Barrow Hills / King Edwards Witley

[TangerineTime]

If you are considering either Barrow Hills or King Edward’s Witley for your children, please make sure you do your research on Barrow Hills, King Edwards Witley, the Bridewell Royal Hospital (which runs both schools) and Longacre School so that you are fully informed. There is an active post on Mumsnet about the acquiring and closing of Longacre School by Bridewell, only one year after acquiring the school for free: (https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/private-school/5482929-longacre-school-closing).

If I was considering these schools for my children I would want to understand, and would have serious questions about, what has happened and why, and the implications for KEW and BH.

I think Barrow Hills and King Edwards of Witley will need to do a lot of work on rebuilding their reputation after what has happened with Longacre.

King Edwards of Witley has had a number of scandals.

Its a competitive climate out there and parents expect to be treated with respect.

I am a bit worried having read that thread regarding SEN children, I have my own AUDHD child and it doesn’t seem there are many SEN friendly schools in this area. All of them (including these two) seem to have reputations for rejecting or not wanting to support SEN children.

Both King Edwards of Witley and Barrow Hills have had to remove comments from facebook posts because of the amount of negative feedback they were receiving. They have treated parents and children (especially SEN children) at Longacre very badly. The level of disappointment in them just seems to increase as the school heads towards closure: they are arrogant at best. The parents are not going to back down and I suspect Barrow Hills and King Edwards of Witley will probably face official complaints and even law suites.

Have you looked at Frensham Heights?

And Priors’ Field. They are very supportive to those with additional needs (if a girl).
For boys St Ed’s may work too.

I have read St. Ed’s aren’t SEN friendly since their merge with St Hilary’s. We don’t want an all girls school, so have ruled out Prior’s Field - it’s also been suggested that they may be in financial difficulty.

We are going to have a tour of Frensham, though I’m not entirely sure about it as it’s quite alternative (or so I’ve been told). My child likes the rules of school and the routine, so I am not sure Frensham would be the best fit.

Personally, for both St Ed’s and Prior’s Field (although don’t want a girls’ school so can discount PF), I’d have a look and make an appointment with their Heads. Both schools are very open to individual tours and both very friendly schools.

Mumsnet chatter certainly isn’t gospel. Put the questions in AI and you will see different responses to Mumsnet for both SEN and financials.

St Ed’s and St Hilary’s are separate schools and I know a number of children at St Ed’s with a SEN background. The Head has been there a long time and knows the market well.

I also know a number of girls are very happy at Prior’s Field and I have heard they are doing a lot of work on their admissions this year. Numbers were down last year with change of Head but they are making lots of changes.

I hope Frensham Heights goes well. There was talk of FH struggling financially a while back but I think that rumour has subsided. Again, they had a new Head!

There is also Cranleigh you may find useful to visit? But I’d def have a chat with St Ed’s if you haven’t already!
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I would be concerned. All Longacre children were supposed to have a guaranteed place at Barrow Hills following Bridewell’s decision to close Longacre. Longacre isn’t a SEN specialist school but has always offered great SEN provision and is a super kind and inclusive environment. The fact that Barrow Hills is rejecting Longacre SEN children is shocking and says a lot about both Barrow Hills and Bridewell Royal Hospital. Parents of these children have had to sit them down and tell them Barrow Hills does not want them. Bear in mind, these children had previously been told that there was a guaranteed place for them at the school. Heartbreaking and so detrimental to these children’s self worth.

Im not sure where you are located and if it is an option but Seaford might be worth looking at as I hear from other parents that they have a good reputation for SEN support.

There’s so many conflicting options, I’ve also been told Seaford is better for a more robust, sporty child.

There doesn’t seem to be ‘one’ school in this area that is known to be mainstream yet SEN supporting and friendly, apart from maybe Frensham, but that’s quite alternative. There’s also Kingswood House but that’s difficult for those of us not near London.

I’ve got Bedales and Ditcham Park on my list, but know little about either of these schools.

There’s also one recommended called Great Ballard but again I know little about this and it’s not near where we live in Haslemere.

Does your children go to a prep school as they should be helping you with selections?

I would be going to all the schools and visiting- I went to some of the shortlisted schools four times to ensure they were the right ones! I had various meetings and with SEN told. It’s a big investment. You need to work out what’s right for your child, and take others’ views in the round. Have you thought about getting a Good School Advisor? I think it may help you.

If you are looking for Mixed SEN supportive school, so I’d look at all those above, including Seaford.

