Westfield school, Newcastle

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I'm seriously considering Westfield for DD who has due to start Reception in September. Does anyone here have DC there?

Right now we're actually debating between Westfield and Central Newcastle High but I know that Central is merging with Church High and will be Newcastle High School for girls in September. I think Central does better academically than Westfield but Westfield is smaller which I think I prefer.

I've heard that both of them can be quite cliquey but not sure if there's any truth to that.

We're also considering Newcastle School for Boys for DS but he's only five months at the moment so we have a while to make any decisions regarding him. Still if anyone has DC there it will be interesting to hear their experiences.

Hi there, my DD used to attend Westfield and is now currently working at Uni Credit as a Banker in London. This is currently not true that they become 'cabin crew' or anything else in that matter. She did very well especially her year with 98% grades from a - b in a levels. And currently by the ratio of the pupils there, it does take the average grades down if a bad grade is shown. My DD loved Westfield and gave her a lot of confidence and especially in her arts. My DD knew girls in central and church, and they didn't do as well as her. I dont know but it seems very clique in other big schools especially when it is so big and not privately owned. It's up to you, but this is my opinion.

The best school for DS is probably either RGS or Dame Allans, I'm thinking Durham is a very good school for boys to go to as well. I wouldn't recommend NSB as I know parents who's children go there and they're not very good academically, and are not very good with girls as well. Durham is very good for sport, top 5 in the country and has a great reputation. My thoughts are different, and if you think NSB is better for your child. RGS is very good, but you will have to get him in early as the assessments get harder throughout the years. My DS tried to get in at year 9 but was unaccepted and then in GCSE got 10 A* and 1 A. He went to Durham and loved it there. Dame Allans is good for juniors but the senior is good but the look of the school isn't the most welcoming.

Hello..I am a new Mumsnet user. I have just read the conversations about Westfield School v. Newcastle High School for Girls, Dame Allen's etc....really fascinating stuff. Just wanted to say, that I have had two DD's at Westfield and they have turned out very well! They really enjoyed their time at Westfield, enjoyed lots of travel abroad with the Round Square Organisation, got great A levels and are doing really well at their respective universities. Everyone at Westfield that we knew were encouraged to excel at whatever they felt happy with, be it academic or art, pe, music, home ec. etc.... It's a lovely, friendly school, beautiful grounds, great teachers etc...so, in a nutshell, do go and have a look around. Don't be swayed by other mums' experiences/tales....go and see for yourself and go with your gut instinct. My DD's often say they wish they were back at school!

Westfield is such a great school, it is more suited for my DD when she went and now her cousins are at the school and they love it. Very easy to make friends by the size of the classes and more attention by the size of class. Everyone is very close and friendly with each other in every year. There aren't any cliques by the year sizes

We have looked at both Dame Allans and Central for our daughter who will start reception in Sept 15.
Dame Allans junior school site is fantastic. Lots of outdoor space and lovely new facilities. However, we did not get a great feel from the school itself and there was an odd atmosphere. The teachers were not interested in us when we looked around and the headteacher was in such a rush that he couldn't wait to get us out of the door. We were not impressed with him or the school.
The senior school in Fenham will be a bit of a nightmare traffic wise I think and whilst they have a lovely big playing field the school itself was a big disappointment. It is very run down and the layout is odd. It is not a warm inviting building. The head was very nice and gave plenty of time to talk and ask questions (although did tell us that his own 2 girls are at Central and were at another gdst school when they lived out of the region).
We really wanted to like Dame Allans but we will not be sending our daughter there based on what we have seen/experienced.

Central on the other hand was very different. My husband and I were all set not to like it and we had a very stuffy overly academic image in our head. We were also dubious of the all girl set up. However, when visiting we found all of the staff and pupils (the pupils are very much involved in showing prospective parents and pupils around) to be absolutely lovely and very warm and engaging. We did not find any stuffiness at all at either the junior or senior school. We visited on both an open morning and also on a day when we could view the school warts and all. The staff and pupils really did go out of their way to show us everything and answer any questions we had. The atmosphere was lovely and we got the impression that the girls all looked out for eachother. It had a totally different feel to Dame Allans. I would also be confident that even if my daughter was not highly academic this would not be an issue as sports and arts are very much catered for too.

Hi, a question for a Cat called Colin, or anyway else who knows/has girls that have just started at Westfield....
DD and I went to the Senior House Open Day held last Saturday and just really liked the 'feel' of the place and the enthusiasm shown by everyone. DD is going to go for a taster day, as a lot depends on her. Just wanted to know if you could give a quick update on your thoughts on the first half term - have they settled easily etc, etc.
We went to the DA Open Day too - still waiting for the Bursar to get in touch with the answer to a question that I had, and just generally didn't feel that it's the place for DD.

NHSG (Central, really) isn't one that we would consider so it's only Westfield in our plans.

Shameless bump, anyone?

My daughter did indeed start at Westfield Sep 2014. It was the best decision. She loves it and feels very at home. I feel the school is very supportive and nurturing which is exactly what my daughter needs. We haven't looked back. Would recommend Westfield every time!