St Francis College, Letchworth

[Riverside1]

Any experiences?

Thanks

They are quite academically focused and were not great with special needs. If your dd is quite an academic sort, she'll love it! My friend's dd was there from infants to GCSES but went somewhere else for sixth form :)

Has she done the entrance exams yet? My neighbour's dd did last january and got a place, although they didn't take it up and went to a different independent school in Letchworth.

They do ( well they used to, not sure what they do now) all sorts of extra curricular activities such as ballet, swimming and tennis!

Hello Berry and thanks for the info. No we are going to look round in a week or so - I am not sure its what we want (ie girls only as we have 2 daughters) but it seems to have some good reports and has space.

I am really unsure how academic my daugher is tbh - she is currently Yr1 in local primary. Very good at reading (equiv end yr 2/early yr 3), creative and keen to learn, but I feel not great with numeracy etc. No idea what they will do as an assessment at that age. We want her to be able to do as well as she is able academically but also feel she has an artistic/creative bent so want to make sure that is supported (also loves dancing etc, but i doubt that sporty). DD2 on the other hand is a full on physical child with no attention span (only just coming up to 3 but DD1 was doing puzzles and spending time on stuff at her age). Not sure if a school like this would work for her or if she should be with boys!

My other concern is if they will support them to apply to other schools at 11 as i get the impression most do go on the senior school.

Was your friend happy with the school? Do you know how much of a focus there is on the religious aspect (we are not particularly)? I assume your neighbours DD went to St Chris? what is their impression of it?

thanks again for your reply and sorry for all the questions!

In terms of the religious side, they did sing hymns etc and I'm sure she used to say her dd has been involved in religious type services etc at Christmas etc but i don't remember her mentioning going to a church if that makes sense.

Neighbour's DD loves St Chris. I did work experience there for 2 weeks while training to be a teacher almost 10 years ago now and I really liked it myself too :)

It would still appear that it is a laid back school as neighbour's dd has told me would be "too strict" to teach there! :o

The religious stuff was about St Francis ( sorry I just read my post back and realised that wasn't clear)

Hi :-) I assume you mean too strict to teach at St Chris? I would imagine there is a difference :-)
My worry about St Chris from reviews on here is that the children need to be quite diligent to do well and that classes can be disruptive? However I love the ethos.
Did your friend's daughter (and your friend) like St Francis? I assume so to have stayed there so long.
In an ideal world I think would be going for something between the 2 schools!

Yes she did! She learnt a lot at St Francis and is a very well spoken, well mannered and well rounded girl :)

In terms of St Chris being disruptive, yes I can see what you mean. I have heard parents often send their children there if they have a behavioural/learning difficulty as they feel the smaller class sizes will mean more support for their child.

Thanks alot Berrycheesecake :-)

If you have any specific questions, I will pass to my friend and get back to you when she answers! :)

Thanks! I will wait til we have been round in week or so and pm you.

My Daughter attends St Francis in Letchworth. She is in the Reception Class. I feel that it is one of the BEST decisions I have ever made. I found that the State playgroup and pre-school she had attended since the age of 2 and a half had left her not knowing how to write her own name (the sub standard education she had received was quite shocking when we finally realised that she would become the "one in three" - Yes, the official figures government released last April were that one in three children reach the age of eleven without a firm grasp of writing, reading and basic arithmetic). Within two weeks at St Francis, our little girl was writing her own name, and the past two terms there have been incredible. They instil confidence in their students and they learn about all sorts of religions and cultures (they are not a "religious" school). As a mother, I feel secure and relieved that I made the best choice for my child as she is so happy there. She is writing, reading, and having fun while learning maths. She has been taught to swim and is now teaching me how to create documents on my Mac at home as one of her subjects is ICT (their facilities are second to none). I have learned a great deal with this experience and am now developing an educational product to teach writing, reading and basic math, for children with Autism, Cerebral Palsy and Dyslexia (for those parents who feel that they are being let down by the State Education system). I cannot recommend St Francis enough.

Melly- do they still teach ballet in Reception? If not, what age do they start now?

@BerryCheesecake - in response to your question about Ballet, yes they do but it is optional. To be honest though, all the girls in Reception do ballet as their mums and dads have opted them in for it. They have FIVE ballet lessons during each term (so it's NOT each week). Our little one was showing us her "moves" this weekend and telling us how much she loves ballet, speech and drama (in the curriculum) and swimming (also on the timetable) with Mrs Hammond (who is superb by the way as this was one area in which we were a bit "iffy", as we'd not managed to get around to having any lessons due to the waiting list in Hitchin being longer than it should be) who, within only a matter of months, has our little one jumping in and swimming an entire length in the indoor pool at St Francis. The school gives the girls an all round education experience, it is NOT only an academic one but when you speak to the children themselves they are genuinely excited about subjects like Science and History (I asked a few of the girls on the open day we attended what their favourite subject was and the answers ranged from: Drama to Maths, they were all positive). When you meet their teachers you can see that these are people who are genuinely passionate about what they're teaching their pupils. Ballet and swimming lessons during school time (on the timetable) are a small part of the whole experience for the child at St Francis. Our little girl has come out of her shell and is confident and genuinely cares about her classmates.

No experience of Prep, but my daughter loves the senior school. She was really shy, but has grown in confidence from day 1 and has done brilliantly. Her friends are lovely and the teachers are fantastic, they really care and bring out the best in the girls. It is a little old fashioned, but I don't think that's a bad thing. My daughter is academic, but has also achieved musically and gained confidence from extra curricula like Duke of Ed. All her friends who are artistic/drama/musically talented have done really well too - so I would not hesistate to recommend it wherever your daughters strengths lie. There are so many opportunities and everyone is encouraged to 'have a go' whether it's acting, music, sport, or academics. It's a really friendly and caring school, my daughter has lovely friends and is so happy. Good luck with your choice!