Good preps in Hampshire - commutable to London

[arizonagirl]

Hi there,

We are needing to sort out where we are going to be moving to in the next week or so. We seem to have got our choices down to West Sussex, Hampshire and border of Berkshire/Hants after searching all over the UK for several weeks.

We used to live in Hampshire and I would so like to go back. But we just can't find any really nice preps in Hampshire which are commutable to London. Love Winchester but we have discounted the boarding schools - Twyford and Pilgrims for several reasons.

We discounted the Gems school after reading bad reports and visited Daneshill but discounted it as it didn't seem academic enough for ds.

Are there no other options in Hampshire, where dh can get to London? I know there are some lovely preps nearer Lymington but that would be too far.

Help - running out of time!! Thanks everyone

Prebendal School in Chichester? You could live in Haslemere or Petersfield and get to London quite quickly.

Thanks aloiseb. Is this a good school (off to google it).

Back - looks nice. Thank you : ) Definitely one to put on the list.

oh well, just looked at Chichester to London times - 1 hour 45 minutes - don't think dh would talk to me. Living in Petersfield/Haslemere wouldn't be practical (4 children toing and froing). Shame - looks like a lovely school. Thank you anyway!

Hi arizonagirl,

Can I ask what reports you have read on Gems schools? My daughter goes to Sherfield School and is loving it! We are more than happy with the quality of teaching there.

IdleBongers - that is really interesting to hear. I haven't heard that much to be honest. One person posted on one of my threads saying she had worked in one of the Gems school and wasn't very impressed - advised me against them. Then I read in the Good Schools Guide about a Head who joined a gems school with a swift departure and they made it seem like that was a positive step. I think the main thing that put me off was an article in the times/guardian (can't remember) which I found by googling and it was talking about their philosophy as a middle way ground between state and private. They said the gems schools were meant to be 'no frills' like other preps but better than state - and because of that they were a lot cheaper. And yet Sherfield is quite expensive - certainly on a par to others we have looked at. So I was a bit confused.

Any information you could give me about the school would be very well received as we are still at a loss as to where to go...and I love Hampshire : )

It depends what you want from a school, doesn't it?
I posted on your other thread about Princes Mead. I've since discovered a colleague who recently started her two daughters there (moved from another school) and they LOVE it.
Another poster said it "wasn't academic". I understand a lot of kids go on to King Edwards in Southampton as well as St Swithuns, so it must cater for bright/very bright kids, even if the intake is more varied. (But then I strongly believe that state schools also cater for very bright children...)

But PM IS quite a girl dominated school higher up...Do you definitely want your children at the same school?

Also, do you think your 4 Dcs will go independent all the way, as you couldn't do better for state schools than the Winchester comprehensives.

Thanks Wolfbrother. Interesting. Still like Princes Mead and we haven't totally ruled it out. No, not so bothered about all dc going to the same school but Princes Mead is the only prep I like in Winchester for a boy's option. Am put off by the girl dominated aspect later though.

And your last sentence is so so true. The main reason I am still tempted by Princes Mead (regardless of a few negative things) is because realistically we won't be able to go private all the way through, and I am totally aware that Winchester has some FAB alternatives.

petersfield has a short commute.... ditcham park? churchers college? st margarets (girls)? meon cross?

havant is a bit further along - glenhurst?

or just go for portsmouth - still only about 1h20? portsmouth high and portsmouth grammar...

There are a whole host of preps on the Berkshire/Hants border around Newbury co-ed and single sex. If you live the Berkshire side Paddington is 1 hour from Newbury and Hants side waterloo 45 mins from Basingstoke.
Really all different types of schooling are covered and it is pretty much horses for courses as to who chooses which schools.
Some of them are Horris Hill, Cheam, Elstree, Brockhurst/Marlston House, Thorngrove, St Gabriels (is through to 18 to).