Guildford Parents - Tormead

[DeepMintEagle]

Hi!

I'm just looking for advice on the Guildford girls schools. We are thinking of registering our DD for Tormead, she's young enough she'd probably take the CAT4 as the entrance exam (prep) but I'm not sure what the 'pass rate' would be considered on this type of test? Just wondering if anyone has experience and how much it's weighted on test results Vs a school report?

Any recommendations on schools in the area would be great as we will be new to Surrey! 😀

Bump

I know a few parents who sent their daughters there. Looks like a nice school.

Cant help much on the score needed, I think if you asked their admissions department they'd give you a honest answer of what they're looking for. I assume that would then be caveat by how many apply (they'll likely take those with the better scores and 'assessment' results first) as Tormead Prep is very popular and usually full at intakes and I've heard has very few in year places avaiable.

On the school itself it's known locally for being, as a PP put it, 'lovely'. The Head and staff are well regarded, it has strong principled values around academics and value-add - but in the decades ive lived in Guilldford, its always been the school that has tempered this with actual kindness and wellbeing (not soundbites) - usp pastoral care.

Lots choose it as it's also a great route into the big school, which is also popular and regularly has a full year 7 - you skip the 11+ to move across Cranleigh Road to the big school- bonus - especially as the seniors get very good gcse and level results - also locally known for its pastoral/non-hot house feel.

Unless youre looking just inside Guildford there is also St theresas, which has always been a pretty decent option, but noises from people I know still aren't happy with direction of travel since the whole merger thing, thats still going on. May settle down though, so maybe worth a look.

StCatherines Bramley also pretty decent option, but depending on your location, harder to get to, although they do run a bus i think, but it depends on how long you want DD on a bus for, and for prep, its quite young for buses.

GHS obviously a academically strong, top tier school, but they've clearly been packing the prep school full this year, also with those who wouldnt normally have got in in previous years. Sign of the times perhaps.

Hope that helps -. Good luck with the choices theres plenty to think about.

Thanks so much for your reply! That's really helpful.

A second for Tormead. Lovely school and has been great for my DD. Community for parents is nice and normal too, no crazy tiger parents and made me and my DH feel welcome. Head of Prep is wonderful and the overall headteacher Mr Boyd is very well respected and liked by the girls.

How old is your child?
Have you visited the Guildford schools what one person likes it’s not important for another.
It depends where you live too make it easy for yourself.
St Cats and Tormead a daily coach depending where you live might be something to bear in mind. When I looked at Tormead it only had one bus on an evening so not that convenient (if your child was doing a club / sport). Tormead seemed to be quite a trek from the train station with heavy bags! However if you are dropping off by car it’s easy.

Ghs will be likely full as all the exams and offers out.
Depending where you live you could travel on the A3 and not limit just to the Guildford schools.
Depends if you work or if you have any other children to consider.

Tormead is a hockey school in senior years unless they changed it recently (unlike ghs and st cats lacrosse sport). Plus really into gym.

Also as Tormead is a through school I doubt 11 plus would be any good fine if you decide to stay on at the school - it’s an easy option (through schools always want their children to stay on within the school for cash but bear in mind if your looking at other schools for seniors you will probably need to do additional work).

Good luck ring admissions and see if they have space within the year group.

@needanewsiahwasher DD will be going into yr3 this Sept. She does really well at school but struggles with maths so we're a bit nervous.

Thank you for all the great advice. I think we'll try Tormead and maybe St Cats too.

Where are you based? Might help with decision making.

Train wise, really easy for Tormead and GHS. The train into London Road is packed with kids every morning and evening. A lot of tormead girls come in by train and then make the 10 min walk to school from there with friends.

The guildford centre schools have great transport advantages, car is easy enough if you plan the daily journey and can be accessed from all villages and the a3. Also the train is very popular and like I said full of RGS, tormead and Ghs students every day, alongside others. Hence a safe option.

Its also nice when they are older that they can walk into town with friends really easy as they wil start to mingle with kids at the other schools too.

Hey, just wanted to say we're really happy with Tormead, lots going on at the moment and it feels like one of the few steady options left around here right now. With so many preps closing or merging, and girls'/boys schools tweaking to co-ed for numbers, or merging too, it's all a bit unsettling if you're partway through. Only recently another prep school closed locally, know some really upset parents there - its so sad, but it is becoming risky picking a 'smaller fish' school these days.

School proclaims to us in comunications to DD and parents that it will remain all-girls, with opportunity's for lots of co-ed interaction outside of the core education to supliment - like joint visits, some classes, drama, sport etc. My dd has shared drama and music workshops with rgs and state boys as an example.

The pastoral care side of things is as expected and always seems to be investment in facilities. We keep an eye on things, and it looks to be solid financially, a key metric when picking these days - how times have changed! Cheers Bridget.

Big win for me is the parent crowd is friendly and normal too – nice chats at pickup, no weird vibes - im not a massive socialite and hate the tiger mum stuff.

Defo worth considering if you're after something solid, happy kids and, im hoping, a school that won't suddenly flip or dissappear halfway through! Good luck and OP feel free to pm me if you like 😊

Another thumbs up for Tormead, you wont go wrong in the area with it. Also great to be near town for when the girls get older, plenty of buses, public transport, train is easy to get to also, 10-15 min walk for my DDs friends, depending on how much they are chatting!

