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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Dean Close vs Cheltenham College

12 replies

MumMovingToCheltenham · 30/06/2021 19:47

Hi all-

We're moving to Cheltenham and plan to send our 7 year old to one of the independent schools.
We like both Dean Close Prep and Cheltenham College Prep.

We'd love to get some insights from parents who have sent their children to these schools so we can decide which one is a good fit for our child.

Thanks in advance.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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aiwblam · 30/06/2021 19:48

I think one is a bit more sporty than the other. Can't remember which one though.

Original poster

MumMovingToCheltenham · 01/07/2021 20:29

Bump

OP posts:

Original poster

MumMovingToCheltenham · 09/07/2021 09:03

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Towerheads1234 · 09/07/2021 13:12

Following as well

UGH1 · 09/07/2021 13:36

My partner went to Dean Close (a few years ago!) and has a wonderful group of friends so would probably recommend there over Chelt College.

Dean close or probably more 'down to earth' in comparison so it depends what you want for your child.

Original poster

MumMovingToCheltenham · 09/07/2021 15:40

Thanks for the feedback. Does your partner have any memory of why he/she went to Dean Close instead instead of Chelt College?

OP posts:

fijones · 31/08/2021 11:35

Hi, we looked at Dean Close and Cheltenham college prep and couldn't decide between the two so we put our DD in for taster days as we felt it shouldn't just be our 'put' on her. She resoundingly felt happier at CCP so that is where she will start this September. I thought both schools were excellent but she didn't take to DC at all for some reason. Maybe a taster day is the way to go x

Original poster

MumMovingToCheltenham · 14/10/2021 08:55

I just thought I'd give an update for anyone else who was interested.

So we finally moved and ended up putting our son in CC. Frankly, we loved both schools. The admissions staff for DC and CC were very friendly and helpful. We found the DC staff faster to respond usually and a bit more organized.
Ultimately, we decided on CC as we found the class schedule and sports activities more to our liking in terms of how it was structured and the options. For example, we found CC had sports during the day and after class and sprinkled out through the week. It was a good mix for us compared to DC. Our perception is that CC is more well rounded with academics+sports compared to DC. This is a perception as that that's how it came across to us during the admissions/info gathering process.
Now that our son is in CC school, we are finding the class teachers are quite good. There are also 2 teaching assistants per class (16-17 children) so there is a lot of attention given to the children. Our little one is a bit on the shy side and hadn't been at school for a while due to COVID so they really did a good job integrating him into a class environment gradually.
The other thing we liked in CC was that we got to speak to the head teacher for Lower Prep and it was good to have that access to him. We learnt a lot more about the school, atmosphere and amenities from him. We were a bit late relocating so he even went out of his way to set us up with remote school so our little one didn't miss too much.
Overall, I'd say DC and CC are both good schools and we asked around a lot. For our son, we just preferred CC.

OP posts:

Mumof3fairy · 22/11/2021 13:49

I prefer dean close over cheltenham college tbh.

NewtoCheltenham · 12/12/2021 15:12

Hello Mums,

We're also in a huge dilemma about DC vs CC for our 11 yr old son and 9 yr old daughter. The application process for our son was far more thorough with extra interviews and the Entrance @11 day assessment, but does that mean it's a better school?!? Our daughter loved her Taster Day at DC more than CC but I think primarily because she loved her buddy. DC really kindly proactively offered scholarships - it feels wonderful to be wanted! But CC seems so prestigious! We've just moved over from LA and the whole thing is exciting but baffling!

Any insight at all would be hugely appreciated!

NewtoCheltenham · 12/12/2021 15:14

oops forgot to put in CC in the sentence about the v thorough application process

oh and strongly agree with the comments about the DC application staff - so efficient and welcoming! CC were lovely but it was hard to get feedback

Ldp22 · 09/01/2022 19:19

My daughter is in year 4 (boarding) at Dean Close Prep and absolutely loves it. She is so well taken care of and there is a huge range of activities to do both during the week and on weekends (at no extra charge). Dean Close is a very friendly school with excellent pastoral care. The teaching is excellent and we are really happy with our choice.

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