Danes Hill School Oxshott

[lumpasmelly]

Just wondering if anyone out there had any information on this school?...My husband and I had a tour yesterday and were very impressed by the teachers, students and facilities.....it came across as a very well rounded school with plenty of opportunities to try things out and discover your childs talents. I was also quite impressed with the fact that they were able to stream the kids into up to seven streams in english, math and science (as opposed to just three which can sometimes lead to labeling i.e. clever, average and stupid!!!)

However, we have heard some negative comments about the school - i.e. it's too cold and pushy, the parents are all super rich or footballers and therefore a nightmare etc. Keen to know if this is just rumour or if there is any truth in it all!

We have three children - DS1 (6), DS2 (3) and DD1 (2 months). DS1 is currently at Parkside which is lovely and he is happy there despite it being a very sporty school and him not being particularly sporty...if we had had just boys I would have been happy to keep them all at Parkside, but now we have a girl, the logistics of the school runs and holidays are going to be very tricky and to be honest, I really want them all together.....I am also not too keen on all girls schools (having been to one myself, I know how bitchy they can get and feel that having boys around can dilute it a bit). I'm very torn about moving DS1 from Parkside as we like the school and have made lots of friends but I need to do what it right for all of them. If we move DS1 at the end of pre -pre, it is a natural transition point and he won't be the only new boy at a new school - DS2 and DD1 can then start there from the very beginning.

Any thoughts on Danes Hill would be much appreciated. I would hate to put DS1 through all the upheaval to discover I have made the wrong choice! BTW, DS1 and DS2 are very outgoing, and I expect DD1 will be too....as I know personality is a big factor when choosing schools!

[sarah00001234]

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[freddiemum]

Hideous place: pretentious, overpriced, lacking in any warmth. They did not even bother sending a letter or calling to let us know that my six-year-old had not been offered a place. After a month passed, I called and received an entirely non-apologetic reply: they openly disliked our son ("quite a larger than life personality") in the feedback given, and mentioned that we were "perhaps rather an intellectual family, not from around here". And there was I thinking golf-club quotas on my ethnic group were a thing of the past. So if you like your children's friends to be WASP, dim and comfortably docile, put it on the top of your list. I pity them.

[A12345678910]

Hi, I am looking for some advice on this school. I just wondered if there is anyone out there who's children currently go there and who can provide information on the the teachers and school and how strict they are. My boy would be the youngest in the class and I think he is a bit behind in his reading levels. I want him to get the help he needs at the school to improve but I do not want it to be so academically driven that he is pushed too much and begin to hate school. Is there a lot of homework and pressure on kids to preform?

[dombliss]

I too would like to know about the academic culture of Danes Hill?? DS is very capable but not academic. Responds well but has dyslexia...Could he get railroaded??? Is there provision for dyslexia (although he is confident and very good at football and rugby ;)

[freddiemum]

Hmm...that does not match what the school told me when we finally met to talk about what had happened on the taster day. Apparently he fidgeted a lot (which I can believe), although - they said - the other kids were pretty unconcerned by his demeanour. If they had handled the assessment process with courtesy, I would not have speculated as to why they were so very rude. So, "William1968", either the school has given me a fantasy version of the taster day, or you are its PR department ghosting on this thread. Don't cross the streams sweetie xxx

[Honestandtrue99]

I made an application under the data protection act 1998 for information on my child (under 10 y/o).

I was refused point blank by staff and this decision was supported in full by Mr Willie Murdock the school's headteacher. I was told that if I had an issue with the decision to get the Information Commissioners Office to contact the school directly.

I contacted the ICO and it was confirmed that as a parent with Parental Responsibility, considering my child's age etc and under the DPA 1998, that I was entitled to the information.

It may be that the school are behaving unnecessarily and I wonder if there is any clarification or confirmation as to my rights here as a parent with Parental Responsibility?

Thank you...

I do NOT recommend this school for the above and other reasons best left off of here and would strongly advise anyone considering this school to avoid it like the plague considering my unfortunate experiences. Are there any other good schools locally with more reasonable and supportive senior staff?

[Dox1980]

Awful, awful school!! Rumours of hot housing and bulling are rife, everyone in the area seems to know someone with an unpleasant story about the school. I know of someone's daughter who goes there and had a friend over for a play date. The play date commented on how small her house was and how shocked she was that her bedroom wasn't bigger! This is the kind of awful attitude that this school breeds. If you drive a black Range Rover, have an attitude and think you are better than everyone else and you want your child to turn out like this, then this is the school for you. If you are a decent human being who wants the best for your child then somewhere else is probably best.

[user1484751826]

My Son has been at Danes Hill for two years and is now in Year 7. He suffered some bullying, but not the sort of bullying that was big in the 70s when I went to school - just a bit of name calling, really. Max felt able to report it himself and the matter was dealt with swiftly and appropriately.

I'm a big fan of Danes Hill, and the opportunities it affords. It's a big school, with 120 children per year, and this affords terrific economies of scale. I can't, for example, think of smaller schools having sufficient resources to run such things as stop-motion animation clubs. I also find the other parents to be mot pleasant, as indeed are the staff.

[NJR1972]

We joined recently into the upper school and have been extremely happy with our experience so far. We had 11 years at another local school which was also a super school so we do have a benchmark. My child is extremely young for the year but is thriving and has settled in from day 1. Plenty of friends have been made, opportunities abound for plenty of sport and other activities, trips etc. Let’s be honest, if you’re looking a private schools in Surrey you are always going to come across “a certain sort” - that doesn’t mean you should judge the whole school on the odd few who might be richer than you or drive a flashier car!!!!! Stop being so sensitive and precious, snowflake parents!!!

[Momof2Boys2020]

Looking for more recent information on Danes Hill School.
We are moving to Surrey from overseas this year and have been looking at a few prep schools for our 2 boys, Year 5 and Year 7.
Really loved the facilities (based on videos on schools website),
had a phone conversation with admission officer who was absolutely lovely and super helpful. Really tempted to go for it.
Please share your experiences dear parents!
Many thanks in advance :)