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!

How scary Pagwatch I have seen you slating another Surrey school on here which again I have had a good experience of!
I see you removed your son from this school, me thinks perhaps you are in search of utter perfection that perhaps doesn't exist!! I hope you've found it now!!

You sound pretty terrified.
Honestly, opinions on the internet shouldn't upset you quite so much.
My children are very happy thanks and I'm content enough not to search through messsges about boys who left school many years ago
Maybe have a lie down in a dark room?

Terrified, I'm far from terrified!! I'd say you may be pretty terrifying and could possibly be living in the past hence your phobia of technology!!
You should possibly think about your ridiculous posts as some may take them seriously....now that is terrifying!!

I'm frankly thankful I used my brain as a parent and chose my children's schools by visiting the schools and assessing their suitability for MY children without the help of neurotic people with ISSUES on forums influencing my decisions!!

Sleep well!!

Like posters have said, there won't be a bad choice with the schools you are considering as they are all great schools. Do consider the commute and with 2 children you could have different pick up times depending on clubs plus parents evenings etc. It can be a lot of to'ing and fro'ing. Don't worry about the senior schools at this stage and certainly not the 6th forms. Definitely go with your gut instincts and how your children 'feel' about the schools. Sometimes we can't pinpoint why we like or don't like a school. I'd definitely let them do the assessments at each school - the more opportunities both you and the children can spend at each school the better. Go to as many open days as possible and also ask for private tours or chats. Good luck!

St cats v difficult to get through if you have to drive through Guildford at rush hour. The Tormead school coaches are invualuabe in my opinion. My daughter was 8 when we started using them, and she has made really excellent friends on her coach which greatly helped her absorption into a new school. No coaches at GHS; train or drop off

Kimlek, that's exactly what my concern has been - I can just about wrap my head around a 25 min trek to get there, but the logistics of what to do if they each have different after school clubs makes me cringe. God forbid I should forget something at home one day as well, it would be an hour before I got home and brought it back to school! ;)
We will just have to see where they get in and go from there - we've analysed it from every possible angle and done as much research as we can and are still torn (we really don't want to love St.Cat's but despite the hassle, we do. Tormead is a much more reasonable drive and would make our lives a lot easier!), we'll either have our choice made for us - or potentially have to pick from a hat.
Thank you all for the input and suggestions, it's been very helpful!

Arega

I've posted my views about the school honestly. The reliance on iPads is considered a problem by many people, evidenced by the fact that Tormead have rolled back from their original position where they were being massively over used.
Dislike of using iPads is nothing to do with a fear of technology on the contrary my concern is that iPads are likely to be redundant as technology advances so an over reliance on this one tool is short sighted

My criticism of the school is not a criticism of your choice to send your child there. The school will be great for many girls who will not be affected by the things I perceive as negative. You genuinely should think about why you have taken my observations so incredibly personally. If people criticise the school my children go to it doesn't bother me because I am confident in my choice.
Apart from anything else you make parents at Tormead sound immensely defensive and slightly unhinged which I'm sure is not what you intend.

Canadian

The Tormead coaches are very reliable and work well. And actually after school activities can help because getting to the school outside usual hours is easier in terms of parking etc. If one child is doing an activity there is an after school club which operates until 6 2which is well organised. For the younger girls it's just a playroom but Year 5 and 6 can do homework

I'm a bit confused that your perception of me wanting to share my positive experience of Tormead as remotely defensive or unhinged is a bit weird frankly .

I profusely apologise that this school has really suited my girls and they are thriving there in every way and most importanyptly are happy. I guess it must be upsetting if you have had to revise all your children's schools, it's bound to make you feel annoyed. But please I should be allowed to praise the school that has worked for me and I don't understand why that is remotely defensive! If I wasn't happy with Tormead I wouldn't have sent my second girl there, she could have gone to St Cats but she chose Tormead. My daughter who has entered sixth form could have gone anywhere with the grades she got possibly with scholarship but elected to stay.

You may be should look at the wording of your post as saying a school has gone down the pan and all the teachers are leaving is not an opinion it's the voice of someone who has had personal issues with a school. It's not helpful to anyone as its barking mad and not true.

As for someone else saying there are 20 children in sixth form ,...that's another insane opinion???? Not sure of exact number but I reckon there are about 95 in sixth form right now!!! Again not an opinion just a useless piece of false information!

With regard to iPads this really is a non point, these girls are using the IPads as a tool and are not reliant, it really is ok. Just like using a dictionary in the past we use tablets now and these girls will be able to adapt to what technology next throws at them. I appreciate I have not experienced the junior school and may be I may not have been so keen at this level.

I'm sorry if me being happy with my school choices has upset you, I didn't mean to but you have to remember we're all entitled to our opinions!!

Happy Wednesday!

Hi, I might be too late here, but I found this post and felt compelled to add!

