Since then I've spoken to many people who've had a similar experience at Acorn. All of us say 'how could we not see this sooner?'