Sancton Wood / Heritage schools

[woollysocksaresexy]

We are moving to Cambridge sometime this year, but not sure what to do about schools. We have 3 children all primary age, and I am having nightmares of 3 kids all in different schools due to late/ in year applications. St Phillips will be our local primary. What is it like? We are also considering private as a short term option, with Sancton Wood and Heritage being the only ones we have found who may have spaces. What are they like? Heritage seems to be big on religion, this worries me as although we are Christians, it's in a very low key, liberal way. Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks!

My DS had a taster day at Heritage and it wasn't for us. Just felt a bit niche. We also looked at Sancton Wood but couldn't decide if it was academic enough for him.

He had been at St Faith's before this, that started well but the Prep was a bit too sport focused for him and not a good fit. This was 2015, so a different Head at St F's now. Might be different.

He joined St Philip's in Year 5 - we all loved it from day 1. We were there as the Head changed and it allegedly went through a bad patch inc a poor Ofsted. Very much a case of don't believe what you read as it was basically a ruse to try to get it to join an academy trust. Parents voted this down and they got a new Head just as we left for secondary school.

I think St Philip's is doing fine. The School is closely associated with St Philip's Church and part of Church Schools of Cambridge which supplies support for local Church Schools. The vicar of St Philip's just retired but we are a strong local community church with cafe and community centre. Up on Mill Rd, next to the Coop. One of our congregation was Head at St P's in the 1980s.

My son went on to St Bede's about which I cannot find words - it has been brilliant. State secondary with faith criteria entry requirements, but not niche. Great Ofsted, inspirational teachers.

Why do you say “ We are also considering private as a short term option”?
Is that so you can have all 3 children at the same school for practical reasons as you all get used to Cambridge, and you’d move them as soon as you got state places in one school? Or something else, eg private until the end of y6 and then a state secondary?

I would say that Sancton Wood and Heritage are the less mainstream/ predictable/usual/traditional schools in Cambridge, and are also relatively small with small classes. That may appeal to you, or not. Heritage hasn’t been around for very long, relatively speaking, and I’m not sure where they do their sports/games. I once saw a primary-age group from Heritage playing games on the fen off Fen Causeway once (public land near the school, in an area grazed rather than mown) but that could have been a one-off.
According to their website their sports day was held on a neighbouring school’s sports ground. That would be quite a long walk for primary aged children if all their sport and PE is there.
(Google maps places Heritage on the wrong side of Pemberton Terrace. You can see nos 17 - 19 have very little outside space, although it can use the grassy area at the front between Brookside and the stream)

As so many parents are academics places can become available in September in both state and private schools. The private schools I know require a term’s notice or fees are payable, so they may know in April whether new spaces will open up in September.

Anecdotally, at Heritage the Christianity is full-on. You have to be OK with that and be sure it will be right for your child. If you're going to be living near St Philips you are probably within walking distance of several other primaries. I understand it would be difficult having children in different schools, but if your older kids could get themselves to school after a few practices (this is normal for Cambridge) it isn't impossible. By the time it gets to secondary you won't have a problem. Secondaries in Cambridge are mostly very good - no need for private - but be careful about Coleridge as it's been taken over by an academy chain who are making it rather military-style. Parents not happy because that is not very Cambridge!

Regarding outside space at the schools mentioned. Sancton Wood, Heritage and St Philip's all have very little outside space.

Sancton Wood and Heritage use Leys and Parker's Piece. The former also have access to Fenners sports facilities, I think. None of these facilities is very far from the schools concerned. Part of the Heritage routine is walks on Coe Fen/Lammas Land. Possibly as frequent as daily nature walks.

St Philip's has a large playground but have to use the local park opposite for sports day as they don't have much green space. They do have all the usual primary level hockey/football etc. They also have a school hall that is an old style gym. School building dates from the 1980s.

Nearby primary schools -
Ridgefield: very small, right next to Coleridge secondary. On the plus side they have access to secondary school sized sports fields. On the minus side Coleridge is the obvious follow on secondary and hasn't faired well since the new management mentioned by another poster. St Philip's is also Coleridge catchment.
Galfrid: Long walk and not a very popular primary choice. Lots of playingfield space though.
St Matthew's: a fair walk but doable. No connection to the church of the same name these days. No uniform, very popular. Feeds Parkside secondary. Parkside secondary has also gone to the same federation as Coleridge. Parkside has no outdoor sports facilities - yup, a secondary that uses Parkers Piece or facilities at Coleridge. Has been highly praised over the years, usually difficult to get into if you are not in catchment.

Secondary options: go for St Bede's if you can (a secondary for CofE and Catholic primarily). Otherwise it's between Coleridge and Netherhall. Neither especially great but Coleridge most recently good and not miles away like Netherhall. Incidently, sports facilities and sixth form at Netherhall are good.

