Help please! Advice re girls schools in Surrey near Godalming

[magicbeanie]

We're planning to relocate to somewhere around Godalming when my eldest DD joins Y7 and my younger DD joins Y4. They are both currently at a small, nurturing prep school in central London, where they use creativity across the curriculum. My eldest daughter has mild dyslexia. Both are sporty and academic. Even though my eldest has dyslexia I don't want to discount academic schools as I'm told she's very bright and would probably have a shot at the equivalent in London.

Any anecdotes about how these schools coped during the pandemic would be much appreciated. Both girls like football - would be keen to understand which have football teams.

So far I've looked up St Cats, Guildford High, Tormead, Priors Field and St Teresa's. I would be hugely grateful for any insights that you lovely folk can offer me!

I know this is a long list but please let me know any ideas about good villages/areas for commuting to these schools and what the parent community is like.

Thank you!!

Priors Field seems a good fit, from what you've written.
It's a smaller school and there is less pressure. They have academic girls who don't respond well to that results-driven ethos that seems endemic in some of the top achieving schools.
They are very strong on creative arts.
They also have an excellent pastoral team that has been invaluable during the pandemic, keeping in touch with girls and families.
SENCO and dyslexia support is also very good.

Like St. Cats and St. Teresa's, it's a boarding and day school. It doesn't have a prep department, the girls come from quite a wide range of junior and prep schools.
Main winter sports are netball and hockey. Lacrosse and football are extra curricular. They specialise in tennis and have a tennis academy.

Their provision during the pandemic was very good. Lessons during lockdown were all online and the school remained open for girls whose parents were essential workers. They took social distancing and isolation guidance very seriously.
I understand the feedback from parents has been complimentary.

Parents are very friendly, even when they were forced to meet up online. They managed to do parent groups and a winter fair online last year. It seems to be a friendly, supportive school. The food is also excellent.

Most of the local private schools have a bus service that picks up from surrounding villages and the train station. The individual schools will have more information about them.

I live in Godalming, my daughter goes to one of the private schools in the area and I have friends with daughters as all of the schools locally. All the positive of these schools are well known and you can just look at the website. I often find it more helpful to hear some of the more negative feedback as the beautiful grounds and small class sizes are a given. So…

St Cats - had huge issues during the pandemic and a LOT of complaints about the way they dealt with education (or lack there of) during the first lockdown. Big problem with bullying at the moment and known for not dealing with issues between the girls. Previously known as second only to GHS academically but this year they were offering places to girls that Priorsfield wait listed so you will have to wait and see if it stays that way. But it is a very typical and traditional english country school. Lots of land, beautiful buildings etc. If your DD is into extra curriculars it’s not the place for you, they very much come second while every girl has to learn FOUR languages in year 7 only to drop them a year later.

GHS you have to be VERY bright to get on there but if your DD is she will LOVE IT! For those who don’t have to work really hard to keep up there is loads of stuff to extend them. From fashion shows to touring groups. They don’t have lots of space but they are very creative with what they do with it. However you really don’t want to be there if you only just got in. All your DD will do is burn themselves out to keep up and watch their their confidence dive in the process.

Tormead is flagged as one to watch. New Headmaster, no one could get a great feel for him as he started just before Covid, but the mutterings on the grapevine are really positive. They had always been the backup school for those that were bright but you weren’t sure if they would get into the top 2 but it is rapidly becoming a first choice school. Like GHS is it a a city school and feels quite claustrophobic, they aren’t as creative with their extra curriculars but are a very strong gymnastics school.

Priorsfield has a new headmistress, new uniform, new ethos and yet the grades have remained stagnant. The girls that go there tend to be quite grown up, lots of focus on who wears what and if you have the latest phone. If you don’t have the stuff you know about it and girls of that age are merciless. It has beautiful grounds and really does have a “whole girl” focus yet when you go there or talk to staff it feels like it still has one foot firmly wedged in the past and the spiel is just a front put on for parents. The tennis there is fabulous and if you are looking at American universities they were sending girls before it was fashionable. As someone said “your daughter will have fun there” leaving “but that’s it” hanging in the air. Maybe by this year they will have got a firm hold on some of their issues and are able to see the changes they keep promising.

Sorry I cant remember if there were others on your list! I’m happy to answer questions if you can think of any. It’s a beautiful area to live in.

