Moving to Millfield?

[zoledge]

My OH is a teacher, we have 3 and 5 yo daughters. He has an interview at Millfield in Somerset next week- if he gets the job, it would mean moving house and girls moving schools ( into Reception and Y1 in September) Does anyone have any experience of Millfield especially prep/pre prep?

You might get some negative about Millfield on here, have you searched it? I think there's a current parent there who's very unhappy. Having said this a women I worked with sent all her DC's there and was happy with it and delighted but also very surprised by how well one of her "not very academic" DC's did.

Went to the open day and was very impressed. It's a big busy school, not a small nurturing environment so that might not appeal to some. Having found small nurturing schools rather claustrophobic, it was a breath of fresh air. For sport there's none better. Music looked good too. I'm aware an open day isn't the real experience however.

Know someone who taught there a while ago and it has a good community feel. The campus has great facilities too, separate to the senior school.

Thanks - just a bit worried about the potential move, we're happy where we are, but the facilities and opportunities there look amazing, but so hard to tell from websites and open days what the reality is! All depends on the interview anyway!

Millfield Prep is not as bad as Millfield Senior School. So if your children would only be there for the Prep then that is not quite as bad. But if you were thinking about them then going on to the Senior school I would strongly advise against it! Even though the prep school is not as bad as the senior school - it is still bad! The ethos of Millfield overall seems to condone arrogant, bullying behaviour and just ignores that students who are nice, normal and pleasant. From our experience the only students that rise to the top at Millfield are those who take 'banter' towards other students just too far each and every time, who have no empathy to others, those who bully, and who are arrogant beyond words. The other very worrying part of Millfield is the fact they like to keep the parents as far removed from their children's education as possible. If you, as a parent, have concerns about your child's education then Millfield make you feel like a too-involved busy-body when you have the 'audacity' to actually contact the senior management about your concerns. In our personal experience the Millfield attitude to parents is 'just give us your money and then stay away'. Plus a lot of the really nice teachers at Millfield don't seem to be happy with how Millfield treat them from our conversations with various staff members. The nice pleasant teachers seem to get brow beaten and quite often have a resigned, 'beaten' atmosphere about them. Millfield expects their staff to do an awful lot outside lesson times and such like. It is expected by Millfield. We found the whole atmosphere of Millfield was basically to step and climb and scramble across or on or up anyone to get wherever you wanted to be. Certainly not the values that my teachers ever taught me at school when they were trying to make us into pleasant members of our future communities.

Shamonts - for sport there could not be a worse school you could choose than Millfield. I would never choose Millfield for the 'sport' they claim to offer.

Luckily it's not Millfield! Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience there

The only experience I have of Millfield is a teacher and a number of his students that I know through my dh's sport over the past 20 years. There's not a chance I would want my dc anywhere near Millfield if they are at all indicative of the attitude the school seeks to foster in its pupils and staff. Arrogant isn't a strong enough word for it and incredibly unsportsmanlike.

Eek. Thanks......

OP nearly all schools will have their detractors and their ardent supporters which is obviously a dilemma for you and your OH. I've attended quite a few school open days and it never ceases to amaze me that despite having the same guided tours, listening to the same speeches and eating the same canapés that some parents come away singing the schools praises others saying they wouldn't send the dog there. Even amongst current parents at the same school you'll hear different things one thinks the art is amazing another is disappointed etc.
"for sport there could not be a worse school you could choose than Millfield. I would never choose Millfield for the 'sport' they claim to offer."
A mum I occasionally meet on my travels had a DC there when he left he was in the top five of the GB ranking for his sport and I know she would be quite insistent that it was Millfield; their coaching, facilities etc that enabled him to do so well. On the other hand her younger DC was not sent there, lacking the talent of their sibling, she describes him as geeky and sensitive. I also agree with Gracie I've seen some MIllfield children at a few competitions and some do come across as rather arrogant. But Ive known a few parents at DS's prep who've sent their DC's their over the years they don't seem particularly unhappy with it and their children seem happy well mannered and far from arrogant.

As far as the arrogance goes, and the sense of privilege that comes with £££, that's got to be largely down to parents....

I currently work in a boarding school, so I do see some parents seemingly replacing time and attention with £ and gifts....

The arrogance I've come across is nothing to do with privilege and everything to do with bad manners - in this sporting context anyway. Things like not shaking hands at the end of a match, whether they win or not, and throwing a tantrum when decisions don't go their way. All backed up by their teacher who behaves in exactly the same way. I do only know the school via this link though and don't know how the school operates day to day. I'm sure lots of other people have more positive experiences. My ds is a boarder at a vocational school so my opinion is not based on any preconceptions there.

Gracie I too have seen similar things, having said that the boy on GB ranking mentioned above was not like this (same sport). But then thinking about it I've also seen pupils from other schools show similar poor sportsmanship.
I'm not excusing it but I guess tensions run high especially at big competitions and some children seem to under enormous pressure from their parents, coaches and schools to do so very well.

zoledge have pmed you. Hope that is OK?

my dcs have played Millfield at sport and tbh they always want to beat them. I think representing Millfield in a sports match may be rather more pressurised than representing other schools.

Thanks for your input everyone - he didn't get the job, so that's made our decision for us anyway!

Oh that's a shame (or not according to one pp!)

I have a son in Year 9 at Millfield and i'm totally involved in his education and his life at school. I will not tolerate arrogance and attitude from him and he knows that. So it's down to parents not the children. It a school that offers great opportunity and it really is down to the children to drive their own success. When you see the pupils walking around the school they have something about them, they are smart and confident and they can hold their own in a confident manner - it's down to parents to kept their children grounded and that certainly happens in our house.