Hanford School

[Mommy77]

Hi all!
Am looking for information on Hanford - any parents from London who have moved their daughters there recently? Asking for my pony mad daughter (9yrs) who is stressed with her academic london prep.

I moved my DD to Hanford Michaelmas term 2020 and couldn’t be more thrilled. She was overlooked - lost in a class of 11 - under estimated and had to compete with poorly behaved (mostly boys) class mates at another local prep. Deeply regret not moving her a year or two before. At Hanford, she is thriving and has won a place at St. Mary’s Calne and another top HC academic school, completely unthinkable a year ago had she applied from where she was at previously. The balance is good and discipline in class good. Manners highly valued, and adventure also.

Vis a vis pony ops... all levels welcomed, skills developed and girls well schooled by the amazing Charlie. Go for it! You won’t be disappointed. Girls welcoming and friendship groups wide. As I say, my daughter’s only regret is she didn’t move before Y7 - mine too. Also worth noting where other schools couldn’t be bothered to provide a full curriculum for 80% of fees during lock down, Hanford did, the only concession was not having Saturday morning classes - to give the girls and parents space and time. And the lessons were 90% live, engaging and well delivered - again, the antithesis of SPS. Worth considering if you think there is any chance of LD3 winter 2021....

I’ve heard good things about Hanford too. It’s often compared very favourably to Knighton House, which seems to be struggling at the moment and I imagine Hanford will pick up quite a few pupils.

Out of interest @Wonderwall80 which school are you referring to by SPS? Sherborne Prep? We are local but have boys so Hanford not an option but are considering Sherborne.

Hanford and Knighton have quite different feels to them despite being quite similar in terms of what they appear to offer. Hanford mostly boarding, Knighton a mix.

We didn't go for either in the end, settling for a school that went through to 18 and where my daughter would have her own room in boarding rather than a large dorm. However, it doesn't have the horses but for us that wasn't a deal breaker.

Yes. Hopefully things will improve now a change of Head is happening and the boys school is taking over essentially.

I could never recommend Sherborne Prep I’m afraid as I strongly object to the word ‘Cunt’ being used, even if it is in the context of the Director of Sport telling the A Team Rugby boys they played like a bunch of C’s.

Yes he was put on probation, but by his best mate and not even the most senior staff (Deputy Head) was made aware, so not much of a probation.

Possibly I’m just an extremely sensitive parent, but that word, plus other high level searing at 10-13 yr olds I find objectionable. You might not.

Wowsers - that’s shocking! I would be unimpressed with pupils saying it, let alone a teacher!

Yes - a clear and direct management of attitudes and shaping of civilised discourse towards girls and women is surely as important these days and given how long they spend in school with male role models, I think it is important not to send mixed messages. My son only reported the other language after the C word had been used twice. He didn’t rat the first time, but knowing my “never shall thou ever use the C word but by all means use ‘dick’ with your friends sparingly, just not my anatomy ever” rule, he did spill. It made for a very uncomfortable year for us as some parents also resented me for having reported it to the Pastoral Head, who was incredibly supportive.

Totally unhelpful because its from many many years ago, but we used to adore going to Hanford for matches. Their team teas were fab and we got to cuddle ponies. Bliss!!

And I can't say that I'm surprised things haven't moved on in relation to Sherborne's attitudes to women. It's produced arrogant misogynists for decades.

@Panicmode1

Totally unhelpful because its from many many years ago, but we used to adore going to Hanford for matches. Their team teas were fab and we got to cuddle ponies. Bliss!!

And I can't say that I'm surprised things haven't moved on in relation to Sherborne's attitudes to women. It's produced arrogant misogynists for decades.

I was referring to the prep school, SPS. I have been pleased with the boys school thus far, and actually chose it because the men I worked with in banking 18-25 years ago from other leading boys schools were often misogynistic, condescending and inept. The Shirburnians on the other hand, were much more respectful and frankly rather better to work with and for. I suppose I am pleased my hopes that Sherborne would provide a strong lead and good role models to my son have been met, and academically, he is doing rather well. As a single mother, I knew I couldn’t model that to my son. Not all men are the enemy - even those from boys public schools.

I know men - I live with one (public school boy) and have 3 sons. However, I spent my teens at dances and house parties with boys from Sherborne, Downside, Radley, Milton Abbey, Bryanston, Canford, Eton, Ampleforth etc. My experience of boys from Sherborne was almost universally negative, and two of the boys who went there from my prep were bullied mercilessly. I also was taught swimming by one of the masters who was very cruel to the girls...but there are obviously exceptions to every rule 😉

I know men are not the enemy....was what that should have said....wish there was an edit button!!

I am deeply sorry that your experience of Shirburnians a generation+ ago was was traumatic. Fortunately, my son is at the school now; different generation of teachers mainly, different societal views, and progression in perspective. There will always be some bad eggs in any batch of humans; notwithstanding the fact that girls too can also be vile bullies, and other threads on MN cover the extensive issues of bullying at Sherborne Girls and Leweston...

