st Theresa effingham and Priors Field. Experiences please!

[holiday22]

Thinking this might be a good fit for my daughter. Currently year 5.
she has dyslexia and slow working memory.

is the school selective? She probably wouldn’t pass an entrance exam. She ideally needs learning at her own pace, repetitive messages.

currently in a state school and is struggling a little, although she tries very hard. She’s not a trouble maker and she gets on as much as possible, but this means any extra help goes to the kids who are obviously struggling.

also Considering priors field, but that would mean an hour on the school bus each way, which seems a lot!

st Theresa’s would be 45 mins on the bus.

we live near Woking

thank you!

My DD has just started at PF much to the criticism on here!
She is loving it and really enjoying the experience and making friends. They did an excellent job of inducting and making her feel welcome.
Please look round and see what you think of it!
I’ve heard good things about St T’s too but it is just too far for us.

There is an entrance exam yes, for the senior school, but they are not super selective like st cats. They do focus on a pupil holistically, but need to perform in the league tables, when my daughter was there there were a lot of Asian students boarding who performed at the top of their cohort,

we found the teachers very good, but there was a lot of girls who were not interested to learn, came from family money, wanted to coast. I’d say it’s a school of two halves,

I can’t sing Priorsfield praises enough, I have kids at various private schools and PF has been amazing. So nurturing and a wonderful environment for girls to find their strengths and talents. It is doing a great job currently of increasing revenue streams to support itself in the current VAT situation.

Hi OP,

Have a look at Moon Hall school in Reigate - it's a dyslexia independent specialist school which follows a reduced mainstream curriculum. They also have school buses from Woking. Just something else for you to consider.

Good luck with it all! Xx

Priorsfield truly is a magical place which seems to strike a balance between excellent pastoral support and inspiring every girl to be their best self. My daughter has a few friends who bus from Woking and they all seem to get their homework done in prep before the buses leave so the evening is usually their own when they get off the bus at home. The school is great at supporting girls who have different learning needs and ways of learning and takes has a very inclusive approach. I don’t know St T’s personally so can’t really comment on that one.

Sorry meant to say Priorsfield is softly selective (I think) but if your daughter needs any additional accommodations for the entrance exam (extra time/dyslexia friendly print/computer use etc) they are always happy to accommodate. I remember that the entrance day was very stress free and fun for the girls with lots of activities. My daughter didn’t like the entrance exams in any of the other schools but actually came out saying she enjoyed the Priorsfield day.

If you are Woking do check out Tormead. Lots of my daughter friends that are dyslexic / sen went there. If you get into the prep then you don’t have the horrendous 11 plus to deal with and a place in the senior school.
. Plus closer than the other schools you suggested.

I wouldn’t rule it out id defo ring the admission dept.

Or due to the merge or what ever you want to call it. HSA (Halstead St Andrews) has a link with St T.

However, I’d defo speak to Tormead first and see what they say. Bus from Woking if you are on the Guildford side.

I mean there is also buses from Woking to St Cats too.

Personally id have a good EP assessment and see which school can meet your daughters needs.

Good luck!

I looked at tormead last week and loved it. They were very encouraging when I had a chat with them about my DD and said they do have girls like her. I do wonder if my DD would feel ‘bottom of the pile’ there and constantly trying to catch up. I definitely don’t want her to feel that in school

Good to hear all the positives about priors field too. I’m going to see that next.
thank you

I have noticed on any posts mentioning Priors Field there seems to be a mass amount of staff parents singing it’s praises. This seems contrary to many current parent viewpoints on the school. The current Year 7 is small and not at capacity, suggesting they have a falling pupil roll, plus many students leaving in other year groups. I personally know parents who have removed their children due to bullying and/or the quality of teaching. I’ve also heard rumours of financial problems, which is supported by falling pupil numbers, and the facilities aren’t great (I’d encourage you to go on a tour). I’d also consider the price - £8.5k a term - comparable to King Edward’s Witley for example, that has a much better facilities, grounds and a swimming pool that isn’t in a tent.

