King Edward's (KES) vs Kingswood School, Bath

[helleborus]

Seriously considering applying to KES and/or Kingswood for DS for YR7 entry next Sept. Live outside Bath so have only been able to judge them on basis of open days. Would love to hear the experience of MN's in Bath/surrounding area of either school at senior level, or gossip you've heard on the grapevine (good or bad)!

Do people prep their DCs heavily for the entrance exams and worry about getting a place, or are the schools willing to take anyone writing a cheque in the current climate?

Are most of the families affluent or is there a significant proportion of families that are making serious sacrifices to pay the bills? Concerned the extras may mount up quickly and about pressure to take part in expensive overseas trips.

Do they expect your life to totally revolve around the school? We got the impression that there may be little room for any outside commitments, especially for Kingswood.

Also interested in how good their pastoral care is.
Thanks!

Kingswood felt warmer to me. I think KE is more academic. I guess for us the boarding is a negative as it means that 25% are not local children.

Have friend with bad experience of KE nursery/junior school.

I have heard that Kingswood expect a lot of your time and that your child will have little time left to do anything else.

Not sure about pastoral care.

My son went to Kingswood from 11 to 18.( left around 2007) -
My son just sat the enterance exam - He was not coached and came from a rural state primary school Neither is going to the prep school or senior school an automatic entry to the next part of the school.
He started off as a day boy but as we couldn't rely on trains l used to take him by car - 6am start ( breakfast en route ) after supper, prep and protracted good byesto friends - arrive home 10:30ish. As he became more involved in school life it became impossible - he flexiboarded and the following year weekly - to full board depending on sporting ( & dentention ) committments. We used to go to watch him where ever he was playing - because we wanted to. He also hated the school because he wanted to stay with his friends - we had alot of help from his housemaster tochange his attitudes.
The School is very strict about uniform, behaviour and manners. You are left in no doubt if you read the hand book what is expected. The same for students and this is reinforced at the front of their diaries that they get given each term ( or they used to ) If you don't agree with this then this may not be the school for you.
They do get the opportunity to travel he spent 6weeks in kenya in his first year on an exchange - Pembroke Colledge ( they come to Kingswood if they pass common enterence - methodist school) this was awonderul opportuniy and thereis alot of fundraising and sponsorship done to keepcosts to a minimun. He went to Russia and Berlin in other years linked to history courses. There are other exchanges with South Africa ( Methodist ) - many of the children come to Kingswood for their senior years - like the Kenya trip they meet familiar faces.
My son was bright but did not always apply himself His GCSE's were OK - A levels enough to get him into a Russell Group uni. However what he took away with him was an ability to organise himself and his work. Problem solve and is respectful and caring about others. He was very self reliant and better prepared than most for uiversity life. They seem to turn out well rounded and confident young people, who, in my experience have good communication and interpersonel skills. During his time there he did some community work with MIND which he still does. He went to work in Germany and learnt german for his gap year. Having finshed his 1st degree he decided he would like to do Medicine and so sorted out his GAMSAT etc tests and has just started his Medical degree.
It was very expensive to send my son here, but we had a child with a learning difficulty that was not adressed by the state system. Had it been left to his primary - he would be stacking shelves in Tesco or worse. He has only achieved what he has done because he got the right help at the right time and a school which did not allow it to get in the way of his potential and with us gve him a belief that if he worked he could do anything he wanted.
We had the resources to pay for it. There are burseries available - most parents were like us - paying and deciding what we could and could not have. Yes there are some very wealthy and or children with famous parents - but when in school they are treated all the same.
Pastol care is exellent - they have a tutor group system within a "House system " Day and borders belong to the houses. As they go up the school, through a prefect system , they have responcibility to help ad counsil younger ones. In my experience communications beween home and school were good - although they would usually phone about 7:30pm - l'd have a gin - then phone back!! It ment that home and school were "singing from the same hymn sheet" a consistant line taken over an issue. There were some things that irritated me but the positive far outweighted the negative.
As well as KES, look at Prior Park.

Mags - that's interesting - thanks. I'm not the OP, but can I ask you about the trips abroad you mention?

They sound expensive - do children have to go on these, and do most of the class go?

Thanks

Sorry DoNotHaveAClue have only just found thread again
Trips were no more expensive than our frinds have paid at state school for ski-ing. Kenya ( if l remember was £600 for 6weeks -? 1999ish ) they stayed at the school ( which is a similar school to Kingswood ), had some lessons there so costs were minimal. Parents took the children for weekends and obviously there were trips - inclusive of flights and transport. However the children had fund raising events and the teachers had got sponsorship and "team clothing"
Not all children go on all trips - for example in 6th form there was a sports tour of Australia but my son wasn't selected because he had done other things - he was quite matter of fact about it. Ski ing and flotila sailing holidays were also arranged for families to join together - and l guess get a good price. l have no experience of this as we did other things. Sadly the teacher who arranged these died unexpectedly. He and his wife put a huge amount of effort into it so this may have changed.

Interested although this was 9 years ago! Which school did your child with learning difficulties go to? Thank you!