Mount Kelly or Millfield Schools

[Stefanelle2]

Hi there. Can anyone give me advice about MK or Millfield Schools. Considering both for swimming and academic children aged 12 and 9. We are currently overseas so looking at lots of areas of UK and schools. Thanks

[Theyweretheworstoftimes]

Millfield. Having trained at both facilities Millfield has more facilities.

[Stefanelle2]

Thanks. We are British but been overseas some time and a bit out of touch with schools. I had read Mount Kelly had a lot of issues recently?

[1Micem0use]

I took part in a lifeguard competition at milfield. The pool was bigger than Olympic size, and there was a separate water pool pool. Amazing facilities.

[Theyweretheworstoftimes]

I don't know about any recent issues at MK but I went to Millfield. I trained with Euan Dale who I think is the current Head of Swimming and he great person.

The facilities are amazing, all the staff are lovely, great food. It has very good pastoral care as well.

[Stefanelle2]

Thank you for your nput

[1Micem0use]

Sorry typo. Water polo pool

[Theyweretheworstoftimes]

If your kids are 9 and 12 you would need the prep school?

[Statistician999]

If you are looking specifically for a swim programme you might want to look at this thread on the pros and cons of starting at 11/13/ or later. Also look at Ellesmere College

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/3727107-swim-boarding-school

[MrssusT]

Both great for swimming. MK will have more opportunities for more swimmers, though. Millfield is more selective. MK swimming has a great Instagram page.

[Stefanelle2]

Thanks all. The issue I have is my kids won’t be boarding and Millfield seems to be predominantly boarders at senior level. Not great socially for day pupils? I have heard MK have quite low grades? And their other sports aren’t great. Anyone any insight

[Theyweretheworstoftimes]

It's long days at Millfield for swimmers. I used to leave my boarding house at 5am and then get back again at 7pm after training and dinner.

The school works hard to integrate day and boarders a lot of day students spend a lot of time at school due to this.

The swimmers are very inclusive and it doesn't matter if you are day or boarder when I was there I couldn't tell you who was day and who was a boarder.
It's a huge commitment as a parent all the early morning training

[Icanfly2021]

Mount Kelly

• Best swimming club in the Country /National Arena Champions 2020
  -Choir of the Year 2020
  
  We looked at a few swimming performance schools and Mount Kelly was our choice. We moved from London and my three children have now been at the school for two years.
  We have a new Head and academics are a top priority. Many new initiatives have been introduced.The school has been upgraded which is all part of the plan which saw the merger of two schools to form Mount Kelly.
  Top coaches in all the main sports and growing girls cricket. My children are extremely busy with lots of clubs on offer.
  I would suggest visiting the school and not base your opinions on a few disgruntled ex parents. I know there are two Mums on here who despite leaving the school a few years ago feel the need to constantly write negative threads. These are unhelpful and don't reflect the current situation.

[tavinbloom]

Meanwhile, away from the PR.... we removed our daughter because of the very poor academic standards rather than its swimming but as a poster has name changed to once again tell us how wonderfull it is I thought Id comment.
I still have many contacts at the school and my daughter is still good friends with several children at the school,the poster is right,the new Head does have new initiatives,hes keen on Rugby ,so hes brought in a Head of sport thats keen on Rugby and a new Rugby coach ,,great,the only problem is the school has a very weak fixture list,doesnt have the numbers to put out many teams (-thats what happens when you load the school with swimmers and foreign children-)other local schools have far better rugby programmes,that why MK doesnt play them.so whats the point.. beyond an excited press release..girls sport remains very poor,its possible for a girl to go a whole term with no fixtures against other schools,the numbers just arent there.the schools best non swimming sportsgirl left as the standards were so low.
The previous Head when he joined all of five or six years ago was keen on Cricket,so he brought in a head of sport that was an ex cricket pro,he got a fixture against Eton and bigged up the cricket,results and fixtures didn't really improve ,he left ,the head of sport left and the boys find very little has changed.
A friends son is in the cricket team and was excited by the fixture against Eton ,less impressed on arriving at Eton to discover they were playing a scratch team that was according to one of the Eton boys a 7th or 8th XI,not that MK admitted this,lots of mention of MK XI v Eton ,but no mention of who they were actually playing..
Im delighted Academics are a top priority they need to be,they are very poor,when the best results at GCSE are in subjects the school doesnt teach(Chinese,German)and the sixth form most popular subject is BTEC sport then you know the school is not academic and maybe update the recent university destinations page,some people might think listing two to Oxford is a bit misleading if those are several years ago..When did the school last get an Oxbridge place,5 or 6 years ago?
My daughter wasnt a swimmer so cant really comment beyond the fact that the swimming programme at both the prep and senior school seems to get bigger and bigger each year with more and more foreign children,there are now well over 100 children on the programme,thats a large percentage of the school ,despite the # its hard to see beyond the swimming..


