Pointer School - Blackheath

[gardenia]

What's your opinion? I want to hear it all. Good or bad. TIA

Hmmm - I wouldn't send my children there but some people like it.

There are better schools in the area IMO:)

Care to elaborate soapbox?

Which do you think are better?

Thanks

Gardenia - I found the school overly formal and it had a very 'cold' feeling to it.

I'm not overly keen on schools which are owned and run by family and certainly pointers in run very much as the personal fiefdom of the Head.

There are so many schools in the area it is hard to say, but Heath House has a good reputation, Blackheath Prep does too, albeit it stretches teh children quite hard. My children go to Colfes which I think it generally quite good.

So much depends on what you personally like about and want from a school. What are your children like - what sex are they, are they sporty, academically able, musical etc - all will play a part in the decision where to put them!

If anyone is interested in this school re:2015, check out falling education standards (look for falling results over the past several years as class sizes for Year 6 more than double in size), check out the way the school is run (rules, powers of the Head etc). I don't think it is healthy to have a owner/headmaster of a private school with no board of governors. But the best way - take a moment to join parents at the school gates and speak to them. A number are regularly pulling their kids out to send them to Blackheath Prep and others. It appears there are lots of dissatisfied parents and the school seems more focussed on earning more cash than education. Tip: Talk to the parents...

I wasn't aware of falling standards at Pointers. The results are published every year and actually pupils often get scholarships to great schools and get offered more than 1 place. Class sizes are small as it is a private school - never more than 20 and usually well under this size. If you look at the ISI inspectorate report they give Pointers a brilliant rating. They also mention a very active and able governorship of the school. Yes some people do pull pupils out because everyone panics about getting into the best schools at Year 6 so they move to the feeder schools before that as they think it will be easier to get their children in. But there must be children leaving Blackheath Prep early too as otherwise there would not be space to take any other kids! The educational standards at Pointers rarely get questioned by any parents I know. Mr Higgins is a marmite character admittedly (I can't see anything wrong with someone having a bit of an eccentric character) but his staff are amazing - children at Pointers feel loved and supported as well as getting a good education. It was lovely to see my child at sports day throw herself into her teachers arms for a hug. I am a parent and I would advise seeing the school yourself rather than just reading Mumsnetters comments. Viewing a school is like viewing a house - you will know which one is right for your child.

this old chestnut!

Yes kids do leave Blackheath Prep - but mainly this is when the family is relocating out of the area. And more than 75% of new joiners are from pointers. That's just a fact and surely it does mean something?

The Y6 thing is interesting. BP maintains class sizes right through the school so has a cohort of 40-50 kids in Y6. One year Pointers had only 8. Even if that has doubled to 16, that is still a very small year group with negative associations for friendships and team sports that cannot in any prepare a child for secondary school.

Agree that you know which school suits which child. If you're happy with an owner-managed school that places high importance on being Christian evangelical, on serving organic food and enforcing a very strict uniform code then Pointers is definitely for you.

I am a Pointers parent , disgusted by everything here the pastoral care was terrible as my son was bullied for 3 years and the teachers did nothing about it also Blackheath prep has larger premises and is cheaper

Echo previous posts. School is far behind competitors on facilities & pastoral support yet charge more. Most schools in the area want you to tutor to get into desired senior school - so don’t think it’s all the success of the schools. Regretted choice. New Headmaster will hopefully drive change.

I think it's very unfair on the school. The school has positives and negatives like every other school in the area, and will work well for some parents. My son went there and we were very happy with both the level of education and the pastoral care. He went on to a super-selective independent, but I did have to spend time with exam practice/tutoring to get him in. However, I realised how good the teaching at Pointers was after he got in - his concepts in English and French were the best amongst his peer group in this highly selective group. Some of the students who came from the ultra-competitive prep schools in the area did not have the clarity of basic concepts nor the "base" for further learning.

I would much rather offer tutoring for competitive exams myself than miss out on the basics. But that's my view, and understand that it won't work for everyone.

The school does need to work on its governance, with a board of governors and clear processes, hopefully that will be taken care of with the new Head.