Sorry trying to be helpful rather than bossy! But everyone’s views on schools will differ as everyone’s child is unique (and you will go round in circles. I found it such a stressful process and was so glad when it was over.

They do but not locally - we moved to Haslemere fairly recently - we’ve been making a long journey to school rather than moving them. I’ll be glad when that is over!

It’s such a huge decision - SEN aside - but the extra layer of trying to find a school that is also nurturing and kind as well as one that will be academically stretching (but not too pressurised!) is really tricky. Very delicate balance.

A Good School’s Guide advisor is an excellent suggestion, thank you.

It’s so tough. There is no way that Bridewell / Barrow Hills were getting a penny of my money as soon as this was announced but cannot believe that they are now refusing places for some when we were all promised a place. I really hope that someone with the wherewithal hauls them over the coals for this. From all the schools we have had to look at Pennthorpe had the closest feel to Longacre. I don’t know what their SEN provision is like but I would recommend taking a look.

The really sad thing is that this ‘one’ school is Longacre, which is now being closed by Bridewell Royal Hospital at a time when there is more and more demand for mainstream, SEN friendly / supporting schools.

Personally there is no way I would send my children to Barrow Hills or King Edward’s Witley schools.

Bridewell Royal Hospital acquired Longacre School just one year prior to announcing they would close it. They acquired Longacre and all its assets (£5million in the bank and buildings and land) for free. The merge was sold to Longacre parents as a protective measure - Bridewell were apparently going to invest in our school. Help it to grow and thrive. They invested nothing, they spent nothing, minimal marketing, no open days and no dedicated admissions person (which historically we’ve always had). When pupil numbers started to drop, which of course numbers are guaranteed to do if you fail to market, Bridewell cited this as a reason (or was it an excuse?) to close the school and announced consultation to close.

Why? Longacre parents immediately suspected that Bridewell acquired Longacre to shut it down and sell of its assets to benefit Barrow Hills (where numbers are low), and King Edward’s Witley (whose finances are not all they seem to be with much of their money ringfenced). They also hoped they would absorb Longacre children into Barrow Hills to boost Barrow Hills’ pupil numbers. They announced that the Longacre Head would become the new Head of Barrow Hills, they offered ‘guaranteed’ places for pupils, a free term of fees, free uniform and bus travel. Hardly any families were interested. As a result, we assume, there is no longer a role for our head at barrow hills (or perhaps she’s jumped from a sinking ship?). Now it transpires that Longacre pupils with SEN need have been refused places at Barrow Hills. They are an absolutely despicable bunch.

Bridewell failed to identify any educational investors prior to, or during, consultation. Parents in their spare time though very quickly identified two, one of whom has submitted offers. Why have Bridewell failed to find any educational investors to sell the school to, to keep the site as a school to benefit pupils, parents, teachers, the community? Was it more incompetence or did they even try? Perhaps finding an educational investor was not in their interests if they always planned to sell the site to the highest bidder (ie a developer) to boost their other schools?

As I’ve said on another thread, what Bridewell Royal Hospital does next will be very telling. Will they sell the site to an educational investor (there are offers in) so the site can continue as a school (benefiting pupils, teachers, the local community and future families)? Or will they deliberately find fault with any EI offer and sell out to the highest bidder for residential development (despite receiving Longacre School and all its assets for free only one year ago and to-date having spent none of their own money on it). We are all watching 👀!

What I don’t understand in this saga - having read the various threads - is on the one hand people are claiming Barrow Hills has falling numbers but then on the other hand Barrow Hills is rejecting children with SEN. Those two things don’t seem to add up? Are they simultaneously struggling for numbers and rejecting fee paying SEN children? It doesn’t make sense logically.

From my experience I don’t think that much of what The Royal Bridewell Foundation does makes sense logically, ethically or morally.

As posted on another thread:

Appalled. Match teas at Longacre used to consist of pasta with tomato sauce, cheese and a flapjack for the children. Now children are being given packets of crisps. Apparently Bridewell have cut the food budget. What have Bridewell done with all Longacre’s money? I wonder how the match teas at barrow hills and King Edwards’s Witley are looking?!?!

Why are King Edwards and Barrow Hills School not aware of the bad feeling amongst parents. Their customer base are parents who talk to each other. In ignoring parents from one school and not communicating fully they are showing arrogance and a lack of respect.

Not the type of behaviour people you expect from a education institution and charity.

There is a lot of talk about general poor treatment of Longacre parents, staff and children.

I should think Barrow Hills and King Edwards Parents are fairly worried about this kind of behaviour.