Royal Hospital School Ipswich

[Weekend1]

Hi everyone
I am lucky enough to have been offered a bursary for my DD to attend RHS as boarder in the sixth form. She has only ever been to a state school. I was wondering whether anyone has had their child attend the RHS on a bursary and what their experience was like. I have heard all sorts of horror stories about 'bursary kids' being targetted/bullied. I am keen for an insight into the experience of other bursary families.

I think this would be very unlikely to happen at RHS as they have many children receiving financial help due to the forces connections .

IcedWater , interesting to hear another point of view. Do you have a DC at the school? Would you mind saying which subjects have had six teachers?

Could you say how the pastoral care is lacking?

@IcedWater, thanks for being so candid and fair. That's terrible, we've had similar staff turnover at our school. Is it a problem in other subjects?

I hadn't realised the dogs were sniffer dogs, we naively thought they were "comfort dogs". Is there a drug problem throughout the school, or mainly amongst 6th formers?

Do most Year 11s stay on or do they go elsewhere?

@IcedWater, I laughed at your comment about the sniffer dogs being comfort dogs for parents, especially as we are considering an offer from the school.

I do hope my questions were not outing in anyway and I do hope your DC's time at school hasn't been too miserable.

@Soma your questions were absolutely fine, and especially understandable if you are considering RHS.

The last thing I want to do is put you off, everybody’s experience of most aspects in life is different.

What I would say is to to make sure that the RHS regime is right for your family, as its uniqueness doesn’t suit all. Perhaps get the big piece of paper out again that has columns for the pros and cons of each school that you are considering and look at it with fresh eyes lol

If you make a choice for the right reasons after weighing up all the evidence, it is never a bad decision

@Soma. I noticed a glaring typo above, there have been six or more teachers in that GCSE subject over five terms, not five months! Sorry if this was misleading

Let’s try this again without typos, better gammar and a little less haste

The Royal Hospital School is unique in many ways, having been a parent there for a number of years I would urge prospective parents to verse themselves on its uniqueness before joining. Many will love the differences, others may not. If your DC is considering a career in the forces or enjoys sailing, RHS is undoubtedly a good option.

I would describe RHS as more of a way of life than a school. School is six days per week, and the days are long if you do not live nearby. Our DC leaves the house around 7am to catch the school bus, with buses leaving the school in the evening around 18.15. This means that DC gets home around 7pm Mon-Fri, which leaves very little downtime after supper and homework. Forget a conversation, all DC wants is to veg out in front of a screen! Saturdays are better in this respect if DC isn’t involved in sports fixtures, if they are it can mean getting home in the early evening from some away matches.

One of the benefits of Royal Patronage (The Duke of York) is to watch RHS pupils marching in uniform. It is always impressive but can also dent family time. A number of compulsory Marching days are on a Sunday, which means that DC will be in school for 13 consecutive long days. It is a tiring regime and by the end of each half term our DC is exhausted. Our DC has had to give up a couple of external activities as there simply isn’t time for them. Of course if you are a boarder, the school day is a lot shorter as it doesn’t involve travel.

There is undoubtedly a military feel to the school which has pros and cons. On a good day the school can feel full of pomp and patriotism (in a good inclusive way), but this can switch to a cold and faceless feel on a bad day. The military theme can give some pupils wings, it can have an opposite effect on others.

Like all schools there is bullying at RHS, this is this area that we feel that the school could improve. In our experience bullying is often met with a stiff upper lip in the upper echelons. We know parents who have removed their DC because of the lack of acknowledgement or response to bullying. There are signs that pastoral care is improving though, and random checks of school houses for drugs are made by sniffer dogs and their handler. This is an initiative that is being used increasingly in schools, and can only be a positive. I believe that there is also a dedicated school counsellor for those pupils that may be struggling in an aspect of their life.

The countryside is beautiful around the estuary, and there is a nice sense of well being from being in that area on a warm day. The sports facilities are decent and RHS tries to put out as many competitive teams as it can.

School work tends to be iPad based which is mainly a positive. There is now an in-house scheme to rent iPads being phased in, which isn’t cheap but it means that they an be serviced and replaced in house if necessary. Curriculum is decent with a good choice of GCSE subjects. A few parents have found that there are significant extra charges for some A level subjects, so it is worth checking that before joining as a sixth former. Cost had become a bit of an issue with some parents as RHS introduced a surcharge for school lunches around six months ago. Nobody really knows why, but the general consensus is that the quality of food had not improved as a result! Fees seem to have risen a lot over the last three or four years.

