Brighton College

[pastoralacademia]

i am not from the area and I really need some advice regarding this school?

It gets unbeatable results in the country. Extreme pressure and you get a letter to leave if you are not performing. More like a business than a school but has very good marketing department.

Dh went there and he hated it but that was a long, long time ago. We know a few people who send their kids and they seem very happy with it. We live very close and the kids are always polite and well behaved whenever I see them around.

wow! a letter asking to leave?! some schools put pressure, give hints but a letter to leave is strange..???

Please anyone out there who has a DC in BC, would you care to share your experiences?

I know of quite a few who went into Year 7 and either got the letter or could not cope with the full on pressure and went elsewhere. Personally I wouldn't send my children there but if you are aware of the pros and cons and you think your child could cope with an academic hothouse then its worth looking at!

Thank you maiacam. My DCs are highly able and will have no problem infact they thrive in the full on pressure. Howerver I am concerned with the ethos 'sending letters' is uncaring and calculating.

I thought about perhaps looking into it for DD when older, but we met a pupil from there during a recent trip to A&E & it put me right off-

both girls had ankle injuries & as we were sat there for 5 hours got chatting, the older girl told quite a few horror stories about her School, one being her brother only recently getting the cast of his leg -

his ankle was broken, because he went to said school on crutches with a sprain & apparently it became "sport" for the other kids to either kick his crutches away or kick his bad ankle - he ended up with a fracture as a result so she was telling DD how worried she was they might put her on crutches :( - okay I know kids like to exaggerate, but it sounded genuine enough & I know from DDs experience with her own school that this sort of thing happens, but DDs school nipped it in the bud PDQ & it was never as nasty anyway.

That & a Teacher friend, who had inside info access, quite recently thoroughly researched all the local high schools for her own very bright & able DD - she was set on sending her DD to Brighton College, but after researching ened up sending her to Stringer instead

hope that helps

Have you looked into Lancing or Hurst? Both have better facilities and grounds than BC...

rockinhippy: Thank you so much for your reply. I am really concerned now.

I have looked at Lancing but not sure either, Saturday and the boarding...

Hurst is a really option there is no Saturday option there. There was a really good article on the school in Sussex Life a few months back if you can view online. Lancing is 50/50 boarding/day and has got a good reputation for pastoral care. They are both ten minutes from Brighton.

Meant to say Hurst is a really good option!

Thank you I will look into Hurst. I thought Lancing is mainly boarding, I didn't realise it's 50/50. Will have a look again.

Any more info on Lancing and Hurst? Please

I would ask for info on both on the main education thread now as its strictly not Brighton now.

To make things even more confusing you could look at Eastbourne College/Ardingly also!!

Good luck with your decision x

what you want to know specifically? I have two at Hurst and love it. Lots of friends at Brighton and Lancing too. DD was at Brighton , she very academic, but i didn't like their attitude towards others who werent so i took her out in year 7 . The letter thing asking you to leave is totally true I'm afraid, have seen them :( Like Lancing a lot, t'is 50/50 with boarding but Hurst was my choice for so many reasons.

All three of these are very full with waiting lists some some years so i would get onto it asap, how old are yours? what interests do they have? boy/girl? Agree re Ardingly and Eastbourne college also, depends where you live really.

We went to the BC open morning and we really liked it. However it sounded to be too good to be true and I wanted to find out before we make a move. Letters like this are shocking to me. I am sure my DCs won't receive them (unless to do with sport) still it doesn't sit well with me. I can just imagine some of the lovely friends of my DCs, that are not highly able but are a joy to be with, getting these letters! My DCs will be so sad and I will be too. What are schools for then? They claimed not to be highly selective and that they make sure everyone takes part in all sports! Do they do this by getting rid of the weak links?
I am sounding naive!
I know that schools play games to stay at the top of the league tables but never thought it could be that obvious...

or even Christs Hospital and Worth. Eastbourne and Ardingly seem less academic . I wonder if the ethos of BC had changed a bit now they have a hgiher intake from local state schools at 11+?

Lizs: please tell me more about the change. I don't know anything more than what there is on ISI report, good schools guide and the open morning.
Oh! well Simon Cowell went there and not being happy! :)

Please assume I have no previous knowledge and share all. Thank you.

did he ?! Back then it would have been boys only. The girls school I attended linked up with them for choir events.

BC expanded its intake at 11 a few years back when the state secondary schools went over to a lottery system, so parents panicked feeling they had less chance of getting the one of their first choice. I could imagine that some children they took then (maybe having been tutored heavily to pass the exam) perhaps weren't up to academic standard longer term or had the opportunity to move to a desirable state school at a later stage.

I know one of the matrons at Hurst - she's lovely, and my son is happy at Christ's Hospital.

But I know nothing of Brighton College

LIZS: about SC I have just double checked, it was Dover College. my fault.

I don't know about you but an intake from the state sector still doesn't justify the actions of the school regarding the letters and the bullying(no action!).

I had dcs there, they don't go there now, and I wouldn't send them or their siblings. too pressurised. even my dd1 who is very academic and competitive found it too much.

but if results are your thing. then it's good.

they take in some children at 11 who don't go into the prep school (where the children go until 13), they stay in a separate part of the school (called I think the Lower school) and then join up with the other 13 year olds in y9 or whatever. I know the prep school parents really worried that this would reduce the chance of their children getting in. Not sure if this did happen.

I know someone with a child in the lower school - he finds it very stressful too.

They get such high results, which put me off putting my son in for a bursery place (not even sure they do them!) I couldn't help feeling it must be quite pressured, which appears to be the case reading some of these comments