OP, sounds like your DD goes to a lovely little school, you're very lucky to find such a place in London, I spent ages looking in West London for my daughters back in the day! Where about are you at the moment?

On the Godalming front, you pretty much have access to all of those schools, as like previous posters have mentioned they all have bus routes. However, I'm not sure about St.T's so you'll have to check them, but I reckon they must. Are you moving to the area from London? Is Godalming set in stone, it's very accessible, but obviously lots of other places about, some better for specific schools?

So, disclaimer, on the school front, I only have the second hand and "WhatsApp group" stuff from friends at St Cats and Priors Field. But I do have family at GHS and Tormead, with my nieces.

St Cats, as has been mentioned, has had a rough ride in the last 18 months. They're not so great covid response is not a state secret in the local area, plus the issues mentioned by the PP are also out there. That aside it still gets great results and has beautiful country surroundings to boot. If your daughter is up for it, she will do well there academically, but with pastoral care there in such a spiral dive (from a PR viewpoint, anyway) I'm unsure as to how supportive they will be if your daughter encounters issues as she progresses. Im sure some parents will confirm, deny or clarify.

Priors field might good choice, its less academically pressured as far as I know, they don't get the best results and are considered the easy-access option girls' school in the area. That being said, they have a countryside campus and there's obviously less pressure. A PP mentioned that they have good support in place for those who need it and did a good job at their online provision, so could be worth a serious look.

GHS, if you daughter has it in her, it a great school. My younger niece goes there. It is one of the countries best girls' schools in fact. You'll need to be confident that your daughter is up for it though, as although there is no direct pressure applied, the indirect pressure of being around so many smart young ladies will permeate her, especially if she is a little behind the curve. Also make sure they know her background with regards to dyslexia and will make provision accordingly. But if she has it, its definitely the top choice.

Tormead is where the other niece goes. It has always been considered as the "academic school" you go to if you're worried you can't get into GHS or St.Cats. Its also been seen as a really top, solid, academic back-up for those applying to girls' schools from the local preps. This year however I have heard that the level of interest in places has been high, it's definitely one to watch, like the PP said. I think its a great school with even more potential. Alongside its "academic backup" reputation, its also regarded highly for its pastoral care, especially in the prep-school and by the exam year students, inc the sixth form, where my niece is. Extracurricular wise, they have always been slightly;y behind "generally", but they are GB champions in gymnastics and recently they have started a number options such as rowing, alongside cricket, rugby, etc. The girls have jumped on it and my niece, as an example is loving the rowing. There also seem to be investments in pastoral care staff and facilities.

I think your best bet is go see them all as quickly as possible. Especially if your committing to a house move? If you have already committed to Godalming, then rest assured, comments aside, we are blessed with some brilliant girls' schools in a beautiful part of the country, and wherever you pick, your daughter, I'm sure, will thrive!

Good luck!

hey @magicbeanie
Welcome to Surrey!

I don't have anything to say experience-wise for the other schools you listed, however my daughter is at Tormead in the Prep-School, previously known as the Junior School. So i'll give you our insight on that...

But, thinking about your younger DD, you should definitely be looking for a through school, as having both your daughters at one school is, I assume, your aim? In which case, St Cats, Tormead and GHS are your Guildford options.

With regards to Tormead Prep-school, we have had a wonderful experience. Since the previous head (Ms Foord) has been there until resent times, the care for the girls has been top notch. The teachers and staff are all the same, turnover is low and the family atmosphere is great. Recently the new head has ironed out any creases in the curriculum, tidied up some oddities and appointed a great leadership team. Over the summer they've also spent some money jazzing it all up and the school feels a lovely place to be. With your eldest DD at the senior school over the road, pick up and drop offs become easy too. (that can also be saids for both GHS and StCats, who also have through school set ups).

My DD doesn't have dyslexia, but she has found herself behind from time to time, needless to say the quick identification of her problems, action planning and support has been second to none. It's actually why i bother posting on here in full stop, as I feel they deserve the shout out.

Good luck and please PM me if you want to ask any questions. Good luck with your selection and do go see everywhere with both open eyes and no prejudice... each school is a fit for a specific girl. You'll find yours! Best, Rob.

Hi There. From the school's websites, Football wise:

St.Cats - "Football" thats all it says under extracurricular. Can't seem to find anything else. So likely to be an extracurricular offering, rather than a main sport.

GHS - Doesn't seem to be a main sport, but does feature under their extracurricular offering, they do seem to have fixtures online that are set with other schools.

