to be concerned about St Clare’s Ofsted report

[Alanamackree]

According to my dear friend Mrs Blyton, this is an excellent boarding school for girls. Am I being unreasonable to be concerned about rumors of rampant bullying, a French teacher who verbally abuses and humiliated her students, an unqualified substitute teacher and suggestions that the head may have covered up the attempted abduction of a student?

I’ve been considering Malory Towers as an alternative but I’m not sure that’s the best place for dd either.

My teens go to Rudge Park Comprehensive as we can't afford private.

They seem very happy there.

and if it all gets too much the local doctors will slip them something in their hot milk so they get a good nights sleep

and if that fails, they can always prescribe a fortifying shampoo at the local salon, e.g. when your sister's on her deathbed (again)

Whatever you do don't choose Cruncheon Hall. Especially if DD has pigtails. The class teacher is lovely, even if she does teach spellings through the medium of rhyme, but the Head is something else.

To be fair, I hear they do amazing chocolate cake though.

I wouldn't recommend boarding school for anyone. My DD Charlotte just changed personality overnight when we sent her away.

We looked at Miss Cackle’s, but frankly too many students have been accidentally transformed into frogs for my liking.

@Isleepinahedgefund do reconsider Miss Cackles, under new management again, the right twin is back and the ministry really are keen to get more students from non pure witch families

Ps Frog transformation is a wonderful learning experience, it encourages the girls to get closer to nature, marvellous.

If Dotheboy's Hall isn't willing to consider co-ed, then there's always Dr Croome's Academy for Girls which has adopted the Squeersian model and bills itself as The School for Unwanted Ones.

It seems to give its girls a very robust training for a life of rejection as long as that disruptor Val Matthews doesn't get her way.

My Clare was the same Lydia!

I wouldn't even consider The Chalet School. Apparently they have a huge drugs problem, and there's been all kinds of rumours about the relationship between a couple of the teachers. One of them even calls herself by a man's name.

Really x2boys? Was she the girl who died so tragically young? My Charlotte seemed terribly upset, although she couldn't possibly have ever met her.

I'd be a bit concerned that there might be something in the water supply at the Chalet School, maybe hormone run off from a local farm? Their alumnae, both staff and students, seem to have an extraordinarily high rate of multiple births.

I'm an old Chaletian! I met my husband when I was still a pupil and he was a Dr at the San! He rescued me when I fell in a lake.

Can't recommend the place enough! My own Dd1, my one and only Mary Lou, has just started and loves it. After her I've put the twins names down, and the quads after that

I'd be a bit concerned that there might be something in the water supply at the Chalet School, maybe hormone run off from a local farm? Their alumnae, both staff and students, seem to have an extraordinarily high rate of multiple births.

Well, either it's the cold bath regime, or a side-effect of whatever the doctors keep slipping into their coffee.

I've heard very good things about Meadowbank School. Apparently it's one of the most exclusive and sought after schools in England. Some very high-ranking overseas students go there. Admittedly, there was a bit of a hoo ha last term with three or four murders on the premises and it turned out a member of staff was involved and the staff had failed to detect that a new girl was actually in her 20s, but all schools have their ups and downs. I have every confidence that the new Head will live up to her predecessor, and I'm sure the rumours about her private life are just malicious tittle tattle.

Years since I read the book Lydia! Is Charlotte friends with a girl called Emily?

Yes, I do wonder about what really goes on at the san. Penicillin has surely made a big dent in the numbers of people needing sanatorium treatment for TB, so what are they doing now? Experimental fertility treatments, maybe?

I've heard terrible things about Malory Towers. Girls falling over cliffs or being found unconscious on the side of the road at all hours of the night or beating each other up so badly they end up needing medical care and operations.

I believe they've also had to cover up the outdoor pool because of all the nasty bullying that took place there.

Emily was Clare's younger sister x2boys.

DD has had great success at a little old school in Paris. Beautiful building, covered in vines, like something from a picture book. Run by a lovely Nun too. The staff ratios are a little low on visits, but the girls are generally very well behaved, Miss Clavelle has their routine down to a fine art.

@Empress oh Chalet School milk is divine! I've heard rumours from fellow old Chaletians that there is a link between the milk and our remarkable fecundity though! Personally I think all my brood are gifts from Jesus, just as the School said they would be. There's so many legacy offspring now, I'm just pleased my girls have places. Apparently Chaletians now abound in Oxbridge, too, so their chances are promising!

Does anyone have any knowledge of Grange Hill?

I heard well-substantiated stories of drugs and bullying problems many years ago at Grange Hill. Wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

Kingscote is the school for me!

I thought Pencey Prep looked good but ds1's friend used to go there and he says it's full of phoneys.