Oxfordshire Prep Schools

[Summertrack]

I’m looking for advice on prep schools in Oxfordshire. We’re thinking about St Hugh’s. Anyone with recent experience as I know they have had recent issues but hoping these are behind them?

Personally, I found the kids very micromanaged.
I am going back a couple of years, but I thought the school was trying to offer too much and the kids were knackered.
There are a lot of very wealthy families there, moreso than other preps I reckon.

Obviously with a new head due, there will be changes ahead.

Depending whereabouts in Oxfordshire you are, I'd look at the Oxford or Abingdon schools. Depends what you want though.

They had a mass exodus of well loved staff. Chose a shocker of a head. The new head is complete unknown. It has a reputation for having the most obnoxious snobby parents at any of the Oxfordshire preps. I'd give it a swerve until things settle down with the new head.

For a boy I'd try Abingdon. For girls, the Manor.

I’m a St Hugh’s parent with 3 kids at the school and I’d say go and see the school yourself rather be swayed by comments which are unfairly negative and out of date . The school hit a rough patch with an ill-suited head for a few years but these things happen and it’s way out the other side and back to being a superb school. A number of staff who left have come back - that says a lot. The new head isn’t an unknown- he’s very experienced and having met him several times, we’re impressed. As for the parents being “obnoxious and snobby” - thanks for the character assassination! It’s actually full of very friendly and decent parents. I’m not sure why people who don’t have direct experience are so keen to comment based on nothing… Our kids love it abd are doing really well. I really recommend you go and look and make your own mind up.

I have a friend who had two kids at Chandlings. Lovely family and I thought the vibe of the school was really good. Both kids seem relaxed and happy as well as high achieving (the youngest is about to finish secondary.

@Morganplusfour I do have direct experience of the school. We had children at STH that we moved very recently. You may not like my opinion but that school has been a disaster for quite a few families over the past few years.

@Morganplusfour
I also have direct experience. Albeit a couple of years ago. I doubt the parents have changed much though…..
You see, you are making assumptions about myself and Apolli that are incorrect. Why are you so defensive? We are just expressing our personal experiences of the school. Neither of us liked it.

I am afraid you think your opinion is with more than ours. Which I might say is typical of a St Hugh's parent, but I won't.

@Apolli @houselikeashed I’m not making assumptions and nothing I said was personal to you - apart from objecting to the blanket label you’re applying to all parents who of course are not all the same. Of course the opinion of everyone with direct experience is valid - you hadn’t made it clear that your children had been at the school so fair enough! However, the school has bounced back from its tricky years and as you said, you don’t have recent experience of how things have changed, whilst my children are at the school now.
We love the school but its not going to be for everyone - hence my suggestion that the OP arranges a visit to see for themselves.
That’s all I’m going to say - I don’t want to get embroiled in anything unpleasant.

@Apolli the ‘shocker of a head’ you refer to highly successfully guided the school through a global pandemic always putting the needs of the children first. We were very sorry to see him
leave as he was one of the major reasons we chose the school. Choose a school based on your own in person research and don’t be swayed by blanket statements that are ‘opinion’ and in most cases driven by a personal agenda for not having got their own way.

we also pulled our children out of SH recently. The previous head was a tragedy for the school. The only person he put first was himself and his behaviour towards many of the staff and parents beggared belief. The acting head, who stood in for a year, did a fantastic job by all accounts and calmed the waters and a new head has just started. We found the education to be lacking in many areas but the parents were delightful, welcoming and friendly and far from snobbish or entitled. The children are mostly happy if not stretched. But schools change and heads make a massive difference and hopefully the new head will transform SH’s fortunes. It’s facilities are fantastic.