Truro - living and education

[exclaremont]

Am returning to Cornwall after a long absence to look after elderly parents and am considering moving to Truro and sending four of my children aged 7-13 to Truro School. Does anyone have anything to say about the school, including the Prep, and bringing up a family in Truro or the vicinity? Thanks

There was a thread awhile "Best private schools in Devon and Cornwall"

Truro is a lovely city to live in.

The state schools in the city are good. Truro school is ok too, although was a bit underwhelming in the 1980s.

Thanks - read the post - bit heated! With six kids having been to to a wide range of both state primaries/poncy prep schools/horrific state schools/excellent state schools/boarding state schools/single sex private schools I have seen most of what education has to offer! It is always useful to know what others think of/actually have experience of in a new area though.

Truro and associated prep would come under the heading of bog standard/no frills private,underwhelming is an excellent description.
Is that exclaremont as in Esher?

No, as in a small farm in Dorset! You really are not keen on Truro School are you! Do you live in the Truro area? What age your offspring? Am I allowed to ask personal questions like that - not used this website before so if that's off limits - apologies.

We live in Cornwall near enough to Truro, and my offspring are of both prep and public school age,actually I couldnt care less about Truro school,it doesnt register with me(unless you count parents who I know that send their children to it wishing they had other non boarding options) untill people start to make silly claims for it,its a small local private school,nothing wrong with that but sadly people who know little about private ecducation beyond the Tamar and send their children there have delusions of adequacy about it...
Now what Truro does have is one of the best 6th form colleges in the country,so anyone that does A levels at Truro school really is certifiable...

That should get them going...

Yes I'm sure it will! There must be somebody out there prepared to counter your robust trashing of the place! I read a comparison in one of the Sunday papers about Truro School/Truro sixth form college and it was pretty obvious which was best. I just wish there was somewhere I could stick them all in and they would come out the other end reasonably well educated/well rounded and happy - idealistic or what?!

Thats what we all want isnt it?
I think the piece you are talking about was in a short series The Telegraph did,to be fair most schools would struggle if they had Truro College on the doorstep.

Again, a long time ago, but when I was in Cornwall in the 1980s, Penare was full of bright children.

I used to be in a County Youth thingie and met people from all schools in Cornwall, but the Penare lot all seemed to go on to Oxbridge.

This - of course - was more down to brains and expectation then any magical school thing.

My cousins went to Truro Sixth form college (which is huge) and one of them got all As at A-level. We were in a different town and my sisters and I also got top A-level results.

Move to the Tamar Valley and you can access Mount House in Tavi for prep, the grammars in Plymouth for secondary, and there is always Kelly College, (which seems to be improving under the new Head), as well for prep and secondary.

Mount House is indeed far better than anything on offer in Cornwall,but Kelly mmm,(as a matter of interest of the I think 32? leavers from Mount House-one went to Truro) and I think it would be a waste of such an excellent prep, if you really want to go to Truro,you dont really need to bother with a prep,as I understand the vast majority dont come from preps or you could try Polwhele which gets more scholarships to Truro than Truro prep does...

Have a look at Polwhele House prep school. It is utterly fantastic!

Polwhele is better than Truro prep certainly.

Kelly has improved under the new Head (I used to work there under the old one), so don't go by the old reputation.

As an ex-mount House mum I am well aware of how good it is, which is why I recommended it, and the Tamar Valley is a dream to live in.

Kelly has I believe improved but that really wasnt difficult,just not a school id want to spend school fees on,as for Mount House well lets just say we know one boy who is transferring from Polwhele next academic year...

God Propatria, are you always this dismissive? Kelly was not good under the old head (I worked for him), but is beginning to change and yes it will take a while).

I know all about MH as I said, I spent enough of my hard earned salary paying for the fees for 6 years.

Exclaremont, Mount House normally manages to turn out students who win scholarships to Eton, Winchester, Harrow, Sherborne, Canford, Millfield, Kings Taunton, Monkton Coombe etc, and all the top girly schools as well. The pastoral care is superb as is the setting and the food. The staff are ace as well, and my son thrived there.

There are plenty of schools that I dont see the point of paying my or my famillies money for, Kelly is one of them,Truro is another,does that make me dismissive,yeah I suppose it does,I just dont understand why people would spent good money on a mediocre school when a little searching finds far better schools at no extra cost,
You admit Kelly was "not good" and it will take a while,children dont have that long,so why consider a school like that...let it sort itself out then maybe ,just maybe it might be worth looking at(but I doubt it)

Depends if you want day or boarding though, and to avoid the drag into Plymouth for Plymouth College if your child doesn't get into grammar.

There are not that many indy days about in the Devon/Cornwall borders.

Cornwall and west Devon are not well served with private secondary schools,if you want a day school then you really dont have anything worth spending money on.

Oh dear didn't want open up old wounds from the last school's comparison thread. I'm grateful for all the comments. I am surrounded by excellent and extremely expensive prep and public schools here in my corner of Dorset. I don't want top notch education which is a bit wasted on my lot if I'm realistic for lots of reasons and much as I love the Tamar valley area it isn't far enough into Cornwall to be near to family. Just somewhere unpretentious, sporty, with lots of arty stuff and a good family atmosphere and less than 1,000 kids would be great. I guess what aspect of family we want to spend out money on is a very personal issue - for some that is education and for others it isn't. I can't quite make up my mind how important it is for me and the welfare of my kids!

Thanks for the comments about Polwhele - having had the organisational (ok my fault for doing it the first place) nightmare of six kids at five different schools at one time I would LOVE them all to go the the same one for a change so I can finally relax and not have a nagging feeling that I have forgotten to collect someone or even worse someone else's child from one or other of them!

Polwhele is certainly unpretentious,sporty-well its so so but remember year groups are very small,good atmosphere,certainly not over academic or pushy,anyway wherever you chooseI hope the move goes well

Thanks propatria. Long way to go yet but I'm sure we'll get there in the end!

I disagree about the state schools in truro being any good. I can think of several which are not places you want your children in - from experience.

There is nothing wrong with Truro School. Its not Eton or Harrow but its a good school. Dont be fooled by the rep of the over hyped Truro College either. Its good compared to local state schools sixth forms and the only other FE college around the area. I wouldnt write home about it.

Hope that is straight enough.

Thanks Sohia.