Gayhurst, Gerrards Cross?

[EBDteacher]

I hope this will be my last 'any opinions about this school' question as I think I'm nearing a decision!

However, does anybody have any recent personal experience of Gayhurst in Gerrards Cross? Is it a bit 'traditional' (read: stuck in the mud)?

It's coming down to Caldicott or Gayhurst based on logistics but I'm very worried about committing to compulsory boarding. Going to see Caldicott this weekend but there isn't an open day at Gayhurst for ages.

Any info appreciated!

I have 3 boys at Gayhurst Y1 Y4 Y6.all boys very different.all 3 really enjoy school and cant wait to go every morning.Teachers are fab and the communications is great.A all round school
.cant speak highly enough of it

Vintageflo,I visited the school recently,looking for my DS for year 2 entry.Looks like it is good for an allrounder,but is it a good choice for a child who is very academic?TIA.

vintageflo - that's really encouraging.
loveulots - I also visited the school and I am faffing around with the beacon or gayhurst

EBD teacher - what did you decide? I went to the Kingscote open day this week - really liked it

Tregony,I visited kingscote couple of months ago,very impressed but their isi report says a different story.

Lambrook!!

Isn't that a bit of a hike every day from where you are?

There isn't really anywhere less of a hike that works with drop off times and meets my 6 million other requirements. For example, Davenies is closest to my work but as earliest drop time is 8.30 it's even less doable than Lambrook. Beacon has a bus that would work in the morning, but not the afternoon etc etc.

I also like the fact that Lambrook has the option of very occasional boarding so DS can sleep over every now and then if he wants to later on (but there is no compulsion to do so like at Caldicott/ Papplewick). It also seems to be on very firm financial footings (unlike the Dolphin) and to be attracting some good new staff in key roles not that I've been stalking them. I didn't think I'd go for co-ed but DH prefers that to 13 and I'm coming round to the idea. In the end it's been the only place with a tick in every box.

School runs will be a bit of a hassle at first but once he's old enough there's a school bus that collects and drops in Bray which will be perfect for my work run, so there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Sorry, you probably didn't want a summary of my entire steam of thought. Don't want to use the nursery at Lambrook though so still crossing my fingers for a place at Cookham!

I'm tempted to go to Lambrook's open day with a view to moving ds if he doesn't get a choral scholarship. He's not enjoying this year at school at all because of his teacher. She had a reputation for being very shouty and difficult and is living up to that unfortunately. One parent removed her ds from the school last term because of her but I need somewhere that can offer wraparound care. The fact that Lambrook does flexi boarding is a consideration.

I really liked St George's. Lovely staff and fab facilities but I think it would be mean to send ds there if he failed to get a choral scholarship there (we find out this week). They do flexi boarding, prep for CE and no compulsory boarding (unless you're a chorister).

Yes, my born and bred Windsor friend recommends St George's and it does look fab. Drop off time is 8am and it's on the wrong side of Windsor for me though (got to be in Bourne End 8.30am at the latest).

Lambrook has either the option of breakfast club open at 7.30am or school buses. The bus collection at Bray is 8am which would be spot on for us. You can also collect them at Bray at 6pm or Prep after school care goes to 6.15.

Saturday school is a bit off putting for me too but I think it is balanced out by quite a lot of other positives (for us anyway).

Hmm, I'm sure I put a paragraph in that when I wrote it.

Saturday school puts me off a bit but I'd get ds to board on Friday nights to manage that! I drop off at 7.30 am at the moment which works well with getting a train to London at 8 am. I have everything crossed that ds gets a place at St George's though. We should have heard on Friday but they delayed the decision until Monday, which means we should hear Tuesday. I'm hoping that if ds wasn't in the running for a place they would have put me out of my misery on Friday.

How excruciating. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

Where are you thinking of for Senior btw MollieO?

Not sure at the moment. I imagine it will be boarding of some sort just don't know where.

I am looking for a school for a boy in the Gerrards Cross area - thinking about Thorpe house v Gayhurst , Davenies or the Beacon - does anyone have any recent experience or thoughts to help them?

Thorpe House School Pre-prep (Gerrards Cross) has got some problems with favoritism. The new head of pre prep started a few years ago and it's not all it's cracked up to be. If she likes you, your son will get attention, awards and added in the newsletter more. Some other boys are left out at the end of year awards and not noticed enough during the year and it's uncalled for. If you ask for a meeting because something happened to your kid at school, she gets so defensive! If you have questions, you almost don't want to ask. When you expect helpful pointers, or your boy is finding something hard, they make out he is to blame so they don't have to change anything. To be frank, it's like they keep problems under wraps so they don't need to deal with them.

Plus, teachers give mixed info on how maths is taught. Mums who compare it to other schools say the maths teaching isn't good. It's a shame. So many staff and parents have left.

Don't agree with the above. Our experience has been much more positive

We left Thorpe House. It was getting worse in the Pre Prep Department; Mrs D played favourites with the students. They didn't want responsibility for problems and only pretended to take feedback.

Hi Shelly123456789 , I don't have any experience of Gayhurst, Davenies or the Beacon, so hopefully someone else is happy to share their view. I have a son at Thorpe House , so I can tell you what I know about the Preprep. The pastoral care is unsatisfactory and my son is losing self confidence. I don't feel the “parent-partnership” is genuine, although they boast about how good it is... they're quick to get defensive with parents. The preprep, run by Mrs Doran, is small in numbers (almost too small) but it's lost the family feel that it had in the days of Kingscote. It is building an unnecessarily competitive environment for such young boys. Also, an oddly high number of staff have left in the past two plus years (I can count at least seven from the top of my head). And families. We are looking at alternative schools, but there aren't many options with places :-( We are just buying time before we leave...