Ashcombe school and good primaries in dorking

Namechanged from my usual name.

I have 2 boys at Ashcombe (yrs 7 & 9) - very pleased with it. The catchment area varies greatly. I am in Westcott - village on A25 just outside Dorking. When applying for my first child we got a place at Ashcombe, but I know of other children further in to the village who didn't get a place. However, last year Priory was oversubscribed and I know of children in the village who were given Ashcombe instead. Once you have one child in, it is simple as sibling preference is given before distance to school.

Primaries - my boys went to village first school and then moved on to St. Martin's in Dorking in year 4. This has now changed as village school is now a full Primary school. I loved St. Martins - it had a bad Ofsted report this year. I think this was mainly because head was overall head of 2 primaries. Since bad report she is now just back to St. Martins and I'm sure she'll bring it back up. She is a fantastic, enthusiastic head teacher.

I have 2 children at Surrey Hills (Westcott) which I am very pleased with. Not sure about other primaries in Dorking. I never liked St Pauls - bit rigid for my liking. St Josephs is catholic, so I wouldn't have got a look in there - meant to be good. Powell Corderoy - I know of a few unhappy parents. Again, when looking for eldest I didn't like the head, but head has since changed. St John's is a bit out of town - used to be the school no-one wanted to go to.

PM if you want to know anything else. I love Dorking!

A friends children go to Ashcombe sixth form, having bee there for their GCSE years too, and have done very well indeed.

Ashcombe still good afaik. Don't know about primaries in the area but catchment looks large because it serves the dorking villages - not very large population of kids in dorking itself.