That’s not to say it isn't an ok - or even a good school - for some girls, but I am suspicious of the PR campaigns that seem to be rife on Priors Field threads.

Having checked the fees just now - Priors field is actually more than King Edward’s for Year 7 and Year 8 - at almost £10k a term!

I promise you that I am a parent and not working for the school!!!

I’m interested in Prior’s Field and I want it to succeed, like all the private schools, as it’s a tough market out there.

I’m genuinely a happy parent with a happy child.

I looked at King Ed’s - it personally wasn’t for us as felt too ‘boy’ orientated. It has some strengths - the Head and great DT department with good facilities (although I personally felt they were not that strong for those who are into creative arts). Fees are obviously a factor but I don’t equate fees with facilities but how happy and motivated my child feels. I also wanted a single sex school.
But visit King Ed’s too, if that location works. Worth visiting as many as you can to make your own personal opinion!!!

I am a parent also of PF and my daughter has recently joined. From day 1 she is going in very happy and coming out of school very happy too. Undeniably, it is a smaller school with smaller numbers, however, that hasn’t been a problem so far. Actually, I would say that due to smaller numbers, the girls have more opportunities to shine with their individual strengths, and the teachers have more time to get to know each child and help them reach their best. It is not a super selective school but their raison d’être as it were is to help each individual girl reach the very best of their own potential.
I am not a paid employee either, just a very happy parent with a very happy daughter.

I am deeply suspicious of those with seeming campaigns against any school. Ultimately, you have to go and look around at the variety of choices of schooling there are and make your own judgment as to where you think your own child will be happy at the end of the day.

If you’re in Woking have you looked at Farnborough Hill? Plenty of girls from there and many fit a similar profile to your DD. MY SEN DD thrived there and I can’t sing the praises of the new(ish) Head enough. It’s a school going from strength to strength….

Same here! I am def a PF parent and not working for the school! We looked at all the aforementioned schools and others in guildford and despite offers and scholarships for most my daughter settled on PF and we are very very happy she did. She is very happy, motivated and seen. She has discovered hobbies she never knew existed before starting and that is because it is small enough for everyone to be able to give a variety of things a go. King Ed’s on paper looked fab with all the great facilities but neither my daughter or I liked the feel of it as much as PF and that might be because it’s a bit boy heavy as someone else mentioned. We did visit it three times to make sure!!

I think it’s very unfair for people to judge schools based on Intake numbers as PF has always had small intake which is part of the draw and as per most other private smaller schools with VAT the numbers drop but the key is what the school will be doing to increase revenue. It sounds like PF is making efforts in lots of ways to achieve this.
I agree the only way to truly know is to keep visiting them over and over and speak to existing parents at each school. Good luck!

Yes, it does have a small intake, but the fact remains that Priors Field hasn’t managed to fill up its Year 7 - even with having a small intake. There are other private schools in the area that have small intakes, yet their Year 7 (and other year groups) are at capacity. For fees at almost £10k a term, I’d be expecting a lot more than Priors Field offers or delivers.

I don’t have any ‘skin in the game’, my children attend a different school, I am providing a level of objectivity that won’t come from current parents or staff. They are, understandably, concerned about falling pupil numbers as it means their children’s school closing and/or them being out of a job.

I would really encourage you to tour Priors Field and talk to people in real life (including any parents who have withdrawn their children). There are plenty of parents who are disappointed or disgruntled, I know that because I talk to them in real life! Look at other Priors Field threads, it is suspicious that all of these Priors Field supporters are now jumping on threads about the school - almost as though they’re been asked to...

