Vinehall, Marlborough House, Claremont and DCPS

[mongoose99]

Does anyone have current experience of these Sussex/Kent prep schools they would be willing to share?

@LesLavandes sorry, I sent my post in some haste as all hell was breaking loose with the children upstairs.
In fairness to St Ronans, I’ve heard from many different sources that it is a really wonderful school - just not for us!

@steelseries I have to say my reaction to the acquisition was the same as yours but I guess only time will tell!

@MuchTooTired thanks for that - yes, Claremont has come off our list now but still really taken by vinehall despite the numbers (which on the face of it is a plus for us as we are particularly looking for small classes 🤣!)

I have three children at Vinehall and I could not be a happier mummy. What really stands out is the pastoral care which is outstanding, a staff room full of young, energetic and kind teachers, the facilities are mind blowing and more importantly the whole ethos and environment of the school is exactly what I want for my children - I want them to grow into confident young adults and Vinehall sets them up with the confidence to flourish. The announcement of the Repton merger is most definitely not a "buy out", in fact our parent body is confident this will bring nothing but positives to Vinehall, educationally, financially and strategically. The future of stand alone prep schools is looking rather bleak and therefore we are delighted to become part of a bigger and stronger ship to weather the storms, as there is no doubt there will be more storms ahead for the private sector.

My daughter is at Vinehall. We moved her there in year 2. We have found the school to be a positively nurturing environment. It has a fantastic family feel. All the children get outside every day to enjoy the grounds and are encouraged and supported to try new things. Fantastic facilities and lots of sport, including a swim lesson every week. Following some of the comments regarding the Repton partnership, as a parent I feel that it brings great stability to the school. The news to parents was very clear that it was not a ‘buy out’.
If you are looking for a small, friendly, family school, Vinehall is all that and more. The smile on my daughters face following activities week last week is testament to that!

@Samk41

My daughter is at Vinehall. We moved her there in year 2. We have found the school to be a positively nurturing environment. It has a fantastic family feel. All the children get outside every day to enjoy the grounds and are encouraged and supported to try new things. Fantastic facilities and lots of sport, including a swim lesson every week. Following some of the comments regarding the Repton partnership, as a parent I feel that it brings great stability to the school. The news to parents was very clear that it was not a ‘buy out’. If you are looking for a small, friendly, family school, Vinehall is all that and more. The smile on my daughters face following activities week last week is testament to that!

Just be prepared that if your children go for a taster day they may not want to go back to their old school!

@sussexinvader so are you a parent at VH? If you are I am sure you know there have been Q&A sessions open to parents (there is one tonight I think, sure you could join) I went to one and it is very clear to parents that VH is remaining a separate charity so there is no land grab? - if you are a parent I am flabbergasted that you would be saying so many things which are misleading and incorrect

We have had 4 pupils join us from Vinehall this term just in DD's class - which is only 17. We already had 2 defect in Yr 4 and 5. We are at Battle Abbey. I've heard things from parents about poor teaching, poor staff retention, rising fees and most importantly this year a very poor lockdown offering. I've also heard mutterings about reduced fee offerings to Skippers Hill when they closed.
I've never set foot in Vinehall so my post is wholly third hand but I've not heard great things

OP you don't say where you are based but Battle Abbey has buses going all over the place with some of the boys in DDs class coming from Kent. Plus you have the advantage that it is a through school just on two campuses so you don't have to worry about moving up at 13 (although you may already have plans)

I was not impressed with battle abbey, the prep might be ok, but the STEM in the senior school is woeful.

@Freckles28 thanks for taking the time to post-your comments are really helpful.

@Samk41 thanks for replying and sharing your experience - will bear in mind your warning about taster days though 🤣!

@DaphneDeloresMoorhead thanks for posting - always hard to know whether defections are just part of the usual “churn” or a sign of problems. It’s a tough decision for us!
Vinehall is right on the very edge of our map in terms of reasonable travel time - battle really is just too far sadly but thanks for the tip anyway!

@DaphneDeloresMoorhead Battle Abbey have much lower fees and from what I have heard a questionable and drab provision...these defectors may be down to affordability? Also you may need to check your facts as the last time I checked Skippers Hill was rather well and healthy??

Current parent at Vinehall and have loved it. My two children are so happy there and the new Repton deal should be seen in a positive light as my husband and I think it will help the school grow and better our little ones.

Apologies I meant Bricklehurst Manor.

We have children at MHS and would highly recommend. I think it really comes down to gut feelings when you visit - we're rather spoilt for choice with decent preps around here, and one will suit you more than another. Like you, we weren't keen on St Ronans, but lots of people love it. MHS is small enough to be cosy but big enough to offer tons of extra curricular clubs and put on a very decent competitive sports offering. Facilities are very good, with new stuff in the pipeline. The head is new this academic year and has been outstanding so far; really excellent. Pastoral care is top priority and they are very good at it. Honestly couldn't recommend it enough.

@mongoose99 - just tagging you as I realised this thread is a few days old so you might not see my post otherwise!

@mongoose99

Thanks *@Henlie* - that is really good to know. Will be ringing them this pm.

Did you go and see Beechwood? My 2 children are in the prep and absolutely love it! My daughter has come on so much both academically and socially since moving there. The teachers are lovely and the provision during lockdowns has been amazing. Only one group per year group as a previous poster stated. Quite a big investment into the facilities is also happening over the summer which looks great. Couldn't recommend it highly enough!

@Doggolover thanks for your comment - that’s good to hear!

Thanks @redpheasant - we looked at MHS and it is really lovely, but for some reason we just didn’t feel it was the right place for us. Might see if we can go and have another look though-it was the first school we looked at and maybe that played a part…as you say, we really are spoiled for choice around here!

@Becs19 we didn’t go in the end. We had a long chat with the admissions person (?) as a result of which we decided it wasn’t for us (plus when we thought about it properly the journey there and back each day would be a bit of a nightmare with the traffic along Pembury Rd).

@mongoose99 did you make a decision in the end?

I have friends with children at S Ronans and Marlborough House. MH mum reports it to be a really lovely school with strong pastoral care. SR is a little wilder in character but strong on academics and scholarship success to many independent senior schools (although I have another friend who said her daughter felt a little bit out there on her own when she sat the 11+ Cranbrook grammar entrance as generally SR children stay on to Year 8 and continue into private secondary education). I myself have two children at Claremont School (one at the Prep in St Leonards and one at the Senior School in Bodiam). The facilities at the Senior School are truly amazing and the Prep School children have full access to them along with acres and acres of grounds at the St Leonards site. All children use the large heated indoor (senior school) and outdoor (Prep School) swimming pools, there is an amazing dance studio and Performing Arts centre, a new Pre-Prep building and lots of developments over the coming months at the Prep School site this year which I understand will include a new art studio, science lab and new classrooms. The school has also recently been given planning permission to build a new state of the art Sports Park at the Prep School site which will also serve the local community out of hours. Transition to senior school is fantastically well managed with nearly all friendship groups moving up together. My son already knew many of the teachers when he got there and was very familiar with the campus. There is a creative buzz at both school sites, the teachers are lovely, with many at the Prep school having taught in secondary schools which is a huge bonus. The school raises lots of money for various charities every year - with many initiatives driven by the children themselves. It's a very down to earth school and family orientated. My children are both flourishing there. I know it can take time to visit lots of schools, but it really is the best way to get a feel for what is going to be the right fit for your child. Good luck!