Bedes Prep vs St Andrews

[choosingchoices]

Does anybody have any experience of these schools. Looking to move dc from state primary in September and going round in circles. They are bright sporty boys if that makes a difference.

Thanks

I am (fairly) local - but well past the school age thing!

Where do you want your DC to go after St Andrews/Bedes? Eastbourne College? Will this make any difference to your choice?

Not completely sure - we live close(ish) to Bedes senior school and really like the facilities there. But open to Eastbourne too. Both prep schools send leavers to both senior schools though, so it shouldn't make too much difference

You might want to post this in the education section of Mumsnet - this local site does not get much traffic at all.

Thanks for replying- shame it is so quiet! I've already put something in education but thought I might have more luck here!

Hi Choosingchoices
I'm thinking the same thing, did you get any feedback? I have a friend who's son goes to St.Andrews and has been very impressed by it. He has autism (mild) but they have been really helpful over the years and now he shows very few signs of it. I know a friend of a friend who's son goes to Bede's and also raves on about it. I've heard the fees are slightly less at Bede's. Not sure there's much between them to be honest. I'd be interested to know what your choice was as we are thinking of moving our son at junior stage.

Hi. I have three boys at Bedes prep - I moved them there a year ago and I can't rate it highly enough. My boys are also active, quite sporty and bright. I don't know about St Andrews, but what I love about Bedes is how all of the staff are so focused on trying to find out what makes each child tick / what makes them special. Once they've found that thing, they then really run with it, using it to build their confidence in other areas. There's just a real emphasis on seeing the child as an individual. Best of luck choosing somewhere. I know it's not easy.

Hi, only just seen this, sorry for late reply. In the end we went for St Andrews. It was a tough choice as we really liked both. I think we made the right decision as dc seem happy so far. Fees are similar but Bedes do a sibling discount for 2 (St Andrews 3) so works out a bit cheaper. Pip, St Andrews seems similar really seeing child as individual. St Andrews has a lot more outdoor space than Bedes and by the time the new sports hall is built will have much better facilities I think