As has been said, your gut feel will work out and these are just my thoughts.

I went to Tormead and finished my A Levels there in the last few years. I was there from a young age and loved it for a long time but found that the management changeover led to academic pressure being piled on and the atmosphere went from being a caring community to an intensely stressful and miserable hothouse. Many of the excellent subject teachers who had been there for years left in an astonishing mass exodus (not to retire) and those that stayed on were treated very poorly by the management, which I found very difficult to watch. I found my subject teachers - on the whole - to be very caring, supportive and great at their jobs but the management to be very emotionally cut off and harsh and seriously considered moving schools for my A2 year despite having been at Tormead for ~10 years and the logistical difficulties of changing schools mid-A Levels. The impression I got as a pupil was that the management only cared about their shiny image (even the extra-curricular activities got far more serious and 'success'-focused) and not about the pupils or their employees.

If you and your daughters like the feel of the school then I'm sure it will work out but I just wanted to add my own experience.

Good luck with the decisions! x

Woodland10
Thank you for your helpful comments, it is interesting to hear from someone who has actually been a student there - spending 8+ hours a day would certainly give you a deeper understanding of how the school is run - and more importantly, how students feel about it.
My youngest has now done her assessments at both St Cat’s and Tormead and our eldest has attended one taster day so I feel we are getting to know both much better now. I do think it’s a bit like buying a house, you just know

My daughter helpfully hit post before I was done...

Hopefully both girls will be successful in their applications and we will be able to choose our favourite!

With the open days and assessments I was curious if anyone had further I formtion they wished to share?

We are considering options too, the difficulty I have is there is no obvious right or wrong. All of these schools have their own areas where they excel, all have areas where others may be able to offer more.

Apologies if I am strangling a tired thread! Thank you.

my daughter does sports fixtures at Tormead / against Tormead and from her experiences there and my own experience of seeing their coaches interact with the girls, I would not consider the school. In a group of 8 - 10 school teams of excited kids, the Tormead ones are (without exception) always the ones looking anxious, being pushed to the very limit and doing it to win and not enjoy it. They frequently do win, but there is very little joy in it for them. This is at prep level.

JackieReacher - sorry but you are talking complete nonsense here. My daughter is in Tormead prep, not very sporty but always keen, and the ethos there is incredibly supportive and inclusive, with an emphasis on participation rather than winning.
Inguildford, I would suggest looking at the social media pages of the school, they are a very good reflection of what goes on there and the general atmosphere.

Second what sometimesinthefall says. My daughters play a range of sports competitively for Tormead and I don't believe that they are wracked with anxiety. Perhaps you are mistaking "adrenaline-pumped, coiled like a wound spring and ready for the off" for anxiety!

Tormead's various different subject and group Twitter feeds give a great indication of what goes on at the school on a daily basis. I would be guided by your and, most importantly, your daughter's instincts when making your decision. Also look at the "product" - the girls themselves - are they the type of girl you want your daughter to become?

Thank you for the prompt replies.

All good advice, I had not looked at any of the social media so will try that.

We have looked at the schools but still find the decision very difficult!

Interested to hear how I can be talking nonsense about what I see with my own eyes? )& which is often collaborated by local club coaches who see girls leave the sport for good after a run in with their school coaches at tormead). You don't experience it with your non sporty child. That doesn't make it nonsense. I am explaining the reason I would never choose the school, just as others have done on this thread for all 3.

Jackie, are you talking about gymnastics by any chance?

Yes pag. I am not disputing the remarkable talent nb.

JackieReacher - it doesn't make sense because it is a blunt generalisation. You were talking about gym apparently, and what goes on in sports generally at Tormead is the complete opposite of what you describe. I wouldn't know about gym indeed - although I know many happy gymnasts at the school - but the school is generally brilliant at making sure girls do not become anxious as a result of the various pressures they experience.

Gym is completely different from all other sport at the school.

I found the PE ethos to be brilliant, if anything too focussed on it being relaxed and fun because able girls were almost not allowed to shine .
Girls are absoloutely encouraged to join in and effort and having a go is praised. It was always really good and supportive.

The gym always was completely different. Very intense which is great if you feel your child can cope - and as long as they make the team - but pretty ruthless for those who can't.

Just to answer inguildford’s question (for anyone reading this at a later date!)...

After going through it all, I do now truly believe that they are all excellent schools and a girl would be extremely fortunate to be offered a place at any of them!
As one of the mums said previously, as you move through each stage of open days, then activity days, then assessments etc you and your daughter(s) will get a better feel for the schools and you’ll start leaning towards one more than the others. We all ultimately fell in love with St Cat’s, but what is the right fit for us may not be for everyone. I second guessed myself a lot because of logistics, but in the end you just know!
Having said that, in the end the choice may or may not be yours - depending on what year you’re coming in, competition can be really tough. The final decision may indeed be made for you no matter what your preference is... Good luck :)