Looking for advice on York private schools

[Stainlesssteel300]

Hello,
We are currently looking at St Peters, Bootham and Terrington Hall.
Bootham and St Peters seem to be very different - ideally I think we would like a school somewhere in the middle which is why we are now considering Terrington Hall.
Does anyone have children at either of these schools that could give me any insights.
I’ve heard great things about St Peters 2-8 and 13-18 but not so great about the middle school. Bootham seems to be very relaxed and maybe a bit too relaxed for us.
I haven’t seen Terrington Hall yet but everything I’ve heard has been positive, small classes and good pastoral care.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you 😊

@herbaceous

Thank you! There's something about that school that makes you feel all 'mmmmmm' just walking in. So welcoming.

There is a ridiculous rivalry between the two schools. Apparently, someone from St P came to Bootham for their flute lesson, and spoke of Bootham children as 'the ones who can't cut it at St Peters'. She was sent away with a flea in her ear!

As a hand-wringing Guardian reader, I still feel guilty about private school, which I expressed to the head of Bootham in the interview. I asked him whether his pupils all realised how lucky they are, and he assured me a lot of effort goes into ensuring they do!

Hah. That's what we (St Peter's) thought of the Bootham kids back in the 1980s too

That's kind of depressing.

I’m a Bootham girl from late 80s-90s & it was a really lovely school. It was very inclusive - for monocultural York 😬 - and the Quaker ethos did permeate. I still feel the influence (as a Jewish atheist) in my 40s 😂. But I’m sure everyone at Peter’s thought we were dreadful hippies. I still went to Cambridge tho 💁🏻‍♀️.

All this is making me even gladder we've chosen Bootham!

It’s a really lovely unique school @herbaceous ♥️. I have PMed you 😊.

Although now I'm looking up A level results...

@herbaceous Peter’s will almost certainly have better results as they will probably have, on average, slightly more able pupils.
Not all about results, as you’ve found with the ‘feel’.

@herbaceous

That's kind of depressing.

I agree. We were dreadful.

Sorry - realise I said almost exactly the same thing a page ago! Have asked mumsnet HQ to delete it to avoid boring you all to death.

Well, I'm sure you've all been agog to know...

DS got a music scholarship to Bootham - 50% off fees, plus one instrument's worth of free lessons. Result. We're all v pleased!

He applied for one at St P too, but more as a back up.

@herbaceous Great news

And now St Peter's have offered him one! Not as generous tho.

DS is determined to go to Bootham, so thankfully the decision is made. I am a right old ditherer.

Am reading this thread with interest! well done herbaceous on the offers!

We’re considering moving DS into Bootham junior school into Year 2 in September.

We’re currently in a state primary, but not happy with lots of small things that are mounting up. More worryingly, DS appears to be regressing / slipping backward on skill sets where previously he’d be streets ahead

At end of reception, his class teacher (who was a maths whizz) had his ability pegged as similar to end of Yr2, he can barely do basic sums now when you ask him, esp without support, whereas last year he could reel answers off without thinking. Similar in reading - he’s solid top end of the book band (which is prob ltd usefulness) but class teacher refusing to move him
up, even tho he said he was ready

We think he’s coasting at school and because he can do the level they expect, they’re not extending him to what he’s capable of, he’s getting bored and now losing skills

We did a tour of bootham - they seem to be able to gauge skill levels and teach to this.Is this the case or a bit of a Sales pitch?

DS also has suspected auditory processing issues which sometimes makes hearing instructions difficult, which in turns makes him anxious. It looks like they have extra support etc if needed, but does anyone have experience of this?