Riddlesdown Collegiate/ Croydon High any recent feedback?

[DStone]

Hi I'm looking for a school for my DD who is currently in yr5. We had a good feeling about Riddlesdown when we visited at the open evening but I'm not 100% sure. I've read the old threads but just wondered if anyone has any recent experience of the school? Any negatives to consider? We are looking for a school with good pastoral care where the kids are encouraged to do their best but are not overly pressured. I just feel that when a child is happy they will do well so good pastoral care is very important. My DD is very creative but also loves science. We are also considering Croydon High but have heard mixed opinions on Croydon High so a little confused on what choice to make.

My dd has just started year 7. Loves it. Strict discipline especially time keeping but lots of positive reinforcement and praise to counter balance it. The excellence curriculum set up is good as it is taught by one tutor so provides a teacher who knows them as good as their tutor and takes an active pastarol care role. All are encouraged to do at least one extra curriculum club. Dd has just done the conservation volunteer duty and loved it.

You've started a thread about Rosebery as well - they are a long way apart so I was just wondering where you live and how realistic it is that you would be offered a place at either (assuming you are not planning to move before this time next year). I know people who live in Coulsdon for example who have successfully got places at Riddlesdown, but would be too far away from Rosebery.

If you are looking at independent options as well, Woldingham has excellent pastoral care, great facilities for art and drama, brand new science labs and strong academic results. Has a variety of local school minibus routes.

That's encouraging Lacebell thank you for the feedback. I had a good feeling about the school when we went round, the teachers all seemed quite enthusiastic about their subjects and the kids seemed quite friendly with my DD. Does the school feel too big or does the college system help with that? My DD is in a relatively small primary school. I also heard from another parent that looked around that they'd heard there was competitiveness between the colleges and that the kids from each college stick together and don't mix well with kids from the other colleges but I didn't get that impression at all when I looked around. Have you heard of anything like that?

We live near to Riddlesdown now Merlottime but one option is to move if we have to my DH works in Epsom. I haven't looked around Woldingham but one thing that put me off is that it's Catholic. I know they accept other faiths but I don't want a big chunk of my DD's day to be taken up with religious beliefs we don't follow especially if we are paying for it plus Woldingham school fees are at the high end of private and I don't want to feel too stretched if we can avoid it as we have other children. Rosebery seems like a good option because they have good results and I think overall girls do better in a single sex school but not sure what the pastoral care is like at Rosebery.

The college system makes it feel like a smaller school as mostrich lessons are in that college and most teachers upto year 10 are just for that college. My dd was from a one class intake school and manages. There is competition between colleges sometimes too enthusiastically but concerns can be emailed to school. You can go onto website and find weekly newsletters to get a feel of it. They are huge twitter users as well.

Understood. My DD goes to Woldingham - we are not Catholic and came from a state primary. We initially had the same reservations as you, but talking to other parents with DDs at the school on here gave me a lot of reassurance. There are very occasional masses, but these aren't really more than an assembly now and again. We felt that another non Catholic Indi that we looked round (RR) was much more religious on a daily basis ironically.

Thanks Lacebell, I've started to look at the news letters and I quite like the fact that they are fairly frequent so as a parent you know what's going on. We are also going to go to the 6th form open evening which for us is a little far off but it gives us another opportunity to get a feel for the school. Thanks again for your help such a difficult decision.

Will definitely keep Woldingham as a consideration Merlottime as I have heard good things about it but I want to exhaust the non fee paying options first, thanks for bringing it to my attention.

I no longer live in Croydon, but have you looked at Warlingham? It is rated as ofsted Good. My nephew and niece went there and have done very well for themselves.

We did look at Warlingham but preferred Riddlesdown and so did my DD

My DD is Y8 at CHS and is loving it. She went from state primary last year - I was concerned about fitting in with the established group moving up from the Junior school, but she has settled in well and made lots of friends. She was the only one from her school who went there.
The school expects girls to do their best, but I don't think there is too much pressure. they monitor progress closely to keep the girls on track. Of course they had a new Head start in September. I haven't met her yet, and we wait to see which direction she will take the school, but I think the previous Head did a lot to improve standards, ethos and reputation, so hopefully that will continue.