Any opinions or experiences on these schools in Devon please ?

What is the point of resurrecting a seven year old thread? The children who would have gone, will have left by now, and as you say St Margaret's has been closed for a few years!

This appears to be a pretty old thread but from experience Maynards is very bitchy and has bullying which is ignored by staff! It also lacks sporting facilities and decent grounds but if you like a bitchy atmosphere go for it! Contrary to what they say, tests given are not very hard to get in!

Exeter School is far better than Maynards. St Margaret’s closed down years ago.

Stover School is Nr Newton Abbot, was not good between 2008 and about 2015 but has two new headmasters and has improved immensely and getting better so worth look now (2018). Trinity school in Teignmouth is worth a look too, similar to Stover and Brandean although very small would suit kids who like s very small family run school. They are all around 4-5k per term.

King's is excellent. Many of my cousins went there, and some of dd's friends from primary started there last September.

Just found this. I put up a new thread. Can someone tell me exactly what is wrong with Stover? Its one on my list because it would be nearer to Ivybridge (where we will live) than the others.

I am also looking at Plymouth College and Trinity. I have a boy and a girl. I need to send them to the same school.

Headmaster at Sidmouth was previously at Uffculme School which is another excellent state secondary. I believe last year 77% of pupils gained 5 or more A-C GCSE grades including maths & english.

Both are well thought of round here . Kings has been oversubscribed for years and years and is very popular indeed. I don't think anyone gets in out of catchment. Sidmouth wasn't good historically and went into special measures. But it got a new head in Sept 2009 who used to be at another local comprehensive and is said to be exceptional.

Houses in the Kings catchment would make life easier for your DH because he could be on the A30 in a couple of minutes and Exeter Airport is right there. Only problem might be that all the places for 2011 will have been allocated. Don't know how admissions are these days at Sidmouth but the education people at Devon CC will be able to tell you the current position with both.

very true ishani and, as someone who was out of the house at 0725 every morning....just tell them not to lean on the post box in frosty weather with wet hair... it's not the best look to leave a clump of hair stuck to the metal as you run to the bus?!!
not horrific timing though, sounds like a good arrangement. good luck

Might as well, as yellowstone says, and since you're going....

My only other comment (and I can't remember if you are considering boarding, sorry) but do consider how far you'll be travelling if they are day pupils. I spent seven years happy but tired because most of my school days were about 12 hours, before homework - but that's because I got involved extra-curricularly. There's quite a difference between taunton and exeter mileage-wise.
propatia i get your comments, and again I can't speak for the schools in their current status (and i'm not about to do any substantive research on it with my kids only under 3 ) but i just wonder how adequate they'd be in comparison with their local comprehensives? The two schools I would have ended up if we'd stayed state educated were both failing... hence my mum and dad forking out. Plus... I've met an awful lot of alumni from much much posher schools and, er, didn't think much of them . But perhaps i'm a tricky person to get to know .
( I will probably be back in that part of the world by the time the kids are secondary school age...and I won't be looking at wellington...But I probably won't bother looking at Blundells/Kings etc either. Am skint and hopeful for the local comp...)
EITHER WAY.....you're moving to a beautiful part of the world - am envious

I would, definitely. They're pretty much next door!

I think it unlikely that any fee paying school is currently so full that it can't accomodate more pupils. In a buyers' market I'd just head for the best; I doubt that any entrance test will provide a hurdle for your DD since you say that she's reasonably bright which is all that's required.

Surely Maynard covers all bases? They bus in from all over and Exeter seems to be pretty much the hub of your DH's commute.

Well said propatia fully support your comments

Ok,doubtless Ill get flamed but Wellington( like Queens,Kelly, West Buckland,Truro etc) is one of those schools I really wouldnt send any child of mine to,they are almost adequate(on a good day) nothing more and if Im paying I want a lot more than that..
Look at the good prep schools in Devon and Somerset,see which schools the products go to,none of the above(and others) feature highly.

Why no to Wellington? I'm not sure about the new head but my years there were v happy (but that some time ago )
ime Wellington turns out very good all rounded people, with good social skills and decent university places.
Is there no way you can go and see some of these places??? Websites don't give you the atmosphere, the feel of it.

Intrigued to know more about the Queens look like Eton comment....

Wellington? Makes Queens look like Eton..

I am an ex Maynard girl myself and know several parents who send their girls there and the girls LOVE it. It has a well deserved reputation and in my opinion as an "Old Girl' and a parent(although my girls don't go there - can't afford it) it produces fantastic results both in academic terms but also in terms of character, ability attitude etc.

Personally I would avoid Stover- again I know several parents who have sent kids and withdrawn them. It is Co-Ed but I believe classes are actually single sex (check with the school- this may have changed but it certainly used to be that way a couple of years ago).

Well, they are in Somerset so no, I don't know anything about them. Devon is a huge county, Somerset not so big but still not tiny. And they are two very different environments. You certainly wouldn't be sending one child to Exeter school and another to a village school in Washford though, unless you have a fully functioning teleport!

A quick glance at the BBC education website might suggest don't touch Danefield with a bargepole but there might be extenuating circumstances for the very poor showing in last year's SATs.

If she is in Y6 then you have a real issue I'd say. There is very little chance of Colyton or indeed any of the state schools at this point. Offers went out on 1 March and they are well into appeals etc now. Sorry. :(

On Dorchester - lovely lovely lovely place. Don't know anything about the schools there. But the travelling for your DH would be horrendous especially Dorchester to Cornwall. That would be a complete killer.