Parkside School, Cobham - am I missing something?

[Womble79]

Our DS is currently at a co-ed prep in the Cobham / Oxshott area. However, he unfortunately hasn't settled, and we're starting to think that a boys-only school may be better for him and give him room to develop. I'm wondering if Parkside School may be a better fit for him, but have a nagging doubt if it will push him enough as he is academic (although leaver destinations are good and seem to suggest they will?).

Parkside does seem to fly under the MN radar more than the other Cobham / Oxshott / Esher prep schools which isn't necessarily a bad thing , but am I missing something that could help us decide, and should we be looking at something supposedly more academic, i.e. Shrewsbury House, Rokeby?

Shrewsbury House is more academic. Some commute to lanesborough in Guildford from cobham if RGS is your destination. Milbourne Lodge also an option.

"not settled" in what way?

@ Guiloak many thanks, that was my sense too.

I guess that my hesitation stems from the fact that DS is a bit quieter than others, hence his relative difficulty in settling from pre-prep to prep, and everything I have heard about Shrewsbury House is that it is best suited for a more resilient type of boy. Does this still hold true?

Parkside appeals because it comes across as more nurturing, but I am wondering if this comes at the expense of academic achievement?

Nurturing can still produce excellent academic results. It's more about personality type both parent and child, and quality of teaching of course.

We have a few ex Parkside boys at my sons prep school. Both had moved because of they needed more of an academic challenge. I think the majority of parents choose parkside for the gentler academic pace - their top set aim for schools like Epsom or Reeds. Nothing wrong with that but it might not suit a boy who is very academic. I also wouldn’t get too hung up on “nurturing” as in my personal experience that

Oops - clumsy thumbs...sometimes too much nurturing means the boys can get away with anything and while they are happy they can be a bit wild....

Hi Prufrockspeach, was really interesting to read your comments, as we are having the same deliberation for our DS, but we were leaning more towards Feltonfleet as a potentially less pressurised environment than Shrewsbury, but one still capable of delivering on the academic side.

Do you have any thoughts on Shrewsbury vs Feltonfleet?

My sons are moving to Shrewsbury from Parkside, because I feel they could do with that extra stretching. Parkside is a happy school but not academic.
Feltonfleet is also not known for being academic.

Ceshcob - my DSs are at Shrewsbury House and they love it so I only have good things to say about it. I don't actually feel that Shrewsbury house is pressurised - setting is very gentle and fluid and they don't "label" boys early like some schools do. The teachers are very dedicated and all of them are highly qualified (which isn't always the case in private schools as its less regulated)....when I say it's "academic" I mean that they cram a lot into the day and they cover the syllabus fairly quickly - this means that when it comes time for things like 11+ pretests or common entrance the boys already know everything and there is plenty of time to focus on revision, exam technique and all the other things that are as important as knowing the content. This is great for the majority of boys but maybe wouldn't suit someone who really struggled, but I think the school doesn't accept boys that wouldn't be comfortable with this approach. I have been particularly impressed with the French and can't believe how quickly they progress. Having said this neither of my DS' have over complained about stress and pressure - they are just tired at the end of the day as they are busy! There isn't a huge amount of prep either (none on Wednesdays) - jut enough to get them into the right habits.

I know a few Feltonfleet parents and I definitely think that it is more academic than Parkside. Not sure how it compares to Shrewsbury House though apart from the fact that Shrewsbury is a lot better for Sport in the sense that they have loads of fixtures and everyone gets to play, even if it means driving to Kent to find another school big enough to field 8 football teams!! Some of my Feltonfleet friends do grumble that it you are not on the "A" team there are not as many opportunities for matches. Although on the whole, they are all happy with it - I think they chose it primarily because they wanted a co-ed school and thought Danes hill was too big.

Hi Just a note to fly the flag for Parkside. We have found it is a great school where our son has been very well looked after. The school produces well rounded happy confident kids. Cant ask for more than that!

Middle son experienced very, very serious bullying at Parkside. I have met a number of parents of boys similarly damaged. My earlier post went into further detail, but was deleted, presumably at the school's request. PM me if you need to know more.

@earlyr1ser would it be ok if I messaged you ? I’m interested to know more about your experience

shania1234 of course, no problem.

@earlyr1ser thank you I’ve sent you a message

Who is excited about Eton sending acceptance emails the next 2 days?

I have a very happy little boy that goes to Parkside. I moved him from a co-Ed environment and haven’t looked back. He loves it. They give all the boys an opportunity to shine. Weather it is in sport music performance baking or design. The Year 6 boys have all been guided into their 11+ exams with confidence and have achieved amazing results getting into some of the most competitive senior schools in the area. The school and teacher are always responsive to the parents requests and deal with issues when raised. They understand boys and create a nurturing environment which helps grow the boys confidence. They are a brilliant school and I cannot recommend highly enough.

Womble79 Can I ask if you ended up at Parkside and how you have found it? We are looking at moving our son there but also concerned that He might not be pushed enough academically.

We moved our son to Parkside last year and can honestly say we have been blown away by the support we've received and how well he's settled in. They have a fantastic approach to teaching, a broad curriculum (Forest School, Food Tech, lots of computing, DT, Classics etc) and all the teachers are enthusiastic, friendly, and really good at teaching. His confidence has grown hugely, he's doing things he would never have done before. Only wish we'd been brave enough to move him a lot earlier. There is a range of academic ability from what I can gather - some headed for places like RGS - so there is plenty of stretch where necessary. They teach to the pace of your child.

Fantastic school. DS was overwhelmed and made to feel stupid at his previous prep but Parkside has restored his self confidence. There is more to life than academics and Parkside embraces this philosophy - it is especially nurturing for children that struggle academically and makes sure that they bring out their other talents. Boys do well in the 11+ and go on to amazing schools like Box Hill, Halliford and King Edwards.

I’ve just commented on another thread re: Parkside. Very happy there and my son is being prepped to go on to RGS, Reeds or Epsom which is what we were aiming for. He’s academic, but also doing drama, lots of sport, food tech and much more.

They don’t prep for Tiffin, if that’s what you mean by academic, which some of the prep schools are now claiming to do for parents prepared to go private for prep then transfer to state grammar. But the top set at Parkside who go on to be the scholars in Y8 do very well scholarship wise from what I see at prize giving each July.

Nobody is paid to write about how their child was almost destroyed. Many people, on the other hand, are paid to write gushing reviews. Which have mysteriously reanimated after the fee hike. Make up your own minds.

I don’t really know what you’re talking about but no big conspiracy, people just have different experiences and different views. VAT is old news too … it’s all about the NI hikes now 😆

Anyway, not to get side-tracked, you can check where the boys go on by looking at the leavers’ destinations. If you’re aiming for Tiffin or St Paul’s, then the prep there won’t be intensive enough I don’t think. If it’s RGS/Reeds/Epsom etc. then plenty go on to those schools.