GHS, Tormead, St Catherine's, Rydes Hill 4+ assessment

[drmummyof2]

My DD will be doing the 4+ assessment for GHS & Tormead in November this year and I wanted to ask if anyone had any advice on what I can do to prep my DD & if anyone knew what sort of things each school tests for or is looking for?

If my DD does not get through, we're also looking at Rydes Hill as I read that most of the girls move on to GHS/Tormead/St Catherine's for senior school - does anyone know what it's like?

As we live in Camberley, we're not going for St Catherine's as I think it would be too far to travel but does anybody know if the journey by car from Camberley to GHS/Tormead is doable? I read on the GHS website that girls come from Camberley so thought it would be ok.

I went to Rydes Hill then St Catherine's.

RH is a wonderful, wonderful school. It feels like a family and I will send DC2 there if she's a girl.

St Catherine's - less said the better. Hell hole.

Thank u 👍

My two DD's went first to Rydes Hill then one to GHS and one to Tormead. Both with the old head though, so my experience a bit out of date. If you want to pm me for anything specific happy to answer questions.

Hi There.
I only know Tormead, process first/second hand.They are very relaxed (for obvious reasons!) at Reception assessments, however, they are looking for 'markers' in the girls. Recently at a friend DD's assessment they certainly sought a certain level of intellect and curiosity in the girls, this was all extracted through play, simple tasks and by watching them interact with other girls (being assessed at the same time) and adults. On top of these two criterion, they were ultimately looking for girls who would thrive as part of the 'Tormead family', which the school proclaims is about being kind, respectful and helpful. Prep wise (which applies generally for 4+) you'd do well by getting your DD into some educational (but fun!!) games, bedtime books, maybe some phonics and most importantly some play dates to encourage positive social interaction - also preach and practice kindness and politeness at home, as its sticks.

Tormead Juniors is a good school, the teaching staff are spoken of highly by friends and recently the whole of KS1 has been overhauled. The Head seems to be universally liked and I've heard on the gossip (health warning!) that the Head of another Junior School locally, has even started quoting (pretending to be?) her at their Open Events. Be warned they were oversubscribed this year with a waiting list.

GHS - sorry no idea, but probably like the above but more a lot more selective. GHS is very popular and I think there are some posts/threads on here that can help you navigate that. It's a cracking school too and if your DD does well... she will do VERY well!

St Cats - no idea, was always lovely in days gone by, but have taken a slating recently. Results (likely too far in the future to worry about as anything can happen in 10 years) are currently very good. That asside, also heard they are down from 2 to 1 form entry now in reception? Could be consolidation though, so don't read into it - do some research.

Rydes Hill - heard it's brilliant, from lots of people - little tired and could do with cash spent on it (simply to bring them into the current tech-era) but absolutely a winner of a backup, or indeed, dare I say it, a first choice!

Have you also considered Halstead or Rowan - not sure where you are?

Good luck!

Sorry, phone error. Couldn't see the other half of your past past the paragraph break! Loads of GHS/Tormead/RGS (if theres a boy in the pipeline) come from Camberley. A quick google shows that Tormead has a large Camberly bus with like 10 bus stops in Camberly alone and GHS certainly has the same, if not more.

Thank you both, this is really helpful 👍🤗. Also useful to know about RGS as I have a son too albeit he's only 4 months! I just hope my DD gets through the 4+ assessment 🙏 🤞🏼

Former Rydes Hill parent with a number of girls who have been the whole way through the school.

A few things. Firstly, they have cash flow problems so be aware. Not all classes are filled to break even point and last year’s parents have not received their deposits back.

The finance manager sadly, unexpectedly died and so that side is chaos.

They talk the talk about being a family environment and caring school but do not walk the walk.

My otherwise bright DD failed her maths SATS and has always struggled at maths - one of the teachers thinks she has missed some building blocks very early on (this was before lockdown) and they basically let her coast.

Bullying is swept under the carpet, including physical bullying.

A few of the teachers are truly old school and universally disliked by almost every child, being incredibly ferocious. It’s a ritual that one teacher will reduce you to tears, another one has a bad name for shouting and if you have heard them, you’ll know why.

There is also a culture of favouritism reflected in the Year 6 positions of responsibility. These are not awarded on merit but the “in” families who volunteer for the Friends events.

Don’t expect your child to be picked for any of the leading roles in the school productions unless you have paid for LAMDA.

No SEN provision at all. A friend’s child was thrown out at the end of Year 5 with no warning after some appalling treatment and bullying that included sewing up her coat pockets so she wouldn’t put her hands in them during the Remembrance Day service when the inspectors visited.

Poor IT provision, school iPads used in Year 6 only. Music provision is patchy, they have phased out the instrumental trial they did in Year 3.

They consistently fail to get girls into GHS - it’s usually about 1 girl a year, if that. They will tell you which school to apply for your child so they can they say “we got x girls into their first school choice.”

Many parents with an older sibling at Tormead are opting to take the girls out to join their prep so they can go all the way through.

The school is very much coasting on former glory, lacks vision, seems ashamed of its wonderful heritage and history, has ditched a lot of its traditions that made it feel special. I say that with profound sadness as we used to be committed, enthusiastic and proud parents.