One area that is concerning as a parent, it a seemingly high staff turnover. Our friends DC is on their sixth or seventh teacher, five terms into GCSE Business. DC has found this very difficult. Only a few weeks ago another GCSE teacher was replaced three months before exams. This feels like it had been a constant background theme during our time at RHS and I dont really know why. DH feels that it is due to the long hours that teachers have to work, or from getting ‘island fever’ from living on site 24/7.

Overall we would give RHS a six out of ten, which is disappointing as we expected more when we joined a number of years ago. There are certainly aspects of RHS we would miss, but if we had our time again would have looked closer at the other schools in the Ipswich / Suffolk area.

I have a child there, and while there is some truth in what IcedWater says, I think I'd be tempted to paint a more positive picture! It is a fairly unique place, and and it certainly isn't for everyone, but I think it's a fabulous place for the children it suits well. Yes, it is very intense, and yes, it does take over your life, but it's also an exceptional experience and one that I know will stay with my son for ever. Much of what he has (and will) become is due to his RHS experience.
Our experience of pastoral care has been excellent, but I guess that, like anywhere, they don't always necessarily get it right. I've always found their response to any problem to be prompt, fair and honest.
There has been some staff turnover, but again - it doesn't suit everyone, and a lot is expected of them. The vast majority of my son's teachers are fabulous and committed.
To answer the OP's original question - I'm not aware of any stigma attached to bursaries. There are certainly some wealthy families there, but also a real mix.
And to answer the other poster's question - a good number stay on for the sixth form, but some do leave - perhaps just wanting a different experience by then. And a good number come into the sixth form from elsewhere, and are well integrated.

That is fair.........it’s rare that poor teachers come in, but it would be preferable if they stayed longer

If anything pupils with bursaries add to the richness of the school, I haven’t noticed any stigma either

@IcedWater, I didn't notice the typos.

I think your assessment seems very balanced and fair. High staff turn over in Years 10, 11 and 6th Form is just a nightmare and takes a very resilient child to cope and achieve their full potential.

I would love to hear more about the creative side of the school. Do you think creative subjects are valued?

@usedtobeboss3, would you mind me asking what your son enjoys about the school?

Creative subject are definitely valued, both as part of the curriculum and as extra-curricular activities. Art and design are very strong, and music is a massive strength of the school. There's loads going on all the time - concerts, masterclasses etc - and something like a third of all pupils learn at least one instrument.
My son enjoys the busy-ness, and the fact that there's so much happening and so many opportunities. I think it's also a perfect size - big enough for everyone to find their tribe, but small enough for staff to know pupils well. The house system works well too, and pupils are encouraged to mix beyond their year group. Socially and academically, he gets loads out of it and is extremely happy. Yes, there are times when the pace threatens to overwhelm a bit, but we've mostly found ways of dealing with that, and it's rare. But IcedWater is right - the weeks when there are Sunday commitments need careful handling. Luckily it's only about 4 Sundays a year - and the holidays are long!

@Soma, the STEM and DT area is strong I believe, and if your DC shows an aptitude they are encouraged to enter exciting National competitions. Whenever I have been in that area of the school and have seen their work on display, I tend to leave thinking that they are all young and gifted! What I can’t tell you is how the area compares to similar areas in other schools, but I imagine it stands up well.

I agree that a high staff turnover is disruptive to studies, particularly in the years that you mentioned. The GCSE students who have had six or seven Business teachers in five terms at RHS, are without doubt at a disadvantage. According to my friend, her DC says that specific exam technique is very important in Business so that answers can be structured for the examiner. Some techniques that they have been taught contradict others which leaves pupils a little bamboozled.

@usedtobeboss3 & @IcedWater, thanks so much.

It's a pain when there's a separate charge for lunch and no obvious improvement. We had that! Do the pupils like the food and is there enough?

Is there a divide between boarders and day pupils?

@Soma, the answer is yes and no regarding boarders. There is not an US and THEM culture at all, pupils mix together for most of the day during lessons and sport. The school is very much house based though, so day pupils, boarders and flexi boarders all have their own dedicated houses. As there is no playground as such, pupils spend breaktime in their own house. The exception is for the entry year where the whole year is in a mixed house that has day pupils, boarders and flexi boarders. The entry year group is then split up a year later and distributed around the school according to their sleeping arrangement. A reasonable number of full boarders are foreign students who blend in seamlessly and enrich the school. I think the Royal aspect, patronage from Prince Andrew and tradition is attractive to families abroad. Similarly it is a draw for domestic families, it is one of the reasons that we first looked at the school.

