Berkhamsted schools - help please!

[teetering]

We are moving to the Berkhamsted area and wonder if anyone can give any further insights to: Berkhamsted Collegiate Prep School, Westbrook Hay Prep School and The Beacon School in Chesham Bois? It's hard to get an inside view when all you can do is read a review and do a quick tour etc.

If there are any other schools (state or private) that anyone can recommend, please do share!

Thanks!

Wow! COngratulations, Teetering!!!

GOod luck with the SS assessment - I am sure it'll be a breeze.

Berko is a very friendly / sociable place but once you are sorted, if you fancy a coffee, give me a shout!!

HM

Teetering,

hwo did the assessment go?

HM

Haribo thanks. It went well! I never thought my 3 year old would need to do (or pass!) a formal assessment so early in life! I was emotionally drained afterwards and needed a lie down

Can anyone recommend a local cleaner, and give some idea what the local going rates are?!

Also, we'll need to register with a doctor's s surgery. If there is any local advice on good surgeries you're happy with, or places/particular doctors to avoid I would be grateful!

Thanks all!

I use these cleaners and have found them very professional, though I also know Molly Maid operate in Berkhamsted.

As for Drs., I could recommend Manor Street or Doctors Common Road Surgery (Don't have a website for these guys - sorry!).

There is also a little pharmacy on the High Street - Forget what it's called at the mo, but an olde worlde type place and the pharmacist there is great. I often pop in when I have a question re. DS which isn't seriously enough to warrant a doctor's visit!!

Glad the assessment went OK! IS your DS planning to start in September?

HM

Doctor's Common Road (forget the surgery name) is excellent. I used to be there until I moved too far out, and a friend is a GP there. Lovely.

thanks so much! i have asked for a quote through that cleaning company.

i will call those surgeries asap to find out more. huge help.

it's not immediately obvious to me where you would go for your nearest A&E?! NHS website says stoke mandeville, luton, watford etc.

are they really the closest?! and where do most people go to have babies locally? though i am not planning on any extensions to the family in the near future, i have to say...!

thanks again. haribo once i have settled in it would be great to meet

Hi,

Just a quickie. Hemel A&E is now closed so, yes, nearest A&Es would be Stoke Mandeville or Watford (Luton is slighly further away but larger)

I'm currently 21 weeks PG so can tell you for sure that the only NHS places you can book in for birth are Watford or Stoke Mandeville.

I'm going back to The Portland to have the baby and thet local midwives don't want anything to do with me!!!

Have a lovely SUnday!

HM

There is an 'urgent care' centre at Hemel Hospital (West Herts) but no idea what that means, unless its just a sop to stop us whingeing about the fact that they've closed A&E. Only happened a couple of weeks ago, and I only realised when someone spraypainted out the road signs to A&E.
The (fabulous - new) maternity unit at Hemel closed, finally, a year or so back. So people now have to trek down to Watford and just pray that they don't go into labour on a busy Saturday afternoon in the run-up to Christmas when Watford are playing at home. The towncentre is then gridlocked.

I've used the urgent care centre at Hemel.

it's basically a GP out of hours service.

Def. not where you would go in an emergency!!!!

What, in addition to the GP out-of-hours service they've already got on site?!

Yeah... I guess so??

I was directed there for an out of hours appt for my son.

didn't strike me as any sort of A&E, just general GP / triage sort of service.

Slightly concerning about the long distance to A&E. I hope the ambulances are fast! Good A&E is only 5-min drive from current home. We needed an ambulance with DS1 when he was 3 days old, and nearly needed it with DS2 and I guess it's just reassuring for 'just in case there's an emergency'. Oh well...

Is this the Doctors Commons Road surgery you have mentioned?

www.miltonhousesurgery.co.uk/

That's the one.

Brill, thanks! Now got all the GP stuff sorted.

Can anyone recommend (or warn against) a local dentist?! Filling in all the school forms makes me realise all the things I need to get sorted!

I have a school uniform question! Little one needs his Stepping Stones uniform. As it's Easter the shop (and school!) are closed and I can't check whether we can buy easy stuff like grey shorts and socks, white polo shirts etc from M&S etc. I am hoping so otherwise it's going to get pricey buying them from the regulation outfitter!

Well, I go to the Berkhamsted Dental Practice, Lower King's Road, coz they're all lovely there, but it's mainly private. My kids are still NHS, but only coz I pay privately for me and DH. Also, we've been going there since they opened years ago (as Clare Rogers was my NHS dentist at another practice before that) so I don't know if they're still taking on new NHS kids. You'd have to phone and ask, I guess.
They're really into preventative care, but that may be standard nowadays.

We go to the place on Lower Kings Road too, we're also private but we really like it there.

Berko school used to have a shop, which sold old uniforms, but I think that's closed now and there is a website - I'll try and dig it out for you.

Certainly all the standard stuff - white shirts etc., we get from M&S for the kids.

(congratualations, BTW - your DS obviously did well on the assessment! )

Drsej sorry only just seen this. And to everyone else, well, I've just come up for air!

DS1 has 2 new children in his new class for Sept (one is a boy) so I wonder if that might be your little one. He has been very sweetly concerned about the 2 newies, and clearly remembers what it was like for him as the newie 2 mths ago!

If you like, let me know your details and we can email.

Hope everyone's well! Totally loving Berko!

I don't know about Pooh Corner but Fledglings seems very popular as far as I can tell.

Now I need nanny help!

Anyone know of a good nanny free who could help me 2 days a week?!!

I went to school in berkhamsted, but as i am 33 my info is probably out of date. I went to berkhamsted school for girls, which merged with the boys school to become the collegiate school. It was ok, but i struggled a bit as it was very sporty and I am not! However, if you have youngsters, I would certainly look at Haresfoot school - it was founded by a couple of teachers from edgerton/rothchilds (the 2 other main schools in the town). My brother was one of the first handful of children that went there and he had the most marvellous time. It was very big on pastoral care and in a beautiful location.

Hi,

I'm new to this post and have been hooked reading through it for about the last 30 mins - so much great info. Thank you! I've got a little one of 13 months and hoping he goes to Stepping Stones in Sept 2011. I'd like to start him somewhere else before 3 though and I'm just wondering where would be a good place and anyone else doing this? (currently living in Kings Langley but hoping to move to Berkhamsted by next year)

Thanks!

My MIL friend runs Pooh Corner and it seems very popular and in nice grounds. I sent my DD to feldglings and took her out after 4 months, she really did go into her shell and it did nothing for her. She was such an outgoing girl before sthe started but became so withdrawn whilst there. As soon as we removed her she was back to being her happy noisy self again. I can't say 100% that this was fledglings responsibility, perhaps she justwasn't ready for nursery but I wouldn't recommend it.