Birkdale School Sheffield

[Kevinthechristmascarrot]

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience of Birkdale senior school now there is a new headteacher? Experiences either good or bad be welcomed. We are looking for boys rather than girls but understand it is now mixed.

Please don't waste your money. Teaching is poor and results are average. It is in the same vicinity as Silverdale, Tapton and High Stores - all outstanding schools.

Tapton frequently outstrips Birkdale at A level. Recent Ofsted got outstanding in all areas.

I wouldn’t waste money on Birkdale either.

We don’t live in the catchment for those schools. Is your opinion as a parent?

I have a friend who taught there and hated the culture and lack of achievement. My children have friends who went there and were miserable

I used to teach at one of those schools. It’s not worth sending your kids to Birkdale.

Tapton just won best school in the North.

We don’t live in the catchment for Tapton…

Could you move? The fees must cost some of the house price in S11 or 10

We could but one of us goes up the M1 for work and one down. We sort of in the middle. It would be a long commute for the person going down.

What is your catchment school?
There's always Mercia...

Mercia doesn’t take from all over the city anymore. It got so oversubscribed.

Ah ok.
What catchment are you in?

We live near to Barlborough. It’s not the best catchment but nice house and convenient. Unless we move our options are Worksop College, Birkdale, Westbourne.

It’s a long way from Barlborough to Westbourne!

It’s not that far to us. To be honest the post was asking if people had experience of Birkdale, which doesn’t require every detail of my life 🥴

So far no one has actually sent their kids there so we shall see.

Our little boy is at Birkdale (primary though). He loves it, the school and teachers are great. We have no regrets. There is a lot of negativity around private schools. We had people basically having a go at us when we said we were sending him there. No idea why really. I try and not discuss it with anyone, and even posting this here makes me dread getting some sort of backlash. Go and see the school, that was what convinced us we were doing the right thing.

I know one child who attends (just moves from primary to secondary) and reports from his mum are good. Small class sizes (capped at 25) which is probably always a plus. Young people I need who have attended tend to be self-assured in a nice way.

Are you looking for private education or the option of boarding? Or thinking if you pay would get in? As pp have said Tapton Silverdale and High Storrs all secure ‘better’ results than Birkdale but obviously they aren’t boarding and you don’t live in the area. If you could move I would consider moving to the area rather than paying for Birkdale. They are struggling to recruit staff and have a relatively high staff turn over. Whilst I don’t have a child there I do teach in Sheffield and I have friends that teach at Birkdale and many have said they feel it is not what it once was.

I do hear excellent things about Worksop college however that’s ’on The grapevine’ as it were and it’s still a trek from Barlborough.

I live in S11. Cheaper to move and pay for the house than a mediocre private school. Get into a good state school and your investment will still be there.

Birkdale isn't boarding?
I think there have been a few problems with ensuring quality staff at Birkdale. I know someone who sent her son there but moved him to High Storrs because of inconsistent teaching standards, and bullying not being addressed.
I know two people who teach at Birkdale, they're good, but acknowledge problems, and think that management could be better.
I suppose it's a mixed bag, but considering how much they charge, I would wonder if it's value for money, considering the high quality state schools in the area, as pp have said.

Perhaps send him to Birkdale, but maybe pay for extra tuition to fill in the gaps?

@Hallamlassno it isn’t but Worksop college is which was mentioned

Right, thanks

Barlborough to Worksop College is about 6 miles, 15 minutes… hardly a trek!

My cousin lives in Sheffield, moved down there just after Covid and sent both her kids there. She ended up pulling them both out of Birkdale because her eldest was being bullied and they weren't dealing with it. Apparently other parents have raised similar issues in recent years, so she said. She felt there was something of a hangover from the days when it was all boys and it was a particularly difficult environment for teenage girls, because the teachers weren't equipped to deal with co-ed and there was a lot of misogyny, sexism etc that went unchallenged. She decided to send them both to state schools and both are happier, even though the youngest (boy) wasn't having problems.

As both have left now, no reports about the new head, any changes, etc.

Thank you this is useful. Any reports of bullying etc? And did they move from Birkdale or another school/ state school?