Shirley Community School

[Gimboid]

Hi,

I wonder if anybody has any recent views on this school. We are planning on moving into the Cambridge area and have found a great house in the Shirley catchment but are getting worried about comments regarding this school and really would appreciate any insight from those who have any good or bad experiences.

Thanks

You will find that negative comments are from historical reputation. 3 years ago a new head was appointed who is excellent. The school is now ofsteded as good with outstanding features. Attainment is improving year on year at a rapid pace. My ds started in nursery and is now in year 1. He is thriving and I have found the teachers to be enthusiastic and nurturing. This is a school on 'the up'. At the moment the school is on 2 sites [The shirley took over st Andrews 3 years ago- a failing school. Even more impressive they are now rated good I think]. This July the school is moving to an impressive new build on the upper site. Please make an appointment to see the Head Teacher Mrs.Leach. Make your own judgements rather than going on hearsay. I am so glad I sent my ds to this school. My ds is 5, a rainbow reader [which is good], and is above all very happy at the school.

Latest ofsted is November2010 - so is recent! Please make an appointment to see the Head or phone her. I find it upsetting that people dismiss this school on 'old information'. I am so glad you are being open minded and want to learn more about the school. Good luck on your move. One of the nice things about Chesterton is that you can walk all the way into town by the river. A big plus!!

I wouldn't touch it tbh. I knew the school in the bad old days and although I no longer live in Cambridge I know a (teaching) staff member there now and some local residents. That staff member is incredibly committed and hardworking and adores what she does as well as her charges but she will tell you straight that a lot of the children she deals with come from very troubled homes/backgrounds and that the school struggles as a result. Parental involvement is limited and parental boundaries/discipline is not great, I understand.

If I'm brutally homest I'd say that if a child has committed, middle class parents who can give their child something more than the school can in terms of academic support and social interaction, the child will be fine. If however there is limited or no parental involvement in the school, resources are limited and the child won't have the chance of additional help or outside clubs and social opportunities then you may well hit problems.

OfftoNarnia, you speak of a new Headmistress and indicate that she is the driving force behind recent Ofsted success... I recall everyone predicting that Nan Flowerdew would lift the combined schools out of the doldrums. Was she not the messiah she was made out to be?

I have a child at the school who is doing well. Yes there are children from a variety of backgrounds at the school- some from disadvantaged backgrounds. However, because of committed teaching and leadership, inequalities in achievement are being tackled effectively. Please stop dwelling in the past Vallhala. The new Head IS GETTING GOOD RESULTS. The good ofsted report is not 'fairy dust' it is a reality. The school has achieved an 'equality award' recently - the first school to do so in the country. One of the reasons they achieved that was because of their success in tackling social inequalities eg extra support for identified children in school. As for discipline at the school you are well out of date Vallhala. The school feels to me and my child a very safe place to be. Also if you want to get into 'class' issues as you clearly do - I have noticed that there are more 'middle class type' parents than there used to be. This is reflected particularly in the younger years from an observational perspective. Also the PTA is beginning to flourish and there are visible and conscientious Governors. After school clubs are extensive -there is even a 'Latin club' for goodness sake'! The school is not coasting it is aware of issues it needs to tackle and is working hard to aim for 'outstanding' status.
You say you knew the school in 'The bad old days'. Well, those days are GONE. I hope Gimboid listens to my recent experiences and at least speaks to the head/visits the school and makes her mind up on up to date reality.

OfftoNarnia, your response to my post comes across as somewhat hostile. Although I appreciate that people can be irritated when their choice of school is not to others' tastes please remember that we are all entitled to our own opinions and that Gimboid sought these. My POV is based not upon "dwelling in the past" but upon the conversations I've had with a current and long-standing staff member.

WRT class, let me reassure you of this - I'm not one of the middle classes thankfully and for all I know that category may fit you or Gimboid more than it does me but that's not the point. My comment on that was to illustrate that there is still, in the opinion of the long term and respected staff member, a commitment and engagement difficulty with some parents together with the reasonable observation that children with a wider scope of social activities and friends of different backgrounds beyond the school gate fare better as they have greater social and linguistic balance. I'd imagine that similar might be said of a child who attends the Perse.

If you re-read my post you'll see that aside from saying that I knew the school in the bad old days I haven't looked back to the past because I simply don't know if what was the case then still applies. I merely asked a uestion out of purely academic interest and which you chose not to answer (fair enough, no obligation) - whether Nan Flowerdew was not as successful at lifting the school out of the problems it had experienced as was expected and therefore whether the incumbent headmistress was the driving force behind the current OFSTED success. This success was something which I had readily acknowledged in my original post.

I want to make it clear that I have no personal interest in this, being neither primary school parent nor involved in any school, and no axe to grind either way. Like you, OfftoNarnia, I recommend that Gimboid visits the school and many others too, which would be my advice to any parent regardless of where in the country they lived or what schools were available to them.

Thank you both for your views, I think meeting with the head (and visiting other schools) is of course the best way to get a good feel for the place so I will be doing that. It's looking like the move will be going ahead, offer was accepted today so fingers crossed we'll be moving just in time for the summer all going well. Really looking forward to experiencing all Cambridge has to offer with the children. Thanks again.

Hi Gimboid, I too was worried about sending my daughter to the Shirley school due to hearing negative gossip about the past. However my daughter is doing very well at the school and I am happy with her progress. She is always keen to go to school and seems to love the place. I am pleased that you are going to contact the head teacher to arrange a meeting. I think the Shirley
is a friendly and welcoming school and I have no hesitation in recommending it to you.

Good luck with your move and welcome to Cambridge!

Hi, my daughter attends Shirley School and we are really pleased with our choice. The teaching is excellent and the new head teacher has really pulled the school together. It has a warm and friendly atmosphere and me and my daughter felt very welcome when she first started. I would highly recommend it. Also they are moving to a brand new school in June with lovely new facilities!

Hi Gimboid, well done on having an offer accepted, the Cambridge market moves fast! As for the school, there is no doubt that the catchment offers a good mix now days there is also no doubt that the staff offer a fantastic start to any child's education. I think this is a school on the up, if you can get in I would highly recommend it, and this from a mother who spent 18 months dreading her precious firstborn starting school.
PS I am almost certainly 'middle class', I eat museli, by choice. Is that how you know?

Hi Notnowdear, I agree with you. The school does have a mixed community but so do most city schools I would have thought? PS I put sugar on my weetabix when the children aren't looking.

I would just like to add something to my previous post. I was in the car with my daughter this weekend and she said 'I love school. Can I live there? Please.'
I think that is a positive endorsement for the Shirley School! One very happy little girl.