Oxford High School

[depo]

Anyone with recent experience of the school prepared to give an idea of strengths and weaknesses? Am considering OHS for DD, bright and hard-working but no genius. Have read some iffy refs to lack of pastoral care and unsupportive atmosphere - how true is it?

[carameljane]

I'm sorry, dutiful dad, I didn't mean to undermine your family's experience and thoughts. I'm sorry you've had a bad experience and it's been tough, and I hope your daughter is happy somewhere else now. It's a funny business, schools, and we all want happiness and fulfillment for our children. It's never going to be black and white, and what works for some families isn't right for others. With best wishes

[Serenity17]

Have been watching this thread with interest as we are currently looking at options for yr 7 entry next year. Have looked at OHS, SHSK, Headington and Rye for our DD. Very interested to see how our views compare to this thread.
We had pretty much ruled out OHS as we thought the old head - Judith "failed actress" Carlisle - was dreadfully fake and cold - but the new head seems more balanced and interested in the girls rather than self-promotion. I do wonder though how long it will take to turn around the attitude of "OHS" - if even possible - as I think their over-reaching concern is grade achievements rather than individual growth. That seems to have been a theme for some years now.
Headington seems more balanced with a broader offering of all extra curricular subjects than OHS and similar academic results. The fees used to be significantly different, but no longer the case as OHS have hiked fees significantly in the last five years from when we first started looking, so I cannot see why we would choose OHS over H'ton as it stands currently.
SHSK was fabulous on all fronts. Impressive head, impressive facilities, but just too far out for us we felt in the end.
Rye was not at all what we expected. We had heard lots of mutterings about "not very academic" but what we found was a dedicated head - albeit one who is leaving next year - who has had a huge impact on the school and it's overall aims. So yes, the results aren't on a par with OHS/H'ton/ SHSK,but I firmly believe this is because they take in a wider range of abilities and therefore have a longer tail of results. They are small and proud of that family feel. We have a DD at prep school and Rye feels similar in it's warmth and nurturing atmosphere that we simply did not get anywhere else.
No final decision made yet...any more views that I need to hear?

[Newme2016]

If you are interested in Rye, have a look at Wychwood.
Wonderful school, small and caring. Really gets the best out of each individual girl.
Headmistress is wonderful.

[DaddyABC]

Just seen on OHS Twitterfeed that 20% of the upper sixth have been offered Oxbridge places. Always a bit of a lottery but impressive figures on the face of it and much higher than other local girls schools.

[Serenity17]

Not bad, although not as high as some previous years. I guess your post speaks volumes about why you think OHS is such a good school... myself, I am less Oxbridge focussed and more interested in what is right for my daughter.

[allandsunday]

Another one here advising against OHS. I went there for 13 years, admittedly during Felicity Lusk's reign. There was so much emphasis put on academics and so little care towards mental health from the head, the teachers and the Governors, that many girls went under,

And as there is a general intellectual snobbery amongst OHS parents, it is the unspoken insinuation of parents whose daughters survived OHS that the girls who went under simply weren't cut out academically for it or not clever enough. And if you are one of the people perceived that way, you were then intimidated into keeping it like a dirty secret as if it was a source of shame that you were not good enough.

A friend of mine while we were there confided in a teacher about her mental health and the behaviour of another staff member. The teacher responded by telling her that she was really affecting her reputation by "complaining" and that she was stupid and did not know what was best for her.

I was personally very academic and achieved good results for OHS. I've had a successful life and went to Oxbridge. But I look back at the torture of those years there as some of the worst of my life. The punishment and social exclusion of not doing as well as you should, the bullying which the head and teachers allowed to continue, the pressure of looking good and being thin. It was not worth the cost to my mental health.

[User267]

Does anyone have any current views on OHS, especially since the new Head has only been there for a few months? We are trying to decide whether to accept an offer for yr 7. We've generally been very impressed with the school. Having said that, I've heard plenty of horror stories from the past along the lines of allonsunday's post. Most of those do seem to come from a decade or more ago though and I am wondering whether people think that the school manages to handle the inevitable stresses that come with highly academic schools well?

Thanks!

[roguedad]

I have a colleague with a daughter there and she and her parents are very happy with the place. She is smart. A recent head girl was in my kids' sports class - she was lovely and went to do medicine at a top uni. We would have considered it as one option but the Oxford location and nightmare traffic ruled it out and our DD is going to SHSK, which we are very happy about and our first choice as well.

