prep schools-

[MumBe]

does anyone know of a good prep school bournemouth, wimborne areas, my 5yr old is being 'bullied' where she goes now and I need to move her asap. Any advice please would help.

Is she at a prep school already?

I used to be a nanny and the kids were at Castle Court. Seemed to be a lovely school.

Also Dumpton has a good reputation.

Are you certain she's being bullied? I only ask because she's so young. Are teachers aware of the situation?

Port Regis at Shaftesbury has a fab reputation.

My Daughter has recently moved to Dumpton school and it is great, she skips into school each day ,great school go and have a look around they are very welcoming ........we looked at castle court and amelia was at clayesmore and i have friends at port regis so if you would like any more info ,but i would definately say go and have a look around you will get a feeling , we did x

jonico - how old do you have to be to be bullied?

yes she is and its not nice to go to school worried every day its so sad for her cos she is so sweet and kind,school are involved, i looked at park school but full, does anyone know what talbot house or st thomas garnet school are like? Dumpton sounds very nice will have to hav a look thanks

thanks for the info I will get on the internet and have a look at these schools, obviously I don't want it happening again so I am really keen to get it right.

I know every school is different and most schools have some kind of issues with children, but I am just trying to get it right for her and any info is helpful, as it is hard to gain first hand info from just a visit. thanks very much xx

Make sure you visit whilst children are in school as normal, not an open day, you'll get a better feel for the school. If you can talk to the children as well as the teachers and then send her for a trial day. We moved our DS6 due to bullying and when we looked around all the children wanted to talk to him and be his friend, was a totally different atmosphere to the last school.

Oh and don't worry once you move schools she will bounce back very quickly, they are resilient at that age, our DS settled within 2 weeks and the bullying is now just a distant memory (it's only been 1 term). :) Good luck

Maybe post on your local mumsnet board aswell.

SacredJuice.

You can be bullied at any age, obviously. However, because of the very young age of the OP's child perhaps this is something that could be sorted out fairly easily rather than take the steps of taking a child out of a school she is familiar with.

My children are much older now, but I have lots of friends whose children are currently thriving at Clayesmore Pre-Prep, which is as warm and caring and focussed on the children today as it was when my own two went there. I agree that the best thing to do is to visit a school and go with your gut feeling - like you would if you were looking at a new property - to determine if your little girl will feel comnfortable and 'at home' there. I think, in a nutshell, the thing about the Clayesmore Pre-Prep is the overwhelming family atmosphere and the great fun they all seem to have inside and outside the classroom. www.clayesmore.com

Yes and their PR and marketing department are clearly very efficient as well.

I would add that attending a taster day or half day is essential. If at all possible, attend yourself, either on the same day as your child or a different day. Focus on what the other children and staff are doing and consider if both really are engaged in what they are doing. This gave me a better understanding of what really goes on in the classroom, whether it is worth paying for and whether the head's spiel to parents is marketing / wishfull thinking

Buckholme towers is a small, friendly school which my DD has attended since nursery. very happy with the school and lots of positive changes within the school due to newish head!