Sevenoaks School

[MissiongalSF]

Hello All,
My DD will enter into Year 9 next Sept, and we will be moving to the UK in the summer 2021. We live internationally, and with COVID travel restrictions, we have not had a chance to visit/tour any schools, which we had intended to do last summer. I know that we have missed many cut-offs for the 13+ process, but we were not aware of the move prior to this.
Do any current families or alums, or others, have knowledge of Sevenoaks School? My DD prefers co-ed, (I think I would lean towards single-sex), she is sporty, speaks a few languages, and is somewhat academic, but rather on the young side - possibly less grown up than others. To my questions:

• Are you, as a family, happy about the school and has your child (children) been happy there?
• I understand that pastoral care is a little lacking. Any insights?
• I heard from friend whose friend is a parent of a student that the management of the IB during the covid restrictions was relatively weak.

Any thoughts?

• What are some of the downsides that you have heard or have experienced at the school?
• Are you happy with the teaching and the results? Has it maximized your child's potential?
• What is the community of families like? Is there much interaction?

Many Thanks for any help or insights this forum can provide! much appreciated in advance

I can answer many of your questions with first hand experience. If you private message me?

Don’t send your child to Sevenoaks the school supports racist, sexist and homophobic ideals. I have had a traumatic experience as a student.

Don’t send your child to Sevenoaks. I hate it here

Are you actually a student at Sevenoaks school @Sevenoakshater now? I’m sorry to read how miserable you are (and you must be to have chosen this name and to have come onto a site for parents to warn them off). Have you talked to your parents about how very strongly you feel as well as members of the school support staff to ask for help? If you an Overseas Boarder I completely empathise - I was similar position myself many (many) years ago at another Boarding School and really hated it. Things do seem to have improved a good deal since then and I’d really urge you to talk, especially to your parents so that they really get it!

Obviously, every single school in the country will have children who loathe it and if the recent website who’s name escapes me focusing on sexual harassment stories reflects an accurate picture then many of our schools have problems. I don’t have DC at Sevenoaks school but I was impressed to see how many of the students turned out last year to a BLM march through Sevenoaks town. It does visually from what I can see also attract a pretty diverse ethnic mix (far more so than our local State schools). I don’t obviously have the PPs lived experience but as an outsider it does surprise me a little.

I am a current parent, and my view could not be more diametrically opposite. In our experience, the school absolutely lives up to its rhetoric on diversity and gender equality - from our perspective, it's hard to imagine an independent school for whom this would be a more unfair criticism. Of course, as @SJaneS49 says, every school will have students who hate it, and I'm sorry that @Sevenoakshater has been so unhappy. Ours is only one view, just as theirs is - but I couldn't read the comment without posting to offer a different opinion.

@thejugglersandtheclowns

I am a current parent, and my view could not be more diametrically opposite. In our experience, the school absolutely lives up to its rhetoric on diversity and gender equality - from our perspective, it's hard to imagine an independent school for whom this would be a more unfair criticism. Of course, as *@SJaneS49 says, every school will have students who hate it, and I'm sorry that @Sevenoakshater* has been so unhappy. Ours is only one view, just as theirs is - but I couldn't read the comment without posting to offer a different opinion.

Yes!!! I agree @thejugglersandtheclowns

I have several friends with children who have been at this school or are currently at this school and they all seem delighted with it. Some have left to study medicine, go to Oxbridge, top US universities etc. I have never had anyone complain about it except that it is expensive! Several of these friends are Indian or black (e.g. Nigerian) families so have never heard anyone mention racism.
It is a very international school, quite liberal, strong pastoral care, fast pace which suits the right kind of child. Definitely lots of sport, music, drama and strong academics. If anything it is more open minded and liberal than other schools of the same academic standing in the UK. Sevenoaks town though is quite white middle class, lots of people who work in the City of London, especially finance, broking, law etc.

Absolutely nothing to do with the school but just a follow on from the above - Sevenoaks might be a largely white and middle class town but it’s just gone in the local Council elections to the LibDems for the first time. Bit of a break from the norm round here!

I can give you feedback if you message me privately.

I want to know more about Sevenoaks School, many thanks！

I also saw some international students in deep depression situation. Boarding staff are cold. While I can understand , How can you imagine kids in this kind of high competitive pressure white ppl town environment will be more truely diversity inside. Education and knowledge compare to environment , which influences ppl more?

@Dillusion - what are you on about? Sevenoaks Town is like 25 minutes on the train to Central London. Surely the boarders visit one of the biggest and most cosmopolitan towns in the world regularly? And HAHA to white people town in the commuter belt these days anyway. Plenty of rich Asian bankers these days, everywhere.