I take issue with some of the criticisms here. I think people who complain about mental health issues usually do so without any insight into whether they were anything to do with the particular school or just a fact of teenage life that would have occurred at any school. At a day school I also have to wonder what mental health management has to do with the school as it is really their job to report things to the parents, who should really be in charge of managing their kids's welfare. A boarding school would be different.

My understanding is that the school has in any case worked hard recently on the Miss Perfect problem and developed programs to support girls in being resilient to things not working out, failures etc.

I also get cross with people who moan about "hothouse" schools. There are no true hothouses in the UK. They are in the Far East were extra-curricular life is extra evening maths lessons. Schools like OHS and MCS, Abingdon, SHSK etc actually offer a fantastic balance of academic work with a wide range of music, drama, sports, art etc. OHS offers girls an environment where girls are given the support to aim for top universities and serious careers, while encouraging a good balance of extra-curricular interests. If you want holistic la-la there are plenty other places where you can spend your money.

[Flo234]

I'd agree about the hothousing comment - schools these days, particularly single sex, are so resourced and also knowledgeable about how girls (or boys) react to pressures/social media etc that kids must surely be in a pastorally safer place than we ever were at school!
Ref: OHS - as a parent there, all I can say is that the new Head has a different style to the previous Head which is refreshing. He seems very likeable and experienced (think he came from an academic boys school in London?). The girls seem to like him too which is probably the biggest test for a new Head!

[dutifuldad]

You are wrong in your opinions about mental health rougedad. Unfortunately the issues we identified were real, and as a result of the culture at Oxford High. I'm pleased that you don't have any direct experience of this, but please don't (as other's have) dismiss experiences because you don't believe them - I believe it's important that people reading these comments get a balanced view. Our experiences were direct, and without ambiguity. I am glad that many people on this forum didn't experience this, and I genuinely hope that the culture is changing with the new head.

[Serenity17]

Having decided against OHS for our yr 7 girl, I am now seriously concerned about the new policies for Junior School girls. Anyone know what is going on with the Junior School? - Headmistress (Mrs Gater) has resigned "on principle" plus lots of other senior staff members have resigned (6 at last count). Something odd going on which will undoubtedly have an impact on the senior school. I get the impression they are trying to haul up the grades to those of Magdelen by streaming out anyone who isn't a prodigy... surely not? Anyone any ideas what's going on?

[dutifuldad]

bayview-news.com/2018/10/some-bss-parents-upset-with-merchant-of-venice-adaption.html/

[roguedad]

Here's another link to the play fiasco with some more detail:
www.cjnews.com/news/canada/controversial-shakespeare-adaptation-angers-parents

I feel sorry for Judith Carlisle over this - she seems to have run into some seriously PC views having a play performed that had no issues in the UK or even in Jerusalem. Frankly I am surprised she even apologised - I think she should have stood her ground based on the intent of the performance rather than kow-towing to a lobby. It is interesting but does not tell us anything about OHS now.

I've heard of serious issues caused by the new head and some notable staff departures especially in the Junior School causing serious concerns. It would be good to get some more detail on what is going on.

[amy1008]

I'm considering oxh junior school for dd. The last couple of replies made me worried a bit. Could someone share some details pls? Really interested what's happening in junor school now.

[Serenity17]

