Godstowe or Maltmans

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I’ve previously posted about moving to Bucks and hoping I can now get some feedback about schools please. We have a few options in mind depending on how DD develops academically. She is currently 2.
We love Godstowe and it would be the first choice for Prep but we aren’t keen on boarding. The only options after Godstowe would be WA as a day boarder or a grammar school (we would prefer private though). There is no guarantee DD would get into WA and this option would be a risk (DH and I are both very academic so we hope DD would be too but it’s far too early to tell).

Second option is Maltmans to keep our options open and then either grammar for secondary or WA day boarding. We potentially could move into London for private secondary too.

Anyone have any feedback on our options and on Godstowe and Maltmans please? We prefer Godstowe but it seems a massive risk to take with the lack of senior options. Academics is very important to us as well as access to great facilities and giving DD a broad education to develop a lateral way of thinking. Thanks !

Girls from Godstowe go to a wide range of next schools - why on earth do you think it limits your options to just WA or a grammar? She can leave at 11 and go to a London day school in exactly the same way as at Maltmans. She is also only two so I wouldn’t have any set preconceived ideas about which academically selective school you want your daughter to attend in nine years time. Lots can change over time.

Both schools are very good academically and you won’t go wrong with either. Admittedly Godstowe sends more girls to boarding schools but far from exclusively. They probably have a better reputation for “success” as a result but they are working with parents looking for boarding schools. Their job is to recommend which schools are best fit for your daughter within the realms of what you are looking for.

Please, please, please keep an open mind on next schools though. My DD was a perfect fit for WA and we loved it (recommended by prep head) BUT school life interfered so much with family life. Even on open weekends the girls have Saturday morning school followed by games before being allowed to leave and then back for chapel on Sunday evening. Day boarders do everything the full boarders do apart from sleep there. It’s very easy to get caught up in name and reputation without considering if the school really works.

So to conclude, both schools are excellent and will give you a wide range of options at 11.

@Zodlebud thanks for your really helpful post. You are right on many counts. Godstowe shouldnt be limiting us- I was looking at it from the perspective that it prepares mainly for boarding which is something we don’t want for DD. However, there is no reason why any school is an option following Godstowe. Do you know if applications to WA are done at 11 for 13+ entry from Godstowe?

You are right that we can’t plan so far ahead. Lots of posts on MN advise to think about seniors first and then work back to choosing a prep hence why we have thought about different pathways but we know we have to remain flexible. WA does limit home life at weekends and that may not be suitable for us at that time...

@Zodlebud do you know much about the type of parents at each school? I’ve heard people say that Godstowe is more of the super rich elite type but I don’t know if that refers to just some of the parents or if that’s the majority? I imagine most have some wealth to be able to afford boarding but we don’t fit into that category so don’t want DD to feel left out that she doesn’t have a ski chalet in the Alps!

Godstowe does WA admissions at both 11 and 13. WA now have their main intake at 11 so that’s something to consider. Girls tend to stay in to 13 if they are going to a coed boarding school that only starts from 13 (Wellington, Teddies, Oundle etc) or they want their daughter to board but don’t feel quite ready to do it at 11. Godstowe allows girls to get used to boarding in a “safe” known environment before heading off at 13.

Probably more girls go to grammar schools from Maltmans though. Parents at Godstowe are probably more looking for boarding schools but far from exclusively.

You are right to look at where you might want your daughter to go for next schools and then work backwards. If you want grammar then there are prep schools known for being more grammar crammers than others. You wouldn’t send your daughter to Berkhamsted if you weren’t interested in her going there at 11 as they do no prep for 11+ as it’s an all through school.

What you should look for is are they consistently sending children to the sort of schools you are interested in and also whether they get decent numbers of scholarships each year. Both Maltmans and Godstowe absolutely do.

I know girls who have been to both and one family still at Maltmans. Their children all get into their first choice schools. Both schools are a similar size, have great facilities and are good choices. I would arrange visits as soon as permitted and go on gut reaction.

Have a look at Ashfold School in Bucks.Private, co-ed and Flexi boarding.Children go on to all sorts of destinations.

Both schools are moneyed. Have you seen house prices in GX 😂😂😂? However, at both schools you will find a real mix of parents. Some have grandparents who pay fees, some go without to pay for education, some are flash cash type people.

If you are at Godstowe then you are probably aiming more for boarding school though and of course with that comes money. Some of the richest people I know though are the most down to earth grounded people you could ever meet.

My eldest DD is now at boarding school and honestly, she wouldn’t have a clue how rich her friends are and nor would she be particularly interested. I think it’s something parents worry about more.

PresentingPercy had a daughter at Godstowe so hopefully will be along soon.

