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Education

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Culford School, Suffolk

42 replies

diabolo · 24/02/2012 17:54

Any recent or current parents opinions on this school would be much appreciated, good or bad.

Thanks in anticipation.

OP posts:
mrswoodentop · 02/03/2012 06:56

The OP is at a prep she is looking for 13+

diabolo · 02/03/2012 07:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pretorius · 02/03/2012 11:12

Going back to your post to me about parents at your DS's prep school being uncomplimentary about Culford - I honestly would totally ignore them. Culford has been a fantastic school for my family and as I said to you before, I feel that all have mine have achieved way beyond expectations and are now on their way to top universities. Don't take any notice of academic snobbery and people's perceptions of schools. If you like the school at the open day and think that your child would be happy there then go for it. A good school is not just about grades and Culford has given my children way more than that!

pickledsiblings · 02/03/2012 14:03

pretorius, why were your expectations for your DC so low to begin with?

Was that a factor in you choosing Culford?

It is possible that your DC could have done just as well in any independent/state school but the fact that you chose the school that you did when you clearly had low expectations of your DC is hardly a selling point for that school - at least I don't think it is.

I know some lovely DC who have achieved excellent results from King Eds but I would not recommend that school.

Diabolo, if you have a v. academic DS then Culford is probably not the school for him. Good academics/excellence are achievable there but are not part of the ethos IMHO.

pretorius · 02/03/2012 16:06

pickled siblings you misunderstand me. my expectations of my DC were not low but we had moved a lot, including overseas and for that reason my DCs had not had the same grounding as their peers. We chose Culford because we thought it would give our DCs the best all round education, sporting opportunities and allow them to catch up academically and it has exceeded our expectations in all those respects. I think that is a good selling point for the school. However, it is important to stress that choosing a school is such a subjective thing, you really have to go on whether you like the school and whether you think your DCs will be happy rather than just league tables and exam results.

diabolo · 02/03/2012 17:58

DS is academic. His is well capable of getting all A-C grades in his GCSE's and will probably get a couple of A or A in his favourite subjects. He is sporty too, and loves the extra-curricular life Independent schools can offer.

Culford achieved 96% A-C GCSE's last year, with 47% at A or A
Ipswich " " " 99%, with 59% at A or A*
Perse " " " 100% with 87% (!!!!) at A or A*.

So although Culford's results are not as good as the others, nearly 50% of pupils get A or A* at GCSE. Sounds bloody amazing to me.

I just want him to be happy at school, achieve the very best he is capable of, but not at the expense of having fun and learning about all the different things life has to offer.

I can't send him on a bus for 3 hours a day, then find he is so exhausted from being made to try and achieve A* in everything that there is no time for anything else. I don't want to move to Ipswich.

Which is why I thought Culford would be perfect for him Smile

OP posts:
sianf · 04/03/2012 13:29

Hi, unfortunately I'm not yet a current Culford parent so can't help in that respect, but I was at the school for 5 years (including during the infamous cannabis-gate... which, of course, was ridiculously overblown by the Sun newspaper and thus I find it quite amusing that people are still talking about it!!). Believe me, having achieved 4 'A' grades at A-level, and being one of 6 Oxbridge entrants from Culford that year, I came across infinitely worse drug habits amongst Old Etonians and even Old Ipswichians at university than we'd ever seen at little rural old Culford!!

Anyway, my experience back then was that I couldn't have had a better education for me. All of this stuff about it not being very academic, etc., is relative to the fact that it has an academically diverse intake (its ethos as a Methodist school necessitates this) and that it's in an essentially rural area (statistically the large town ex-grammars like Ipswich always do better on grades alone). Look at the 'value add' for individuals, rather than the headline grades (although I note that last year they got better 'A' and 'A*' grades at A-level than Ipswich! - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culford_School#References).

IMO, having been to university with many products of the supposedly more 'academic' schools in East Anglia, knowledge isn't simply about reading books and cramming exams. Many of those products seemed to be a little two-dimensional and, in many cases, completely odd! So, to me at at least, the diversity of the community at Culford is an asset not a hindrance (and I can assure you that my parents most certainly didn't have low aspirations for me! - that's why they took me out of the state system after middle school). If your DS is bright and prepared to grasp everything on offer, then he will do well. The sport seems to have come on leaps and bounds as well - I note that the girls hockey team have just played in the national finals and that they've got an England rugby player on the books.

There were some excellent teachers at Culford who taught us to think in the broadest sense, and the grounds and general atmosphere are really quite inspiring. There was every opportunity to become a fully signed-up member of the human race at the school, and it's notable that we still remain a close-knit community of friends (many friends from uni and work comment on how friendly everyone is - the school definitely doesn't produce the aggressive or pretentious public school stereotype!). Reading through the alumni newsletters, etc., that we're sent, it would seem that they have record pupil numbers and that boarding places are full (it's roughly 50:50 boarding and day BTW, and very well integrated) - so I'm glad to say that it's not just us who think it's a great place to be educated!

Best of luck and hope the visit goes well.

diabolo · 04/03/2012 15:10

sianf - thanks so much - what a great experience you seem to have had there. I will feedback next weekend after my formal visit.

