secondary school Brighton

[Fernie2]

Relocating to Brighton from Norway and trying to get my head round schools application process. Need place for 12 year old daughter starting yr 8 in sept. seems good schools oversubscribed so only places in schools with ofsted report grade of 3 - is this too low? any advice on independent schools in Brighton. My daughter is sporty but not very academic so not sure how she'd cope with entrance exam and academic pressure. If anyone has experience of state/independent schools in the area (especially BN1) would be interested to hear from them.

Secondary schooling in Brighton is a nightmare I'm afraid with all the decent schools oversubscribed, it's been like that for years. Which schools are you looking at that have spaces? You really do not want to send your child to Falmer. You might get lucky with a Y8 space, if you were looking for Y7 without being in the area I would have thought it would be next to impossible, but obviously people move. Dorothy Stringer, Varndean and Cardinal Newman (Catholic) are the three that most people are trying to get into.

Brighton & Hove High School for girls is a good indie option and centrally located. Although it gets good results I don't think it's an academic hothouse like Rodean. Brighton College and St. Mary's Hall are both in Kemptown (think big fees though). We moved house so that DS1 would get into Priory in Lewes (we had a strong chance of being offered Falmer) which was a bit ironic as he ended up being assaulted by a teacher there and we pulled him out half way through Y7!

MABS would be your expert on indie schools in the area for girls if she's around.

I know friends who have dd's at Towers school just outside Brighton. Very happy with it. Independant but one of the cheaper ones

Thanks for reply. Oversubscribed in both Dorothy Stringer and Varndean (catholic not an option) for Y8 sept. Falmer has spaces and will become academy in September with new building in 2011. does anyone know anything about academies? Patcham has spaces too.Older child has place at Varndean College to do IB so Preston Park/Varndean area would be perfect for us but looks like Falmer or Patcham are the only possibilites.
Brighton & Hove High School sounds good as long as there isn't too much pressure. Brighton College is a bit too far and I've heard has reputation for being pretty demanding. Would love to hear from MABS on this. Thanks for your help

I used to work in a primary school in Brighton and 'went through' the secondary application process with some of the kids I looked after. Because of where they were located they virtually all went to Stringer or Varndean.

A uni friend of mine was placed at Falmer as a volunteer and it honestly sounds dire. She said she was advised that if she was assaulted to go and immediately get medical help as she could contract something. And that she should only report pupils smoking if she thought it was something stronger than tobacco.

That said, it was all second hand, and she did actually really enjoy her time there. As always, parental input is probably more important that the location of the school.

My DD is starting at Brighton College in September - fiercely competitive entry but fab school once you're in and yes, big fees!

We looked at Brighton & Hove and Roedean but weren't keen on the single sex route and nor was our DD.

There are quite a few Indie schools slightly further afield; Hurstpierpoint College (Hurst), Ardingly College, Shoreham College (excellent and non-selective - sporty and not too academic but always oversubscribed), Sion in Worthing and Burgess Hill School for girls. We personally wouldn't touch The Towers as we have many friends whose children have had bad experiences with bullying there but everyone has their own recommendations.

Just for info, St Mary's Hall shut down a couple of years ago and has been taken over by Roedean who are using part of the premises as a prep school.

Can't offer much more info and I do hope you manage to find somewhere suitable. It's a very stressful process. xx

hiya - just seen this,what do you want to know Fernie? Know little about state really tho. My dd and ds have always been at indie schools.

i have a child at brighton college (and another one who left there). imo it is a very good school if your child is very academic and sporty and can withstand pressure. if your child is not so academic or is a bit quirky in some way, I wouldn't go there.

my dd loves it, but she is uber competitive (with herself really) and sporty and very law abiding! She is only at the prep school though and I have doubts about the senior school even for her - there seems to be constant pressure on them.

I have reservations about single sex schools though and don't really know what we'll do for secondary.

Try Roedean. Not as academic as its reputation and well led.

i agree re single sex pollyanna

Also agree about single sex schools.

what so bad about single sex schools? Heard that girls do better in single sex school whereas boys do better in co-ed. My DD is very sporty and mad about football - haven't yet found an indie school with girls football except girls only schools.

girls football and cricket at hurst definitely

My DD plays football & cricket at her co-ed prep school!

Does anyone know if there is a catchment area for getting in to Varndean College (to do IB)? Do you have to live within a certain radius?
Thanks!

Hello, as it's sixth form there is no catchment area. My daughter will start IB there in September and we haven't even moved to Brighton yet! Is your DC starting this year or next?