Tormead, Guildford High, St Catherine's

[CanadianInGuildford123]

Sorry to post as I know this has been done to death, but does anyone have any recent experience with the Guildford area private schools? My two girls will be entering Year 3 and Reception next year and we are extremely torn as to our preference of school!
Having visited them all, I know that they are all amazing schools and we would be lucky to be offered a place in any... However, trying to decide which would be the best fit for our girls and family is going to be a challenge.
My first impression of GHS was that it is potentially not as warm/nurturing as the others, however I know that 2 hours spent on a school tour isn't enough to truly know a school.
Our eldest daughter is a bright and caring child who would flourish woth positive reinforcement and guidance. I'm not sure how well she would cope with extreme pressure. She is quite well rounded and would love to be involved in lots of different sports/music/clubs I'm sure - but I'm not sure that she would be the absolute best at anything at the end moment and so I worry that she may not have the opportunity to participate at the most competitive of these schools.

Any thoughts at all / experiences with these schools would be hugely appreciated!

I really wouldn’t base it on Senior schools. As by the time your DD is 11 and year 7 she will be able to travel by herself to school. There is a school bus for Tormead (and St Catherine’s), and “travel buddies” for GHS (older girls pair up with and look after younger ones). By that age they area ready to be more independent and Guildford is thronging with secondary students commuting in and out.
Oh and your DD may not fit the same secondary school - I have known this in a lot of cases.
But I have also known someone commute from very close to Tormead to Rydes Hill because it was the right school for her daughters.

Definitely go with your gut feel.......... but don't underestimate the grinding effect of commuting in and out of Guildford! My eldest was at a primary school at first then went to one of the Guildford schools and the combined effect of a longer school day and the driving in and out is definitely not a high point of my life! I'd try and sort them both out now and worry about secondary when it comes - there are lots of good options for girls, pretty reasonable travel options for all of them etc.

My DD isn't at RH but we know quite a few people there and only opted not to go there because she had siblings in central Guildford. From what I know, it will definitely prep the girls and get them into good secondaries.

One final piece of advice - do try driving around the Tormead/GHS area at 8:30 in the morning and maybe at 4 pm ish, just to see what the traffic is really like.
Then you will have given yourself the best chance to gather all the information (and will know what you are letting yourself in for).

I think you definitely need to go with your gut feeling - you know your daughter and also your family outlook. I do think it's worth going through the application process for all the ones you are seriously considering, since you'll get to know the schools better with each visit. The assessments are great fun for the little ones, so don't worry that multiple assessments will be too much for your DD (although it is costly!)

Just on the logistics of drop off at GHS, I have to say that I've been very pleasantly surprised by how well it's organised and how well it works.

The girls can be dropped off (into their classrooms, with their teachers) any time from 7:45 to 8:30. Traffic really is fine at 8am, and the early start is enormously helpful for working parents.

As soon as your DD feels ready for it, you don't even need to park. You drive through the bit in front of the school, and your daughter hops out of the back seat. They have plenty of staff coordinating, and older girls help out with taking the little ones to their classrooms. It's absolute genius!

And continuing the 'helpful' theme, I've been really impressed that the school really seem to consider the logistics of working parents. E.g. concerts/nativity plays etc are generally at the end of the school day, so I can just arrange to leave work early or at most take a half day. I actually have no idea whether the other Guildford girls schools are similarly thoughtful towards parents, but it makes my life noticeably easier than the 10am events we had when DD was at nursery.

But obviously ymmv, depending on your own family logistics

Thank you for all the advice ladies!
The info regarding GHS drop offs is very helpful - I vaguely remember them mentioning a similar system at Tormead where teachers are available to escort them in, though I could be completely making that up!
My husband works in London so there's no way I'll get to do a practice school run to each unless I can convince the girls it will be a fun experiment before/after school!

I can't see letting my eldest make her own way to school at 11 so it's unfortunately a decision with long term implications :)

Did you look at The Royal School in Haslemere? Just interested on your views.

No, I can't throw another school in the mix! 😂
Haslemere would be nearly a 40 min drive so I haven't considered it

Haha! Good luck then! To me Tormead has the best "reputation"

Does anyone have any recent personal experience with Rydes Hill? A friend has mentioned that other than sharing a lunch hall (and possibly the sports facilities on occasion?) senior and junior schools are very much their own separate entities.
If I'm just looking at junior facilities Rydes Hill seems to stack up fairly well - though they don't have a dedicated art room as most do and I still can't find much information on extra curricular activities or sports in general...

I've got friends with children there and one of mine was at the nursery. From what I've seen, it's a lovely school and they get the girls into a good range of senior schools.

Totally agree with you Pagwatch. Christina Foord was a total let down.We saw Tormead going downhill every year and finally meeting her acted as a catalyst; we withdrew our daughter this year.

Balmroger - what were your concerns?

We have been back to see Rydes Hill and my youngest also spent a taster afternoon at St Cat's...

