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Private school

Connect with fellow parents here about private schooling. Parents seeking advice on boarding school can vist our dedicated forum.

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Original poster

Barrow Hills / King Edwards Witley

30 replies

TangerineTime · 14/04/2026 23:43

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.

Page 8 | Longacre School Closing | Mumsnet

Is it true that Longacre is closing? Wasn't it literally just bought by a group?

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/private-school/5482929-longacre-school-closing?page=8

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

LouGPC · 31/05/2026 18:34

AI has been known to be incorrect also…

LouGPC · 31/05/2026 18:38

it doesn’t make sense. But they have just made one bad decision after another anyway so why should it. Absolute shambles the whole Bridewell foundation. Absolutely sickening!!! I pray to dog they don’t get away with this!!! Absolutely mental

Original poster

TangerineTime · 05/06/2026 19:57

Oh the irony! King Edwards Witley has just posted on Facebook that it has been shortlisted in the Education Choices Awards as a finalist for working with local charities! They state ‘enduring values of kindness, compassion and authentic connection underpin our support of local charities, a core school activity’.

How laughable! May I remind Bridewell (who runs KEW) that Longacre is a charity. I feel I can speak on behalf of Longacre parents and teachers that there has been an absolute and total absence of kindness, compassion or authentic connection in any of our dealings with Bridewell since they acquired Longacre for free and closed it down a year later, pocketing Longacre’s money (clear to be seen on the latest published accounts) whilst refusing to sell the school to an educational investor who has now submitted 3 bids to buy the school to save it for families, teachers and the community (presumably because they have a handshake deal with a developer who is willing to pay more to raze the site and build housing or a care home). What utter contemptuous greed. Where are the enduring values of kindness and compassion for Longacre pupils and staff - no where to be seen!

OP posts:

Emeraldwoods · 11/06/2026 10:06

I suppose they believe that Charity begins at home and they are using one charity to feed their own. Survival at any cost doesn't exist and they are creating a path to their own downfall. Barrow Hills and Kings Edwards of Witley parents and staff should speak to the schools and ask them to think about the negative impact this all haves on their reputations.

missewwe · 02/10/2026 14:14

Trickletreacle · 16/04/2026 16:54

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!
I

Hi! Sorry to be late to the conversation! We’re also looking for a secondary school in the same area.
Can I just say that Frensham Heights is not struggling financially, and I really think it’s worth stopping the spread of those rumours.
The new Head at FH must be one of the nicest and most ambitious of all the heads we’ve met so far in our search for a secondary school for our ADHD DD. FH is probably not for us in the end, but we thought it was great- and definitely much nicer and better organised than King Edward’s, which we recently had the pleasure of visiting for their open day!
Unfortunately, we found the King Edward’s open day a bit of a mess. I suspect the students are usually the best ambassadors for their own school, but based on our visit, some of the King Edward’s students could perhaps learn a little more about making prospective families feel welcome.

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