Help! Dair House School, Farnham Royal? Good or bad choice?

[LuckyinLife]

I am struggling with finding schools and figured that the ISI/Ofsted reports are telling me 'much'. Therefore, word of mouth is what I am going for. Do you anyone who has sent their child to Dair House in Farnham. I am visiting them next month but I want to hear it minus the gloss! Many thanks in advance.

I know a bit about this school Lucky. PM me with your questions and I will do my best to provide some honest answers.

Bettermum, please i would also like to know how Diar House is. Trying to find the right school... Pls :-) going to the open day in november!

Can anyone give me any update on Dair house school? My grandson may be joining at year 2. Always better to get answers from mums, not reports.

I went to Open Day and didn't like the Head much. I found him a bit used car salesman-ish! I wasn't that impressed with the facilities either. I wasn't 100% sure it was offering much over and above a great State school (Lynch Hill for example).

I have a colleague with a child there who seems very happy with it though.

One thing to consider is the traffic in Burnham (if you have to be anywhere else after drop off). My colleague drops her daughter off at 8am and is not in work 2 miles away until 8.30am! The Trading Estate gridlocks the whole area in the morning.

Dair House is my nearest Independent but I have chosen to use Lambrook because there just seemed to be so much more going on.

I know this is an old thread, but I came upon it and thought that you would like an opinion from a current parent. If you are looking to have a well educated, self confident, thoughtful and involved child upon departure at Y6, please consider Dair House. We joined Dair House from one of the best regarded local state schools in the South Bucks area and I can confirm there is a world of difference. The teaching staff is dedicated, supportive and approachable, with the class sizes allowing teachers to customize lessons and homework to meet the needs of each child. The smaller size of the school means that all the children know each other and play well together, even across year groups. Children are given responsibilities for each other and taught to respect all races, creeds and backgrounds. There is a wonderful music program involving the majority of the children at the school in choir and peripatetic lessons. Children participate in termly class assemblies and the school's productions are done to an extremely high level. The children are kept active and there is an ever growing fixture list for boys and girls, with results well outperforming expectations based on the size of the school. There is no swimming pool on site, but the children do have swimming lessons on Friday mornings. The playing field is lovely and there is an interesting mix of lunch and after school clubs on offer. The current Y6 students have had great success in their 11+ and independent school exams. Please do take a look - it may not be as glamorous as some of its larger cousins, but it has soul, compassion and integrity - plus wonderful results!

mamabearUK14 ,
I am thinking of putting my kids in this school.
I am looking for ideal prep school for grammar school.
Do you think, it would be good choice?

Please share your experience.

I am not able to visit the school, but what do you think about the infrastructure and facilities in the school

I will highly appreciate your response.

We love Dair house. Also speaking as a parent, who chose Dair house over the Maidenhead and Windsor based independent schools, it just felt so right the moment that we walked through the door. I have put children through the state system too, so i hope that I know what I am talking about! We didn't have an appointment to view the school. and it wasn't an open day, but we were made to feel welcome right from the start, and the very excellent and dedicated head teacher took us around and showed us everything. All the children that we met were extremely polite and the warmth that shone through was incredible. My children are now in their fourth year of schooling and we couldn't be happier. In fact the children have never said that they don't want to go to school...ever. As the above lady has said, it doesn't have the gloss that some of the other schools have, nor all the extras, but from speaking to many parents who are happy with the education, it seems that this is not needed. In fact, one of the great selling points of this school must be the fact that it is so nurturing and like one big family. It's not a huge school, approx 120 pupils but everybody knows each other. With regard to swimming, I didn't ever expect a school to teach my children to swim therefore my children have been attending private swimming lessons for the past two years. Even my children who attended state schools were also attending private swimming lessons. Planning permission for a pool on site has been considered but rejected. A pool would be a great asset, however, not essential. Dair house is a fabulous school and I feel happy to leave my children in the care of excellent teachers who will push individuals if necessary, and are attentive to the needs of all abilities.
We are so happy here. Please feel free to ask me any questions.