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Original poster

East Dorset Schools

41 replies

Blushbaby · 01/03/2009 23:10

Hi
Does anyone have any advice on East Dorset Schools? We are living near Ringwood but outside the catchment for the state schools there. We have looked at a couple of independents - Talbot Heath and Dumpton, but none of the state schools. Ultimately I would prefer my daughter to go to an all-girls school at 11 or 13, which means Bournemouth School for Girls (grammar) or Talbot Heath (independent). Any views on these or others I should consider?

OP posts:
castella · 05/03/2009 14:36

Talbot heath has a really good reputation but I wouldnt recommend Dumpton I took my children out due to the class sizes and the headmaster. When the teachers are slagging him off you know theres a problem.Forres sandle manor is near fordingbridge and is an exellent school which have really good common enterance results. The problem with BSG is that this years entry exams have all ready taken place.

psychomum5 · 05/03/2009 14:39

how old is your DD??

have you looked also at the websites for avonbourne and glenmore (both girls schools)?

castella · 05/03/2009 14:45

Glenmoor are you having a laugh isn,t that the one that was on the bbc news for bullying

psychomum5 · 05/03/2009 15:14

yes, about 4yrs ago!

I have friends with DDs who go to glenmoor and they are happy enough. I wouldn;t choose to send mine there I have to say, but you canno truly brush a school off for one thing that happened a while back, under an old head.

I was quite shocked tho to hear how good bishop is becoming. several people have started raving about it

castella · 05/03/2009 16:21

blushbaby I think you would be far better off sending your dd to a local school rather than any in bournemouth. Ringwood to Bournemouth via the spur road is an absolute nightmare in the rush hour and often at a standstill not to be advised with kids.

psychomum5 · 05/03/2009 16:45

castella has a very good point regarding traffic.

tis hell some days, and that is just getting round copper dean, not the whoe way along the spur road!

Original poster
Blushbaby · 05/03/2009 21:23

Castella, can I sent you a private message?
Cheers

OP posts:
castella · 05/03/2009 22:13

yes you can I have changed setting hopefully it will work !!!

Original poster
Blushbaby · 05/03/2009 22:24

Looked at TH a while back. Young ones looked miserable in class, not a lot of smiling going on, standing to attention with a "Good morning Miss X". Seemed pretty strict and a tad stifling for a pre-prep. Even playground is a sea of tarmac with a summerhouse and shed containing play things. May be better for knuckling down at 11 or 13? In the mean time a happy school (teachers as well as the children/parents) would be my preference. But it can be hard to get the inside view untill you are actually attending the school. Plus I want a school that isn't geared to the needs of boarders. Maybe we need to consider moving over to Poole side??

OP posts:
castella · 05/03/2009 22:31

how old are your children are they at private schools now?

shibumimonkey · 07/06/2009 16:18

Can anyone give me more info on Dumpton please?
I had heard there are waiting lists in all years? Thanks

littlerach · 07/06/2009 16:21

My friend's sisters go to BSG (I went there years ago) and loike it, but agree traffic will be hell.

I had friends from Talbot Heath who liked it but that was years ago too.

poshtottie · 07/06/2009 17:17

i looked after two girls at Talbot Heath and their parents were very happy with it but then sent them to Castle Court which has a very good reputation. They then have gone onto poole grammar.

DH went to Dumpton but many years ago.

shibumimonkey · 07/06/2009 17:19

I had heard that Castle court had some 'behaviour' issues. Probably true of all schools though

flatcapandpearls · 07/06/2009 17:26

They seem to take children from all over to go to dumpton, when I am driving to the school I teach in we see the Dumpton minibus picking students up between Poole and Blandford.

That information is of no use to you but it just occured to me.

I have friends who have girls at BGS and they seem happy but I know of some worrying things but would not want to tell you online. I was also talking to my financial advisor the other night and she was saying her daughter had just finished at BGS and was very miserable there, very narrow curriculum and pressured environment.

flatcapandpearls · 07/06/2009 17:27

But to balance out my statement I know someone who was on interview at BGS and she said the students were lovely and the school was great.

shibumimonkey · 07/06/2009 17:33

I have two boys so BSG not really an option for me Does anyone have any direct experience of Dumpton &/or Castle court?

flatcapandpearls · 07/06/2009 17:38

Poole grammar apparantly is low on numbers, am not sure if this is because of the change in admissions criteria. We have students going through admissions from us who are not what I wuld class as grammar students because there are spaces.

Chocolateteapot · 07/06/2009 17:47

Dumpton is up the road from me. I do know someone who has pulled her DD from there as she started her younger one at a local state school and felt that she wasn't getting much additional benefit paying the fees for the eldest one.

Recently I have heard someone saying that they have heard that some parents have issues with the head so have been pulling children out, but I don't know exactly what the issues are.

My only direct experience was watching the little ones on a trip to Honeybrook farm. Most of the staff buggered off to get coffee leaving two to supervise 25 to 30 children. On their way out they failed to shut the gate and not far away is an unfenced gate. The remaining staff failed to take much notice of what was going on and didn't shut the gate, quite frankly they wouldn't have noticed if one of the children had vanished, I was sitting there thinking how cross the parents would be if they had seen.

Parkstone Grammar had 5 applicants per place this year up from 3 per place a few years ago. I'm in Wimborne where children have traditionally got in despite being out of catchment but very few did this year. I've been hearing of high levels of anxiety/eating disorders amongst the girls there due to the pressure.

Chocolateteapot · 07/06/2009 17:48
flatcapandpearls · 07/06/2009 17:52

Hello teapot!

That is interesting about the grammar, I was talking to someone at work about the grammar as some of our year 7s are in the process of admissions. We have had more gt in this year than usual and were told that applications were down. Maybe successful applicants were down.

Chocolateteapot · 07/06/2009 18:06

My friend's DD applied. She got a letter saying congratulations she had passed, but then further down it said that due to the level of applications she hadn't got in as she was outside the catchment area, she was really upset.

They did appeal but she hasn't got in. I think it was very hard for her as she'd done it all off her own back and if they hadn't moved a couple of years ago, she would have been in catchment and been going.

Chocolateteapot · 07/06/2009 18:07

I don't know about the boys Grammar though ie. Poole Grammar rather than Parkstone, maybe it is them who were down this year ?

flatcapandpearls · 07/06/2009 18:10

Maybe thinking about it it is mainly boys that have got in from us, although I think we have had a bright crop of boys this year.

Chocolateteapot · 07/06/2009 18:16

Interesting that there is such a difference though between them, I wonder why ?

Sorry we never sorted coffee, we have had the longest run of being ill I've ever known, plus DD has given up sleeping so am chronically sleep deprived. Fingers crossed we are nearly at the end of it, but will probably end up with swine flu now !