Hi Amy1008,
I'm not a parent at OHS so don't have direct experience but have PLENTY of friends who are at OHS Junior - or were there and have left! It seems as though the new head at the senior school (Dr Hills) has come in with a directive to improve senior school results - and this has caused some issues for the Junior School. It seems as though Dr Hill's diagnosis is that there are too many barely literate dunderheads coming up through the ranks from the junior school who are "dragging down" the senior school results. One wonders why these middle-class kids of motivated, mostly bright, parents are doing so badly at OHS Junior School after being taught there for 7 years (general feeling is that Junior Dept have been caught napping as "most" of the girls passed seamlessly through to OHS so no need to put much effort into actual teaching for last decade at least). So Dr Hills has now put all Junior School parents (and teachers - which presumably explains the exodus of teachers and head in quick succession) on notice that only the very best will gain entry. He / GDST doesn't seem to have considered how this will impact on girls stress and anxiety levels at a crucial point in their development, nor how it will impact on Junior School numbers. Hands up those parents who sent their kid to OHS Junior school as best chance to secure place at senior school rather than for excellent teaching and great facilities!!!! So a number of my pals have left and gone to the dragon, phil and jims, SHSK, Headington. I'm sure the exodus will have a financial hit which will eventually lead to a change of view about exactly what level of stupid the senior school is prepared to accept, but this may take time. Don't get me wrong, no problem at all with OHS saying they only want to accept the best, but they have lulled current parents into the junior school on the "almost promise" of a senior school place, and now, at the last minute for some, are changing the goal-posts. That aspect of it is wholly disgusting.
Parents who are sticking it out are mainly led by DDs who insist they want to "stay with their friends" - but admit this is a terrible reason for not taking action, or are optimistic that senior school will be a better environment should they secure a "golden ticket". The new head of the Junior School, coming from Ashfold, seems like she's coming with great reviews, but I hope she realises how clipped her wings are by both the GDST and Dr Hills. Good luck to her! Shame Kate Gater resigned as by all accounts she was a good thing for the Junior School after the dreadfully ineffective Mrs Stacey's tenure.
As for feeling sorry for Judith Carlisle, absolutely not having having read the reviews / parental concerns. None have complained about the actual "Merchant of Venice" - rather the adaptation that involved girls shouting "Hallelujah" in response to anti-semitic messages, and asking a girl to make the "largest most offensive" papier-mache nose possible to be worn during the performance. That Judith deemed this to be in any way appropriate for this age group of girls is genuinely beyond me...and I'm not Jewish. That she tweeted about how amazing the performance was afterwards shows she has actually no clue about it made some girls feel. And her "apology" was anything but - it didn't even use the word sorry! Clearly she did fight her corner as the apology was written by her lawyers, so JC didn't take this lying down. I'm very glad she left OHS and I'm very glad that another school school has seen that her judgement is fundamentally flawed.

[amy1008]

Serenity17, thanks a lot for sharing. That's really helpful. I'm surprised that the school can change admission policy for current prep student. I thought even if they want to change, it would be only for the new students.
I'm also curious about other prep schools attached to a senior school (e.g. headington). Would they all be a bit relaxed about teaching? After joining in the senior school, will the ones form prep school generally perform worse than others who passed their exams?

[Serenity17]

Hi Amy,
Hope this helped - sometimes the parents of kids actually at the schools feel like they have to defend at all costs - otherwise they are essentially saying they've not made the best decision which when you are paying a small fortune and have all the parental guilt associated is not easy. So I feel like having never been there, it's easy for me to take a view based on lots of friends experiences, rather than just one.
I couldn't agree more - absolutely fine to change a policy. Times change, schools change, expectations change. And if a school wants to be a through school and allow everyone through, that's all fine. If a school wants to be selective, that's fine too. Just be clear with everyone at the OUTSET what your intentions are so everyone can make an informed decision eg. Magdalen, who make no bones about that whilst they will do their level best to get your son into the senior school, if he's not cut out for it, they will say so. If there needs to be policy change, that's fine too, but to spring it on parents in year 5 when they've already shelled out for Reception through to Year 5, is not acceptable in my view, nor to many other parents I have spoken to. I do think that Magdalen pride themselves on getting majority of boys into senior school, whereas my pals say no level of pride detected in OHS Junior School - definitely more a case of "oh dear, your DD is simply too stupid for entry". Harsh on a 10 year old girl. Many I know (at least 4 that I can think of) are already seeing professionals for anxiety in junior school. I'd avoid if I were you. My DD is now at Rye in year 7 and is loving it. Very gentle and kind school with it's fair share of very academic girls and teachers who genuinely seem to like children (not always the case at OHS evidently). Have also looked at Headington and felt similar to Rye but slightly too posh for me and HUGE! Facilities amazing though. AMAZING. Good luck.

[yogaqueen83]

These kind of posts always irritate me when I come across them on MN as I believe it can be a very useful forum for finding out more about different schools etc. However it seems strange to me Serenity17 that you have never had a DD at OHS and yet you seem to know an awful lot about what is going on at the school both now and historically. The main aim of your post seems to be to slate OHS and not to provide amy1008 with useful information. Personally I am always sceptical when I read posts like this as there are a lot of people out there who for a variety of reasons have issues with particular schools and so it is very difficult to get a balanced view. It's a real shame.

[Serenity17]

Thanks YogaQueen83 for your insights. I don't generally respond to such comments, but I'm curious as to which part of my assessment, freely offered in the hope that it might help others, is in any way inaccurate? It is true that I don't hold OHS in high regard as I have seen the way they respond to some of the children entrusted to them (some, not all) - I am not alone in this, please see this thread and others for other criticisms of OHS - but that doesn't mean I am not correct in my assessment. I have spent twenty years living in Oxford, have 3 children at 3 different independent schools and have a lot of friends in this very small town so you are absolutely right, I do know an awful lot about what is going on at OHS. Whilst my experience of OHS is not direct, this in no way makes it invalid. Friends who are disenchanted with the current state of affairs send me school comms so I know exactly what Dr Hills has communicated out to Junior School parents. Feel free to correct me if there is something you think I have stated incorrectly, or offer an alternative, but merely to slate my opinion isn't very polite.

