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Original poster

Moving to Hampshire: advice on schools please!

31 replies

cicci · 14/02/2011 23:14

Hello,
we are planning to move to Hampshire in summer 2011 due to husband's redeployment (new job will be in Titchfield area)and have to sort out secondary and primary schools. We are considering three areas: 1) Bishop Waltham; 2) Fair Oak or 3) Stubbington. I have looked at performance tables and ofsted reports for the secondary and primary schools there, but has anybody got first hand information of Swanmore college, Wyvern College or the Crofton School? And of the primary schools in those towns/villages? Girls are quite academic and musical, but not terribly sporty- most of all would like a friendly and welcoming atmosphere to help them settle in in new surrounding!!
Thanks!Smile

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Original poster
cicci · 04/03/2011 18:54

What can I say? thank you all for this fantastic information. The links to the pages of Hampshire County Council education with the admissions numbers vs numbers on rolls and the catchment maps are very useful indeed. I have a good idea of who goes where now, I have also contacted Peter Symonds direct and they confirmed as I expected that Wyvern and Swanmore are partners schools and from further south you only get in if there are places left - which did not happen in the last two years apparently. We visited BW area over half term and really liked it, found the people very friendly and welcoming and my girls fell in love with the traditional sweet shop! Talking to the people in BW some mentioned that they prefer to send kids to Winchester secondary schools - but as I am parachuting mine into a new area I would really like to send them locally.

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Scottie04 · 03/03/2011 11:32

When we moved here a couple of years ago, lots of the primary schools around Fareham/Titchfield were over subscribed and even if you lived within catchment you may not get places!! My kids go to go Gomer Infant (Gosport)which is lovely. Bay House is close by.

LoopyLovelyLady · 02/03/2011 20:35

There is a great community feel to BW and both the primary schools there are very good and really involve the children in local events. Personally I don't find traffic loads in BW too heavy except at peak times (isn't it everywhere?) but there are plans to build a large supermarket near the village centre which could alter this. At the moment these plans have yet to be approved.
Swanmore Secondary has recently appointed a new Headteacher but currently the results are comparable to Kings in Winchester. Kings is always oversubscribed and BW is not in the catchment area so a place there is not guaranteed from BW. However, most children from Swanmore Secondary go on to Peter Symonds for which BW is in catchment and that achieves amazing results at A-Level.
Good luck!

Mumi · 02/03/2011 14:49

The people I know from the Titchfield area who went private, however, then took A-level study at either South Downs or Havant colleges.

Mumi · 02/03/2011 14:47

We visited Crofton School for a tour and we were shocked considering we'd always heard it had a long standing good reputation (and we have visited quite a few schools now).

What they told us about their approach to pupils and what we saw just didn't match. They do appear to have a few very high achievers but it looks rather bleak for anyone who isn't, and that was an attitude I saw in the Baycroft part of the campus too.

It is very run down with low hope of attracting funding to renovate in comparison to lots of other schools who have recently completed programmes of building because they managed to secure it before the new government came in. They claim that they rarely get the whiff from the nearby sewage works but the people I know who have been there for 5 years say otherwise!

They are lovely people but more united against adversity than as a credit to the school itself. Crofton claims that more of their pupils go to Bay House sixth form than from Bay House themselves, but at least Bay House pupils tend to give their sixth form a go. Everyone I know from Crofton went straight to St Vincent because Crofton put them off the secondary school environment completely.

wolfbrother · 02/03/2011 14:01

Barton Peverill is also excellent.

ilovemykitchenaid · 02/03/2011 09:59

Most of the children from Crofton go on to Bay House school sixth form in Gosport.

Fareham Children tend to go to Barton Peverill and Havant College

Whatevertheweather · 01/03/2011 21:44

I went to peter symonds and lived in fareham. Tis only 35mins on train. Lots did it. IMO is the best college in Hampshire academically and sporty. South Downs is apparently v good for vocational and performing arts. Lots of crofton students go on to st vincents in gosport as well I dont know much about it though. Would avoid fareham college like the plague!

TalkinPeace2 · 01/03/2011 21:39

and this page....
www3.hants.gov.uk/education/schools/schooldetails

TalkinPeace2 · 01/03/2011 21:39

www3.hants.gov.uk/education/goingtocollege/post16-collegemap.htm
that should help...

