middle schools frome

[Yorkshirelass444]

hello, i've posted before about frome and it's schools and it remains a place i'd love to move to.
i was deterred previously by the secondary schools- frome college having bad rep- and the steiner, which did interest me, ultimately being a bit risky for a risk-averse person like myself!
anyway- i now see that frome college is very much on the up and this excites me!
i also see that it starts at age 13 so, my question is, which are the decent middle schools and are they generally feeders for frome college?
also, if i were to keep my eldest in his current (leeds) primary- which he loves- would he then be the only child joining middle school in year 7 or is there a bit of an influx at this time in frome middle schools? (or do frome primaries generally finish after year 4?)
i might as well ask a location question as well! i like to be near cafes, shops, pubs etc; i like period houses and i have 2 kids (7 and 5). from my internet research it looks as tho trinity would be a good area for me to live- are there many families there? (i don't know frome well but i have been on a flying visit to the griffin and liked it a lot- not least the fact that it had a "bellowhead" poster on wall!)
thanks for any help

Hi Yorkshirelass, I can answer some of your questions.

We moved to Frome from Bristol 2 years ago with a 12 year old in tow. He was previously attending Bristol Steiner School.

The school system in Frome is relatively straightforward. We have first schools dotted around that go up to Year 4. Most of these are CofE, all have uniform and some seem more popular than others. I don't know an awful lot about them TBH, but they seem fine, if a little middle of the road. There are also a couple of Catholic Primary schools, that go up to Year 6, that feed into Catholic Secondary schools outside Frome (nearest is in Trowbridge I think).

There are two middle schools here, Oakfield and Selwood. Attendance seems to be based mostly on which side of the town you live on, although Selwood is a Methodist school. Both are Academies, both produce nice kids and both produces kids who think the others are numpties! Small towns!

My son went to Selwood from part way through Year 6, and it was great. I love the 3 school system, it suited him well. We are not at all religious and he didn't find the religion too much there. There were a few early issues with bullying the new kid, but it seemed to pass, and he soon found his niche.

He started at the College in Sept, and I can't find fault at the moment. He's loving it there, they seem to enjoy having him there and he's very settled.

The Steiner school is still in a state of flux. It has yet to move into it's permanent address in Frome, and I'm not sure what ages it caters for yet. I know that it was planning a sort of phased start. I hear good things about it though.

I live in Fromefield, which is more unfashionable than Trinity, but we live in a huge period house with open fires, garden and 10 minutes away from college. Trinity is a lovely area of town, popular with families and with some great views across town, but to be honest, I think anywhere in Frome with a few old houses is nice. Any of the old houses are only ever 10 minutes walk tops from cafes, shops and pubs.

Frome is lovely. I've made friends, have a job here, had a baby here, can wander around the markets and be generally a bit yummy.

Oh, but you can't get a good curry. Some Thai places are good though.

It lacks a cultural edge, but isn't lacking in culture, iyswim. All a bit safe. But hey, I'm fast approaching middle age and have had my fill of edgy. My son can hang out with his mates and I don't worry about him.

Hope that helps!

tannyLou, thank you very much- that's given me a lot to chew over!
Looks as tho kids get into local schools by virtue of living anywhere in frome instead of catchment area hell- so that's relief.
i like the idea of three tier system as presume no school is ever huge (our local secondary has 1,800 pupils). my 7 yr old son is small, quite shy and always the youngest in his class and large secondaries do worry me for that reason.
the only thing is that we'd have to move in a year's time to start him at middle school and i just don't think we could.
so, i have to consider starting him part way through middle school.
(my other thought- just to muddy the waters- is to move to Wells- where my mum is- where there is primary/ secondary system but that's a whole other thread!)
V interesting to consider areas other than trinity - i hadn't realised that there are other areas just 10 to 15 mins walk from centre- this opens everything up- brilliant!
had a nose at fromefield and it looks like lovely area- does it back on to recreation ground? son becoming v into sports (thank goodness!) so be fab to be really close to amenities. (i also have 5 yr old daughter who just goes with the flow!)
It's good to hear that you like frome, tannyLou and i really appreciate your input- i'm determined to get to the south west (and more than likely frome) in the near future!

tannyLou, thank you very much- that's given me a lot to chew over!
Looks as tho kids get into local schools by virtue of living anywhere in frome instead of catchment area hell- so that's relief.
i like the idea of three tier system as presume no school is ever huge (our local secondary has 1,800 pupils). my 7 yr old son is small, quite shy and always the youngest in his class and large secondaries do worry me for that reason.
the only thing is that we'd have to move in a year's time to start him at middle school and i just don't think we could.
so, i have to consider starting him part way through middle school.
(my other thought- just to muddy the waters- is to move to Wells- where my mum is- where there is primary/ secondary system but that's a whole other thread!)
V interesting to consider areas other than trinity - i hadn't realised that there are other areas just 10 to 15 mins walk from centre- this opens everything up- brilliant!
had a nose at fromefield and it looks like lovely area- does it back on to recreation ground? son becoming v into sports (thank goodness!) so be fab to be really close to amenities. (i also have 5 yr old daughter who just goes with the flow!)
It's good to hear that you like frome, tannyLou and i really appreciate your input- i'm determined to get to the south west (and more than likely frome) in the near future!

