Any Lancing College parents here?

[Ilikecakes]

I'd be really interested in current or recent experience of Lancing please. We've been in the state sector up until now, but we're considering Lancing for secondary. We'd be day rather than boarding as we're local. Anecdotally I've heard that it's strong academically, without too much hot-housing, but as they don't seem to publish their results widely, it's hard to tell. I was impressed on the tour (but of course you're supposed to be!) and really liked the range of co-curricular sports and activities, plus the fact that it's more of a football school rugby. Really interested in any experience from those who are there or who've recently been. Thanks in advance.

Bumping! Anyone?!

I’m an OL from many moons ago! I hear it has changed enormously since my day. Hope someone can give you the recent lowdown 🙂

Ah thank you!

I know 1 family who have dc there and are doing well esp in hockey and drama. There are oversees students who bolster the gcse/a level results but this can be said of every boarding school in the U.K.
Lancing is owned by the Woodward Schools group who also own Ardingley and Hurstpierpoint as well as many other schools/academies. I don't know why they don't encourage posting academic results in the Sunday times etc but from recent memory they don't participate.

Worth noting that the Woodard foundation also run a lot of academies, they took over the Littlehampton School many years ago, results didn’t hugely improve but it was a deprived area with high FSM percentages. My mother retired shortly after the takeover when the most gifted STEM students were offered full scholarships/bursaries to Woodard independents, meaning that TLA had little hope of achieving much in league tables with the high achievers creamed off to bolster public schools in the league tables.

Interesting that they no longer publish results, when I was there, academic success was very strongly encouraged but it was a well rounded school with sports, music and drama being heavily expected from all.

This may have changed now but 20+ years ago (god I’m old 😕) day pupils missed out on quite a bit as they left on the buses or parents around 6pm; choir practice was after this time, they couldn’t be involved in chapel activities as the daily Eucharist was 7.45am before the day pupils got there, drama rehearsals were all during evening school (7-9pm) and a lot of the social element in 6th form was 9-10pm (we used to have a 6th form bar up in the gods of the great dining hall- I suspect that’s gone now 😂) I gather there are more day pupils these days as they were very much in the minority, but be aware that at some point in your child’s time they may ask to become a boarder. We lived half an hour away but I begged to board, many of my friends lived close but wanted to stay on campus to not miss anything.

Fellow OL here waves at @coldandverytired Maybe of a similar vintage!

Lancing has a great chapel and music tradition which I loved and drama is excellent too. Very high Anglo-catholic with lots of smells and bells and that gives the school a certain character. Latest head seems very good and I'm impressed with how Lancing is considered now amongst the senior leadership of other major public schools.

Ooh @shadyprimrose Manor or Handford??

@coldandverytired - Manor  I have some excellent memories of that slightly dank 6th form bar too

@shadyprimrose a fellow Manor Girl! I remember the stairs to get up and down to the bar being a bit challenging at times, and the obligatory bollocking from Mrs D when you’d borrowed other people’s tokens and got a bit too merry 🙈

Have sent you a DM @coldandverytired

The SLT are not supportive and want pupils moulded to suit them. It’s what your child offers the school rather than what the school has to offer the children. They don’t respond well to criticism.

I’d be interested to hear more @Zang1975. PM me if you are able.