OP posts:
diabolo · 11/03/2012 19:24

Well I am pleased to say I loved Culford on our visit and for many reasons:

  • The staff were equally proud to tell us about Freddie who struggled to achieve 3 C's at A Level, but did, as they were about Matthew who got 4 A and has gone to Cambridge. That made me feel like the school really do believe that all* pupils matter. It's not just an exam factory.
  • Students we saw aged from 13 - 18 looked happy, were confident, were approachable and friendly. They seemed happy.
  • Facilities of all manner were top notch. The buildings and huge grounds were well maintained without being shiny and looking rarely used (which I have seen at some schools).
  • Very impressed with the scholars programme and associated events.
  • already was hugely impressed with the sporting provision.
  • The focus felt like "work hard, play hard" - many and varied activities every day after school: lots of trips, concerts, performances, activities for all.
  • I felt I could totally be myself with the staff and other parents we met (a rare occurrence for me in the world of private education). I am not a "typical" "prep school mum".

But best of all, my DS LOVED it too and said he would love to go there.

Grin
OP posts:
dysonboy · 06/05/2012 10:38

Hi there I'm off to culford tomorrow to see what it's like! Does anyone have any feedback on Woodbridge school the other side of ipswich? We are looking to move to suffolk in next year or so starting to look at schools for my 9 and 6 yr old boy and girl xx

outtolunchagain · 06/05/2012 22:01

I have posted on your other thread,but if you PM me I can be more specific,

Woodbridge is a lovely school ,very optimistic ,positive ,busy and very good for all rounders ,fantastic music and drama and good all round academics ,it's not a hothouse but the results are very good and they have excellent value added.

The Abbey is the Junior school and they have an open morning quite soon I think.

Hanny13 · 22/03/2016 05:49

Does anyone know anything about Culford Boarding School? Is it a good school and has anyone got experience of children boarding there?

Thank you

Candilicious · 12/07/2017 19:56

Hello

I am considering Culford Sixth Form for my DS.
Can anyone please give some insight into Culford school, especially in light of the suspension of some Sixth Form students in June, relating to yet another Cannabis scandal. What is the surrounding town/village like for those who are very familiar? Thank you.

Hannahjane4 · 26/08/2017 17:53

Any views on Culford School Bury and King's school Ely - would be appreciated. Thank you

sozzledsmythe · 23/09/2017 15:39

Culford? Not impressed overall. If you're lucky enough that your child is one of the 'chosen ones' they will have many fantastic years there. But if yours or their face doesn't esepcially fit, they won't....
Fees higher than average? That'll be because Culford awards dozens of scholarships each year - some, I believe, are paid out of legacy grants and inheritances, but most of the regular sports & academic scholarships are of course subsidised by those paying the full whack. (I don't mind the concept of scholarships to enable children who would otherwise not be able to financially access a school like Culford, but to see several thousand pounds a year knocked off the bills of parents who can clearly afford it [for several off-spring], really grates - especially when within 1 year of starting Prep / Senior, their DC subsequently drops out of half the sports teams that got them the 'scholarship' in the first place but remains a 'scholar'! The other issue is that they seem to award ALl the scholarships every year, rather than only award a particular scholarship if a pupil is especially exceptional at their sport - e.g. some sports scholars aren't even County level, but due to a lack of competition that year, got one for merely playing at Club level !).
By comparison, Gt Finborough School has NO scholarships and hence all their fees are significantly lower (in fact, you could board full-time at Finborough for less than Culford's day fees!).
Yes Culford is set in some wonderful grounds and has some fabulous sporting facilities, but don't think all those facilities come as part of the package... All but the core PE sports during Games periods (and inter-school matches) then attract further 'Academy' fees on top (be that for the tennis, golf, etc)...
Also, despite paying higher fees, you'll keep getting hassled to contribute donations towards whatever the new fundraising project is - used to be the new Library, but is now the new Art block (still, if you've got a few thousand spare on top of the fees, might be a fast-track way to turn yout DC into one of the 'favoured' pupils...!).
Prep? As has been said, went from being reasonably stable to seeing a huge turnover of staff after they replaced the Head a few years ago and don't believe his stewardship is particularly well thought of by either staff or parents...
Oh and final part of the whinge - 'yes' a lot of the teachers' children attend Culford too... Could be a 'good' sign that the School gets their endorsement... But, be prepared to see most if not all the teachers' children get a disproportionate share of awards and key pupil positions, such as House Captains, Prefects, etc. The leadership team at Culford either seem oblivious to or simply don't care about how the rife 'in-house' favouritism is perceived by 'ordinary' parents.... So I think that has a lot to do with why the teachers send their own children to the School (when DC has their University interview and can reel off that they were House Captain in Prep and a Prefect in Senior, etc, they won't exactly add on "but that's because my parents were teachers at the School", the University will just think they're a pupil that goes 'above and beyond' to achieve more extra-cirricularly, won't they....!

Woed · 24/06/2021 18:50

I know little too late but any more reviews on Culford school?Thinking of boarding for my DC

JamesSawyer · 08/09/2023 12:02

Hi everyone,
My children used to go to Culford and they loved it lots. But I still have their Culford uniforms and sports gear so if any of you out there need school uniforms for your kids going to culford then we can sell them to you for cheaper as buying directly from school blazer can be very expensive. So if any of you are interested please feel free to give me a message.

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