Pre-Prep schools in S.Oxfordshire/Berks/Wilts

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Does anyone have any experience/opinions with the following schools...

The Manor (Abingdon)
St Andrew's (Wantage)
St Gabriel's (Newbury)
SteppingStones (Froxfield)
PineWood (Swindon)

All opinions please! Any other recommendations would be great too.

Many, many thanks.

Friends daughters at St Gabriels, very very happy. The school leaves balance for them to have a home life too, ie no Saturday school, it's not as full hours wise as others. Great results, music and sports.

Another friends little boy has started at Cothill which I think is Oxford/Abingdon, perhaps your way?

if you want to email my friend with daughter at St Gabriel's, I'm sure she'd be more than happy to answer any questions about it. You can CAT me.

Thank you for your replies. I know a few already at St G's who speak highly of the school too. No doubt we will traipse round their open morning!
Thanks again.

Not sure if St. Andrew's would be my choice as very small class sizes. Also new head about to start new thing here.

Thanks for the link, Dexter! Makes for very interesting reading. Small classes sizes are a must though for DD but mixed aged classes... a whole new thread really!

My daughter is at Ferndale, a sweet and very small school with idyllically tiny classes in Faringdon.

The reason I say that the classes may be too small is that I knew a woman who sent her daughter there and she wasn't very happy as there were only nine in her class - 6 boys and 2 other girls who were best friends so she felt very left out.

I assume you have girls from that list

You've missed out a couple - Chandlings Manor (near abingdon) is really excellent and worth a look. Mixed, up to 11.

St Hugh's near Faringdon has its fans, a few unhappy campers too, but generally good. Mixed, up to 13.

Of the others, SteppingStones is hugely loved by everyone who goes there as far as I can see, but stops at 8 so you need to then move on somewhere.

St Gabriels seems like a good school with happy girls. Ditto The Manor - I have a friend with children there who are very pleased with it.

Pinewood pre-prep is excellent, the prep is less good. Happy place, but poor teaching at the top of the school and it had a pretty bad ISI inspection report earlier this year which saw a few people leaving.

Don't know about St Andrews, have never heard of it in fact.

downe house senior only

Have 2 DDs at Marlston House and would highly recommend it, lovely small school in beautiful surroundings. Small class sizes, mixed in pre-prep then seperate sexes from year 2 onwards, although the boys and girls eat together, share some breaktimes and do some drama together.Assemblies are mixed for the whole school. This was one of our main reasons for choosing the school, separate teaching but some exposure to boys! The indoor swimming pool is fantastic, there are on site stables and school ponies too, so riding can be included in the school day. Saturday school not compulsory until children are about 10, and flexi-boarding available from about year 4 if desired (hardly any full-time boarders). It is definatley worth a look. There seems to be a bit of an exodus of St G girls to Marlston at the moment, but things change in a moment and it can easily be the other way round. Hope that helps.

Our Lady's in Abingdon?

it's about to go co-ed from 11 this September (will take it out of competition with StH&K), big changes afoot

Cranford House in Moulsford is very good for girls or Moulsford Prep for boys!

met the wife of the HM of St Gs the other day. She was teaching at The Manor but has just moved to be head of the lower school at Downe House. Just goes to show what a small and fairly incestuous world it is!

Manor is a lovely school with super facilities

Thank you all so much for the further replies. You have added in a few schools we hadn't thought about. Time to phone round now for a few prospectuses.

St G's would be great but I worry about it being a single sex school so young...maybe for secondary, but in the early years I think DD needs to be in a co-ed school. We'll look round though! I've heard that SteppingStones is very academically pushy...is this true? This is something we don't really want.
Thanks again.

I hadn't heard that, so can't comment I'm afraid.
Have a read of the inspection reports as well. The Chandlings one in particular is superb.

Moving my daughter to st Gabriel's this year in year 3. Any idea how the school is results wise.

I am a St Gabs mummy. Firstly the pre-prep is about to undergo so significant changes and IMO these will be good things. There have been a few girls leave mainly the juniors these have been very specific circumstances that do not affect the majority.

St Gabs is a happy children will achieve school and they aim to make the girls confident and creative. It is different in the junior school to a traditional prep school and it is working towards exams at 16 and 18 as the majority of girls do stay at least to 16.
It has a lovely family atmosphere with regular interaction between all years my DD is in year 3 and does chess club regularly playing sixth formers.
Please PM me if you would like anymore info.