Thanks for the comments. We are mainly considering private as from looking online it appears the chances of us getting all 3 into the same decent state primary seems to be very small and I can't imagine managing different school runs plus both our jobs. They currently go to a lovely state primary which everyone will be v sad to leave. DH is very pro private, I am less so. We aren't sure how long we would leave them there for, probably depends on how we find the school and also money. We are definitely thinking about state for secondary though. Its so hard trying to get a feel for schools from a different area, and what they are really like, what the chances of actually getting places is like and other things such there's an ASC, but how long is the waiting list?!

I am not feeling massively pro heritage as the amount of religion I think there may be quite scares me. The more mainstream privates like perse don't have space.

I can see that St Phillips had a rubbish Ofsted, but would be good to know some real life experiences and opinions.

All three of my children are at Heritage School so I'm well placed to comment! We absolutely love it and can't speak highly enough about it.

What you pay for at Heritage is something very different to other day schools so you have to be comfortable with that. You're not paying for the astroturfs and amazing dining halls that St Faith's offer. But a very specific pedagogy that privileges nurturing children's curiosity in ways that I didn't observe when we looked around other schools. A focus on nature (weekly nature walks, forest school), poetry, handicraft, history taught chronologically so they know where things slot in, children offered a 'feast of real books', and narration. Children are taught to be able to narrate back what the teachers have taught, growing their confidence in public speaking, and any examination in the lower years is done orally, with a view that being able to articulate something is what shows understanding.

You won't get yoga, but you will get latin, poetry recitation, French from the very lowest years - a traditional education.

Heritage children have the most extraordinary knowledge of the natural world - my older son knows things I was never taught about the birds and berries and nesting animals of Coe Fen. After stomping around looking for these things, they go back and draw amazing line drawings of their findings in black fineliner pen. Then they'll write poems about them, or study a composer who wrote music about them.

Sports - like many of the private schools, Heritage uses the facilities at the Leys. I wouldn't say that it's the sportiest school. My children aren't the sportiest (more into drama and the arts) so this is fine, but if you want the old-school prep school sports experience you're better off with the Perse prep.

Religion - we and most of the families in our class are not practising Christians. It is true that the school has a strong Christian ethos, but we appreciate that Bible stories are also taught for their cultural currency.

We looked at Sancton Wood too and it struck us as just extremely 'cosy', which wasn't what we wanted. Yes Heritage is nurturing, but SW seemed to be kitted out very much for special needs children and those who weren't fitting in elsewhere (which they were brilliant at there, but it wasn't for us).

Heritage in many ways is the antidote to independent schools. It's positively trying to offer something that the others aren't - and that's either something you want or not. You're not paying for access to a cliquey monied set, but an approach to education. Academics are prized, but the route to getting their is never at the expense of the child and mental health. And strangely enough, while there is none of the hothousing that you find at Kings, you'll find that Heritage children still end up benchmarked several years above the national average. Funny that! I guess it's self-selecting in that a large proportion of the children have academics as parents. But the small classes (much smaller than St Faiths, for example) and very individualised teaching means that they can help every child reach their potential without giving them a nervous breakdown and masses of homework every night.

We liked the price-tag too - half that of some of the others.

I could go on - I think every Heritage parent you speak to will just wax lyrical about it. It really is a very special school indeed!

Hi, the latest Ofsted for St Philip’s C of E Primary is November 2021 and it’s rated Good. Just announced.
www.stphilips.cambs.sch.uk/default.asp

My DS left for Secondary School at the height of the IEB (Interim governing body) and requires improvement Ofsted crisis. After the inspirational Head left in 2016 there were a series of temporary Head teachers. When the school got a bad report after a spot inspection it was unexpected and felt fake. The IEB told parents that becoming part of an academy trust (unusual for a primary in Cambridge) was inevitable. This was false and local councillors helped the parents to have their say and reject the academy route. Once the new Head and Deputy were appointed things settled down. Hence the Good Ofsted.

St Philip’s is a lovely school, it was in 2015, it was during the crisis and it is now. We left a private school at the end of Yr4. My son’s Maths was behind what St Philip’s thought he was capable of and he caught up in a term.

Although our experience of St Philip’s is a few years ago, most local parents are very happy with the school.

@Camanon, does Heritage use the sports facilities at the main site at The Leys (close to Heritage) or at Latham Road (a walk away)?

Both. For swimming and water polo, the gym, hall etc. they use the Leys right opposite - and the infants are exclusively there I think (apart from, perhaps, sports days which might be at Latham Road? Can't remember!). But the older juniors and seniors also use the Latham Road site. They don't use Parker's Piece (as someone else mentioned - I think that's just Sancton Wood and Parkside schools) but cross country is done all around the Coe Fen, etc. area.

It's true that they don't have masses of outdoor space at the school site itself. It's set up in those huge old houses is purposefully homely in feel, and the use of the brook area in front is lovely. But like the other schools along there, they cross over to the Leys for games.

@woollysocksaresexy, I see St Philip’s has an Open Morning this Friday. It’s probably intended for Reception parents but might be useful.

