Kents Hill First School (MK) OR Dovery Downs School(Leighton Buzzard)?

[ZombiesAreClammyDodgers]

We are on the horns of a dilemma in relation to a house purchase. Does anyone have any experience with either of these schools? Please?

[DramaAlpaca]

No personal experience, but a friend of mine sent her DC to Dovery Down and was very happy with it. It was a few years ago, though.

[Smartiepants79]

I work in a school near to kents hill and I've only ever heard good things. It's only a first school though so make sure you look at where the children would go when they are 7/8. Kents hill is a nice area, good shops and stuff.

[ZombiesAreClammyDodgers]

Thank you both.
Re Kents Hil, what wlould one do then, in that circumstance, other than go private?

[ZombiesAreClammyDodgers]

*Hill

[redskytonight]

The vast majority of Kents Hill children go onto Heronsgate at 7. There is a new school planned for the other side of Kents Hill which might be a possibility when it is built but who knows for now.

Kents Hill (and Heronshaw) are essentially the only standalone infants schools left at this side of MK and the admissions criteria are written such that if you are at KH school and want a place at Heronsgate you are extremely likely to get one (the headteachers generally stop short of saying "a guaranteed place" but I've never known a child - including some from far out of catchment - not get in).
If you don't get a place at 7, you can appeal - and of course it is not subject to infants class size rules so again good chance of getting in - Heronsgate routinely goes above 30 in all its classes as it's on a bigger site and more capacity to cope with larger numbers.

[ZombiesAreClammyDodgers]

Not that it's the determining criteria but Heronsgate appears to not have a very good Ofsted report at the moment. Does anyone here have any practical experience with it, and do youyou/your DC like it?

[redskytonight]

The last full Ofsted was just after a change of head (PM me if you want, but you can probably read between the lines) . They've since had an interim assessment which was very positive (and should be on the Ofsted website ...) which is probably more representative of what it's like today.

The school has a very mixed catchment with the challenges you would expect. IMO it's a school on the up.

[Smartiepants79]

Yes heronsgate had the same head for a long time. They did well with him for a long time but I'm not sure quite what state he left it in.
As you'd expect I've know some parents and kids who've loved it and some who thought it was awful. I would suggest you try and see if you can look round.