Alpha, Buxlow, Reddiford, Quainton,Orley Farm

[swaaati]

Hi,

I am considering the above schools for my ds. Will appreciate your feedback on

1. pastoral care
2. whether children are encouraged to develop into individuals and speak their mind, relationship with teachers, do they prefer followers or encourage them to be leaders
3. debates, drama, sports, music included in the curriculum or paid in addition to fees
4. Preparation for 11+ and entry into Grammer schools

Also I read that Alpha and Buxlow are traditional schools. What does that mean? Is Reddiford traditional as well?

Hi Swaaati,

My DS is in Reddiford in Yr 2 and we are very happy with the school. Fell free to type Reddiford in the search facility and you will find several of my posts on the school (some are quite detailed so sorry I haven't re-typed them for you here, but they're just to long to replicate).

In answer to your specific questions:

1. Pastoral care is very good, the school is a very happy one. I am very pleased with the attention they have given to DS. Teachers are very willing to talk to parents and a lot of care is taken to ensure each child is happy.
2. Definitely, I would say that it is a school that will build a child's self-confidence, encourage them to develop as an individual. There is a good mix of different characters among the kids, and no, they don't just churn out "sheep". My DS is fairly quiet but his teachers say that he makes really good contributions in class and is not afraid to speak up, he is definitely encouraged and his confidence is really coming on.
3. DS is a bit young for some of the activities you mention, but there are a good range on offer, many included in fees, plus some extra-curriculars to pay for (the prices seem very reasonable). The one that would cost a lot would be musical instrument lesson but they are never cheap!
4. Check out the website to see where the leavers went to last year, the school has a v high success rate of getting kids into their first choice schools - be it private or otherwise (grammar or other selective state schools). The preparation is v high level, so as long as the schools that are applied to are realistic for the child's ability, no problem.

As for your question about traditional, I would say that Reddiford has high standards - both academic and behaviour, but I wouldn't consider it "old-fashioned" - there is no compulsory rugby for boys (thank goodness!) which I think may be the case at some of the others...

I would also add Buckingham College Prep to your list...

Feel free to ask anything else!

Thank you for your feedback, very helpful. Also read some of the other threads.

DS is at QH nursery currently, very happy. Read about parents moving from QH to Reddiford. This happened at QH nursery as well last year and the most common complaint was lack of structured teaching at the nursery. I believe QH follows EYFS and it prescribes learning through play. Worried about similar structured teaching at other nurseries, I tried unsuccessfully to teach DS alphabets at home for some time. He was just not interested, so left it not wanting to put him off. Suddenly over the Christmas period DS wanted to learn alphabets and has now learnt to write them all in 10 days. I think QH succeeded with DS in creating an interest in learning.

QH was our first choice until we found out at the open day that they don?t prepare for 11+. We are keen to send DS to grammer school so need to get him to a 11+ school.

Reddiford seemed like a right fit but was worried about them not preparing for 11+. I gathered that Alpha and Buxlow prepare children very well for 11+ but not sure that it is otherwise right for my DS. Your feedback was reassuring but still not sure whether we will need to get him tutored privately for the 11+ preparation.

Hi All..
My son's is starting at Reddiford nursery in Sep '15..
He currently goes to a local nursery in Pinner (Cannon Barn) where he's just been moved from the baby room to the Montessori room..
He's Aug born so I am a little worried about how well he will be able to settle in and if staff take ample care and responsibility..
At the moment, he still occasionally needs some help with eating and managing by himself in the toilet. I am hoping that will get better over the next couple of months but despite everything it will be a completely new environment for him..
They expect children to be quite independent it seems, when it comes to eating packed lunches by themselves or going to the toilet..

Am wondering whether anyone has any experiences to share from the early years department, and if staff take proper care... Specially for Aug born children as they will be the youngest and may take longer to adapt..
Many thanks for your feedback/views