Port Regis or Clayesmore please help!

[ZaraTurn]

We are soon relocating back to the UK, plan to live around Shaftesbury, Blandford Forum Area, Children will start Nursery and Form 2, we have narrowed down our school search to port Regis and Clayesmore. We have visited Clayesmore, and found it lovely, although lacking the go get it feel...the energy,, have not visited Port Regis yet, as they were not available for a walk around during the holidays..please please advice. Is it full of snobs? is it heavy on boarders and do day students (our children will be day students) feel out numbered?
Thanks would appreciate any advice.

Port Regis has a very good reputation and talking to a very "normal" mum whose children go there said there are a mix of parents. Clayesmore less snobby but not so academic or so I have heard.

If you lived west of Shaftesbury you could reach Sherborne Prep. I would say it is a middle ground between Clayesmore and Port Regis. More pupils per year group and more academic focus than Clayesmore. Vibrant, busy feel while retaining the good things about a non-selective, country prep. Less slick and glamorous than Port Regis, probably quite a few more 15 year old estate cars in the car park.

Sherborne prep is a great school. My children go there. Fairly snobby and cliquey in my opinion though thankfully I don't get involved.

Hi, I can give you some first hand feedback on Port Regis. Our son started there in September 2016 and we have been nothing but impressed. I can honestly say that it is not all snobby. We too have visited Clayesmore and Port Regis. I liked Clayesmore but Port Regis is just a few steps ahead ...... it's a beautiful school amazing facilities (even better than a lot of senior schools), generally a more polished school, really really nurturing / excellent pastoral care, a real mix of local and non-local and overseas children. Just a lovely welcoming atmosphere, has a relaxed feel, teachers are fantastic, food is superb (apparently!), lots and lots of really good extra curricular activites. The new headmaster is fabulous - really really like him and he's very well liked. Very open on boarding, day children can board on a flexible basis I believe. We couldn't be happier and our son is very happy there - as are all the children we've come across. I wouldn't call Port Regis "glamourous" at all - it's just a lovely school that happens to have some top notch facilities. I wouldn't say it's heavy on boarders - there is a good mix. I went to my first speech day and I must say I was hard pressed to find a "flash car"!!!! I bet you couldn't say that about some other schools. All very normal and not flashy at all in my opinion.

Hi, I can give you some first hand feedback on Port Regis. Our son started there as a boarder in September 2016 and we have been nothing but impressed. I can honestly say that it is not all snobby. We too have visited Clayesmore and Port Regis. I liked Clayesmore but Port Regis is just a few steps ahead ...... it's a beautiful school with amazing facilities (even better than a lot of senior schools), good learning support, but generally a more polished school but not "flash" or pretentious, really really nurturing, really excellent pastoral care, a real mix of local and non-local and overseas children. Just a lovely welcoming atmosphere, has a relaxed feel, teachers are fantastic, food is superb (apparently!), lots and lots of really good extra curricular activites. The new headmaster is fabulous - really really like him and he's very well liked. Very open on boarding, day children can board on a flexible basis I believe. We couldn't be happier and our son is very happy there - as are all the children we've come across. I wouldn't call Port Regis "glamourous" at all - it's just a lovely school that happens to have some top notch facilities. I wouldn't say it's heavy on boarders - there is a good mix. I went to my first speech day and I must say I was hard pressed to find a "flash car"!!!! I bet you couldn't say that about some other schools. All very normal and not flashy at all in my opinion. Day and boarding children mix well - I have not noticed any segregation at all.

Port regis is very moneyed. Clayesmore doesn't have a very academic reputation but thats probably fine for prep. Sherborne Prep is much improved. Perrott Hill is fab.

I went to my first speech day and I must say I was hard pressed to find a "flash car"!!!!

If you don't find land-rover discoveries and vw golfs flash. It's ridiculous to paint port regis as normal. A few years ago it was awash with Russians.

Sandroyd also in your area and hanford for girls.

This is a zombie thread. Schoolsearch2015 is systematically pulling up all threads mentioning Port Regis today in order to extol it's virtues.

Ha! Glad I could pop that little bubble then.

A second for Perrott Hill! They've just relaunched their website and made an ace video of the school - perrotthill.com. I have two children there and have found it to be very happy and buzzy, a good feel.

I just want to say, as a current parents, Port Regis is un-snobby and not awash with Russians! We are a very down-to earth family and chose the school for its teaching and the very nice and decent headmaster.