King Edwards School, Witley

[wrotham]

We are looking for a day school for our son in the area south of Guildford. We have visted and asked around about King Edwards in Witley but are having problems as to gauging the school. We have been twice and came out feeling rather flat although the pupil who showed us around was very good.
There is no information in the Good Schools Guide and asking around the area we have heard very mixed things. Anyone know the school? How academic is it? What is the teaching, sport, drama etc. like?

[2shoes]

my DB used to work there(not as teaching staff) he really rated it.

[Doryzurich]

Hi there, was wondering if anyone knows anything about King Edwards School in Witley? I've just been told by my husband that we're returning to UK within the next 6 months and need to get my 11year old into a private school somewhere in the South East. I've done a quick IB schools search and King Edwards looks great on the internet, but the independent schools report for 2010 mentions that it has a high ratio of kids requiring special learning assistance....this obviously isn't a problem in itself, but I'm not sure if the school is specialising in kids with learning difficulties. Does anyone out there know for sure? The school looks good, but can't find much on their GCSE results....any information would be gratefully received...I'm panicking as not really sure where to start looking for schools, let alone what their availability will be like!

[mummytime]

There are loads of IB schools in the South East (lots in Surrey). King Edwards might have been somewhere to consider for us, but they still did Saturday school for the lower school then. My son liked the teacher he talked to, but didn't want to do Saturdays.

If I could afford it I would be considering ACS. Lots more schools are doing IB, but few do the middle years or early years as well, ACS does.

[Doryzurich]

I couldn't get through to ACS today as they have two Inset days...so I'm waiting for 9am Monday morning . Thanks for your feedback for King Edwards - as they have places we'll definitely put it down on our list of 'go to sees'.

Thanks again

[elizadoo]

Are u talking about entry sept 2011? You need to call king ed today and go now - they are showing late intake parents round today and tomoro. They offered chance to those rejected from christs hospital and we just turned down seeing KE because decided to stick to school in London. I too wasn't sure whether it seemed to cater to special needs and kids from difficult backgrounds - cd be a dominating force since it's such a small school - 300 odd ...

[Doryzurich]

Crikey - how do you find out about the special needs aspect/difficult backgrounds...would it be out of order for me to just call them and ask outright? Unfortunately, I'm stuck in Zurich with no way of getting to UK for another 2 weeks.

Should I be worried that KE seems to be the only school in Surrey that has spaces for Year 8 intake??

[elizadoo]

Sorry - I really don't know answer. I guess u shd just ask. We were sent details of bursary and in that they said they have provision for kids from difficult situations or something of that nature ...

[bensleyfamily]

UPDATE: in case anyone is googling to find feedback about this school. My son started in Year 7. I can't rate it highly enough. While there is provision to provide places for children from difficult situations, they do not look to take difficult children. The pastoral care is amazing. My son was bullied throughout primary school (he is currently undergoing assessment for Aspergers and children can be cruel to those who are different). There is zero tolerance of bullying and unkindness at this school. This has resulted in an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance. My son is happy at school for the first time in his life. If a child is happy, they learn better. The teachers are passionate about their subjects and approachable. They treat each child as an individual and do their utmost to get the best out of each child. The facilities are amazing. Great school!

[Flyingmum23]

I have just learnt that they are offering A level and the satirday school is for extra curriculum activities. What I cannot figure out is if the school maximises academic potential. The grades achieved in the website are quite generic. With the introduction of A levels will this school be more popular?. It does not look over subscribed.

[Rosita]

Flyingmum23 - did you ever find out the answer to your questions? I have the same ones.
Any updates on this school would be great!

[Ozgirl75]

@bensleyfamily i don’t know if you’re still on mumsnet but I wondered how your King Edwards journey had progressed? We are looking at the school for our son right now!

[bensleyfamily]

Sorry, just saw this. Yes, I am happy. In terms of facilities, there has been extensive work carried out recently and the Upper 6th form area is amazing. It is a small school with a focus on pastoral care and happiness. I would definitely say take a look. My eldest had a wobble during and after lockdown, he did not cope with online learning (the school set up Zoom lessons and it was a full school day so not the fault of the school) and got extremely behind. His teachers gave up time in their weekends and holidays to help him get to where he needed to be. I don't think there are many schools where this would happen. My youngest has just started this September. Any questions feel free to ask.

[Ozgirl75]

Oh that’s so brilliant to hear - my son has just been offered a place for next year and I’ve been very impressed with everything so far. We may also need some extra assistance as we’re coming back from overseas so have probably missed a chunk of English curriculum but they seem very confident that they can help him pick up any missed bits.
The school we’re at at the moment is also very good with pastoral care and although my son is relatively academic, I wanted to avoid the hot house tutored atmosphere and also really stringently wanted to avoid a snooty school.
Do the other parents seem pleasant? Not too flashy?

[bensleyfamily]

I wouldn't worry about having missed any of the curriculum. Two of my children missed the entirety of year 6 (last year of primary school) and it wasn't a problem. I would expect much of the learning is similar, unless it is an exam year in which case the school was great with my son when he needed help. Not a snooty school at all. Parents have always been friendly and from a range of backgrounds :)

[Figgy321]

My daughter went there from 12-18 and boarded. I have nothing but praise for the school. She’s just finished at RG group uni - she is of dual (black/ white ) heritage has friends of all nationalities and as a teacher myself I rate it highly.

[clopster]

Hi everyone,
Just jumping on this thread to ask about your experience of King Edwards?

My son is sitting the exam in 2 weeks. I'm slightly nervous he won't get in!

Do you know what score they are looking for? He has ADHD and struggles with exams. He'll be fine at interview as he can talk alot and is fine socially.

We really rated the school when we went to visit and the SENCO seemed lovely too.
Any advice appreciated thanks 🙂

[Ozgirl75]

@clopster I'm sure he’ll be fine - the school is actively growing and has a range of academic levels there.
We’ve had a pretty good experience there - teachers are great and very supportive. Kids are ok, my son has had some issues with low level meanness but I think that is more a reflection on the school he came from overseas and a bit of clash of cultures more than anything. He hasnt really come across the British piss taking and sarcasm as much before!
School great though, so many extra curriculars which are fab, good music and drama and loads of sport. Classes are a reasonable size and extra help is there when you need it. The new head (not that new now!) is VERY keen on making the school the “go to” in the area for all rounder kids who want an opportunity to try lots of things. They will push you academically but the kid has to want it, they don’t spoon feed but the expectations are high, especially if you’re a more academic child.