St Theresas - Offer football to both the senior and prep school with fixtures.

Tormead - Has a number of football teams and says it has plan for two new football pitches at their new sportsground. They also seem to show upcoming fixtures when you google their team.

Priors Field - doesn't seem to show anything on their website, so you'll need to hear from a parent there, which i am not.

Another thing to consider is fees. There are some significant differences in the cost of these schools, which can be driven by the fact that the more expensive schools below offer day and boarding options, with the boarding element obviously putting up their cost base/structure significantly, this can inflate fees for day students too. The more expensive boarding schools, with the exception of maybe St.Cats, don't really offer any significant academic benefit above and beyond the cheaper day schools, for the extra cost too..

Here are the fees (with lunches included) per student, per term:

Day/Boarding Schools:

St Cats - £6425
Priors Field - £6400 - £6525
St Theresas - £6295 - £6455

Day schools only:

GHS - £6100
Tormead - £5870

You can see that the day schools are cheaper.... When we compared options for my DS it eventually came down to picking between two that were very similar in all respects (academic, pastoral, location, etc.), apart from their extracurricular offering. (One was day/boarding and the other was day only).

He was massively into football too. We eventually decided that with the money saved picking the day school (just under a couple of grand a year!) we could spend this money supplementing with specialist/professional training / clubs outside of school, on top of the pretty damn good provision the school had anyway. It also broadened his friendship base.. .So, just a thought!

Also with the day/boarding schools (but, tbh i'm not sure what the geographical location of the St.cats/Priors/St.Theresa's students is), that a large percentage of the kids from day/boarding schools will travel home at holiday times. This may limit contact with friends, who simply disappear for a good proportion of the year. But that's up to you and how you want to manage it.

Just some random points for you.

PF head must have been there about 4/5 years now. We knew her in a former role and some former colleagues of hers seem to have moved there too. Well liked and professional.

This is my first time on mumsnet and I am overwhelmed with all this helpful information and opinions. A huge thank you to each and every one of you for taking the time to respond to my post.

It sounds like indeed I do need to do a tour of all of these schools - I've been signing up for open days so think I'll be visiting the area lots over the coming months. We aren't fixated on Godalming - just pinned a nice town to start our search. We'll probably rent to start with as we really don't know the area well at all. Also we need to find an area where we grown-ups can also have a social life and make friends. Please give a shout out if you know any cute, semi rural locations where folks are sociable! From all the bad press London gets, we come from a really strong community where we have loads of friends, our kids play with the neighbours kids, lots of playdates weekends and post school, parents socialise over Sunday football and we talk to over the fence so this move is quite daunting for me... even though I know this post isn't about me!

From everything written above all the schools mentioned seem quite competitive to get into (like London) so you need to have quite a few back-ups. How many do your prep schools normally suggest you apply for?

I think the point about the all-through school is a good one, for my little DD. Is there a feeder primary school for PF?

Also are there good girls football teams in the area if it's outside of school? Do kids need extra coaching to get into school swim squads etc?

The girls schools in North London have coordinated so that candidates only have to sit a a single exam for 11+ , dare I ask if there is anything similar in Surrey or do the schools all set their own papers?

My gut feel is that both girls would prefer slightly smaller schools, though my friend tells me not to undersell them as they are both bright and I'm somewhat tainted from my own experience of a pressurised academic school where most girls came out with massive confidence issues. Both my girls are sensitive souls, hence why I'm a bit obsessed with the pastoral side. I'm not so much worried about their academic as I'm pretty sure they'd cope wherever I send them (and wouldn't hesitate moving them if they showed an ounce of stress - I'm not one for tutoring on the side).

Our current school is max 18-19 girls per class with 2 classes per year. From a very rough calculation it looks like most of these schools have about the same size class, but 3 classes per year. Does anyone know, for any of the schools mentioned, if they mix up the girls after each year or do they stay the same?

Thanks again for your help!

