Quick Poll - how many of your kids have saturday school at primary (prep) level and what do you think

[PrincessPeaHead]

I'm about to go into battle with our headmaster about saturday school. It is every other saturday for years 5-8 from 8.15 to 4pm. Chapel and visiting lectures and random things (but not classes) in the morning, games in the afternoon.

I think 8.15 - 6.00 5 days a week is enough school thanks very much.

WOuld be v grateful for real life examples of what goes on at other prep schools

thanks!

sounds perfect
sadly don't have any nice free grammars where I am
I hate the people who think that the school they send their kids to will improve their social life (that is putting it very nicely!)
marlboroughs problem at the mo.
I want my daughter to go somewhere where she is happy, valued, gets some exams but more importantly is educated in the widest sense, which includes knowing how extremely lucky she is

No Saturday school at DD & DS Prep school and as far as I'm aware no Saturday school at any Prep school in Cornwall.

well done pph, could your head have a chat to ours, not that we have sat school (apart from fixtures every sat if you are in the relevant team) but with regards to listening to you, ours flannels greatly, and I too have 4 there.

Sounds like you've chosen well, PPH. A head who listens a rare beast in any sector. I suspect the Saturday school thing will work itself out of the system over the next 10 years or so it is so much a relic of the boarding system and just makes no sense in an environment where full boarding is the exception rather than the mainstream.

If dd1 had been in this year's Y6 I would have been fighting the same battle at the state primary, though, as they've just instituted Saturday revision sessions for the Y6 SATs. Better not get started on this as I'm liable to get rantsome, but I fear I would have had to put my foot down too.

Can I make a representation for Benenden to be considered? I am a trustee, newish headmistress utterly wonderful. Geographically a nightmare tho. But PPH would fit will all your criteria

Wil she learn how to get out of a sports car

PPH - what about Dauntsey?

We have met load of children who go to school there and we think they are all great...

I live in that no so nice town near you, and if we weren't moving up north soon we would definately try and send DD there.

All the children seem really nice and rounded individuals..

And I know that quite a few who go there live in Malborough so can't be that far away.

yes dauntsey is close, is rather a well kept secret locally with a v good reputation for nice children and good all round education, should go and see it really, you are quite right. thanks for reminding me!

where oop north are you off to? surely nowhere could be as marvellous as sunny swindon?!

VV - no chance of doing Kent I'm afraid!
sounds like a nice challenge - benenden needed a kick up the bum by all accounts, it sounds like it might be getting it. being a trustee sounds fun. do you have/will you have children there or are you an og?

I've already taught her how to get out of a sports car UP

duh

glad to be of service PPH..

we are moving up to the Wirral, (they have grammar schools there and the non grammars far better than anything we have here)..

We were at a service station the other day and DH saw someone he used to coach hockey and mentioned that the group were from Dauntseys and he commented on how nice they seemed, and what a good school it must be, and he doesn't do commenting about other children really...

Hope we find a school on the Wirral as nice (and free)...

interesting. I think those sorts of encounters can be really telling, one way or the other.

I'm going to do some phoning and organising look arounds today I think - sherborne, marlborough, dauntseys.

have already done st mary's calne, downe house, st edwards oxford (horrible oily namedropping "socially aware" head bleaugh)

one of those must be OK. I don't need the worlds most perfect school, I need a school she'll be happy in and achieve in that is also convenient and close

I am an old girl - it wasn't great when I was there but I was incredibly lucky had great A level teaching and most particularly from a young 23 yr old straight from Oxford who really inspired me. I went off to her college at Oxford, she went off to Charterhouse to become HEad of History and we stayed friends. she is now the headmistress and hence I am a trustee and the school is now fab. I only have one DS but really hope to have a girl (although by then she will be gone and the school may have gone off).

Just seen your update pph. Delighted to hear it went so well.

If I were paying fees I would be voting with my feet. Is this a new thing since you joined the school, or was it part of the package from the outset? I haven't read the whole thread, but I would think that if it was part of the original package you can't expect the head to change it. But why do they need Saturday school at a private prep school - presumably the smaller classes etc achive good results anyway? Or is it to compensate for the much longer holidays?

Oops - just realised entire thread has moved on!

PPH - how nice that you achieved such a good outcome!

They have Saturday school at the DSs inner city state primary but it's voluntary and so far DS1's not keen (and I'm not going to push him if he doesn't want to go).