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Original poster

Is Farnborough Hill school any good?

32 replies

Crazyx4 · 27/09/2012 18:41

I am going to an open morning there next week and was wondering if anyone has any first hand experience of the school. Any advice on what questions I should be asking? DD is in state junior so I have no experience of the private sector and am a bit unsure what to expect.

OP posts:
Lifeisontheup · 01/10/2012 17:47

The expectation of cast offs is still there, most of DD's friends, some very wealthy and some not, shop in charity shops.
I am very thankful that we were able to send her there ( with the help of a bursary).

vixsatis · 01/10/2012 17:13

I went there many years ago and still go back to help with the odd careers event. It was and still is an incredibly diverse school: I have never come across another with such breadth socially, academically and in all sorts of other ways. It takes each girl as an individual and does well for them. It's also different and colourful: a school with a really unique tradition and character. I moved there from a state primary and one of the first things that struck me was the comparative lack of materialism: some of the girls were quite grand but nobody cared that my bicycle was second hand and it was positively expected that one would wear cast off clothes. It got me into Oxford; I had enormous fun; I learned some really solid values; I made some great friends

Lifeisontheup · 01/10/2012 12:30

My DD left FH 2 years ago having been there since she was 11. She loved it, we are definitely not a rich family and have very old cars and have never been out of Europe on holiday (camping normally in France) and have never been made to feel out of place.
DD has still got a circle of friends that she met there and still sees regularly. I can't speak too highly of it.

Original poster
Crazyx4 · 01/10/2012 11:54

Thanks chicky. One thing that does concern me is the fact that while we are not poor, we have 4dc to put through, with only 2 school years between each of them. I am very conscious that I don't want to send her to a school full of super rich children that go on fantastic holidays 3 times a year. I don't want her to be somewhere she feels out of place because she can't compete. What are the children/parents like at the school? I get the impression it's full of quite "normal" people which is something that attracts me to the place. Is this the case?

OP posts:
Chicky2 · 28/09/2012 23:25

She'd

Chicky2 · 28/09/2012 23:25

She started in year 7 and has now just started year 8, just realising it sounded like shed only been there a few weeks

Chicky2 · 28/09/2012 23:20

Hi, my daughter has just started year 8 at Farnborough Hill. She's having a great time and we're really pleased with the school.
She was at St Nicks in Fleet form reception to year 6 but we found it too small and cliquey. At FH there's approx 100 in a year divided into 4 classes so a much better mix of girls.
I particularly like that the school is relaxed is some areas, ie hair only has to be tied back for lessons where it matters like DT, science, PE, food tech etc rather than ablanket rule that hair must always be tied back. I feel they like to pick their battles. The pastoral care is excellent and the head is a warm smiley lady. There is also quite a large number of male teachers for a girls school which I think is a positive.
Have a look round and see what you think, the building is amazing although a little bit scuffed around the edges, but I'd rather have that with warmth and care for the girls than something that looks perfect but has no depth. I feel that FH finds the girls talents and supports them rather than pushing them to fit a mould.
We aren't religious but I've found that the religion aspect isn't pushed very much.
We haven't regretted our decision at the moment.