I think it's ok

Any views on how is Pointer school in terms of inclusivity for foreign/ non British kids? Any other schools in the area that are recommended for their diversity and inclusivity? Thank You.

Dont know much about Pointers but we pulled our two DCs out of Blackheath Prep in years 2 and reception. The stress of being told they weren't good enough was just too much at that time. New Head now and I think things have improved but I would only recommend for very bright DCs.

I don't think Blackheath Prep takes only very bright children. If you look at their leavers destinations, there is a wide range of offers from very academic onward schools to non selective.

As my name suggests, I have children at Pointers. I am sure the school will have statistics on numbers of BAME/ non British born children and first languages/ languages spoken at home. The new head is definitely more approachable!

Looking at my children's classes, I think more than half have a second language.

We really like the school and its ethos, neither of my DC are academically gifted, they do well and are encouraged rather than "hot housed". My children are happy there.

They also seem to be holding their own with secondary offers compared with the selective preps nearby.

the new head might be more approachable, but the old head remains the owner of the school and the chair of the governors......

the latest leavers list only has 30 kids in Y6 so not a huge school and the mix of leavers destinations quite different to BP?

I just typed a huge long reply and it got eaten. In brief:

• Pointers wasn't our first choice by a long shot! Our eldest was rejected by BP and Colfe's at age 2 (Colfe's was my favourite but quite far for us to get to and BP has much, much better facilities than Pointers); however, with limited state options we went with Pointers and our DC are very happy there. I imagine a lot of the parents there did not have Pointers as their first choice, hence the move at yr3. I am actually really happy with the school and think my DC may have struggled at BP/ Colfe's.
• we have never had a problem with pastoral care, quite the opposite.
• Pointers do seem to lose a lot of DC at yr3, much more than BP, as other school opportunities open up. We considered this too but as we are likely to move out of London before our eldest reaches yr6 we decided not to move them, only to move them again.
• governance - again, I can see why this is an issue and the owner is quirky but I really don't feel his input in the same way as before. I have rarely seen him since the new head took over. I think the new head is doing a good job.
• practicalities - Pointers has great wraparound care and after school club options, I think BP still finishes at 5pm? It has made life a lot easier for us (in non Covid times at least).
• TLDR - I think Pointers does a good job despite the fact it is not selective and does not have the selling point of decent grounds/ the reputation for getting their pupils into top schools. I do think BP trades on its reputation and therefore attracts parents that are determined for their 2 year old to end up at a top school (and they probably would have done at whatever school their DC went to). I feel there is less pressure at Pointers. Just my opinion though.

Definitely do not dismiss Pointers, it is still a good option.

I need to stop posting on here - this thread is older than my kids!

just worth adding that - were i making the whole decision again, rather than going for BP (which both my kids enjoyed) I honestly think I would go down the local primary route if i had my time again.

as you say rightly say, kids who are lucky to have strong parental support will do well wherever they go. striving for BP - or for THE school at 11 is a nonsense.

All that matters is that they enjoy their journey through all of this and that they find their niche and their tribe along the way.

Hello,

My son used to attend Pointers School.
I heard that the new head Mr Greenwood has already left and been replaced.
He wasn't there very long and it's unusual to leave during the school year.
Hopefully it's not going to shake the governance of the school too much

My daughter have chance to go to more academic school but she wants to go to Blackheath High, and I was thinking Pointers for my little son. Because they are close to each other. Is anyone has any experience with Blackheath High? I am new to this area. Normally I wanted her to go to coed secondary but she really liked the Blackheath so I am about to say ok. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Both my daughters went to Blackheath High, junior and senior. My youngest is still in the Sixth Form.
The school really suited us. My eldest is now at Exeter Uni.
You can ask me questions if you want.

Hi @Blueberriz thanks for the respond. I wonder if Blackheath High is suitable for academic child? Do they stretch and challenge girls enough? My daughter going 2 years above then her age. She is in state school at the moment and she is always complaining that she always waits others to finish their work, she doesn’t learn anything, she gets bored etc…