Rochester Independent College

[orangesugarsheep]

Has anyone any experience of either the one year GCSE courses or A level study here? Are considering moving our dc as not happy with his current school. Thanks!

My DS is on the 18 month A level course and is absolutely thriving. Was very unhappy at previous school and has "blossomed" since starting at RIC. Very supportive teaching staff but it's not your "run of the mill" sixth form college. So pleased he's there.

many thanks for reply - we are looking at moving in year 11 and doing one year GCSE first - have visited and thought it looked fantastic but hard to really know what its like to be a student!! Did he find it hard to settle in and are the other students friendly?

I'm afraid I can't comment on year 11s as they're separate from those in the A level years but my son settled in really quickly. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming and the teaching staff have been fantastic. The lack of nit picking rules have been a relief for him and he's embraced the ethos with maturity. Has your DS had a taster day there?

Hi - we are going next week for two days - one day is specially for children going into year 11. We looked round and he wanted to start there and then -logistics are horrendous but we'll find a way if its right!! Does your son board?

He does board and really enjoys it. The journey back on a Sunday night takes us 25 minutes. However if he was a day boy the traffic during the week would mean it would take us well over an hour (and a lot of stress) to get him there! Don't see why you can't board in Yr11.

Hi orangesugarsheep
Just wondering whether your dc attended Rochester Independent College as we are considering joining for Year 11 also and would be nice to have any recent feedback
Thanks

My sister sent my nephew year 11 to this school last year.
He was at a local grammar and was not happy and wasn’t achieving the grades that were expected
He is at Rochester ( currently doing GCSES) and has thrived.
The atmosphere is very relaxed ( no school uniform and teachers are called by their first names). Despite this, my nephew is on course for top grades.

Thank you areyoubeingserved, that’s really helpful and good to hear recent positive feedback. Good luck for your Nephew.

Hi, we’re looking at RIC for our daughter. She’s 15, bright and creative. She’s struggled with anxiety for years and was diagnosed ASD last summer. She’s high masking! This year the wheels have come off and despite bing very capable she just hasn’t had the capacity to even go into school. Moving to RIC would be a bit drastic as we live in Cheshire but we’d do it if it’s the right place for her. It looks amazing! There’s not much on the website re the sen policy etc though which worries me a bit. Has anyone had experiences with ASD and RIC. I’d be so grateful to hear about your experiences and any advice xx

I moved my daughter aged15 mid GCSEs onto the one year GCSE course - we lived in Cumbria. I have never regretted it. She has ADHD they accept children at all stages of the spectrum and do wonders with them. She stayed for A levels got A*AA and a first in her degree. It changed her life and gave her back her confidence.

Thanks so much for responding. This is amazing to hear. The fear is uprooting her and her not settling as she’s so fragile at the moment but I genuinely believe that in the right settling she would thrive. Really appreciate the response and I’m so happy for you and your daughter. Life changing x

Hi Clare
we took her out of her previous school as she was self harming and her confidence in herself had gone. RIC reversed all that. I honestly can’t speak high enough of the school or the teachers. Happy to answer more via private message if you have any questions

Thanks so much. PM seems to be down but hopefully it’ll come back up and I’ll send you a private message. Thank you again for sharing the positive feedback.
One other question! Sophie’s brother is in Y7, he’s neurotypical, happy in state school (well, doesn’t love some teachers but generally happy!), plays football, loves his friends etc. I’m worried about moving him but logistically I think d have to as we’d move to Rochester!!! Any perspective on how a kid like him might settle/not settle at RIC? X

so nice to hear all this positive feedback. Both mine are ND , highly sensitive but also very capable academically so we are looking at this school too. My concerns were also that this might be good option for older teens but maybe not for pre teens or someone sporty, so it's great to hear such positive stuff about starting in year 7. Thanks for sharing.