Priors Field pupil numbers as of March 2026. 280 pupils on roll with a capacity of 450.

https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/125322

I think it’s very sad that someone who has no experience off a particular School is so willing to drag its name through the mud. If you have no experience of the school or what it has to offer or what a special place it is for so many people, then you’re not in a position to make a valuable contribution. Anyone can go and look at intake for any school and how it has changed over the years but that doesn’t reflect what else is going on. The intake has indeed dropped and is not at capacity for most of the private schools in our area regardless of what marketing may say.
The poster asked for peoples’ experiences of the schools and that is what the responders are giving, personal experience, it doesn’t mean that they have been pushed or asked to do this and it certainly doesn’t mean they work for the school!

I didn’t say I have no experience of Priors Field, I said my children don’t attend there.

Giving an opinion - or as you say, personal experience - isn’t dragging Priors Fields name through the mud, either. Any school at 62% capacity is a huge red flag and something I’d want to know and scrutinise. It’s indicative of major issues. The OP has said she is looking for a place for Year 7, she needs the school to thrive for the next 5 years, objectively the intake at Priors Field is alarming.

You’ve suggested other schools in the local area are also struggling for numbers - which other schools in the area have 62% or less capacity? I have just done searches for student numbers at other schools in the Godalming vicinity, namely King Edward’s, St Edmunds, St Catherine’s and Tormead, none of these schools have such low numbers, so I’m afraid your assertion just isn’t true.

Numbers are a problem across the whole sector. There is no denying that fees are expensive and the costs are no longer possible for many families. I have heard some local independent mixed schools where in Yr 7 the number of one sex is in single figures. I won’t say the schools’ names as it’s not fair.

However, my view is go with what fits your child. We don’t know what will happen with any school in the future - even those that seem to be doing well.

I just went with my gut feeling, and of course everyone’s views on this are different, but the induction process has been really strong there and my daughter is coming home happy and excited, albeit very tired in her first few weeks.

Undeniably numbers have declined, but a school with 62% capacity is a worry and other local options do not have this deficit. OP also mentions her child has some learning difficulties. One of my children has SEN and transitions and settling can be very difficult for ND children, I would want to be assured that whatever school I chose would likely be operational for the duration of my child’s education. Low Year 7 intake, students leaving in upper years, struggles retaining staff are all real issues which parents need to be aware of. I wouldn’t want any parent to be in the position of the Royal School students - similar rumours and trajectory was apparent in the years leading up to its closure.

I don’t think you can guarantee the future of most of the private schools in the UK at the moment so you would be foolish to be planning that a private school would be the one for a full seven years in this climate.

I’m going to exit this thread now as I have nothing more to add. The only thing I would reiterate to OP is to look at real-world pupil numbers, particularly the current Year 7 intake. If I was weighing up options for secondary provision, I would invest my money into a school with 80%+ capacity, not 62% and declining year on year.

I’ve actually looked through the published accounts of quite a few of the local independent schools recently, and I think there’s a bit more nuance to this.
Prior’s Field is one I would ask questions about. Income has fallen quite significantly over the last couple of years, pupil numbers are lower and it has reported deficits, so I don’t think concerns are unreasonable. However, 62% capacity alone doesn’t mean a school is about to close, and the latest accounts explicitly state that the governors see no material uncertainty over its financial viability.
St Teresa’s is quite different as it’s part of the much larger Effingham Schools Trust, which gives it more scale and ability to share costs and resources, although the Trust also reported a loss in its latest year.
For comparison, when I looked at the accounts, some of the local schools that appeared financially more stable included Guildford High, Tormead and Hoebridge. There are obviously different ownership structures, so it isn’t a perfect comparison.
Personally I’d look at several years of pupil numbers, income, operating surplus/deficit, cash/debt and whether a school is standalone or part of a larger group, rather than capacity alone. For PF specifically, I’d definitely ask about current pupil numbers and their plans for the next few years.

The finances historically over the past two years at PF may not reflect the current situation as significant efforts have gone into renting out the premises for other purposes during holidays etc this year which has created over 0.5 million pound of revenue to support the school during the couple of years where we are all weathering the fall out from the VAT hit. So it’s important to ask schools what they are doing proactively to support themselves financially since VAT. I think you will find that PF are doing lots and very successfully too!