tannyLou, thank you very much- that's given me a lot to chew over!
Looks as tho kids get into local schools by virtue of living anywhere in frome instead of catchment area hell- so that's relief.
i like the idea of three tier system as presume no school is ever huge (our local secondary has 1,800 pupils). my 7 yr old son is small, quite shy and always the youngest in his class and large secondaries do worry me for that reason.
the only thing is that we'd have to move in a year's time to start him at middle school and i just don't think we could.
so, i have to consider starting him part way through middle school.
(my other thought- just to muddy the waters- is to move to Wells- where my mum is- where there is primary/ secondary system but that's a whole other thread!)
V interesting to consider areas other than trinity - i hadn't realised that there are other areas just 10 to 15 mins walk from centre- this opens everything up- brilliant!
had a nose at fromefield and it looks like lovely area- does it back on to recreation ground? son becoming v into sports (thank goodness!) so be fab to be really close to amenities. (i also have 5 yr old daughter who just goes with the flow!)
It's good to hear that you like frome, tannyLou and i really appreciate your input- i'm determined to get to the south west (and more than likely frome) in the near future!

tannyLou, thank you very much- that's given me a lot to chew over!
Looks as tho kids get into local schools by virtue of living anywhere in frome instead of catchment area hell- so that's relief.
i like the idea of three tier system as presume no school is ever huge (our local secondary has 1,800 pupils). my 7 yr old son is small, quite shy and always the youngest in his class and large secondaries do worry me for that reason.
the only thing is that we'd have to move in a year's time to start him at middle school and i just don't think we could.
so, i have to consider starting him part way through middle school.
(my other thought- just to muddy the waters- is to move to Wells- where my mum is- where there is primary/ secondary system but that's a whole other thread!)
V interesting to consider areas other than trinity - i hadn't realised that there are other areas just 10 to 15 mins walk from centre- this opens everything up- brilliant!
had a nose at fromefield and it looks like lovely area- does it back on to recreation ground? son becoming v into sports (thank goodness!) so be fab to be really close to amenities. (i also have 5 yr old daughter who just goes with the flow!)
It's good to hear that you like frome, tannyLou and i really appreciate your input- i'm determined to get to the south west (and more than likely frome) in the near future!

tannyLou, thank you very much- that's given me a lot to chew over!
Looks as tho kids get into local schools by virtue of living anywhere in frome instead of catchment area hell- so that's relief.
i like the idea of three tier system as presume no school is ever huge (our local secondary has 1,800 pupils). my 7 yr old son is small, quite shy and always the youngest in his class and large secondaries do worry me for that reason.
the only thing is that we'd have to move in a year's time to start him at middle school and i just don't think we could.
so, i have to consider starting him part way through middle school.
(my other thought- just to muddy the waters- is to move to Wells- where my mum is- where there is primary/ secondary system but that's a whole other thread!)
V interesting to consider areas other than trinity - i hadn't realised that there are other areas just 10 to 15 mins walk from centre- this opens everything up- brilliant!
had a nose at fromefield and it looks like lovely area- does it back on to recreation ground? son becoming v into sports (thank goodness!) so be fab to be really close to amenities. (i also have 5 yr old daughter who just goes with the flow!)
It's good to hear that you like frome, tannyLou and i really appreciate your input- i'm determined to get to the south west (and more than likely frome) in the near future!

tannyLou, thank you very much- that's given me a lot to chew over!
Looks as tho kids get into local schools by virtue of living anywhere in frome instead of catchment area hell- so that's relief.
i like the idea of three tier system as presume no school is ever huge (our local secondary has 1,800 pupils). my 7 yr old son is small, quite shy and always the youngest in his class and large secondaries do worry me for that reason.
the only thing is that we'd have to move in a year's time to start him at middle school and i just don't think we could.
so, i have to consider starting him part way through middle school.
(my other thought- just to muddy the waters- is to move to Wells- where my mum is- where there is primary/ secondary system but that's a whole other thread!)
V interesting to consider areas other than trinity - i hadn't realised that there are other areas just 10 to 15 mins walk from centre- this opens everything up- brilliant!
had a nose at fromefield and it looks like lovely area- does it back on to recreation ground? son becoming v into sports (thank goodness!) so be fab to be really close to amenities. (i also have 5 yr old daughter who just goes with the flow!)
It's good to hear that you like frome, tannyLou and i really appreciate your input- i'm determined to get to the south west (and more than likely frome) in the near future!

oops! i appear to have posted that 8 times! how does that happen?!

Both the middle schools have just had new Head Teachers, so it's a bit hard to say one way or the other. Prior to this, Selwood was more in demand, although Oakfield had a very good reputation for dealing with dyslexia.

Oh, and Bellowhead play at the Cheese and Grain nearly every tour...

thanks fromeah- you were very helpful with schools the last time i posted-i do wonder sometimes if i over-think the kids schooling!
and great to hear that frome music scene thriving.
i'm gonna ask another question! we've been involved in our local quaker meeting- my partner with more commitment than me- but nonetheless, i trundle along with the kids most sundays. i do like the quaker ethos and we're attending a large gathering in bath this summer- so we'll no doubt pop along to frome during that time.
so, it's a bit of a specialsed question but i wonder what the frome quaker meeting is like- particularly for the children. as i say, it's a bit of a niche question so i won't hold my breath for an answer!

Yes the gigs are on the up, too, which is pleasing. And of course Glastonbury is just down the road...

Despite the fact that I do come from a long line of Quakers, I can't help you with that I'm afraid.

But I don't think you can over-think the schooling, not at this stage. You need to know what you're letting yourself in for, don't you.

thanks again fromeah- good to hear i'm maybe not too neurotic!