No Primary Place - need advice on Private school

[Bonny10]

Hi,

we have been refused place at our local primary schools and are now looking into Private education around Bournemouth and Poole.

Does anyone have any feedback regarding how good St Thomas Garnet is and Bournemouth Collegiate (the old Uplands school) is?? Or any other recommendations.....particularly those two though???

thanks

[keepitsweet]

Only experience of the old Uplands, IMVeryHO it was a poor standard private, same with old Wentworth.

However, am now hearing great things about new Bournemouth Collegiate.

Have you considered the Park school, that gets great results and never heard anything negative about it. (And it's also got relatively low fees).

[Bonny10]

Thanks for replying, yes I did think of Park but they were full for reception and had a waiting list.

Yes I had also heard not great reports on the old Uplands but the new Bmth Collegiate website makes it sound really good. I am just not sure if they would have been able to turn it round in that short space of time.

St Thomas Garnet seemed nice, but then I heard some bad reports on that, which then totally confused me, as I was quite pleased with that school when I went for a visit.

This is such a hard decision to make and don't want to get it wrong.

thanks for the info though x

[keepitsweet]

What gender is your child? Do you have other dc to consider?

Bmth Collegiate head was at Ballard. May give you an opinion either way.

Have you considered Talbot Heath? Buckholme Towers? Alternatively consider further afield, as good school minibus services, Yarrels, Dumpton, Castle Court, Durlston Court.

[Bonny10]

Hi it's my daughter but I do have a son to consider soon too. That's really interesting what you say about Ballard Head, as I have a feeling that was a good school. I will check out the offsted for Ballard in a minute.

Bmth Collegiate did sound good on the internet but you never know. That's really helped me about the Head, so thanks a lot, I will get onto the offsted now. I think the other Private schools are a bit too far. Talbot Heath is all girls and therefore I would then have a problem with my son and I have thought about Buckholme.

thanks so much for your help x

[LleytonsMummy]

What about Moyles Court in Ringwood ? I have a very good friend who's DC attend. They get on the mini bus in Bournemouth. Classes are very small average about 8-12 I think. She loves it for them as its not only geared towards passing 11+ and felt their first private school in bournemouth starting preparing them for it in reception and she wasn't happy about that..

[sweetypea1]

Hiya,
I know Im late answering this - but I would like very much warn people away from the Bournemouth Collegiate Prep School (was Uplands). The Teaching is VERY poor - my little one in the early years was read with once every two weeks. We rushed into school one day only for me to find out that they had been watching Films for most of the day - and the behavior of the children was not good,there was NO discipline. There was an incident of a boy smearing his own excrement over the boys toilets. I witness several things whilst waiting for my sibling to finish school
I heard reports of a year 3 teacher not being able to spell properly. The staff have all been changed to extremely young teachers, and they are not experienced in private education.
The other part is you are asked to either donate toys or money ALOT. The money is generally not given to Charity but to the school!(very few events are for charity)
We have now moved on to another private school and I now have a child that can count and read - but my little one was behind.
please do not waste your money on this school look elsewhere first. I know of at least 5 children in the same year who were not at all happy.

[Saracen]

What has the Local Authority offered you: are they proposing to send your child to a more distant school which you dislike, or have they not yet said what they are offering?

They have a duty to make arrangements for your child's education if you ask them to, though of course I understand if you don't like what's on offer from them.

[Arisbottle]

What would happen if you did not have the money for private?

Have you really no primary place, which surely would be impossible , or have you been offered a place you do not want.

[difficultpickle]

This is a zombie thread from 2010!