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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Altrincham prep for boys or Hale Prep

36 replies

rimi01 · 26/02/2011 15:34

Hi,
I am moving in the area and want to know which school is better - APS or Hale Prep? I've visited both and am bit confused which one to choose.

Thanks

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mumteacher · 28/02/2011 14:39

Where are these schools?

Acanthus · 28/02/2011 14:41

Erm Altrincham and Hale?

1234ThumbWar · 28/02/2011 14:48

I don't know huge amounts about them, but I do have a good friend who's dc's are at Hale prep. She says it's great, but the size of the school is a problem as her dc found it very hard going from what is basically school in a house to the large grammar school. She often complains about the competitive parents, not so much about their dc's more what car they're driving etc.

I wouldn't choose Hale based on the ghastly uniform .

Original poster

rimi01 · 28/02/2011 18:34

mumteacher - they are in Altrincha and Hale.

1234Thumbwar - Thanks for your input. All this status talk makes me bit nervous.

Hoe some more people give inputs about Alt prep too.

OP posts:

Ballarat · 28/02/2011 19:31

Hi
I used to live on the border of Alt/Hale. Although I have no first hand experience of either, I have friends who have used both. I think it depends what you are looking for. Hale very, very small with not many facilities. APS, more what you think of when you think of a prep school.

Both my friends' children went on to the grammar of their choice but the one who went to Hale found it much more difficult to adjust-but that may just be that child.

It is my understanding that APS has more consistent results too across the board. It is certainly very well though of.

And obviously one is single sex and the other co-ed which I'm sure you already know!

1234ThumbWar · 28/02/2011 19:43

rimi01 - can I ask why you're not considering the state primaries? There are some very very good primary schools in that area.

Acanthus · 01/03/2011 10:16

The state schools are excellent, yes.

nwmum · 01/03/2011 12:46

My ds goes to St Ambrose (all boys)Prep which takes non-catholics as well. I would strongly suggest you go and view the schools as orginally I had my ds down for APS but having viewed the school and met the head decided against it. I have friends who ds are at APS and some are very happy and some so-so. Class sizes at APS are larger usually min 20 at st Ambrose my ds class is 12. There is a lot of pressure (high workload over holidays as well)in y5 and y6(school from 7.45am in sept until grammar school exams finished) at APS to ensure expected results at grammar school. Hale is smaller and mixed, again lots of coaching to ensure kids pass grammar and independent exams.

Depending on your child's age you may find some state schools oversubscribed and unable to offer place as running at 32+

suggest you have a look around each school as there are no bad schools just horses for courses.

Original poster

rimi01 · 03/03/2011 20:10

1234Thumbwar - Am not interested in Church and Catholic schools as I am not Christian. And good state schools don't have places easily. Have enquired and they all seem to be oversubscribed.

nwmum - St Ambrose is Catholic and as I explained, I don't want religion based school.

OP posts:

nwmum · 04/03/2011 12:26

Manchester Grammar have a junior section that starts from yr3 this september and allows entry all the way through to 18. Hale Prep is usually heavily oversubscribed. One of my friend's ds is on a waiting list for year 1.

1234ThumbWar · 05/03/2011 14:12

I didn't want a religious school either, have pm'd you.

ILikeMilk · 07/03/2011 10:23

Nwmum, I cant decide between st ambrose and asp. Is st ambrose very academic? I want ds to be able to sit exams to both st ambrose and altrincham grammar. Do you tink st ambrose prepares for both? Also, will it help to get a place in st ambrose grammar if he finished the st ambrose prep? Thanks :-)

ILikeMilk · 07/03/2011 10:24

Sorry I meant aps, the altrincham prep

iskra · 07/03/2011 11:16

MGS have a junior section? Interesting.

iskra · 07/03/2011 11:20

Is it on the same site as the main school? Can't work it out on their website.

Acanthus · 07/03/2011 14:50

Yes, same site

cloudy2 · 07/03/2011 17:38

Ds goes to APS so can comment a little - he loves it. I've never heard of a 7.45 start for lessons, perhaps that's the breakfast club you're thinking of. Lessons don't start before 9am that I know of. I don't know much about Hale apart from it is smaller.