@mastertomsmum, I’m pleased to read about your good experiences of St Philip’s, and thank you for your link to the latest OFSTED report.

@Camanon, the picture of Sports Day is taken at Latham.

It’s good to hear first-hand experiences of Cambridge schools.

Yes I think that's right. With covid we haven't been to a proper sports day in years so I can't remember! Last year I think only one parent was allowed to go along (and DH and I drew straws on who didn't need to attend!!)

Thanks all, some really helpful comments. Especially about the new Ofsted for St Phillips! Yay!

Sent my child to sancton wood and they really hated the whole school, they didnt think it was very academic and the teachers didnt help him with his needs of dsylexia so decided to send him to parkside which gets a very good grades and good social life

We had two children at Heritage. Our experience overall wasn’t a good one though there were some positives. The headteacher and deputy head (his wife) are overly controlling of ‘their’ school and run it unprofessionally. Many teachers, admin staff and pupils have left Heritage feeling disillusioned over the years. Many were badly treated and it took them some time to recover from the traumatic experience of being told to leave. Some pupils who left were treated very badly, especially some who had special needs. The school simply couldn’t cope with or tolerate what they classed as naughty behaviour from young boys who can be naturally lively or have with special needs. Having said that, they do now have an excellent SENco who is very experienced so hopefully that will help.
Bullying is also a problem - the class sizes and playground are so small that there is nowhere to go. And in our experience bullying is tolerated if the bully is outwardly impressive, intelligent and doesn’t have special needs or if they are related to one of the teachers or senior management! The school also need kids who look outwardly good to represent the school in their promotional material and on Open Days so that any questionable behaviour from that type of child will be overlooked. On paper the school will say it deals with bullying but the children who are there know there is a pecking order and that senior management show favouritism to those who look good on the outside or who have parents as teachers or who are involved in or benefit the school.
Heritage is definitely better in the Infant years - very gentle start to school, nurturing, fun nature walks and enrichment. But as they get older it becomes restrictive and claustrophobic. I can’t emphasise enough how much happier my children are now they are no longer there. I would not send them back to Heritage if someone paid me. We are so glad to be out of that environment. Yes, it is a cheaper option compared to other independent schools in Cambridge but it is not worth the money nor jeopardising your child’s mental health.
The teachers on the whole are kind and good at their job, some are exceptional (the music teacher Mrs Zurcher and the sports teacher Mr Hulett are both inspiring), some were not very good at all. The choice of subjects is quite restrictive. If you are into Sciences, Latin and Greek then you’ll be fine, but at GCSE they don’t offer subjects like DT, German, Mandarin, Home Economics, PE. Heritage strongly discourage the use of computers which is strange in the 21st century. The choice of after-school activities is also quite restrictive. The focus on nature is good, summer camps and DofE expeditions are fun and well run.
Some families (and especially Christian ones) at Heritage talk about it being a very special school, one that is safe and nurturing, away from the evils of technology and smart phones and small enough for every individual to matter. But sadly that was not our experience at all. We did raise the problems with the senior management, school counsellor and trustees over the years but we were made to feel like we were the problem.

@Camanon Hello! We're considering sending our little one to Heritage as we're very fond of Charlotte Mason pedagody, but we'd like to speak with a couple current parents for a more elaborate understanding of the school. We've visited twice and met Mr Fletcher, and feel very good positive vibes towards the school :) would you be willing to speak to me? Thank you!

wow, this family seem to have had a very unhappy experience of the school, these comments sound awful. All i can say is as a Mum of a very lively and some might say "naughty" boy at the Heritage school this has not been our experience. My son has been encouraged and hasn't felt any of the things mentioned above. We haven't experienced bullying in either of my children's classes and where my children have had issues with other children the school (or other children have had issues with them!) the school were so quick to hear what I was saying and to work with the children to help them to get on and include each other. I have heard this from friends with children in many of the years. We have children from many different backgrounds, nationalities, different religions and non-religious and all I have experienced is the children learning from each other and valuing each other and the families doing the same.

No school is perfect of course but this description of the school doesn't in any way fit my experience of it or the experience of the parents i have known over the years. So sad to hear that this family have such a different experience.

@IzzysMum2010
‘No school is perfect of course but this description of the school doesn't in any way fit my experience of it or the experience of the parents i have known over the years.’
So, in your role as one of the trustees, you are unaware of any other parents or children who have had difficult experiences at the school?! I know for sure that that isn’t true.
The experience that @Und21 describes is familiar. My daughter also experienced bullying and the whole situation was poorly managed by the school.
I’m glad your experience has been more positive but in writing what you wrote above, it has the effect of gaslighting those who have genuinely struggled.

Not my own children's experience, but that of a friend of theirs - Heritage is not a school where you will feel supported if you are gay.

Just want to say that as a Christian school, look no further than St Bede’s. Plenty of gay and trans kids in my son’s year

@bongelam Hi, I was just wondering if you chose Heritage school in the end. If so, would you be able to share your recent experience?