RH was actually much better than I remembered it to be - though the building itself is dark and uninspiring, the classrooms themselves are light and absolutely huge. They apparently last year had 15 scholarships granted to girls moving on to Tormead/GHS/St Cat's which is impressive from a group of 21 students!

Slightly in love with St Cat's though so I'm now trying to weigh up a 5-10 min walk with a 25 min drive!

Tormead was my first choice but I'm finding it difficult to picture it now!

Trying to narrow it down to just 2 - though Rydes Hill doesn't have entrance exams and so doesn't have the same registration deadlines as the others so it makes things a bit difficult.

Any final thoughts on St Cats / RH / Tormead would be gratefully received :)

Go with the walking option - you'll have hours more time in your life and they'll get in somewhere good from RH anyway. Having swapped a walk for a drive (different school choices so not all that relevant really), we all spend far longer in the car than we'd really want to and by about the end of the spring term, I start to hallucinate about living near the school!!

I would agree with those saying go with your gut feeling and also don't be too heavily influenced by emotional personal opinions.

GHS has a reputation as being a hothouse but it is a excellent school which very much suits highly academic girls who excel in a very bright, competitive environment. St Cats is more of a traditional jolly hockey sticks country boarding school. From what I have heard it is a great school but rumours often crop up about unfriendly/snotty mummies. Tormead has been traditionally known as more of an all rounder school and in recent years has been hugely modernised. iPads are used but not exclusively (just like in adult life) sixth form still has healthy numbers although a number of Year 11s do leave (mainly in search of boys!) some bounce back realising the grass is not always greener. Rydes hill is a lovely prep school, girls seem really lovely. Reputation in the past has been slightly less academic but that may have changed. Many feed into aforementioned senior schools so they must be doing something right!

Tbh different schools will suit different girls (and parents) and I'm sure sooner or later you will come across an unhappy parent from any of these schools but they are all incredibly popular still.

Best of luck with your decision - remember you can always change it. There is a lot of shuffling between these schools!

I would say that it's probably not necessary to choose now
It is possible that the entry experience plus of course the result, may affect both your opinion and your choices
All of the schools you are considering are good and are ikely to be a good fit so don't convince yourself that there is just one right option

I think st cats is pretty spot on in terms of how it's viewed - great all round with great fascilities and sports etc.
I think GHS, like RGS, does not deserve its hot house reputation. The girls there are pushed but they are necessarily incredibly academic so that's not a problem if your child is able the sheer range of activities and sports in which they excel is impressive. All the girls I know who go there are happy. My only caveat is that I wouldn't personally chose GHS if my DD was at the bottom of the entry. I think it's a hard place to feel at the back of the field.
I remain of the view that Tormead senior school is poor in terms of pastoral care and leadership but the prep remains very good . The site is lovely and contained and it manages to feel very much like a great village school in its vibe.

By the time your girls are reaching senior school you will know more and be better placed to understand the pros and cons. So don't stress about it. Consider the offers when you get them

Goodness. My iPad is sticking and that message is a complete muddle I hope it made sense.

That's not the main point but just to say that I really don't recognise Mrs Foord, the head of Tormead, as she has been described here. I have always seen her as a warm, considerate and very professional lady, who really knows the girls and cares about them, while being aware of what their specific needs are. If you have attended an open day at Tormead, I think this comes through quite strongly. I don't have any experience of the other schools, other than having friends at both St Cats and GHS who are very happy with them, but I certainly agree with your statement that Tormead is a nurturing, which also stretches the girls across a wide range of areas and abilities.

Sometimesinthefall.

I'm sure it must be baffling if you have a different experience of her but I am perfectly to accept your comments as reflecting your experience and view as expressed honestly.

I'm completely happy with being disagreed with. We all feel differently. I have however recounted my experiences and my impressions honestly and I have absolutely no reason to lie.

You may be unable to recognise her from my comments from your experience. I may be staggered that anyone thinks she's competent based on mine but it's entirely possible that we are both being honest and accurate.

Pagwatch, thanks for clarifying. I was just contributing my own viewpoint, as requested by the OP - absolutely not interested in having a catfight about Mrs F. Different families will indeed have different experiences of the school, and I just thought I'd share a positive account.