Original poster
cicci · 01/03/2011 21:34

Many thanks, some very good information here that will be useful in our forthcoming move to Hampshire. In addition to Bishops Waltham we are also looking at Stubbington (more house for your money!)and both Crofton and the primaries seem to have good results/reputation. BUT does anyone know where do children go to after GCSEs from there? Presumably the Winchester colleges are too far to reach from Stubbs? I know there is Fareham college, but are there other sixth form colleges in the Crofton 'catchment'?

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TalkinPeace2 · 27/02/2011 15:32

DH did his teacher training at Cams hill.
Their "federation" thing is pretty cool.

OP
Sherborne - their classes are just that bit too small - the kids never have to wait their turn, and by golly it shows in the changing rooms at the gym!
HCS - tried to hit the academic against King Edwards, but money has talked and a lot of their bright kids are now at Mountbatten and Romsey.
For Waterside parents, private has always been a no brainer.

In the forest, Norman Court is used by my friends, and free, Ringwood School is apparently OK

the main thing to bear in mind is the county average - linked to the GS thread.
Any Hampshire school working at national average is failing as Hants is an above average LEA.
Southampton needs to get its arse in gear, as does Pompey..

ilovemykitchenaid · 27/02/2011 11:34

My Son is at Cams Hill school in Fareham in year 9 and loves it. It always has very good GCSE results and all the children seem to do well.

He went to Ranvilles Junior but there has been a change of head since he left so cant comment on how it is now. However, i thought it was a loveley school.

All my neighbours send there children to Harrison which is a feeder school for Cams Hill and they all seem to like the school.

Hope this helps

wolfbrother · 27/02/2011 10:23

It's possible to get into Kings in Winchester from BW area sometimes. No guarantees though. The music is good at Kings. Peter Symonds Collge (6th form) got 55 Oxbridge offers this year and 16 came from Kings School!
Swanmore College is on the way up but not in the same league as Kings. The children I know are very happy there however.
Primaries are very good in BW/Swanmore.

MumBe · 26/02/2011 17:06

thanks for that I will look at these, stoud looks good too thank for helping

CupAndSaucer · 26/02/2011 17:06

Thornden is a good state secondary but forget it if you're out of catchment.

CupAndSaucer · 26/02/2011 17:04

Sherbourne House is lovely but quite formal. The grounds are amazing though.

Whatevertheweather · 26/02/2011 16:51

I live in fareham and dd will be going to Harrison primary in sept. Secondaries in fareham/Stubb are average - crofton and cams hill that said dd will probaBly end go to cams. If you are looking at private wykeham house in fareham, meon house in stubbington, west hill park in titchfield and boundary oak in fareham are all excellent. I've heard good things about swanmore secondary. IMO best state secondaries in Hampshire are in Winchester kings, westgate and henry beaufort but think you would struggle to get in from titchfield area. Not sure how close to a level your dc's are but peter symonds is an excellent college.

MumBe · 26/02/2011 16:40

thanks will have a look at wyvern thought sherborne house looked ok on the web what do you mean bit precious its for a girl and boy for kindergarten

CupAndSaucer · 26/02/2011 16:04

I've heard great things about Wyvern

TalkinPeace2 · 26/02/2011 15:55

Private or state?
State - get yourself just north of Romsey and you won't go far wrong
Private - Stroud kids are OH, HCS OK, Sherborne house a bit precious, lots of preps in the forest

MumBe · 26/02/2011 13:37

can anyone comment on good prep schools from reception class upwards please hampshire areas as new job means moving from dorset to Hants for closer commute chandlers ford /winchester/ brockenhurst any advice on your experiences would help thanks

Sidge · 15/02/2011 22:10

I can't comment on Bishop's Waltham or Fair Oak but Stubbington schools are generally pretty good, Crofton Ann Dale and Crofton Hammond are supposed to be excellent primaries, and Crofton is one of the best secondaries in the area.

Traffic is pretty awful but that's the case for most of this area. At least if you were to live in Stubb you could walk to schools, and it would just be your DH that had to travel to Titchfield which would be easiest by bike!

Waitingaround · 15/02/2011 22:06

Hedge End has good primaries too, and you might still get a place at Botley primary
Wouldn't want to live in Fair Oak, it's very busy/built up and In my IMO not much of a community

Original poster
cicci · 15/02/2011 21:55

Indeed Botley primary seems excellent and I guess it feeds into Wildern also outstanding, downside is Botley seems more expensive unless you go into Hedge End, which I expect is less attractive? It's swings and roundabouts all the time, isn't it

So I guess DH was right about appalling traffic eveywhere and I thought he was exaggerating as usual...

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