Beechen Cliff school Bath

[LovelyBath]

Hi, keep hearing from other parents it is elitist, favours the academic and the sporty. Mentions of certain children going on sporting events as they've been chosen by the headmaster and get to go play in his swimming pool!

Does anyone have any views on this? My husband went to the open evening and said it didn't seem like that. Son liked it as had an exciting science demonstration.

Both my brothers went there (one still there), was great for the academic one and seems it is also great for the less academic one. Neither is sporty and both report being very happy, I've never heard of the ht's private swimming pool!

Meant to add you will find in any school that the sporty children go to sports events just as the scientific children will go to engineering events and the musical ones will go to musical events.

My DS goes. I haven't heard about the headmaster's swimming pool but it did make me laugh.

My DS is probably what you'd call sporty, though isn't one of the elite athletes that attend, and distinctly average academically.

The headmaster is really encouraging and supportive of him but having been to things at the school and watching from afar he seems to have a way of making the boy he is talking to feel valued.

I have been genuinely impressed by the HM and the rest of the senior staff. Hell, all of the staff. They provide so many opportunities for the boys and there are so many ways to get involved in school life - cadets, robotic clubs, programming, all the sporting activities. There is a school cottage everyone goes. They deal with bullying well. They provide great pastoral care for the Yr7s.

Our experience has been similar to the one outlined at the open evening. I have experience of two other secondaries in the area. BC is the most impressive in the context of it being a non-selective non-fee paying school. It does feel like a school that works hard to give independent school opportunities to its pupils. Is that elitist? I haven't thought about it. I do think, brill I'm not paying and how much for a ski trip! I wish my other kids had some of the same opportunities.

I'm not sure whether the environment suits all boys though. If your boy is not a rule follower and is likely to rebel against quite a regimented environment you might want to go and take a look yourself before making a decision. Go and ask the head about his pool he runs a shooting club defo ask him about that

Thanks for your replies :-)

My son completely reacted against it both open evenings we visited (in Y5 and 6). He was adamant he didn't want to go there.

He goes to a school out of county now and although it's not been plain sailing, now in Y9 he's turned things around and is doing well.

I think you need to listen to your son, basically. Visit, gauge his opinion.