Thank you all for taking the time to share your views, both positive and negative.
Sometimesinthefall thank you for writing your experiences with the head - from what I have read about her I gather she's a bit Marmite and views seem quite polarised.
I feel that she doesn't have to be my favourite person as long as she runs the school well, supports the girls when necessary and attracts excellent teaching staff (who will be our main point of contact in any case).
I think we have narrowed it down to Tormead and StCat's purely based on my feeling as we've gone through. Having said that, we may well apply to GHS as well to see how the girls feel after the interviews!
Only a few more weeks and it will all rest on which offers we have :)

Sure sometimesinthefall. Ditto

Bekabeech - thank you so much for the advice of doing a mock school run to see what we would be signing up for! I had a friend take my DD to school today so that I could drive to St Cat's for 8:20. It took over 30 mins to get there and again, over 45 to get back. Not sure if that was a typical morning, but I imagine it's not far off.
Very different than the 20 minutes we've experienced later in the day...
As much as I love it, I'm not sure I could stay sane doing that twice a day.
And here I thought we had finally decided on our favourite 😭

Traffic is a big factor in the area. It is great if you can find a "hidden" back route - google maps can help you see if there is one.
I once had to explain to a teacher that a journey that normally takes 10 minutes can take 30 minutes+ at 4 pm on a Friday (I did find a back route for that which worked most of the time).

The big choice is "Do you prefer school A over B so much that you will put up with that commute?"

I am really shocked at your experience of Tormead Pagwatch as it certainly hasn't been mine, this is why I think it is very dangerous to visit these forums to decide on ones child's education!

My daughter was on the GHS waiting list at 11, she went to Tormead and I feel so thankful that fate took her to Tormead.
My experience has been outstanding in all areas. She sat her GCSEs in the summer, she got 9A1A, not bad considering I have never seen her stressed! She loves the sport and has made the most wonderful friends with a wide range of interests , all of whom have stayed for the sixth form. She really wasn't amazed by her results and simply claims that half the year group had similar grades. 20 girls have been awarded sixth form scholarships as a result of achieving over 8As so me thinks in two years the A level results will be pretty good.

She socialises , has a lively engaging personality as was noted by the employers who allowed her to participate in work experience at their office in the West End in the summer.

The IPads have been a very positive contribution to the education ....it is 2017 people....we need to be forward thinking!! The kids aren't sitting with IPads playing Candy Crush!!

My younger daughter started Tormead in September, she visited all the schools and chose to go to Tormead despite having other Guildford choices post exams. She has had a fabulous half term, absolutely loves it. She has made some really nice friends down to earth sporty and fun is how I would describe them. In fact this evening another mum at our bus stop was delighting at how half a term in she had made the right decision.

Year 7 class sizes are around 17 , how fabulous to have such small teaching groups.
I'm confused at the comments about all the teachers leaving.....yes teachers leave as they do in all schools.
They have two young history teachers who are amazing, one of their entire classes got A and A* at GCSE last year.....not really resembling your experience again Pagwatch......

So all in all I have a very rounded sixth former at Tormead with no eating disorders, stress related disorders who doesn't go out drinking but throws herself in to sport and drama and is very focused on where she is going after Tormead.

I think it's important to acknowledge that Tormead start with a much wider range of abilities than other Guildford schools and their results are pretty similar so the teachers must be pretty good!!

Anyway that's my experience of Tormead. Select the school which you feel suits your daughter, don't take to mumsnet and be influenced by people with personal vendettas/issues!

I am really shocked at your experience of Tormead Pagwatch as it certainly hasn't been mine, this is why I think it is very dangerous to visit these forums to decide on ones child's education!

My daughter was on the GHS waiting list at 11, she went to Tormead and I feel so thankful that fate took her to Tormead.
My experience has been outstanding in all areas. She sat her GCSEs in the summer, she got 9A1A, not bad considering I have never seen her stressed! She loves the sport and has made the most wonderful friends with a wide range of interests , all of whom have stayed for the sixth form. She really wasn't amazed by her results and simply claims that half the year group had similar grades. 20 girls have been awarded sixth form scholarships as a result of achieving over 8As so me thinks in two years the A level results will be pretty good.

She socialises , has a lively engaging personality as was noted by the employers who allowed her to participate in work experience at their office in the West End in the summer.

The IPads have been a very positive contribution to the education ....it is 2017 people....we need to be forward thinking!! The kids aren't sitting with IPads playing Candy Crush!!

My younger daughter started Tormead in September, she visited all the schools and chose to go to Tormead despite having other Guildford choices post exams. She has had a fabulous half term, absolutely loves it. She has made some really nice friends down to earth sporty and fun is how I would describe them. In fact this evening another mum at our bus stop was delighting at how half a term in she had made the right decision.

Year 7 class sizes are around 17 , how fabulous to have such small teaching groups.
I'm confused at the comments about all the teachers leaving.....yes teachers leave as they do in all schools.
They have two young history teachers who are amazing, one of their entire classes got A and A* at GCSE last year.....not really resembling your experience again Pagwatch......

So all in all I have a very rounded sixth former at Tormead with no eating disorders, stress related disorders who doesn't go out drinking but throws herself in to sport and drama and is very focused on where she is going after Tormead.

I think it's important to acknowledge that Tormead start with a much wider range of abilities than other Guildford schools and their results are pretty similar so the teachers must be pretty good!!

Anyway that's my experience of Tormead. Select the school which you feel suits your daughter, don't take to mumsnet and be influenced by people with personal vendettas/issues!