I shall end my thoughts by repeating what I said to the very sound, empathetic and pragmatic Pastoral Deputy Head: that it appears that the sins of the fathers, are currently being heaped upon the sons. The blame for the attitudes and wrongs of our GF and Great GF’s for hundreds of years, indeed millennia are about to be visited upon our sons currently aged 10-25yrs, with what is becoming an arena of toxic feminism and blame culture and the “all men are XXX fill in with your negative experience’.

I worry for my daughter and her experiences to come, but I am deeply concerned about the unseen affects on our sons if merely ‘looking’ at a girl, appreciating creativity of clothing or face or form, which girls also do BTW which apparently is now deemed ‘assault or harassment’ as per the recent survey where 97% of women felt they had been subjected to these wrongs.

Fortunately, I have the privilege of knowing good men from many walks of life, school experiences and cultures. I had the means to choose where he went to school and as a single mother, fortunately able to retire at 38, I knew that he needed a school with a high proportion of male teachers. I can do and be many things, but teaching my son how to be a man was not one of them. He was offered places at Winchester, Shrewsbury, Charters (Ascot - state) Monkton Coombe and Sherborne. He chose Sherborne, and it has given him the mid point between the sublime and the ridiculous in terms of work/life balance.

Sherborne will, as all schools do have, the annoying misogynistic, racist, entitled and disruptive boys - who invariably come from homes that display, laud and promote these values. Our parenting, coupled with the role models and values of the school play as much a part in shaping the attitudes of our offspring, given the 20 weeks a year of holidays Indo get to parent full time, and the balance being the formative years.

I sincerely wish you well and hope that you can access therapy to help to heal the damage of past trauma memories of these encounters hold for you x

And yet despite your protestations about teaching mores and standards now being different, further upthread you talk about the (shockingly misogynist) language being used at the prep school.....so it doesn't seem a stretch to me to think that there are still issues in and around the senior school. I am glad you are happy with the choice of school for your son - and wish you a long and happy retirement.

I don't want to derail the thread any further - I have no need of any therapy, thank you. I have many wonderful public school educated men in my life - my husband, father, brother, uncles, cousins etc, and they are all wonderful people who enrich mine and my boys lives.

Just to be clear so no MN readers are confused: Sherborne (Boys) and the Prep schools are entirely separate entities, with different governing bodies, Heads (in terms of quality, culture and outlook) and should not be coupled together. That is until they actually join together in May 2021 when the Head of SPS is replaced and a new chapter begins where they share the overall leadership of the outstanding Dr. Lockett with a new Head at the Prep.

Have they announced the new head at the prep yet @Wonderwall80?

Am I reading this correctly? Staff in the Prep school call the children cunts? But the senior school is the best thing since sliced bread?

Yes, I do know that, but there will be boys at the prep who go to the senior school, who have been exposed to masters who use derogatory language about women. My slightly throwaway remark about how nothing much has changed seems to have hit a nerve....

@nimbuscloud

Am I reading this correctly? Staff in the Prep school call the children cunts? But the senior school is the best thing since sliced bread?

Sadly, yes. One member of staff and on the senior leadership team. That was the worst, but there was regular F, Shit and other inappropriate language. The Head explained to me that it was because he individual had come from a school that went through to 18. As I said before, had my son been nearer 18, rather than 12, I may have ridden the wave, however much I didn’t like it.

Agree completely vis a vis teachers at the boys school.

@cinnamonchips

Have they announced the new head at the prep yet *@Wonderwall80*?

I don’t know. I’m out of there now, but have friends with children there. I’m sure they will announce it when one is recruited. It may be that a good hire may need to give a term’s notice. The Deputy Academic had much empathy for my complaint (upheld) as the evidence of a deplorable dearth of teaching content in a couple of key and lesser subjects, was remarkable. The formal complaint being upheld in the area of the policy of giving a child work missed if a music lesson was taken and this not being the case (with 2 + voice this was becoming a joke), and the policy was changed post my complaint to reflect that the teacher has no obligation to ensure the child has the lesson content either directly from them or passed via another child or Form teacher. The Director of Music, the most fabulously encouraging, expectational and inspirational teacher, was aghast, but unable to change this. Pure laziness not to have a hand out or text book chapter info to ensure catch up.

When asked to ‘take a view’ I and literally 1/3rd of that year’s Y6 cohort did.

If supported, Fearnley will be a very capable pair of transitionary hands. The state of academics being something he wishes to address, but has been unable to without the Head’s support.

Just to pop my 10p worth, DD is at Hanford, she was at Knighton House.
There are quite a few kids who have left Knighton to go to Hanford. We love love love Hanford. Knighton was an experience we deeply regret.
The two schools are similar on paper but very very different in real life.
At Knighton parent's concerns were often ignored, to the detriment of the kids. The lack of respect for children and parents at Knighton is shocking, which is why numbers are dropping like a stone & they're admitting boys. God only knows why the Head left but it was sudden.
At Hanford there is a genuine warmth and love for the children and the school. My daughter, despite still having 2 years left at Hanford, becomes teary at the thought of leaving. They spend their free time playing, there's no screen time, just playing, it really is bliss.

I’m sorry to hear you weren’t happy at Knighton. I have had quite the opposite experience. Staff and other parents have been so supportive. I see happy children and that makes happy parents.