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 🙏

Thanks for replying. I appreciate you sharing your perspective and I’m sorry your experience with Ibstock was so disappointing. We’ll take it on board alongside other sources and do our own due diligence for our child’s specific needs. Wishing your DC all the best at Thomas’s.

Just one factual question (and then I’ll leave it): when parents asked about the Y11 → sixth form departures, do you happen to know roughly how many stayed on vs left (even ballpark), and what the most common destinations were? No worries if you’d rather not share.

All the best.

Thanks! That’s really helpful context. Wishing you and your DC all the best.

What are your thoughts after the holder offer event in Ibstock please? I ve read all the comments and am confused as we had a really good feeling about the school. We would love to share with others their feelings about yesterday event and if it has confirmed the good feeling or not. Thank you so much.

I have had 2 dcs go through Ibstock Place School. They started in Year 7, under the old Head, so it was a very different school back then. Quite strict, lots of prep and not strong on neurodiversity etc, but we still thought it was a little gem. Historically it has always been described as a ‘marmite’ school on Mumsnet… but we have all loved it! My dc have had lots of support and achieved incredible results at GCSE and A level.

Lots of changes under the new Head and it has become much more relaxed than it ever was! In my experience it is a school that really listens to the parents. Pastorally, we have had positive experiences with staff when there have been problems and they have always been dealt with sensitively. Communication has been very good on the whole, and they have always been quick to respond to us on any issues that might have cropped up.

Over the years lots of pupils leave at sixth form and the last Year 11 was a larger year group of around 120 so it’s not surprising that not all of them stayed. Unfortunately some don’t quite make the points cutoff, others want to go to more academically rigorous schools and some just fancy a change (esp if they have been at the school since the age of 4)!

We have noticed an uplift in the fees and the added VAT has been brutal (across most other independent schools also). The extra cost for the school bus from Barnes Station has surprised me the most as it used to be pro bono, but the older pupils tend to get the public buses to/from the station anyway so that doesn’t affect us now.

Whilst I appreciate that no school is perfect and the experience is very much on an individual basis, we have only good things to say about IPS. At the end of the day it really does depend on your child, the friends that they make and the effort that they put in to ensure they experience the best that they can through their journey. No two pupils will have the same experience but no matter where they go to school in London, they will
pretty much all end up at the same universities doing similar courses as those from primary school who went to other secondary schools in the area.

I would say - in terms of your state alternative - that Ashcroft has a reputation for being incredibly, draconianly strict. Which might work for its cohort, but might not be what you are after.

We are a family that is looking at Ibstock for our DS In Sep 2026. All our experiences and visits to the school have been really positive and children seem well balanced, calm and helpful.
Is anyone else slightly worried looking at so many posts deleted consistently across threads where Ibstock is being discussed ?
Also, any current parents pls can you provide feedback around diversity at the school. Thank you

There was one poster I remember whose posts bordered on libel I thought at the time which is probably why they were all deleted. She really had an axe to grind.
I'm no longer an Ibstock parent so I can't give you any info but good luck 💐

I’ve noticed a few replies have been withdrawn, but I don’t know why so I won’t speculate. We’re a Sep 2026 family too and just trying to get a clearer, real-world picture beyond the extremes online.

If any current/recent parents are happy to share (even in broad terms): how is the Y7 transition in practice — do new starters feel well supported, and what tends to be the biggest adjustment? What’s the day-to-day atmosphere like for the children (calm/busy/pressurised etc.)?

And one factual question if you happen to know: roughly how many tend to stay on into sixth form vs leave after Y11, and what are the most common destinations/routes?

Any insight much appreciated.

I think the only negative posts have come from the same two posters - and even those recent ones from the same poster again last week have now been deleted. Perhaps they had a big argument with the school and signed something agreeing to stop posting about it - hence the posts that are each only live for 48 hours before deletion?

As all other feedback I’ve received from
other sources has been good I am not worrying about the negative posts - there will always be some kids and families that don’t work out at any school.
We are choosing the school for Sept 2026 and have had it highly recommended by various people we trust (including a prep school head who highly recommends it) 😊

You are right. The negative / deleted posts come from the same poster for some years now. At the time of choosing secondary school, I was put off by this poster but in the end, I decided to make the decision myself, following my gut and speaking with people I knew who highly recommended Ibstock. I'm pleased I did. I couldn't make a better decision. What I find excellent is the balance between academic and extracurricular activities. Academic Clinics, clubs, recital productions, Charity Fashion Show, musicals, and sports. My daughter has never been so active and involved before (at her primary) and this has also been good for her self-confidence. She has a friend, and she wants to do well. She is happy every morning of going to school and if she doesn't agree with something she is happy to speak up for herself at school ( I read somewhere in Mumsnet that people are supposed to be afraid to speak up at Ibstock. I wonder who can be afraid and why )

My DS joined Ibstock for Y7, now in Y9. Y7 was tough for him, we also moved countries before starting Y7 so he had a lot of change, and he’s pretty shy. However, once he made some friends and was more used to the UK way of school he settled in and is very happy there now. He’s made some lovely friends and they genuinely care and support each other. Academically we have no concerns, he’s doing very well and manages his homework well. His confidence has grown since being at Ibstock. He’s not a sporty kid but has tried so many new to him sports, tried various clubs and even goes to school early now, and stays for a club after school on Fridays!

For the poster asking about SEN and Dyslexia, I would urge caution here unless the school's approach has changed a lot since the appt of a new head of Academic Mentoring and the departure of the previous Academic Head. Hopefully it has, but my DC had a terrible battle to get the bare minimum of support (far from alone in this too) and they are not willing/skilled in looking for supporting evidence when a real issue is picked up elsewhere. The attitude generally was one of dogged resistance to providing support as it was inconvenient. Access arrangements for exams were also a shambles. This all compounded the associated lack of self esteem and it's a shame as otherwise it is an excellent school with some fabulous teachers. I hope this aspect of it has changed but definitely worth looking into.