Best private schools in Cornwall & Devon?

[agp]

Hi there

My husband and I are considering moving to the north coast of cornwall and need to get to grips with the private schools in the area. Can anyone help? We've got three little girls (6 to 1yrs old) and would ideally like them to go to co-ed schools, with the flexibility to board or day (well I'm hoping they go day whilst at prep school!) It's hard to find out which ones are reckoned to be the best... Thanks in advance for any help/ opinions! :)

Amy

[Ronaldo]

And I am the one who stands accused of being wealthy because I have a home on PEI ( thats Canada to you propatria).

[propatria]

Thats nice for you..

[happygardening]

I was brought up in west Devon in the back of the back of the beyond (hence my interest in this thread I love reading the names of the places I knew) a lovely county one day I hope to return too. Beautiful although sadly virtually extinct accent Ronaldo definitely wouldn't approve and they ate dinner at lunch time and called it dinner so he wouldn't want his DS mixing with people like that. Sadly I have no second home there and in fact probabaly dont really approve of second homes in tiny west Devon villages becasue I know what an impact these have on the remaining villagers.

[saintlyjimjams]

happygardening :voice of reason:

(I also grew up in a little west Devon village :) )

[saintlyjimjams]

(but I moved back)

[Ronaldo]

Theres a town on PEI called Cornwall BTW.

[happygardening]

saintlyjimjams where? or if you don't want to out yourself perhaps some villages nr by.
Luckily my village had few second homes as it was pretty unattractive deeply rural and tiny farms with poverty stricken farmers scratching a living from 20 cows. We went back two years ago and dogs still lie in the middle of the road because there's no cars as still no one goes there! When we went hunting you turned up in plastic macs and gumboots and there was a clear divide between Baptists and Methodists neither talking to each other.
And there was perfect peace!

[happygardening]

Ronaldo as a geographer I feel duty bound to pint out that Cornwall is not a town!

[Ronaldo]

I will have a pint on that HG. On PEI Cornwall is a suberban township in Queens County.

[Ronaldo]

sorry - suburban and West Devon HG? So we have now had E Devon , S Devon, Cornwall and Plymouth which is S Devon but might be part of devonwall .... anyone for N Devon there? :)

So many Devons and so many Cornwalls.

[happygardening]

Although we rarely ventured as far as Plymouth only one bus a month and Holsworthy was considered a big day out I pretty sure most would Devon people would say Plymouth was very much in Devon!

[Themumsnot]

Anne of Green Gables went to college in Queen's County didn't she? Was that private or state? And was it in Cornwall or a different county town?

[saintlyjimjams]

I think we were further south that you hg; you sound out past Tavistock. Tavi was our local town (well apart from the monthly trip to Asda (or Asdaz) in Plymouth. Our village best known for Sir Frances Drake, and latterly Seth Lakeman. I remember his (parent's) then house having two staircases, which I may have misremembered, although I think it was originally two cottages, so maybe not.

I used to go horse riding up at ??? hm near Mary Tavy, on the moors, next to an old tin mine - that must have been out your way.

[happygardening]

Your much further south we were almost North Cornawall but I rode regularly out of Belston on Dartmoor and in Hawill forrestry the hunt was the Tetcott. One day I will return.

[saintlyjimjams]

Dartmoor is still lovely you know. I'll be up there a lot this half term (when we're not surfing). My severely autistic son likes to know which days are 'beach' and which days are 'hill'. He has an electronic talker which he uses to say 'Thursday hill sandwich'. We have to remember the packed lunch when we head out to Dartmoor.

I still ride on Dartmoor now, although over towards the Ivybridge side.

[Yellowtip]

No, to her credit Xeniabuys an island near Mexico as her second home - somewhat more imaginative than heading down to Salcombe. Ronaldo I could have sworn that in a previous thread you declared yourself as living and teaching in Devon? Yet on this thread you seem to be attempting (somewhat crudely?) to distance yourself. No school in Devon can be hugely selective, the demographics won't support it. So the results of the local indies will never, ever, rival those of the best London indies; context is all.

[Piggy2012]

Thanks to everyone for constructive advice, I will go and see St Wildrids and St Johns and have a look at Stover. Tiverton is only about 17 miles so not that far and Exeter about 14 miles, again not that far. I am not a wind up but really need help finding a school for my 14 year old who has been let down by the state system so badly he is now 4.5 years behind what he should be with an IQ in the top 10% (GOSH figures)! I am funding the fees myself and therefore need a small, caring environment to give my son confidence again. He now refuses to go to school and instead of assistance from the state secondary he currently attends, I just am being told that the reports and system do not allow help but just truacy officers! What choice do I have? He was so badly bullied he had a Police Protection Office for a while and I thought Devon would be a new start for him away from Surrey but the Devon secondary was just dreadful! Many of these private schools charge a huge amount for SENCO assistance, hence I have to ask all. It would be nice if parents were given a choice of education as they are in many parts of Europe with School Fee Credits for all parents and then the choice is theirs.

[MordionAgenos]

@pggy does he go to Sidmouth community college? I know kids who go there (siblings of DD1's school friends) and all the reports I have heard of it are good. I'm so sorry your son is having a bad time.

I often go past St Wilfrids on my running route (and to be fair when I drive anywhere too) but I don't know anyone who actually sends their kids there. I do know that Exeter School is good for kids with SEN but obviously they are double dear. Many people from Sidmouth do send their kids to the Exeter private schools. The roads are OK and there are coaches, I believe.

[Piggy2012]

Thanks MordionAgenos - he did go to Sidmouth Commumity College and that is where the problems really started. They are having major problems with huge staff turnover and the SENCO and teaching staff involved with him were not/are not qualified in their respect teachings if that makes any sense!

[saintlyjimjams]

I think my aunt took her son out of Blundells and put him in St Wilfred's, and I'm sure she was happy with it. But I might be wrong. I'll ask my mum (she went to St Wilfred's fifty years ago!)

[DP67]

Hello, I was wondering if anyone has any opinions about Blundell's in Tiverton? We are moving there soon. DD is 3 and DS is 2 (so I have to find him a nursery until he is 3). Does anyone know of good private schools in the area? Thanks!

[manorhope]

Shebbear College in North Devon is excellent and I would say currently well above local rivals West Buckland and Kelly. A small school by choice (Under 400 pupils), it is set on an idyllic 80 acre campus. Producing very good exam results from happy, confident, well spoken children displaying that extra bit of refinement you would expect from much larger and more famous schools, such as Sherborne or Downside. My daughter is about to leave, after 7 very happy years. Go and have a look!

[goingloombandcrazy]

Bumping old thread to get views on roselyon school

[skinnedflowerpot]

You might get more response from MN local really. Likely the people there will know the school.

[Upatnight]

just found this while googling schools in Cornwall - wondering if there are any updates on Cornish prep schools within half an hour'ish of Wadebridge? (Not the hilarious private vs state debate bit please). My children have been very happy at their state school, but the eldest needs a bit 'more' for the 9-11 years and as we are only in catchment for very small state schools, I am looking at Polwhele, Truro High, Truro Prep, Roselyon and St Joseph's. Any Cornish out there with an opinion? Huge thanks