[Rubiks75]

Hi amy1008,

I have one DD at OHS Juniors and one who will (hopefully!) be joining next September. My DD absolutely loves it and as a parent, I'm very happy with the school, teachers, lessons, the head etc.

There has been some discussion about transition to SS in the past year or so but from what I understand (from friends with DDs in the SS who transitioned from the JS and from communication with JS/SS), the admissions policy has not changed at all. I know from them that in previous years there have always been girls who haven't been offered SS places.

I would just recommend going to see the school and get a feel for it yourself, I find it a very sparky and unique environment and would definitely recommend it.

I would add that I agree with yogaqueen83... take some comments on this thread with a pinch of salt. Visit the school, meet the head/teachers and maybe talk to some parents of girls who actually attend OHS to get their insight! Definitely don't just read (largely fabricated, imo) gossip on MN as no school is fairly represented on these forums!

Good luck with finding a school for your DD!

[Flo234]

Coming in a bit late to the chat here but have to agree I find your comments Serenity17 a bit on the extreme side. It feels as if you have a real axe to grind? There's always been selection through to the OHS senior school but I think a lot of parents would say that it probs hasn't been communicated v.well in recent years and if you chat to anyone who attended there from a while back it was never assumed kids would simply move up to senior school. It's not necessarily a good fit for everyone as the pace and level of learning is really academic. Still means its a happy place to be at school but if you're not someone who relishes or is comfortable with that kind of pace, then I agree with you - there are lots of other good schools around incl Rye. Glad your daughter is happy there.

[yogaqueen83]

Hi Serenity17,

I'm sorry if my previous message came across as rude. That was not at all my intention. My DD does not go to OHS and so I am not in a position to say whether your post is factually correct or not. I read a lot of posts on MN about different schools and I am always suspicious of posts that are particularly scathing, as all schools have pros and cons. Your post seemed unusual in that your DD does not attend OHS but you feel very strongly about the school nonetheless. I too have friends with children at a variety of schools around Oxford but I have never taken the time to read the school comms that they receive to know more about what's going on at a school that my child does not attend. But different strokes for different folks I guess and I'm sure that there are people who will find your post useful.

[amy1008]

Thanks everyone! It's really useful to have different opinions. I find choosing a prep school is quite tricky because it's way to early to tell what kind of girl my dd would become. Plus school changes. I'll go and have a look at ohs and a few other schools. Hope we can all find a good fit for our dc.

[IrishRover2019]

Serenity17’s message was spot-on as regards the increased ruthless cull of late at OHS. Whilst the admissions policy may not have changed, the procedure, i.e. implementation of such policy, has.

Some of those culled have gone on to secure offers at the other 2 top girls’ schools.

Time will show... but the lower years may continue to vote with their feet. The school have made rumblings, such as in a newsletter, of doing things differently next year. No wonder Mrs Gater left. Good luck to her. A duty of care is lacking. For example, some of those girls rejected this year only very recently passed entrance exams for the junior school in years 5 and 6. How can that be a fit for purpose model?.

If only schools in the Independent sector called out their value-add in a standardised way, and took pride from that (a true measure of what a school is there for) rather than cull and then call out attainment as some sort of measure of success.

[WhyAmIPayingFees]

I’d encourage people with younger kids about to start junior school to think carefully about all-through vs separate junior. The friends I have with kids at or recently OHS have all been very happy and I think it is an outstanding school. But there is a wider issue with all through schools including OHS I that it can be really quite hard to know if an approach, especially in terms of selectivity, that works at 5, is going to work for 11-18. Parents who believe that they have got around the hassles at age 11 might be well advised at any all through school to do their homework well in advance and look at what support
Is offered if the any of parent,
child or school thinks the senior department is a bad fit when it comes to that decision. After what we experienced first hand with two kids at an all through we would never go down that route again, but instead choose a junior that had a goal of trying to place your kids without prejudice. A shift of policy in how an all through school manages this can be particularly awful for kids and parents alike. I think it is a bit of a blind spot in ISI inspections and there needs to be a hard look taken at school policies on them weeding out just as much as for providing support for families who want to go elsewhere at 11+. Kids should be regarded as neither disposable nor captives at the transition stage and there should be clear ISI sanctions against either.