Seaford College - advice welcome

[Menagerie5]

Hi there,

We live in SW London and are considering a move near Haslemere in the next couple of years. We have twins age 10 (boy & girl) + a 13 yr old daughter, so planning on 13+ and 16+ entry. We have been around a few schools in the area and really loved Seaford College. I just wondered if anyone had any first-hand experience of the school and could share them with me?

We would like to keep our twins together, one is academic and the other sporty - both would love the space, extra-curricular activities and pastoral care the school offers, but I want to be sure that they will be challenged academically as well. I have read that they are introducing 'Academic Seaford' but wanted to know what that actually entails.

I also wanted to know how strong the girls sports teams are, as I know that the girls are outnumbered by the boys.

Re sixth forms for my eldest, she loves languages which not many children seem to take at Seaford. We are still however considering it, any thoughts on other schools to consider? Places on my list include Churchers and Godalming Sixth Form College.

Thanks!

My DS is at Seaford. He joined at 13+ and loves the school. Pastoral care is great. We like the challenge grade/personal best approach to academic subjects. That's the key part of how they stretch and monitor kids.

DS dyslexic so we chose partly for learning support but also wanted to ensure that he was being academically pushed and couldn't slip under radar. Among his friends a range of kids who will get top grades along with others like him who find academics pretty hard.

Lots of sport and out door activities available.

Drama and music also seems really strong and although that's not DS's thing he loves attending all the events and watching his friends.

Don't know about 6th form but some parents we've met on sidelines have kids who are in older years or kids who are now at uni. Seem like good unis and include medicine - so I take from that they support the academic kids well.
On GCSE and A level results day, they seem to celebrate range of results.

Re girls - think it's been a bigger focus in recent years. They seem to have as many fixtures as the boys and good coaches. Hard for me to judge how good teams are.

Think a lot of kids do travel from
Haslemere on bus or driven.

I'd say if you want all your kids to go to one school and have different interests and academic abilities, it's definitely good one for your list.

Happy to chat about Churchers - I have a DS in 6th form and one in Yr8

Thanks very much @customerisqueen, that's really helpful and great to hear that your DS is enjoying it there.

The children & staff we met on the open day were delightful and it seemed as though the school has hit the right balance of work & warmth/fun. My children loved the idea of having a dog you could walk in the pink house!

It seemed a grounded & inclusive school - Did your DS find it easy to settle in? Do kids come from both state primary and prep school backgrounds?

Anything to say about the head? He didn't give a speech on the open day so hard to get a sense of his vision for the school.

Any negatives/gripes about it?

Hi @Lara53,

We really liked Churchers - I thought the head was very impressive. The main intake seems to be at 11+ with a lot of competition for very few places at 13+ so harder for our twins to get in. However definitely thinking about it for our eldest DD for sixth form.

Is there a good girl/boy mix in sixth form and do you know if many people join the school at 16+? My daughter loves sport, art, music & is pretty solid academically - we're looking for an inclusive sixth form to build confidence & independence and offer her lots of interesting opportunities.

Are you happy with the school, what would you say it's strengths/weaknesses are?

Thanks!

I have heard some bad things about Seaford and I would be very careful OP. It has changed its ethos in the last few years, from being a caring, pastoral non-selective school to being more academic, and some children have been pushed out as a result.

PM me if you want more details.

Keen to know if you ended up going with Seaford? I have 10 year old twins also! Boy girl! We are also looking at Seaford as well as Amesbury. Would love to know your thoughts

I would 100% recommend Seaford College, it has been a great school experience for my DS. It is a kind, nurturing school, seeking to get the best out of the child. It has everything on offer, great sport for both boys and girls, the drama productions are first class, music aplenty. Great CCF programme too. I would say that the boy/girl ratio has evened out over the years. The Headmaster turned the school around when he joined and it is now oversubscribed, a school of choice for many. He cares passionately about the students always present at events, sports matches, a truly personable gent. Staff very friendly, genuinely caring about the students. Fantastic coach network so easily accessible to many surrounding areas. And the grounds are amazing. Highly recommend.

I have 3 friends with kids at Seaford and they are all happy with it. The kids seem happy too. If we lived nearer I would look at it.

Hi all

Thanks so much for your very helpful comments. It’s really appreciated. We decided to trust our instinct and our twins have now got a place at 13+ for 2022. We met the headmaster and felt that it was a school that fit with our family ethos.
It has been difficult not to get swept away comparing exam results with more competitive schools but we are going with our gut feeling that the children will thrive here & achieve.

Now we just need to sort out moving house in time!!

Still pondering on sixth forms for our eldest. Definitely have Churchers on our list & maybe Seaford. She loves languages, science & sport. I would like a school that has a decent intake at year 12 and has a down to earth approach. And accessible from Haslemere! She is not so keen to move as she loves her London state school so we have our work cut out for us!