Ipstock place school - Any insights?

[Kalista018]

We applied to a few independent schools and received an offer from Ibstock Place School only. I’ll be honest—I was hoping for one of the other schools, so I’m feeling a bit disappointed and unsure.

We attended the open day at Ibstock and it felt calm and pleasant. The staff were kind, the atmosphere was relaxed, and the children seemed genuinely nice. That said, from my personal perspective, nothing really stood out as exceptional. Over time, I’ve also heard that Ibstock is often used as a “backup” school for families applying to higher-tier independents in the area, and that many offered places are later declined, meaning the school goes quite far down the waiting list.

Our realistic options now are Ibstock Place or the local state comprehensive, which also has mixed reviews. We’re new to England and moved here from overseas, so I’m finding the whole school system quite hard to navigate and don’t have a strong frame of reference.

I don’t have a strong preference either way—I’m not particularly set on private education, but I’m also not against state school.

I’d really appreciate hearing from parents who have experience with Ibstock Place, or who have faced a similar choice between an independent school and a local state comp—especially from those who were new to the UK system.

Thank you so much in advance for any insights 🙏

Which school is your state school option?

Hi there, it will be either Ashcroft or Saint Cecilia. I don’t know too much about those schools either.

I don’t have great knowledge of those but I do know Ashcroft is meant to be very good. I also know someone who was very unhappy at Ibstock. But that might have been down to individual circumstances. If you don’t have strong feelings about state / private then why spend the huge sums of money? Can you find any parents with kids at those state schools to speak to?

Thank you for your input. I’ve found that school choices and related matters can be quite sensitive within parent communities, and it’s something people rarely talk about openly. Even when I try to raise it in person, it’s been difficult to have an honest conversation or get much feedback. That’s why I decided to reach out to the online community instead. I know Ashcroft is very strong in terms of exam results, but I’m also aware that it has a fairly strict environment. My son is quite academic; however, he does experience some anxiety and OCD tendencies, so I’m honestly unsure how well he would cope with a high-pressure setting.

I don’t have personal experience but my friend sent both her children to Ibstock and raved about it - they were very creative and are now pursuing creative careers (they left in the last couple of years so I don’t know if it’s changed)

I agree with you that most parents who send their children to private schools aren’t super-rich — they’re hardworking people who genuinely care about the quality of education their children receive.

At the same time, I do think that if you’re using services provided by a for-profit institution, it’s reasonable to pay VAT. However, if the institution is genuinely not-for-profit, then I don’t think VAT should apply to those services.

Thank you Kalista. I appreciate you taking the time to share your balanced perspective and it’s good to hear from someone who recognises the reality of independent schooling parents’ socio-economic profiles and motivations for schooling choice.
The VAT issue has been a bit of a smoke screen for wider challenges in the independent schooling sector and other factors impacting the families concerned.

We recently wrote a LinkedIn post about this very topic ( in case you’re interested and use LinkedIn).
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/association-for-families-of-independent-schooling-afis_this-is-not-about-vat-on-school-fees-activity-7413727897976283137-8MdQ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAFo-TlABg1_0oZdSGsuR1EkyT4B53PiPjXU

I won’t clutter up Mumsnet with the same info, but if anyone would like more details, do let me know.

HAPPY MONDAY!

I don't know either of your schools but I am a teacher with experience in both state and independent schools. In independent school, you are buying attention from the teacher who is a lot less stressed as they have fewer children to deal with. In a small inde class, a teacher is able to give individual feedback to all students in a lesson. In a state school, there are 30 students in a class and a teacher is often dealing with poor behaviour of a handful of them, eating into the learning time as well as being physically unable to give attention to all of them. If you can afford it, go private.

Hi all, thank you for sharing. We’re also considering Ibstock for Y7 and I’m trying to sense what day-to-day life is really like now (post-Covid / under current leadership), especially in the first year of senior school.

