Greenfield woking

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I am considering greenfield for my daughter. I was impressed by the tour but almost seems too good to be true? I’m just not….sure, but I don’t know why!

Any feedback from current parents would be most welcome.

Also interested in any recent views on the school.

Not a current parent but looked at it. Some like it and some don't, they have big classes and good support for sen children. The site is brand new and impressive but better local options for us a bit further away, depends on what you are looking for.

I have two at Greenfield and they are really happy. It's a culturally different place to neighbouring schools. Focused on wellbeing, a broad and progressive curriculum, less exam focused but the kids perform academically very well. I'd recommend choosing a school that aligns with the values you have for your children.

Our current head of Junior school will be Head of Greenfield from September - he is very good, great with parents and children. He will be missed.

We absolutely love Greenfield. Our children are thriving and we have experience of other local preps in the area and feel the difference every day. Our experience is that it is a kind and nurturing environment, it’s got a wonderful atmosphere that you can feel as soon as you walk around the school. The SEN provision that we have accessed has been timely and made a real difference to one of our children.

I could say a lot more and happy to speak via PM but the best idea is to visit and get a feel for it yourself and ask the questions relevant to your family as we all look for different things. We were drawn to the fact it’s not a traditional prep school environment, teaching is dynamic and the staff have lots of creative ways of engaging the children. It’s not a pushy academic environment at all and in each class there is a wide range of ability which are met by different groups working on different levels of Maths and English but the results speak for themselves. Our children are just happy and content being themselves and for us that was the most important factor having felt the impact of a bad fit else where.

This thread doesn’t tell the truth about Greenfield Woking. I think it needs someone to call out spade the spade. Parents would be much better at looking at this one - https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/education/4539727-greenfield-or-hoebridge-in-woking to get the reality.

Greenfield School has significant issues with inclusivity. Favoritism is rampant, and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) seems to prioritize students whose parents have managed to ingratiate themselves with the school's administration . These parents often buy SLT presents for no reason, donate large sums of money, contribute to school projects, or are part of the Friends of Greenfield School (FROGS) group. As a result, children of parents who cannot afford to donate or do not have the time to volunteer frequently go unrecognized for their potential or talent.

Special Educational Needs (SEN) support has also been inadequate, particularly for students whose parents are not closely connected with the SLT. The children who seem to thrive are those whose parents are regularly involved at the school.

The SLT actively discourages and undermines children who pose a threat or competition to the children of parents who ingratiate themselves with them. You will notice the SLT making all sorts of accommodations for the favoured kids as soon as these parents will send the SLT an email or buy them presents. Some parents literally time the presents so well that it’s jaw droppingly shocking and frankly disgusting.

Two members of the SLT are leaving soon, but the damage they have done to many families is substantial. One teacher who opposed the favoritism faced severe backlash from an SLT member, and was quite obviously forced out. This is not one off. This teacher was highly valued by 90% of the parents, as they genuinely supported all students. The remaining 10% of parents were those whose children previously received special treatment, and they were not supportive of the fair treatment this teacher advocated for. Other good teachers are also suppressed by the SLT if they don’t play along.

With some biased members of the SLT still in place, it is uncertain how much change the new head, coming in September 2024, can bring.

We have decided to withdraw our children from Greenfield School, and many other families are doing the same. If you are a working parent without the means to make significant financial contributions or the time to constantly volunteer, be prepared for your child to be overlooked. The school claims to be fair and to provide equal opportunities for all students, but in reality, awards, performances, house points, and recognition are disproportionately given to a select group of students whose parents are involved with FROGS or who donate money. This is a disappointing culture to subject young children to.

Also, don't be fooled by the scholarships touted by the school. The headmistress actively discourages children from applying to ambitious schools, instead pushing them towards easier-to-enter institutions to inflate the school's scholarship count. This practice sacrifices the child's potential just to enhance the numbers.

I am sure there are friends of greenfield stalking mumsnet and removing every post which says anything truthful about Greenfield so probably this wont stay for long either. Hope, in the meantime, it helps someone make the right decision.

We have been in the school for many years and only now we are starting to realise, there’s definitely a favoured exclusive group of parents whose kids get treated better and when it is being called out, you get ignored or worse, your child is ignored. After having my children in the school from nursery till upper school, my child are faring worse off than my friends kids in state schools. When this was mentioned, the school teachers brushed it off saying it all depends on the child!

FROGS (friends of gfield) is a group parents who have plenty of time and money on their hands to focus on school activities, games, events, you will see the same parents and their kids getting treated better by the SLT. The same kids take center stage at every concert or musical recital. The head is leaving, vice head is leaving and there is a mass exodus of staff leaving, music teachers, head of drama music has suddenly left without notice and my child who has is pursuing these subjects is going to suffer as everything has been left in a sudden lurch.

If you have a lot of money and time (wealthy parents) to donate to the school, your child will get attention, else the majority of the parents are just paying money to gain a lot less.

Do not be deceived by the facilities, pastoral care and SEN provision is paramount for children’s mental health. I am very sure a few more school parents will now be asked to post amazing things following this post to counteract this and the above posted reply saying they love greenfield. But facts are facts. One just needs to ask during a school tour on how and why so many teachers are leaving and you will understand.

It used to be an amazing school when it was a lot smaller and focused on child well being, my children were happier then, not anymore by a mile.

Also, compare the fees around prep schools in the area, it is the higher end. £5k for year1. Trips are not included in the fees anymore and can cost anywhere from £650-1200. Nothing extra is included in the fees. With the vat coming up, I foresee a whole of unhappy parents withdrawing their kids.

Been watching this thread for a while now and I also wish to share. Yeats ago, we had explored every preparatory school in Woking/Guildford (Halstead, Rydes Hill, Longacres, Hoebridge, St. Andrews) and were immediately inspired by Gfield and the vision it promoted. Non academically selective, small class sizes. Hence we sent our kids here despite knowing they were moving from the once old site to the brand new premises.

Sadly we have been very let down and very disappointed as the children’s best interests have not been taken care of despite reaching out and voicing concerns. Pastoral care has been lacking, class sizes have ballooned to nearly state school numbers, only favoured children getting academic exposure with things like competitions and enrichments in school.

I believe they had failed an inspection sometime ago with safeguarding and staffing checks not met, (hiring and firing staff who have lasted less than a year and were pushed to take up a role which they were clearly not suited for and failed miserably). The ones who have suffered are the children.

Nepotism is very obvious. Certain SLT members do not take to constructive criticism and get on the defensive. The institution is not doing itself any favours with all the unheard feedback. For the current head, it is the end of an era, she was amazing and connected with all parents, till these past few years but has sadly taken on too much to handle. There is a lot the new head is going to have to pick up on, come September.

Shocking amount of children and staff exiting the school. Please consider wisely and ask the right questions if you decide to send your children here.