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[Theyweretheworstoftimes]

My experience of Millfield was that they made every pupil the best version of themselves. Whatever that looked like.

Support was given for academic studies if pupils struggled and the school celebrated whatever the pupils were good at.

It didn't matter if you were going to be. Dr at Oxford a City Banker or an Olympian.

It depends also on the child. You need to find the right school for the child. Children will flourish in the right environment for them.

[Whyaremychildrenmad]

Every time I see a thread about Mount Kelly Tavinbloom pops up to slate the school. My child is a swimmer and a boarder and is absolutely loving being there. Some of the locals (the ones who post here) seem to have a real problem with anyone who isn’t local being at their school. Tavi is not Royston Vasey!
As a previous poster has said, go and see the school for yourself. We checked out Millfield and great as it was it didn’t seem as caring as MK. They really do seem to want the children to do well and the academics are on the up. Given that it’s not a selective school I think they do quite well. And the swimming is phenomenal. Getting better each year. Please don’t be swayed by one disgruntled parent.

[devonliving1]

Really sad that Tavinbloom has nothing constructive to do but continue to slate MK. Considering her child left in 2017 and surely should be at Oxbridge now- I hope she did not disappoint.
Her facts are false and I feel offended at her continued racist undertones.
As an Australian sports mad family with a child in Y10 and Y6 both in County teams, I can only praise the school. There are more than enough fixtures, top Coaches and facilities. My one child is academically gift and has been challenged in all years and my other has needed some support.
It is a non selective school so caters for all abilities which is great as it is more realistic to life.

[tavinbloom]

Oh dear..we have three posters telling everyone how great MK is-all three have never posted on mumsnet before, nothing odd about that at all ...Im delighted with my daughters choice of Uni.,very nice of you to enquire.MK A level results in her subjects last year failed to get a single Student with an A or A* in two of them so not exactly worrying we made the wrong choice..
There is nothing racist about pointing out that the schools drive to recruit large numbers of overseas boarders has led to very large cliques,a lack of integration and very few taking much part in extra curricular,that added to the swimmers all sticking together and doing very little beyond swimming and you have a school that gets less and less attractive to local children every year,mk has never been a destination senior school from non attatched prep schools and that is unlikely to change.,so yes it becomes less attractive to local non swimming children every year

[Paddlinglikehell]

Do look at Ellesmere, a relative is there on a swimming scholarship and absolutely loves it.
The early starts are hard and it’s a training regime, but with a purpose. However school work remains high.

[mumto3bearcubs]

Absolutely agree @tavinbloom! Our child left and I wouldn’t send my Dog to the College.

[peonypower]

I went to both - albeit in the 80s/90s

Millfield is by far the better school. And from what I hear of both today, that still stands.

[Vaughan32]

Seriously? Millfield of course. Because if you take away the swim programme what does Mount Kelly have left? At 18 your DC might be an Olympian but equally perhaps not a swimmer at all, so it must make sense to look at the whole school not simply one sports programme.
I don't have, never have had and never would have DC at either school so I'm not invested at all in their reputations or popularity- but it just seems a no-brainer unless you are limited by location.

[Dingbatwombat]

My DD is a swimmer at Mount Kelly - it’s been brilliant for her. She is very average academically, but is doing really well & exceeding what we expected from her. Pastoral care is very good, & her swimming (from what little they have done this year) has improved greatly - she did some impressive PBs in the level x meets in December despite having half of last year off. The swim coaching is fantastic - the head coach is excellent & there’s a very positive atmosphere about the whole swim school. The head is very hands on and approachable too.
We are very happy with it. She is a full boarder & there is a lot to do at weekends - it’s a fabulous location & they really make the most of the beaches, moors, rivers etc, plus they get to go into town at weekends.
Didn’t look at Millfield but I have a couple of friends whose DDs go there. It’s more expensive (unless you get a very big scholarship and not the standard 10%) & a lot bigger. It depends what you’re looking for I suppose - we wanted the small school, & loved the location.

[tavinbloom]

Second round of strike action by staff in the very near future,how do you feel about that?

[Oldpeoplesprinting]

Not that bothered to be honest - teachers have striked when my DC were at state school too.
I’m really happy with it - clearly you weren’t, which is a shame, but I’m delighted with how my DD is getting on both academically & with her swimming, plus she’s made some really strong friendships & having loads of fun at weekends. Couldn’t ask for more.