I commented on another thread today - a parent wanted a comparison to Park Hill School in Croydon (State Versus Private).
Do your do diligence - every parent will be coming from a personal experience / with a bit of objective opinion.
What I can say:
The Owners have under invested in the school over the years though fees have gone up year on year and now are the most expensive locally - the offering does not match up
The girls schools is far out performing the boys school (different heads) they are not joined up in teaching and leadership is completely separate
parents who have boys and girls in both schools know the difference and the parents with the boys are unhappy
yes, lots of sports but misleading re how great things are. 99% of children are doing clubs outside of school so the school creams the best ones off - if your child is not great, they will know it based on the way the school selects the boys for sports teams.
lower teams are left to pretty much so nothing.
loads of head teachers in 7 years - current one is nice. Been at the school for over 15+ just got the job a few years ago…..read between the lines! I would say not first choice but desperate due to heads leaving quick or being sacked. Pinching far above skills set and struggles. I feel real bad for her as she is definitely the punching bag for certain parents
results - years ago used to publish a
magazine which showed you where every boy went and who got what scholarships. Now you can’t tell anything from the data I would go as far as to say it’s misleading and if you know statistics you can spot things
say their 11 + school but don’t adequately prepare. It’s a business ultimate they need some lambs to stay on until 13 (not my son mate). Teaching staff are not adequate for secondary teaching and I know families who are stuck and having to tutor hard to try and make it out to a decent school at 13
they use the data from 10+ in the results even though they tell you they don’t prepare for exit at end of Year 5 which is true however they ask children to complete surveys of offers and then use the info to bolster data
i won’t say unkind things about the staff, they are trying ! However they are on the back foot. Some teachers have 3 roles in a small school - many sports staff are teachers (I’m not going to highlight the issues with this as it’s obvious)
you will be happy from reception to year 2 but after that the wheels start to fall off! Parents are secretive as everyone is tutoring to get a place for 10+, some parents give up all together and just withdraw. During my tenure, we went from 3 classes to 2 two classes of approx 16 in each by Year 6.
The last 3 years were agony for us but we couldn’t move as it’s unsettling so had to suck it up and tutor! My DS know in one of the two main boys school in the area - it was down to his determination and my strong wheel! If I left it to CHS - well !
if you up for a social experiment on your most precious person then go for it! It may get better once it finishes it current cycle but at the moment it’s at the bottom