Yes it was a little strange to have a surcharge suddenly added for lunch. It came out of the blue. My DC feels that the quality of food has gone down alongside the charge but that is only one opinion. I would be interested to hear other parents thoughts. We have heard that some parents wanted to start bringing in packed lunches, but the grapevine is not always reliable of course. I would imagine that the surcharge will eventually be swallowed into fees and become invisible, but fees seem to have risen a fair amount over the last few years. On that subject you can protect yourself from fee rises by paying for a number of years in advance, and there is a discount for doing this if you have the resources.

I think I'd echo everything @IcedWater said.
It's a real 'yes and no' answer to the day/boarding question. Inevitably day pupils mix more with other day pupils, because of the houses, but my son also has friends who are boarders. The flexible nature of some of the boarding arrangements (3 night, or weekly) also means there's less of a clear distinction sometimes. They all get back together in one house in Y13 too, which my son is looking forward to.
The added charges for lunch were an unwelcome surprise, and I'm not sure there was much consultation or communication about it. I'm not aware of any change in the quality, but that might just be because my son is an enormous, active teenage who eats everything! I think there's always plenty, as far as I know, and he certainly doesn't complain about it.
The fees have certainly gone up quite steeply in recent years - probably more than we had anticipated.

@IcedWater & @usedtobeboss3, I don't know whether the high staff turnover is a red flag or not at the moment. Having experienced it first hand, it's very unsettling for both pupil and parents. It looks like there will be another round of new teachers starting in a variety of subjects come September 2020. Having said that, I did a random search of schools across the South East and could only fill two who were not recruiting - Eton & Channing in North London. It's hard to know what to do for the best.

Sorry, I meant find not fill.

I'm not sure having the patronage of Prince Andrew is a plus??

@helpmum2003, using a mathematical symbol for the Prince Andrew patronage is one way of looking at it lol. You are right though, I suppose that it does boil down to a plus, minus or question mark on the spreadsheet when comparing schools before rolling the dice and joining one. For us the Royal aspect of the school was originally a big attraction at RHS and it still is a plus. There is admittedly a background feeling of an elephant lurking in the room, but on a day to day level we haven’t noticed any impact at all from stories in the media. School life is still all about lessons, sport, homework, washing kit and juggling an intensive regime with sleep and downtime.

The top brass at RHS have said very little but the allegations and media reaction are no doubt something that they could well do without. I can’t speak for anyone else but we feel sympathetic towards the schools situation while keeping an interested eye on the news.

@IcedWater & @usedtobeboss3, sorry to bombard you with questions. Do you know if girls settle well at the school? Is there a friendly atmosphere?

@IcedWater i was being a bit facetious but hopefully he won't be returning to visit..... Probably not entirely relevant to the decision to apply or not but it would enter my calculation.

@Soma, it is a really hard question to answer and you will get different answers from different families but here goes I hope that it helps. There are three parts to RHS which make it unique and different to other schools. There is a deep naval and military tradition, the Royal aspect and the school itself. They all go together with the first two giving a flavour for everyday school life. Each part makes RHS unique and contributes to a wonderful side but there other side effects. Watching the whole school marching in uniform for example is magnificent and while the children grumble about the winter cold or summer heat marching is something that will stay with them forever. It bonds the school and is very special. On the other side of that it is a little uncomfortable to watch when children pass out or vomit or need to be helped off the parade square especially the younger pupils. There are generally a few casualties during each march, a couple of summers ago we counted a couple of dozen casualties because of the heat. Within RHS this is something that is perfectly normal and has been taking place for decades. They look after casualties, pick them up and send them out again next time. It is nothing out of the ordinary to RHS or us now but when a relative came to watch she thought it was a little barbaric. So the uniqueness of RHS is magnificent but also not everyone’s cup of tea. If you feel that your DC will settle well into the RHS way of life which is steeped in tradition and busyness there is no better place for her. Some pupils have a better experience of RHS uniqueness than others though.

Otherwise the house that your DC enters will have a bearing on how well she settles. The vast majority of day houses and boarding houses are good, there are a minority that may be less good. DCs relationship with her house master or mistress will be crucial as she settles in and then for her time at the school. Most house mistresses and house masters are fully committed nice people who work really hard. It is a demanding role though and some cope better than others which could affect settling in.

It may help DC settle if she is sporty as sports teams often bond. If DC is arty there are plenty of extra curricular clubs for her to join and make likeminded friends. Sailing is a big attraction at the school. I suppose that like all schools RHS is what you make of it in that respect.

I guess the more settled that staff are in a school the more consistency it gives to pupils who are entering a new environment. The teachers that do stay seem to stay for a long time and many of them have children at the school. It does seems that the uniqueness of RHS is not for all teachers though and it can be really disruptive for all children including new pupils trying to settle in when teachers come and go