Thank you @Candystriped , this is a real eye opener, I don't think Rydes Hill we be an option anymore.

Does anyone have any primary school recommendations if my DD does not get into GHS or Tormead? We're not considering St Catherine's as it's quite far to travel.

I’ve heard good things about Lyndhurst which might be an easier logistical possibility if you are Camberley based.

It feeds into Farnborough Hill and Salesian for your DS, if they might be possibilities.

Can thoroughly recommend both of those schools too. My DD got 11 GCSEs, 9 9s (including Latin and Greek) and AA A at A level and gone off to study medicine at Uni.

Guildford parents can be a bit sniffy about FH but my experience of it is very positive.

Might be worth checking out Lyndhurst anyway.

Sorry the html translated A star, A star, A as bold. (She also got an A star at EPQ). I know that sounds like bragging but it’s just to illustrate that FH is every bit as academic as the Guildford circuit schools.

Thank you @Candystriped, this is really helpful. I'll look into Lyndhurst and FH 👍🏼

Are you purely looking at single sex or is co-ed a consideration? Something to bear in mind is that a fair few single sex schools are starting to become co-ed.
Lyndhurst as mentioned by a pp is co-ed. We thought it was a bit small as single form although the school had a cosy feel to it which I did like. We opted for St Neot's in the end which has been a fantastic choice. We're a way off but I know they feed to lots of senior schools even though they are partnered with Lord Wandsworth. My DS is thriving there and having 2 forms makes for an amazing teacher:pupil ratio. Lots of schools will be having open days around about now so see a bunch and get a feel. There were some schools which on paper looked amazing but I didn't like them when I visited.

Aldro is another lovely school that was boys’ only but has gone coed.

St Hilary’s in Godalming is also coed and has an incredible vibe and very kind caring supportive head as well as a good range of enrichment activities. If I had my time again I would have sent all my children there instead of Rydes Hill, but it might be a bit too far away.

Thank you @Candystriped and @anonymouse for the useful info. I don't mind single sex or co-ed. I'll def look into Lyndhurst but I think Godalming will be too far but thank you for the suggestion.

I wanted to ask if there was anybody who also had a bad experience or heard bad things about Rydes Hill?

My daughter has just started at Rydes Hill, in Kindergarten, so we are only 3 weeks in but we are finding it a very positive experience. She is loving school and we can already see her confidence improving (she is quite shy) and her teachers including the head teacher seem to have really got her personality straight away and how to encourage her. There have been some issues with invoices and 30 hours funding etc but I would put that solely down to the passing of the deputy bursar. We didn't look at any of the schools that requite a 4+ because we didn't think our dd would do particularly well having to "perform" at an assessment day, but we are really happy with our choice of Rydes.

TBF the pre-prep at Rydes Hill is fine. The prep department is a different matter.

I am glad to hear that parents’ deposits were finally refunded to them today, 3 months after they were due at the end of the term, though sources tell me that a few parents declined the frightfully kind offer to donate what amounted to four figures (if they had multiple children leaving), back to the school.

This caught my eye as I went to one of these schools. I’ve sent my kids to a comp. Want them to be normal and for their parents not to die or split up after killing themselves to pay for it all. Still, my lexicon is huge.

Thank you all, this has been really helpful 👍

Wow @Candystriped, that's quite some review of Rydes Hill, and it make me very sad if that is how you truly feel about the school that, as you say, you had a number of daughters go through. Unfortunately there is also much of your review that is factually incorrect, but I won't go into that here. @drmummyof2 I would suggest going round all the schools on your list, including rydes hill, as they will all have great things to offer. I'm also happy to speak on pm if you would like a more detailed view from me of my experience of rydes. What I will say here is that it a warm, nurturing school that offers so much academically and pastorally to all its pupils and their families, it is a truly special place to send your children and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

“A warm nurturing school that offers so much academically and pastorally to all its pupils and their families.”

Unless you have autism. Then they won’t hesitate to toss your highly intelligent child out and deny her the chance to finish her primary education. (I’m the mum whose child had her pockets sewn up).

They also, on another memorable occasion, managed to lose another one of my children on the way back from swimming. She fell asleep on the bus, teacher didn’t count them off and for half an hour nobody knew where she was and the school wouldn’t admit she was missing until the bus company confirmed she had been found by the driver at the depot. Fortunately she’d woken up just as he was leaving and locking the vehicle. The teachers were furious with her.

I really wouldn’t want any family to go through what we have. We’ve all been caused so much trauma. I cannot look at photos of my children in Rydes Hill uniform without crying. All that money, so many sacrifices and for so much heartache. We also fell in love with the school when we first saw it. Now our hearts are broken over what they did to our DD. 💔

Make your life easier ….. go to a pre prep close to your home!!!! Then when they have forgotten their glasses / trainers / swim bag you are only 10 minutes away!!!!

You have got literally years until you do the evil 11 plus to pick the perfect senior school.

Reported @Brookwood post to @mumsnet

This is not about me, but offering heartfelt advice to parents who may be considering Rydes Hill.

By all means look, but be aware. I cannot honestly say that my children have fared any better at Rydes Hill then they would in a local Catholic primary, had we been able to get spaces.

@SnapeAlways can I please ask why you have reported me to mumsnet?