As an aside, if someone told me my daughter would be at boarding school two years ago I would have said, “Over my dead body”. We ended up there through a very organic process, guided by our prep head but following our gut reaction. He said she was perfectly suited to boarding and encouraged us to at least go and have a look. He was right.

She boards Monday to Thursday and is home all weekend. Absolutely thriving. I miss her at times but it’s only four nights so it’s never long until she’s home again.

Next schools are about finding the right fit. She is at our first choice. Our second choice was an all girls grammar which we felt was a far better fit than our other independent options. Keeping an open mind and exploring all options was absolutely key to finding the right place.

Thank you for your comments, they are very helpful. We have booked onto the next open days and will decide from there

Where are you thinking living OP? That could help the decision making process. You don't want to have a long commute to school with a reception aged child.

I know lots of parents in ks2 at both schools. I'd say Maltman's is more new money and Godstowe old money and international.

Maltman's is not everyone's cup of tea, it can be quite academically competitive and the school is not very responsive to feedback. But, if you move to Gerrards X, it could be a good option in KS1.

None of my friends at Godstowe love the school, but they all prefer it to previous ones. Again it's quite competitive especially from a sporting perspective and can be academically too, although they are open to girls with SEN as well. The main complaint at the moment, is that they don't always use their amazing facilities - there's no drama for example at the moment.

Lots of children do leave Godstowe at 11 for other schools (and some join).

Some Godstowe girls go onto Headington Girls which allows flexi boarding. Headington may be worth considering. FWIW, I am very good friends with a Governor of Wycombe Abbey so can help further if needed. I have absolutely no bias as I never attended either.

I know a TV presenter who moved her girls from Maltmans to Pipers Corner, not ‘that’ long ago.

Tried to

I work for this organisation so not sure if this is allowed.Anyway, we reviewed Maltmans in April.
bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/maltmans-green-school/

Thanks for the insight. @underneaththeash we are going to move close to the school we decide upon so location isn’t a factor at this stage. It’s good to know quite a few girls leave at 11 at Godstowe as they make out that leaving at 11 is not really a thing. We prefer non boarding so want to keep our options open.
@Loushome we love the feel of WA but only time will tell if DD will be suited to it and I know Godstowe would be the best prep for WA. And if she did want to go there and got in, then we would also save quite a bit on fees if she started at 13!

I guess there’s no school which will tick every box- I ideally wanted a 4-18 through school so once DD is in, I don’t need to think about all this again but Bucks doesn’t really have great options for that. We just need to pick the right Prep which will allow us flexibility of options when DD is 11. Hopefully, we will be in a better place to decide once we have been to the open days

There are several other schools which regularly send girls to Wycombe Abbey in large numbers if you are flexible on location.

Bute House, Kensington Prep and Hanford spring to mind.

If you would consider coed then Lambrook would be an obvious choice too - all students there stay on until 13 and pretty much all go onto boarding school.

Thank you for the link @Onesipmore . Very interesting read. Nice to see the sundial is still there 42 years after I left (and then went to WA!).

OP - good luck with your search.

Finally seen this thread!
Yes, DD2 was a Godstowe girl! She thoroughly enjoyed it there. When she was there, girls left at 11 or 13. In her year lots at 11 but that was fairly unusual. Lots of parents do want their girls to experience being in y8 at Godstowe, which is special. However some parents do want day schools and many girls’ boarding schools start at 11 and that can be a factor in leaving at 11. My DD left at 11 to join her sister at a boarding school mainly to make friends from y7.

If you look at leavers’ destinations from Godstowe you will see its very broad. Not all girls there are super bright and parents are not all rich. I found the richest ones to be perfectly pleasant and friendly. You will get to realise who they are though! You sort of just get to know! High Wycombe itself is fairly ordinary but surrounding pretty villages are expensive.

I have met Maltmans girls as two were at senior school with DD2 and I got to know their parents. They were happy with the school. I think Godstowe has the edge - but I’m biased! Newer parents might give you info on the relatively new head too.

The girls never did have drama lessons in all the time DD was there but they did music performances, Christmas show and leavers show etc.

Thanks everyone so much for all your advice. We’ve visited both and loved them both! It’s such a hard decision as they both have different strengths but Godstowe probably has the edge for a more varied education and experience IMO. One thing that struck us as we walked around was the racial segregation in the older years (Chinese girls together, white girls together, black etc), it made me feel a bit uneasy for some reason. Does anybody have any experience if it’s always like this or maybe we just happened to see it like this on the day we went coincidentally?

I meant to say the segregation was at lunch time in the lunch hall and in the breaks. Not in the classroom