Also one of the cheapest options around at the moment, most parents recognise that as being a big plus, given what you get for your money.

Agree with PP - wouldn't gamble with anything small or coming across as 'trying too hard' at the moment.

Thanks so much for all your replies! It does look like a lovely school. I'll get in touch with admissions and keep my fingers crossed.

Not sure about the grade boundaries, but im sure you'll do fine unless she isnt where she needs to be, there or thereabouts for her age. We joined in reception so had the soft assessment! I think they must look at academic progress and potential moreso than hard results, plus the whole girl, in terms of their personality too
As long as your dd comes across as kind, interested, willing to learn and personable then im sure shell get in ok. On the school itself, cant go wrong, and if you stay all the way through the senior school, it is fab and the Head who's been there a few years now has transformed the place from sure, steady and good, to exciting, forward thinking and excellent. I think his daughter is in the school too, so perhaps a vested interest in it thriving! 😅😝

Co-ed option?

Is DD your only child? If you have a boy too, Tormead also handy as they have Rydes Hill which is a nursery from babies all the way through to coed primary school. I think you get multi child discount across both schools too.

If you want coed generally, then i would highly recommend Rydes Hill. Its the only co-ed school in guildford and has a strong knowledge of that, plus girls (it used to be girls only in upper years).

Side note: I know the RGS is going coed soon also, but they have no experience with girls (but 400 years of boys and lynx africa - sorry, silly joke!) and it will take they time to get up to speed on how they learn, how boys and girls interact, etc, etc., etc. I wouldn't want [my daughter] to be their experiment, at least for the first few years. I think theyre running a hard-hitting 'we know what were doing' co-ed campaign at the moment: its obviosuly your choice, but as you're a new comer to the area, I would at least consider my words of caution!😊

Back to the nursery at Rydes Hill, which is simply outstanding (if you have a little one too) and was great for our two. RH is a little bit smaller than Tormead and not in the centre of town, but easy to get to, so might match your location? Because its smaller and has a nursery it feels 'cuter' and 'cosier' with slightly smaller class sizes, if thats your thing. Kids generally got into all the big schools from rydes hill too, like tormead, ghs, rgs Farnborough hill, etc. But most DDs I would guess now stay on to tormead.

Good luck and PM me if you need any Rydes Hill info.

Big thumbs up from me, if you can afford independent, I’d absolutely go for it. Tormead School really is a super-dooper school, very well known and respected around Guildford and the area with parents.

Guildford High School (GHS) is obviously the other big town-centre name… although it does feel like the temperature’s changed a bit this year. Not quite the gladiatorial bunfight it once was to get in, from what the post drop-off café circuit was saying only the other morning 👀 Post-VAT reality and all that. Apparently the floodgates are being tweaked open.

I’d speak to both admissions teams if you're deciding, as you might find even GHS are way more “fluid” than they used to be!

Thanks for your advice. Is parking a nightmare near Tormead and RGS? We're still looking at where we want to live and I don't know how far down or up we can go before the commute becomes unbearable. I was thinking highest Ripley and lowest Chiddingfold?

Parking isn't too bad any more, there's plenty of dedicated bays in the surrounding residential streets which are free. Theres also a quick drop off drive through point set up inside the gated driveway, where parents drive in, drop off girls and kit, quick hug/kiss, directly to school, and go. For prep school girls who are dropped off, there are teachers waiting there to welcome who take the girls into school for you. Works very well and most parents use it in the mornings.

Due to the sheer volume of flipping clubs and sport going on, even in prep, pick up is never an issue for parking as girls are all leaving at different times.

Your geography looks sensible, Ripley is easy, chiddingford slightly further, so maybe a bit closer if you can, but not a massive game changer. Also they have lots of bus routes, so check those out. Or live near a train line into guildford.

We commuted from Godalming easily if you plan your time, fully expect to be using the train and bus soon.

Rgs prep, not sure if they have a drop off system, but its much smaller than tormead. Rgs in town, unsure.

Thank you. I will have a look at the bus routes.

I can't comment on the Prep which has always been lovely. But my daughter left Tormead Senior last year, having been miserable and depressed with no support. They did not seem to care once they knew she was leaving and refused to engage with us. I was surprised at how poor the pastoral support was, when we needed it the most. It may have improved since then hopefully. She is happy and thriving now in another sixth form.
Some teachers were good but they have had a high turnover of staff and struggle for teachers in some subjects. This may not just be Tormead though.

Staff turnover is pretty normal in any school, and is especially hard to cover in specialist subjects such as sciences. If a teacher leaves (and I only have only ever known of tormead teachers leaving for retirement, promotion, or moving house, "according to" the parent communications anyway) its quite hard to recruit quickly as we all have term notice periods and set deadlines for resigning (its the same in state where i work, mines actually 3 months plus a deadline), also, you're fishing in a limited pool of teachers that are local to the school. So not much you can do about people moving on for these reasons - its just annoying when these teachers do move on for the kids classes - and very annoying for the school leadership too.

Glad your daughter is happy now, I dont recognise the lack of support though myself as its always been super for us and seemingly my year group is happy too. None the less a valid experience for the thread! Good luck to your DD.