Waldon School (formerly Friends) to close

[HereIAm20]

Wow! I was gobsmacked when I saw this. I am surprised there is a turndown in places being taken up in view of the pressure on indie places in the Cambridge area.

www.waldenschool.co.uk/

I'm not completely surprised as the town has a really good high school but a real shame. I just hope they don't turn it into houses.

Spoke to someone whose son is just leaving after gcses. Apparently as it was a quaker school purpose built for education it has to remain as a school! I know people travelled in from quite a way because of the support it gave for dyslexics. Also with the lack of independent places in Cambridge it took an overflow from there.

I'd love to see it as a school still with something added on for children with special needs. I had heard it was a listed building. The town definitely needs another school.

Other schools are competing for the children from Walden school - St Mary's has announced it will take junior boys as a result of this.

It's a shame to see no single sex schools in the area. I'm not particularly looking to send my DC to single sex schools, or private ones, but not having a range of options seems sad.

Just spoke to friends about the situation with St Mary's, apparently it is only R to Y4 going mixed, but still for people who chose it as a girls only school it's a bit of a shock. And evidently the Stephen Perse 'diamond' teaching hasn't actually happened, it's mixed classes anyway - does anyone know more about this?

What's diamond teaching?

They teach bots and girls together when they're young, then separately, then back together for sixth form.

Oh thanks

I looked at Walden School for my son. On the Open Day the talk and chat with staff after the talk was good but the school was very shabby and I wondered if the investment and new build they spoke of would take too long and be a disruption if he went there.

Regarding the diamond teaching at Stephen Perse, I think this is for the new cohort in the senior school who start in Yr 7 this coming Sept.

Very surprised about St Mary's but it's good for mothers of boys as boys places in Cambridge have been so limited in the past.

We - well my son himself - decided against an independent place for year 7. What's on offer doesn't necessarily improve on anything a state school can offer. For minor special needs the local state primary has been better than our experience of a local independent at Prep and Pre Prep level. I don't think all independents are like this and I think the Perses and St Mary's in Cambridge do well in this area.

St MAry's have now backtracked on admitting boys ad the Chair of Governors has resigned - in Cambridge News online today.

I'd wonder about St Mary's finances too, if it's opening up to boys. Was that decision entirely mediated by a desire to help Walden pupils or is the timing conveinient? Timing is a nightmare - we have friends trying to get a place for their daughters but all the local state options in South Cambs are full in the appropriate age groups.

The diamond thing at SPF has changed somewhat from when it was first announced they'd be admitting boys. It's only going to be totally separate for years 7 and 8 and then some subjects start to be taught together after that, by years 10 and 11 it's only Maths, English, Science and Sport that will be taught separately.

It must be a nightmare for Walden parents, especially those who have done the first year of GCSE/A-levels.

In terms of the site, I don't think they've announced the location for the free school that was approved last year so maybe they might take the site over?