the chantry school wocs

[fkw65]

Hi we are moving to Worcestershire and have been looking at secondary schools. Can anyone tell me why the Chantry school which has an ofsted report of outstanding has not been oversubscribed for last year when previously it was over subscribed ?

need some good recommendations for schools within reach of Malvern

Both my boys have gone through the Chantry with my youngest just having done his GCSEs. Last year the school expanded and increased it's intake by having 6 classes in a year rather than 5. Hence it's no longer over subscribed. It is classed as outstanding but I don't think it has been inspected for 10 years.

For the area and if you are looking at state schools, then I would consider the Chantry and Hanley Castle. They are both very similar but the latter also has a 6th form.

Hanley Castle is a fantastic school. Where are you thinking of moving to?

The problem with a number of Herefordshire and Worcestershire good and outstanding schools, is that they haven’t been inspected for 10+ years. I don’t know much about Chantry as I have not visited, but it’s in a nice area with some smart villages around it so the catchment is probably different from some of the inner city schools. If you look more towards the centre of the city- nunnery wood is very good- some of the nicest, most polite students I come across come from nunnery. I would tell you where to avoid but would rather by PM.

Thanks. We were looking at Hanley castle but a it's over subscribed and b as far as I can tell the GCSE results aren't as good as the school my son is currently in but the chantrys results seem comparable. New job is in Malvern so there's no reason to look at Worcester. My son's dyslexic so needs a good supportive school. We'd like to consider an independent but doubt our son would pass the entrance test. But any suggestion or opinion is always welcome. Going up tomorrow for a long weekend of house hunting. Looking at both catchment areas at moment as our house hasn't sold yet. Happy for any thoughts.

Bredon School near Tewkesbury is an independent school (boarding and day) which might be worth a look at as they specialise in supporting children with additional educational needs. I’ve no personal experience of the school though.

Thanks , I've looked at it, they don't concentrate on getting kids through exams, they put a big emphasis on other skills.

Bowbrook House is a small non selective school near Pershore which might also be worth a look. We are based over Pershore way but my husband worked in Malvern for a period and it’s definitely commutable. One of the mums from my Dd’s School chose it because her son has special educational needs and it’s been a good fit for her son. We looked around it and liked it but it only goes up to 16 so went for a Worcester prep school in the end. It’s much smaller than the schools you have mentioned and might be a more nurturing environment.

I went to the Chantry and have also been a member of staff.

Possibly it’s not oversubscribed because it’s just had new buildings in preparation for an expected expansion? (A ridiculous amount of new builds tacked on to local villages).

Often mid year there would be a place or two available due to families moving.