Help with 2 schools in Herts

[MC42]

Moving to Hertfordshire, and in need of advice re: 2 schools in that county: Edge Grove (in Aldenham village) and Aldwickbury School (in Harpenden). Have boys aged 6 and 8 and really cannot decide which of the schools would offer the best for our boys. Could anyone help me with pros and cons of each?

Know of several boys that have gone to both schools and turned out well, getting places in good Indies in Year 9.

However, I also know of some rather nasty cases of bullying at Edge Grove over the years and boys that have "left" other schools because of their bullying tactics getting into Edge Grove. This may well have changed by now - your best bet is to have a good look at both schools and see what you think and how you "feel" having had a look.

My oldest was offered a place at Aldwickbury, I have to say as time went on I began to have doubts and in the end we turned the place down - a great shame as it would have been our nearest prep school. The year before ds was due to start they had a bit of a mass exodus from one of the years and I'm afraid I got chapter and verse from a disgruntled parent whose son was leaving. Please take that as exactly what it is - unsubstantiated hearsay on an internet forum!

Edge Grove I don't know, the one thing I would say is that those two schools are fairly distant from each other and I'd seriously think about travelling time. We have a long school run (12 miles each way) and it's not ideal at all.

My ds is at Aldwicbury. We're really pleased with the school and he has really blossomed. He is younger than your two so don't know much about the older boys but we really love it.

A vast number of Aldwickbury boys go on to St Albans School (which is academically selective). They are mostly very sporty, academic and well-rounded (in a rugger bugger sort of way). A not small number of pupils win scholarships for their next schools: academic, sporting, all-rounder and music etc. From what I gather it's a really brilliant boy education for outdoorsy good sorts with a thirst for homemade ginger beer and midnight feasts. I would send my sons there. All the boys I know who went there loved it. Bar one boy, he left very early on and has since been expelled by his new school.

I'm sorry but I've heard not so great things about EG.

Good luck with your move and your choice of schools.

Don't know aldwickbury but edge grove is excellent. Good academics but not too pushy and plenty of other things going on, sport, music etc. Excellent atmosphere; bullying a thing of the past, pastoral care very good. Very happy kids.

sportmum and anyone else please can you share a bit more about particular bullying cases at EG as this is very important to us. Thank you.