Tormead vs priorsfield

[Sunnyside1987]

Anyone else trying to decide between tormead and Priorsfield for year seven entry?

Not this year but 2 years ago and went with PF in the end.

We liked both and knew families with girls in both who are v happy and doing well, but ultimately when we looked at the value-add, results and space, we preferred PF.

Our DD is thriving and very happy and we feel we made the right choice. We like the fact she can flexi-board and really immerse in school life. She's at prep every night and goes to the drop in sessions in the week for any questions she's got with the teachers.

There's a new head at PF and so far we're impressed.

Good luck and go with your gut for your daughter.

These schools are very different in many respects.

Tormead consistentlty achieves far better results than Priors Field, at both GCSE and ALevel. Whether that be due to it being better value add or simply more selective, the results are leagues apart.

Priors Field is unashamedly unselective and that will absolutely suit DDs who are less academic but still want all the frills of boarding and/or private school. This is a market place they have always done well in, and fair play to them, the product they offer suits.

Someone above mentioned 'space', and it is true PF has more acherage than TM, and TM is city centre rather than out of town. This will suit people differently and those who don't mind a car journey to drop off at PF for a great rural enviroment should consider it. TM however can also be accessed by car, and there are plenty of transport options for DDs too, give it it's centrally located in Guiildford, also nice for sixth formers, who have guildford town and the pupils of the other two big centre schools to 'hang out with' - yet, no rolling fields.

Do also consider the stability of the school. PF has been around a long time and will hopefully continue to do so, but it is much smaller than TM and has a lot less financial resources. Comparing companies house you can see TM has £5 or £6million in cash reserves, plus is spending on facilities, with a £1.2m surplus for last year, whereas PF has a lot less money and only £200k free surplus.

Also pastoral care is strong at both schools, or at least is the reputation. Go to open events and ask questions to see how deep that actually goes.

Either way good luck for your DD and yes go with your gut, but also your DD must be happy with her choice.

Both decent in their own right. Priors Field much lower down the academic league tables but a great school for the leas academic who want value add and a decent pastoral independent school.

We visited for 11+ and liked the quirky charm of the place, it aspires to do well and the girls seems nice, but the place is very tired and in need of some money, plus the results weren't quite what we wanted for our DD who was doing pretty well at Junior School.

Tormead is different in that it's more academic, busier, but pastoral too. Its less quirky and homely, and more slick, bustling and happening. It was the energy that drew us in, whilst knowing wellbeing was also front and centre. The corporate side could put people off though, although we interpreted it more as 'professional'.

They're very different and we had friends who chose PF for the quieter environment, that suited their DD entirely. But for others, like us, the busier vibe, happy kids and nice campus drew us in.

Two different schools for sure. Both good in different ways. We've considered both before. My summary, when I was SWAT testing them both (yes, don't laugh!!) during our 11+, is summarised below:

Priots Field is probably best suited for parents looking for a nurturing, creative environment with a strong focus on arts and individuality. If you want a smaller school, with a slightly less formal approach to education, and aren't too concerned by high academic outcomes with respect to 'grades' and uni destinations, then this could be the right fit. (Don't get me wrong, academics still above best local state schools).

Tormead usually attracts parents seeking an academic school with strong pastoral care and extracurriculars, particularly in sports and music, and more of a traditional, rigorous approach to education. It's got better facilities, despite being in the city centre, but doesn't have a rural location.

Check travel times to both - this can be impactful in decision making.

Both schools have excellent reputations, but the right choice will depend on your child’s needs, whether they lean more towards a more relaxed educational experience, with creative opportunities (Prior’s Field) or a more academically competitive and structured environment backed up with good pastoral care (Tormead).

All the best in your choice.

Thank you, that’s a really helpful summary. What did you opt for in the end if you don’t mind me asking?

Re the academics at PF, my experience is not really as described as above. I think there's a huge focus on achieving high grades and it's done in a supportive rather than pressurised way.

Sorry my message wasn't meant to come across to imply PF don't aspire to do well. They certainly do and as a result attract girls with that in mind. I was simply just saying that the results do differ considerably, so if thats your focus then choose one or the other based on that.
I.e.
Super quick google example for 2024
Priors Field GCSE 61% 9-7
Tormead GCSE 86% 9-7
ALevels on similar trends but PF doesn't seem to report them like the GCSEs above

Tormead was our choice in the end.

There's a lot of options locally that are good - and there's a school to meet the needs for pretty much any type of DD round Guildford.

I always giggle though at the parents getting all het-up about the GHS offers, there's a thread running now, and it's 'salivating' like it normally does ash this time of year! 😋

And, without digressing too much, arguably I think some of the non-GHS options are just as good, having seen a lot, and I mean a lot, of DDs go through GHS. Some GHS girls even with sisters at one of the other independents, who actually seemed to be happier at school. It clearly does very well academically, but it's a funny place, creaming off the top, and won't suit everyone. The thread alone, that I spoke of, speaks volumes about what its like!

I've heard PF is v good, not first hand though. From a first hand perspective, if you're considering Tormead though, it's lovely and we're very happy with the choice DD made. They really know how to do a girls' education well (the bucket loads of pastoral care available certainly helps those young ladies do well!! lol) and haven't heard of, or experienced, any issues to date.

Good luck!💪🤗

I hope it’s Ok to reignite this thread. I am looking at Prior’s Field for 11+. Out of curiosity where do most girls travel in from? Thinking for future prospective friendship groups and meet ups. It’s quite rural the school and seems most would be reliant on the PF school buses?

@blahdee Our daughter is there and her friends live in various places- Godalming, Bramley, Milford and petersfield. She’s very happy there and excelling. Hope that helps.