If any current parents are willing to share, I’d really appreciate thoughts on a few practical points:

Pastoral & behaviour: How is behaviour managed in Y7–Y8? Is it calm day-to-day, and are boundaries consistent?

Academic pressure in Y7: Roughly how much homework is typical in the first term? Is the tone supportive or high-pressure?

Support for dyslexia / low working memory: How well do classroom strategies actually land across subjects (e.g. written instructions, reduced copying, scaffolds for writing)? Does support depend on individual teachers or is it consistent?

Extra costs: Any “hidden” add-ons we should budget for (clubs, sports, trips, transport, equipment)?

Sport / off-site facilities & fixtures: Which sports are on-site vs off-site? For weekend away fixtures, is school transport usually provided or do parents often drive?

I'm just trying to understand fit and the real experience for children. Thank you so much.

Hi there, thanks so much for your input — you’re honestly asking all the same questions that are going round in my head too.

When I went to the open day, I actually came away feeling really positive. From chatting to the students, the school felt quite well balanced. I asked loads about day-to-day life, not just academics. It didn’t feel only academically intense — the students seemed sporty, polite and just genuinely nice kids. I was really impressed by how mature they were. That’s something my son noticed too, and it’s a big part of why he wants to go there.

I’ve also heard from a few parents that their children are really happy and enjoy going in, which is reassuring.

But… like you, I’ve seen some of the Mumsnet threads about pastoral care, parents feeling shut down, people being worried about speaking up, and a few families leaving. That does sit in the back of my mind. The tricky thing is I don’t actually know anyone there at the moment, so most of what I’m hearing is second-hand.

Are you going to the offer holders’ day? I’ll be there and plan to ask as many questions as I can. Do you have any other schools options you’re looking at?

Thank you — this is really useful.

We also have an Ibstock offer for Y7 2026 and came away from the open day feeling it was calm and well balanced, with genuinely lovely pupils. However, like you, we’ve seen some mixed comments online about pastoral communication / parents feeling shut down, and we’re trying to work out what’s “internet amplification” vs what’s true day-to-day.

We’ll be at the offer holders’ event and plan to ask a few practical questions. We do have other offers too (including Thomas’s College Richmond, which is newer), so we’re comparing mainly on:
• Y7 settling in (how long it realistically takes)
• homework load in the first term (typical time per night)
• behaviour boundaries (how consistent they are)
• how SEN / dyslexia-type support lands across subjects (if relevant)
• any extra costs / off-site sport & weekend fixtures logistics

If any current parents can share specific examples (good or bad), I’d really appreciate it. Thank you.

Hi again. Yes, I did look at Thomas’s College Richmond, but in the end it just felt a bit too new for us. I think I was hoping for something a bit more established, with a slightly stronger sense of academic rigour. That said, I don’t actually think IPS is miles off some of the more academically selective schools we’ve been looking at.

It does seem like it’s sometimes used as a “backup” option, which made me think a bit. But if you look at their YouTube and website, there’s quite a lot of information and it gives a pretty good sense of what they’re about.

One thing I really liked was what they said in the leavers’ video about homework — that students are encouraged to get most of it done at school so they can properly switch off at home and enjoy time with friends and family. That really appeals to me. I don’t love the idea of evenings turning into homework battles, so this sounds quite sensible. It feels like they’re trying to build independent and responsible habits.

I also really like their esports set-up and the innovation centre. The whole school feels quite creative and a bit eccentric — not the typical traditional private school vibe — and I actually think that’s valuable. The world is changing so fast, and I’m not sure the old “go to a good school, get a stable job, and that’s it” model is enough anymore.

To be honest, I’ve also been considering whether it might be better to move him to another sixth form — perhaps a strong state school or a higher-performing independent, if he were able to get in.

I’m just trying to understand whether the significant change you mentioned is mainly due to academic reasons, or if there’s something else behind it. Would you mind elaborating a little?

Do you happen to know anyone at IPS, or do you have any personal experience with it yourself?