We looked at the MGS thing but I don't want to send a young boy all that way into the city centre, I want him to have local friends and a quick local journey to school. I also want him to have the confidence and seniority of being at the top of a junior school which wouldn't happen if he went to MGS early.

APS has a brilliant community feel and wonderful facilities and whenever I go to events I'm still surprised how polite all the other boys are. If I had to have a complaint its the two sites which can be a bit disruptive but if it means they have more space on both sites then its a price worth paying.

Good luck with your decision, why don't you ask if you can go to the Easter concert in April to see if you like the feel of it?

peggy25 · 08/03/2011 11:26

Have a look at Forest Preparatory School, Timperley. It's a great school which has given my children a fantastic education. Most children go on to local grammar schools, MGS, MHSG etc and as well as the academic side, the pastoral care is fab! It was listed in the Times 'Top 100 Independent Schools' this year. My children love it and so do I.
If you are looking for somewhere which is academic as well as caring, I would highly recommend it.

lucylu2 · 08/03/2011 20:15

APS and Hale Prep are meant to be great schools but for my dc I agree completely with peggy25, my dc are at Forest Prep. Its a fantastic school, I wouldn't have them anywhere else :)
I was in the same position when I looked round APS for my ds a few years ago and then when I visited Forest there was no competition. I really reccommend having a look. Both of my two are there now and loving it!

ILikeMilk · 09/03/2011 09:08

Hi peggy and lucy! Is the forest school really academic? I am desperate for a school that will push my son as he is a bit lazy but your school sounds fab. Could you please let me know the sizes of the classes and if they train the kids for grammar school exams. Thanks.

peggy25 · 09/03/2011 11:33

Hi ilikemilk.
Forest would be a great school for your son. Its academic but in the right way. They manage to push the children on but in a way which lets them have a great all round education. There are no more than 22 in junior classes and the preparation for grammar schools is terrific. They offer extension classes twice a week on the run up to the exams and even offer one morning each week during the summer holidays. Look at the website, it gives you all the results. Mine are doing so well,it was the best decision I ever made!

ILikeMilk · 09/03/2011 13:21

Thank you peggy, I got interviews in APS and St Ambrose, we also wanted to look into Forest School, but I read somewhere on the net that it is very good for kids but not very academic, so we dismissed it. Will try to arrange an interview with the Forest school too.

lucylu2 · 09/03/2011 19:33

Hello ILikeMilk :)
my dd is the same and has a very laid back nature. I was worried it would be hard to motivate her but the school have worked wonders, and shes doing really well. It is very academic, my ds is the complete opposite, highly motivated and they keep challenging him all the time. The school is great at working with individual children to get them to their best :)

Kit30 · 13/03/2011 12:44

I have a son at Alt Prep and can't praise it enough. We looked at other schools in the area and it was head and shoulders above the rest. It does have a good academic reputation but the thing that won us over was the school's general ethos. Every child matters and they bend over backwards to get the best out of every boy. The atmosphere is great and the boys run into school every morning.
Yes, there are lots of flash cars about but there are an equal number of small tatty ones! The majority of the parents are making financial sacrifices to be able to afford the fees.There's a wide mix of backgrounds and ethnicity which you'd be hard pressed to match anywhere else but MGS.
(BTW the former deputy at APS left to set up the junior department at MGS, and it's heavily modelled on Altrincham. )
The boys enjoy a wide mix of classes and music and sport are really well catered for.
Close friends of mine used Forest for early years but even thought they wanted to keep their siblings together as "mixed infants", decided to move the boys to APS because of the low number of boys at Forest. Boys and girls do learn differently!
Bowdon School (the girls equivalent prep school) backs on to the Highbury site (for the younger boys) and is very well though of but considered more academically rigorous.
There should be an open day coming up in March/April where anyone is welcome to come and look around. Lots of parents will be about and they'll be pretty candid about the place.
Check the website at www.altprep.co.uk for details
Good luck with your decision and welcome to the area !

smileyface128 · 02/06/2011 02:30

re: nwmum: I must admit, after I met the head of APS, I wasn't too sure either-but it is a good school and i will base my decisions on the school not just the meeting I had with the head...(my ds is not starting school for a while yet....)

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