I was just browsing for something else and saw thins thread, which is coincidental and I only heard the other day from a friend that they (Priors Field) have made some teachers redundant and that numbers are really struggling. This is second hand information, but i would certainly make sure you check their financial credentials before signing up!

My daughter is at PF. Absolutely no truth in the rumours of redundancies which I'm sure are being started by other schools worried about their own intake.

We had the tormead/PF choice and daughter chose PF. She infinitely preffered the feel of the place and is doing brilliantly.

I'd also like to confirm this isn't true. At a recent PSA meeting the school bursar gave us a general update and they're in a strong position.

Saw this a few weeks ago, but have just heard from a friend that the Art teacher is rumoured as gone, so thought id jump back on to see where it had gone. Looks like nowhere. The art teacher used to be at another local independent school and was well liked there, hes been made redundant and word is that there are others too. Looks like the need for specialist teachers at sixth form is dwindling, can only be due to a fall in roll or kids not choosing these subjects in large enough numbers.

@Babymamaroon - when is any bursar ever going to tell their parent body that there are financial issues on the horizon. Respectfully, they won't, it would be be a self fulling prophecy of decline and abandonment!

The only metric of a schools success is numbers. I have no idea what PFs are like, let's hope good, but the optics aren't great.

Their last Balance Sheet on charity commission site looks very healthy.

As in the one from 2-3 years ago that showed a 270k surplus, which if you factor in the removal of business rates relief and the addition of extra eNI, is already wiped out, and the rest on top.

Anyone at the school know what the situation is with the art teacher and other redundancies?

Another set of accounts due on record soon so currently shows 2023. You're describing the surplus/deficit for one year not the balance sheet reserves which are sizeable. Yes costs rising will mean they need to cut other costs so as not to use up the past surpluses but they hardly look in a financial state to warrant such rumour spreading. I doubt there are many private schools who are not looking at costs and making a few redundancies.

I completely agree that many independent schools are under pressure and are reviewing costs — that’s the landscape right now. But just to clarify, I'm not "spreading rumours" — I'm simply pointing out a pattern that's becoming visible to parents and prospective families. When a well-liked specialist teacher quietly disappears mid-cycle, and there are whispers of others, it’s fair to raise questions — especially when sixth form subject breadth is often a key selling point for schools like PF.

You’re right that the balance sheet is distinct from annual surplus/deficit — but let’s not overlook that long-term reserves can still be gradually eroded if staffing cuts signal an underlying dip in roll or shift in subject uptake. These changes matter, not only financially but also in terms of curriculum breadth and student experience.

No school is immune to change, and none of this is about attacking PF — it's about giving parents a realistic view of the sector and encouraging due diligence. If the school is thriving, fantastic. But being alert to changes isn’t the same as fearmongering — it’s part of being an informed parent.

Certainly sounds like fear mongering.
From what I hear the school is in a far better position financially than others nearby.

I saw that PF were advertising for a Teacher of Art and Photography very recently so perhaps not as clear cut as rumours may sound. Good to hear that the school is thriving in such challenging times, clearly their model works well.

It's certainly not fearmongering, also very interesting that all these random profiles, jumping to the defence, have been created only in the last days..... hmmmm..... I've been posting on here for years and years and have always offered balanced opinions and info on all schools I the area, having 'seen it all' this is clearly a marketing department on protection mode (above).

I've made my initial enquiry/point, which has clearly touched a nerve, that was simply an observation that staff were being made redundant, a fact that was corroborated again today for me, by an actual member of staff. I thought id check before coming back here.

If you really want to keep poking the bear though, the numbers don't look great either:

2020 - 449 total / sixth form - 80
2022 - 430 total / sixth form - 48
2025 - 375 total / sixth form - 20*

Not a promising trend....

*extrapolated from other data

I hope you're not including me in the new posters list (been on here for years) or the marketing department. Of course the outlook is tricky for all schools at the moment and the negative talk becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You sound on a mission - maybe you are from a competitor's marketing department (joke).

This post has been dinging my inbox the last few days - flipping heck ladies!

@MigAndMog - its clear you are a PF fanatic, and that's not meant in a bad way at all - it's a great school - good on you. It's quite ok to be positive about an institution, whether you are part of it, using it or have done in the past - but your allegiance (plus a couple of the other posters, who are, according to my subscription (yes I am that sad!) are indeed 'quite' new) is also seemingly obvious. Now, that's not a bad thing at all and I personally commend you for it, but you can see where the PP is coming from in mentioning it.

@AndreaKnowsBest has been on here for decades, she even pre-dates me! I've always seen her comment objectively and has never shown any particular allegiances, in fact, she gives pretty much every school locally a hard time and calls out everything that might be going on, no matter who you are. I think, however, maybe her cage, sorry Andrea, has been rattled here.

I also think that perhaps this thread has become a little lost, as it certainly wasn't the thread I posted on a month or so back, comparing schools for differing girls. Emotions are clearly running high here so it might be time to cool our beans!

As far as I'm concerned, as I expressed before, PF has been around for a long time and is a good option for girls that fit its ideals and mould, just as Tormead does the same ---- and long may that continue for those that it suits.

@Neverenoughflowers it's so interesting how posts come across. I actually have absolutely no allegiance or vested interest in PF; not a parent, pupil or member of staff past or present. Also been on here for 10+ years though probably only commenting in the past 2-3. I live in the county and have kids at another private school. There's a lot of shift in the schools in the area - closures, mergers etc and I feel for the families and staff affected. Those who are struggling for numbers will find it even harder if prospective parents have seeds of doubt sewn. As you say, lots of good schools which all suit different types of kids and long may it continue. I know of other local schools with redundancies and others with falling numbers/operating below capacity so I think it is unfair that this thread has highlighted only PF in that light.