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

State school wise Penair is producing relatively good results at the moment, we couldn't get DD in there when she left Polwhele last July as it was over subscribed. My friend's son went there and she was really pleased with it (I say 'went' because they moved house and it was no longer practical rather than a problem with the school!).

I personally felt Truro wasn't the best choice for DD, it just felt too big but then majority of her friends from Polwhele are there now and really happy so might just be a my DD thing lol

Polwhele is very musical and sporty as a previous poster has said.

Ooo one thing I will say is Truro prep is not on the same site as Truro school (not sure if this has been said in previous messages) and can be a bloomin nightmare getting from one side of Truro to other in the morning in the traffic!

Have you considered the Roseland College, Tregony. They have outstanding status. My son got an assisted place from Truro sch but decided on the Roseland instead. There are only about 600 kids so its a small friendly school with fantastic Pastoral care.

State schools in Cornwall have high acheiving kids as there are are no Grammar schools. He is doing really well and is predicted A* s in his subjects as are loads of his friends. I am glad we went with the state option.

The area is really lovely - The Roseland Peninsula. Just 12 mins away from the centre of Truro

Some Cornish kids do go to the Grammars in Plymouth, so those state schools in Callington, Launceston and Liskeard for instance don't do as well as they could.

The trouble is that there are some areas of the country where schools are so much worse than the SE you wonder if fulfiling the duty to care for the elderly parent is worth failing in a duty properly to educate the children and have them in an area with jobs and prospects rather than some country areas of poverty and no hope.

Although click on the Cornwallish bit of the FT map of A level results for all UK schools www.ft.com/cms/s/0/53840c30-327e-11df-bf20-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1KpdwqKkh
and you have place 213 in the country for Truro school and then right down at 845 what looks like a state college and back up further in the next region 115 Exeter School.

The 'poverty and no hope' areas to which you refer Xenia may be where the parents jobs are and at a level of salary commensurate with the rest of the UK. You don't find many nuclear submarines to the pound in the SE, which is what dh does for a living. Housing is more affordable as well, and many of us don't want to live in the SE.

When we go home from Brussels we plan to return to Cornwall with the mortgage nearly paid and everything we want on our doorstep.