Dragon School

[nemo4]

Anyone have opinions on The Dragon School?
Good? Bad? Just for rich kids? Rich AND poorer kids? Bullying? etc.
Thanks.

many many rich kids, but not exclusively or offensively rich - academics rather than stockbrokers, iyswim

terrifyingly sporty IMO (but I am a big wuss)
is also quite big for a prep school, and I have heard that it is a bit survival of the fittest

probably great if you have an outgoing natural leader type, not sure if a quiet one might not be better somewhere smaller where they'd have more of a chnace to shine.

Hmm, mine might not be right then. DS is quite academic and sporty (which is why I was thinking Dragon), but also quite very shy.

could go either way I guess

def worth considering

NCS, MCS? or mixed?

mixed preferably.

have you looked at chandlings? not that i have ever been there, but i have a friend whose two go there, and they seem to be having a great time - i get a nice vibe off them.

Chandling's buildings are nice too, nicer than the Dragon, lots of green space
(I turned up for antenatal yoga there once by mistake and had a good nose)

OL in Abingdon has just gone mixed all the way up if the Catholic thing appeals.

Cokethorpe?

Oh, not heard great things about Chandlings. Just goes to show how varied these experiences can be.
What other co-ed places are there in Oxford, do you know??

lots are only mixed till 7
[racks brain]
Forest Farm Montessori is only just outside the ring road

are you unhappy with your catchment primary?

our primary is good, but are increasingly unhappy about certain issues. Have talked to school, but they are rigid in the way they deal with things. So looking round for options earlier than I would have expected.
Don't know about Forest Farm - will look them up.

hmm
no chance you would hold on till 11? then you'd get Cherwell or Leckford Place

We are out of catchment for cherwell, and we oringinally were looking at 11. DS has done 3 yrs at primary now and we're not as happy as we expected.

If you are looking for a good co-ed with very nurturing environment try Our lady's Abingdon.

Forest Farm - worth trying it out for the holiday club at half term. My dd went there at the summer and LOVED it.(She had to collect the chickens in every day) But it's small and I think they're going for the homeeducated niche market - no criticism of that but they try and offer home educated kids support.

Summerfields in Summertown is single sex but quite small and has 70 acres of playing fields. DD went there for a holiday club and the facilities were great.

Dragon is good - v good from the friends who send their kids there. It's about 5k a term.... ouch ouch ouch. It's got lots of streaming so your DS may excel.

Then you've also got MCS, New College and Christ CHurch and out of town you've got Joscas. I know these are all single sex.

Rye St ANtony (Cath) takes boys up to 8 but is v small so he'd be in a minority.

Of the above I'd go for Summerfields cause it's small and sporty. I don't know anyone who sent their kid there though......

Good luck

I know this is an old topic now but I went to Forest Farm Montessori for a coffee morning to meet a possible mindee and my God it is lovely, I would love my daughter to go there, the whole place has such an amazingly warm vibe to it and I don't doubt that every child matters to them. The dad that I met had nothing but praise for the place, his son had been finding it very hard to keep up at Phil and Jim and since going to Forst Farm has completely excelled.

He put his other son in to The Dragon and again, his son has gone from introverted and really disliking school to completely coming out of his shell and excelling. I did a lot of sports competitions at the Dragon as I went to the girls' school further up the road and I think their facilities are great.

Both Forest Farm and The Dragon are both schools that I will consider when my daughter is old enough although we will have to have had a few pay rises in the meantime !