Holy Cross prep via Old Vicarage

[sonami]

Hi,
I would really appreciate any feedbacks, comments of the above schools as I we can't decide which one to choose. Any parents who had experienced any or both - please let me know. Which school is more pushy and academic?
It is so hard to judge just by an open day :-(
Heard some positive and negative comments about both, which make it very hard.
Many thanks in advance.

Hi - I have two DD2 at Holy Cross.

Both are very happy at school. They have lovely girls in their class and both have settled very well. The teaching has been good - they do try to stretch the girls but I don't feel either has been pushed too far. DD1 seems to have had a run of stricter/more "old school" teachers than DD2. It doesn't seem to have bothered her, but as a parent I would have preferred more teachers like DD2s particularly when she was very little - i.e. a more "cuddly" teacher.

Overall I feel Holy Cross is a very good school, the pastoral care is excellent, the atmosphere among the girls is very friendly and kind. The school tries hard to give the girls exposure to different things to enlarge/engage them in the curriculum - have a look at the "news" section of the school website for some examples. There is a new head of infants and a few new teachers in the infants (new over the past 2/3 years) who have brought in very good ideas and best practice.
My criticisms are that I sometimes feel some teachers treat me as if I were a pupil (but I am big enough and bad enough to deal with it and be taken seriously - and to be fair the times I have raised an issue with the school it was taken very seriously and dealt with appropriately), and the "cuddly" point above.

I do know of two families who chose Holy Cross above the Old Vicarage mostly on the basis of the grounds and facilities provided (Holy Cross has amazing premises). I guess that's a fairly personal thing though - it either bothers you or it doesn't.

HTH...

Hi,
Thank you for all your comments - it's very helpful.
Could I ask you, do they offer sibling discount on fees?
Also, do they have competitions at school like spelling bee, T badges (times table badge) and any other academic competitions to encourage girls to go beyond bational curriculum. Do the praise girls who have achieved something (maybe by giving them certificates or badges at the assembly)?
Many thanks.