Sorry, I read my post again and it sounds like that my Dc is going to IPS already. I meant in the future. I think students move sound in sixform? Over 50% seems a lot though. Wonder why.

Thanks for sharing. I’m sorry to hear your experience was so negative.

To help those of us making a decision now, would you mind sharing a few specifics so we can understand the context?

When you say “over 50% of Y11 went elsewhere for sixth form”, was that mainly because families wanted different A-level options / a stronger sixth form, or were there broader day-to-day issues (behaviour, teaching, pastoral)?

You mention heavy tutoring and staff morale / turnover — could you give 1–2 concrete examples of what changed (e.g. frequent staff changes, subjects being dropped, inconsistent behaviour management, communication with parents)?

We’re looking at Ibstock for Y7 2026, so the day-to-day experience in Years 7–9 is our immediate focus, and we’re trying to separate individual experiences from what’s consistent across the school. Thanks again.

Thank you so much for sharing this — I’m really grateful. And I’m sorry if it feels like I’m pestering you; this is such an important decision, so having accurate information really matters to me.

From what you’re saying, it sounds as though some students may not have been adequately encouraged or supported in the lead-up to exams. I’m trying to understand why that might be the case. My recent impression was that the school has actually climbed quite a bit in the league tables, presumably due to improved academic results, and on paper it doesn’t seem far behind comparable schools. I’ve also heard that the school is now placing a stronger emphasis on academic achievement than before.

When you mention “new management,” are you referring to a new Head, or changes within the wider SLT? If there have been concerns around academic standards or teaching quality, I would have expected families to move their children earlier rather than waiting until they’re close to exam years — so I feel there must be more context behind what’s happened.

It may not fully make sense to those of us on the outside, but there must be underlying reasons for these changes. If you’re able to share any further insight, I would genuinely appreciate it.

Thank you again for taking the time.

Limited direct experience but have a friend with an older child at the school who has thrived there and they are about to send their younger DC this year. No mention of issues.
I also know an experienced prep school head whose opinion I trust who highly recommends IPS and knows many happy families there.

Thank you again for taking the time to write such a detailed reply. I really appreciate it.

I completely understand experiences are individual, but if some of what you’re describing can be anchored to timeframes / year groups / rough numbers, it would be incredibly helpful for parents trying to make an informed decision (especially those new to the system). Absolutely no worries if you’d rather not share specifics.

If you’re comfortable, could you clarify just a few points:

1. Roughly which years was your DC at Ibstock, and are your comments mainly based on Y7–9, GCSE years, or Sixth Form?
2. The “over 50% of Y11 went elsewhere for sixth form” - was that a commonly known figure among parents (even a ballpark cohort size), and was it mainly about subject range/uni outcomes or wider dissatisfaction?
3. On “behaviour/morale slipping” — did it feel school-wide, or more concentrated in certain year groups?
4. On “stealth extra costs” — which items were the biggest add-ons (e.g. station minibus, compulsory workshops, lunches, trips, sports fixtures), roughly how much per term?

Thank you — even rough pointers would help a lot

Thanks again. I really appreciate you taking the time.

Just to be transparent, we actually have offers from both Ibstock (Y7 2026) and Thomas’s College Richmond. I can see why you feel so strongly about the gap between what’s promised vs what’s delivered, and the point about issues only being flagged very late academically is particularly helpful as something concrete for us to probe.

At the same time, our hesitation with Thomas’s is the obvious one — it’s newer, so there’s less track record and it’s harder to know what day-to-day reality will look like once it’s more established.

If you’re happy to answer just one last thing (and then I’ll stop pestering you!): if you could give 2–3 “litmus test” questions / indicators you’d use to (a) test whether Ibstock has genuinely improved, and (b) feel confident about Thomas’s despite being new — what would they be?

Either way, thank you again. It’s genuinely useful to hear the perspective of someone who has moved schools and seen the contrast.