Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Education

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Original poster

Anyone have knowledge of Ampleforth?

194 replies

Tinkerboo · 01/12/2006 14:20

Any Dh's go there? or DS's or DD's now?
We looked around. Out of our league price wise I think, but we were impressed with the young people and the ethos, were we duped?

OP posts:
frogs · 01/12/2006 14:24

I know quite a few people who went there, some of whom are planning to send their own kids there.

We've looked at Downside for ds (Ampleforth is the other end of the country for us!) and would seriously consider it. Like you the full whack for boarding would be way out of our league, but I had a long and serious chat with them wrt bursaries/scholarships, and got the distinct impression that they were keen to widen access for prospective families who were committed and prepared to support the ethos.

Having said that, if you're not a Catholic I don't think there's any particular reason to choose Ampleforth/Downside over its non-Catholic competitors.

Tommy · 01/12/2006 14:26

probably not duped. Have no direct experience of it but knew some lads from there at University - all lovely if a bit posh

I'm sure I heard a programme about it on R4 a few weeks ago and the pupils all sounded very polite etc (as you would expect and hope!)but also that it was a very good community.

Original poster
Tinkerboo · 01/12/2006 14:28

We are catholic and that's why we'd choose it over others. But not to board as couldn't afford that, but day boys, if possible.

OP posts:
GameGirly · 01/12/2006 14:35

Friends who have 2 boys have 1 at Ampleforth and 1 at Stonyhurst. The older one didn't get into Stonhurst but is apparently very happy at Ampleforth, whilst the younger one (14) thinks his school is best. My friend struggles a bit driving from one to the other, but they're happy with their experience at both places.

SilentBite · 01/12/2006 14:36

I went to a wedding there. It is very beautiful. The people at the wedding all went there and seem fairly normal

chocolatedot · 01/12/2006 15:01

I've got a few very good friends who went there and I've rarely heard a school talked about with such deep and lasting affection. It seems to me to be a really inspirational place. All three blokes I know who went there regularly return and all are committed to sending their children there. It's also a such a beautiful place.

Original poster
Tinkerboo · 01/12/2006 15:14

Concerned we wouldn't be posh enough. Would love our sons to have that experience but wouldn't want them to feel the odd ones out.

OP posts:
Judy1234 · 01/12/2006 15:17

I think you have to have a particularly low IQ and they can hardly fill the places they have which is never much of a good sign. Schools like Eton have increased their provisoin for Catholic boys so cream them off now to some extent. The ethos might of course suit some people. I am sure the pastoral care is very good. Depends if you want to ship your children off somewhere with the rejection and psychological damage that usually does I suppose. Day boys might be okay. I would be worried about their A level results. If you're paying it might as well be somewhere good.

GameGirly · 01/12/2006 15:24

I disagree, Xenia. I don't think education is all about results. It's about a child being happy enough in his/her environment to learn to the best of his/her ability. I would rather my children graduated as happy, confident individuals with average results, than screwed-up, high-achieving, burnt out people with outstanding grades. Boarding school is not for everyone - I hated it and despite an apparently high IQ, scored very poorly. But my brother adored his school and despite apparently not being as clever as myself, did outstandingly well and is now a highly successful, well-balanced barrister.

snorkle · 01/12/2006 15:29

Message withdrawn

GameGirly · 01/12/2006 15:33

He he, don't know! I'll ask F and N when I see them on Christmas Eve (although any comparison usually has them fighting over whose school is the best).

WonderCod · 01/12/2006 15:35

is ther anything xenia is NOT an epxpert on?

zippitippitoes · 01/12/2006 15:38

Found this all quite interesting though i think I thought Ampleforth was in |Sedbergh for some reason..until i nearly choked on the "I think you have to have a particularly low IQ"

not sure about the "shipping your children off with the rejection and psychological damage that usually does" either

especially as people have commented on how much people liked it..

WonderCod · 01/12/2006 15:41

lets faqce it most private schools are struggling
cos all of htem require tuba playing algernons

zippitippitoes · 01/12/2006 15:42

not so much if they go after the foreign market Hongkong and China especially

zippitippitoes · 01/12/2006 15:43

then the kids are called things like arthur and algernon..i think they pick the names for fun

WonderCod · 01/12/2006 15:44

farking HUGO what a nonce ish name that is

Huge - o

zippitippitoes · 01/12/2006 15:46

at ds school all the Chinese students died their hair outrageously so you have Norman with a huge purple and white mohican and lots of gadgets and unreleased in europe dvds

zippitippitoes · 01/12/2006 15:46

dyed sp

GameGirly · 01/12/2006 15:48

Zippi, some do, some don't ... if you can afford it and your child loves it, then why not? For my sport-mad brother it was fantastic - he was able to participate as much as he wanted but not have any journey home so didn't waste any time that might otherwise have been spent studying or socialising - and I bet my parents are glad they didn't have to be up at the crack of dawn every weekend to ferry him to and from matches! As I say, I hated it, but my only regret is that I didn't come out with better results. I've made some very lasting friendships, which I'm sure I would have done anywhere, to be fair. All 3 of us went to different boarding schools and we're all close to each other and to our parents, so from that point of view we suffered no damage at all. If my kids chose to go then I would consider it, on the understanding that they could move if it didn't work out.

WonderCod · 01/12/2006 15:48

ah bording shool is shite
kdis pretend to like it
you wait

frogs · 01/12/2006 15:51

Xenia, I think the OP was looking for people with knowledge of Ampleforth, not kneejerk reactions from people who have a strong preference for different types of schooling.

FWIW there were plenty of people from both Ampleforth and Downside at Oxford with me, and they still do have a regular trickle of leavers going there and to other good universities. Yes, they have a much wider ability range than the high-profile academic schools, but then some people value other things than just A-level grades.

zippitippitoes · 01/12/2006 15:52

I think it's fine, I just thought those comments were questionable hence the

as i say ds went to boarding school as a weekly boarder though he stayed over some times

though he went because he needed the school rather than because we wanted boarding (not to Ampleforth obviously)

GameGirly · 01/12/2006 15:52

Yup, Cod - you're right. Who knows whether or not mine would like it. My littlest would hate it - she gets homesick if she's away for one night with my DH! Eldest loves being away from me, though - can't think why ...?!

zippitippitoes · 01/12/2006 15:55

my cousins went to Downside ..they liked it, the younger one was less academic so big brother had to go to the same school to get a discount for two

they have both done very well and happy