good/bad oxford schools please

D'overbroeck's is awful, my daughter has been bullied there, they're awful with dealing with it and they're awful if your child has anxiety dyslexia etc..

Just wanted to point out this thread was started about 18 months ago. Probably best to start a new one if you need current info.

St Edwards has been mixed for a long time!

They did also teach me to write properly but am doing this on ipad with one arm weighed down by bfeeding baby.

I went to headington but left 14 years ago so not very current! Has invested very heavily in facilities since i left and looks impressive from that point of view. I think it is very different to when i was there in both this and attitude toward the education of girls.

I know a small girls school called Wychwood School very well. It is close to the city centre and really gets the best out of each pupil. If you want value for money and somewhere that caters for all needs/interests you should definitely have a look around.

Of the state schools, I know people who've had kids at Cheney, Matthew Arnold and Cherwell, and all have been happy. All parents from academic backgrounds of one sort or another. All children gone onto university.

My Aunt teaches maths at Cheney (she was at Isis Middle School before they abolished the 3 tier system, and from what I can gather it is a good school. Likewise Cherwell, where my SIL's sister teaches science.

I went to Oxford University and there were a fair few students in my year who'd been to Matthew Arnold.

I would have gone to Peers had we stayed in Oxford - good job for me that we moved by the sounds of it!

Alot of our friends kids go to Matthew Arnold and we went to the open day and it is really good - exam results very good but also good extra curricular activities and a reall nice athmosphere - the 6th form is apparently excellent. It tends to be oversubscribed though so you need to be in catchment area

I was going to say, given that Abingdon has almost a waiting list for its waiting list, and given that St Helen's is now going to have four classes (again) for year seven next year, there doesn't seem to be any problem with pupil numbers at all.

My twins went to or are still at a prep near Faringdon,we moved my daughter to OLA(Our Lady's Abingdon) at 11, she's now in yr 8 and thriving. She did the 11+ test for St. Helen's and passed but it wouldn't have been the school for her ,OLA is well worth consideration if your child is better being a "big fish in a small pond". Her twin brother is in his last year at prep school and about to do CE, he'll be going to Abingdon, which we think will suit him well, he's able academically and musical and sporty. Just so glad we moved our daughter when we did (prep school not keen on the girls leaving at 11).
Re previous post, yes the OHS head is starting at Abingdon in Sept, but there is no way that St. Helen's and Abingdon will combine, the 2 schools do very well by them selves, they increasingly combine resources , but are very happy and proud of their single sex status.

I went to Wheatley Park!

Left in '96 though when the fearsome deputy head was still there and she used to hold it all together. Was a good school back then but have heard it's gone to the dogs recently.

Cheney has always had and still has a dodgy reputation. My friend just moved areas and her DD (14) was struggling at Cheney but is doing so well at the new school she's taking AS levels at the same time as GCSEs.

wheatley parkgot a pretty poor ofsted last time round, not sure it's in special measures though

Maybe...but Magdalen suddenly announced it is taking girls in sixth form next year. I am sure it will take girls lower down the school after a few years. St Edwards already does. My view is the Abingdon schools will have to merge and OHS will have to go mixed as well to compete. Some GDST schools already do where numbers of private pupils have dropped.

I even think Headington may merge with Magdalen as they are geographically very close to each other.

'My view is teh two schools will merge into a super private school. High in the league tables but not as intensely academic as OHS or Magdalen.'

I don't think so. They don't need to do this. Both are popular and well-subscribed. Parents have chosen those schools because they are single-sex, albeit working closely together, especially in music/drama/A levels. There is no reason for a merger.

That does ring a bell - my knowledge is only from reading things like letters and yearbooks when we go to see PIL

I believe she is going at end of this academic year to Abingdon boys school.

I thought the headmistress of OHS was going (or had gone) but couldn't quite remember.

Abingdon boys school (private) very good. Just took the Headmistress from Oxford High School. Also St Helen & St Katharine (private) for girls is the sister school of Abingdon boys.

My view is teh two schools will merge into a super private school. High in the league tables but not as intensely academic as OHS or Magdalen.

CHerwell is well-regarded among the state schools.

I wouldn't be happy with Peers: I know it's been relaunched but it was terrible before and some of those kids are still there. A friend was physically assaulted when he taught there.

In Abingdon Larkmead is supposed to be good.

Good private schools are Teddy's, OHS, St Helen's (Abingdon), Abingdon School, and Headington, plus Magdalen.

bellisima your analysis is not far off but really applies to any selective girl's school inc Headington, St Paul's, Wycombe A, CLSG etc and most G|DSTs too

SIL is high achieving, but not neurotic . FIL is an academic though.....

how far afield can you go?

the state secondaries in Eynsham (Bartholomew) & Faringdon have better Ofsteds and get better resulkts than the ones in Oxford (apqart from MA)

private, St Edwards if they are sporty and conventional but not overly bright

d'Overbroeks (sp) if they are not at all sporty but are less conventional. Good rep with dyslexia etc too.

Oxford High has a reputation amongst the GDSTs (I went to another one) of being full of high achieving, pressurised and possibly neurotic daughters of academics. I'm willing to bet that this is a gross exaggeration although I did know someone who transferred to Cherwell for the sixth form as she'd had enough. There again girls left my school in the sixth form simply because it was fashionable to go to the local sixth form college.