Sedbergh School Cumbria

[Ceebeejay]

Has anyone on here any recent experience of Sedbergh? We are interested for our 2 DC both good at sports and bright but are concerned that several parents at their current school say it is not academic enough for them! We want a broad education with academics, sport and arty things in balance. We liked the new head and were impressed. many thanks!

[Gracie76]

Yes, I also saw that too, on the BBC. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-21584290
The new school is going to have such fantastic facilities. I agree with what you say about the boys and girls being a credit to the school, greedygoose. I went to the annual Jazz and Swing concert last month, as a guest, and I was so impressed - not just by the quality of the performances but by the genuine passion and enthusiasm the boys and girls showed and the way they were so mature and welcoming. Some of them waited on tables, some performed, and some did ad lib interviews with the host. It really did feel like a jazz club. I also saw Cabaret at Casterton a few years ago, well probably about 10 years ago, and was really impressed with that, too. They're going to be a formidable combination and it's not as if girls are new to Sedbergh. It's over ten years since they went co-ed.

[JoSavage]

Sedbergh and Casterton just announced a merger!!!

[hels71]

Hmmm....merger? More like Casterton is closing and Sedbergh are taking over the buildings for their prep school with exisiting Casterton pupils being allowed to join Sedbergh without having to do an entrance exam.....

[mrsshackleton]

"I have yet to meet an adult who went to Sedburgh who is normally nice (iyswim) they mostly are arrogant bullies, one or two are totally crushed by the whole experience."

Two of the loveliest adults I know (and one is extremely successful, the other doing just fine) went to Sedbergh, just to rebalance.

[Ceebeejay]

Wairy - your youngest dd must be with mine then - is she sporty?
I am happy about the move to Casterton mainly because the school was outgrowing the junior section - my main concern is regarding the boarding houses at the Casterton site as the ones at the moment are so nice!

[Highoaks]

Hello - I notice that some people have mentioned the merger between Casterton & Sedbergh Schools. Can I just say as an update, that over two thirds of Casterton parents are opposing this merger and are in the process of taking legal advice. School Governors announced the merger to a school assembly of 11-17 year old girls, many of whom are boarders with their parents on the other side of the world, without any consultation with parents. Most parents only found out when their distressed daughters telephoned their parents after the announcement. Sedbergh seem keen to rush it through. Parents of Casterton school are asking why that is?

[thegreylady]

Our next door neighbours at our previous house sent their son To Sebergh and he was extremely happy there.He was more sporty than academic and a lovely boy.

[chocolateshoes]

Helis - I heard exactly that - that Casterton was closing and that Sedbergh had pounced as they did a few years ago with Bentham Grammar.

[LeucanTheMopsis]

Casterton openly admit they have a problem getting numbers in.

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

That's a bit of a shame really, I had friends at Casterton who loved it. Also choosing an all girls' school that then becomes mixed is more of a problem than doing it the other way around!

P.S. Ceebeejay, is your DD's sport lacrosse?

[JoSavage]

I would be furious if I were a Casterton parent.. They signed up to single sex education, not possibly the roughest PS in the country! It is very bad form from the Casterton Governors.. It would have been better form to close gracefully..

[FelicityWasCold]

What about the Casterton staff- are they out of a job?

[JoSavage]

Staffing will be 'announced' at the end of March

[FelicityWasCold]

So probably yes then- it must be horrendous for them all

[chocolateshoes]

www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/education/10271366.Angry_parents_in_High_Court_bid_to_halt_Casterton_Sedbergh_schools__merger/?ref=mr

[hels71]

Apparently the Casterton parents have put forward a rescue package but the governors can not possibly meet them until after the deal is done...

[Ceebeejay]

PolkadotsAndMoonbeams - it was one of her sports pre Sedbergh - they don't do it at all in Junior so she has done none since Sept.
hels71 - how many girls are transferring over to Sedbergh? I agree the schools are completely different - Sedbergh is a really friendly school though - no idea why JoSavage calls it the roughest PS in the country? Sport is really high standard but the boys/girls that play at really high levels are perfectly nice off the sports field!!

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

Ah ok. It was when you said before there had been some teething problem with her sport, I wondered if it was lacrosse because it was my favourite as I thought it was probably the most unusual out of the ones played at her last school! (I've been on threads about there with you before, but have name changed since.)

I do feel sorry for the girls (and parents) who've chosen an all girls' school and are now either going to have to go co-ed or move somewhere completely new. It seems a shame to split the forms up like that, although I can see there are advantages. It's harder to see when you're the one without any choice in the matter though.

[Storemansteve]

What a pity that the person who wrote the comment about Sedbergh being only for 'thick rugby players' could not even spell Sedbergh correctly!

[hartlington]

My children attend Sedbergh they were very unhappy, I was deeply disappointed with their experience. They encountered bullying which seems to have blighted Sedbergh for decades the rugby scholars who are the pinnacle of the school's hierarchy (leaving full fee-paying parents of above-average talent sons to miss out on the opportunity to represent their school), the school struggled with the myopic culture this creates. Sedbergh School provides lip service online to bullying and responses to my sons' complaints, sadly one of my children lived in daily fear of some older boys in his younger years. Both felt isolated and lonely. The school struggles academically and appears to rely heavily on targeted marketing off the back of rugby and cleaver pictures and videos, not parental and family referrals resulting in the recruitment of many boys and girls unfamiliar with boarding. A total disaster for my kids who could have achieved much more at a different school or even a state school saving £35,000 per year. Finally, the higher than average rainfall and cold temperatures, wind, and the dark grey winter months added to the already depressing experiences. Look elsewhere...

[CovidPassQuestion]

So whyever did you send them there? And why did you leave them there if your son was so unhappy? I should have thought the location was known to you beforehand, and hardly kept secret.
And it's certainly widely known that the school is famed for its sport, outdoor pursuits, leadership etc not academics.