Priors Field girls come from a number of junior and prep schools. Busbridge Junior and Waverley Abbey have both sent girls there and the local preps are St. Hilary's, Aldro and Rydes Hill as well as some from the junior departments of senior schools. I think Rydes Hill is girls only; the other two are co-ed.
Boarders will come from schools further afield.
The girls stay in the same class the first two years, then they are mixed up for Year 9. They set according to ability for certain subjects. They also have a house system, houses are named after notable women: Anne Frank; Emmeline Pankhurst and Jane Austin.
Julia Huxley, the school founder, was a feminist:
www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/themes/subjects/womens-suffrage/suffrage-biographies/priors-field-school-suffrage/

Godalming seems to have a thriving local community with a lot going on. I think some of the bigger villages also have strong local communities, places like Milford and Elstead.
Not sure about sports, though I know there are swimming clubs in Godalming and Guildford, and Elstead and Normandy both have an archery club.

@magicbeanie good luck with your hunt!! My husband and I live near godalming and its a lovely little place to be. Happy to chat any time, just drop me a message. The traffic can be tricky into guildford now and again for a school run, but as they get older the train for either GHS or Tormead is easy. St.Cats however is very slightly easier for Godalming given its the 'right side of guildford' .... Priors field too. Be careful if you're dropping your two daughters off at different schools though, as even the surrounding villages can get gridlocked at peak times.

My daughter has just started Tormead from a local prep. The prep was small caring and nurturing, a lovely little place, and as such we wete very nervous about the daunting experience of secondary school! Tormead however has been everything we've hoped over the summer holidays! She has had a wonderful first few weeks and we have just had our 'meet the head' evening, this week, with the other year 7 parents, which was loads of fun. Given that we did most of our admissions , tours, decisions and research online last year, we we're undoubtedly nervous, in fact we spent the whole of the summer holidays sweating over it! My daughter is quiet, kind, not 'out there' but also a clever wee thing, she has totally fallen into place and we're chuffed.

I'm sure all schools are the same just though I'd share my experience and my name in case you want to chat about Godalming/surrey/schools etc. Best wishes with your girls new schools!

DC(both boys) had lots of friends at Tormead. It seems like a very happy school and the girls I met from there were lovely.

Going against the trend here (noticed the Tormead new head has been doing a lot of marketing recently and seems to be paying off!)

We went for GHS for our quiet but loves learning, will do the indoor rowing but isn't really into other sports and generally lacks confidence DD. Not necessarily the place you'd think from the threads on here. DD completely found her place, was nurtured and thrived. She was never one to be on the stage beyond when it was compulsory (where she joined in happily) but GHS accepted her for who she was, pushed her out of comfort zone when needed but recognised her for her contributions and talents. She adored her friends, loved the science subjects which she eventually specialised in and looks back fondly on her time there. We are quite gentle parents who very much just wanted our DD to be allowed to be herself and this school decision was so right.

For our younger DD who wouldn't have got into GHS, we narrowed it down to St Cats and St John's Leatherhead. She went to St John's in the end and it worked really well for her. A nice alternative to the Guildford schools if you want something traditional, great facilities, option to board in sixth form (but equally not odd if you don't board) and great on the SEN side.

We personally discounted Tormead and Prior's Field based on friends' experiences and gut feel. I always think Tormead would do well if it went co-ed - there is a HUGE gap in the market for it in the area.
I felt DD2 would coast at Prior's Field and didn't like the idea of small sixth form and DD potentially wanting to move at that point. I felt with her SEN she would be better with one consistent school who got to know her needs.

We’re looking at king Edward’s in Whitley for our daughter. Co-ed and with a slightly unusual ethos. Not a hot house I think, but good all round. That’s just my impression so far.

@FreddoFrogFreddo I agree on the marketing front, tormead have done a stellar job selling themselves in the last year. I also agree this approach has worked for them, and we are proof of it. We wanted a girls only environment in the area for our DD and it was the only one that really allowed us to experience as much f the school as you possibly could, with covid restrictions in place. GHS aside... as they don't really need to try!
The thing to note, from our family's perspective, is thay we dont beleive we have been "marketed a pup" and that's evident across the new parents I have started chatting to.
Interesting you mention co-ed, a few parents we know have have said that too. However, why would you want to do that if you've got a great girls' school, that seems to be taking the fight to the competition? Personally I picked it because is was a girls' school, going co-ed from girls only to include boys I can imagine would be difficult to manage.

We were in your position two years ago moving down from London. We were nervous as IMO London preps seemed more innovative with forward thinking teachers. The competitive London 11+ meant things were done to a high standard (but double edged sword of tough process). We immediately ruled out many of the small traditional surrey preps as found them quite backwards.

We found-
GHS- loved it and found it far less intense than we expected. It reminded us of the London schools we hoped DD would've got into if we'd stayed. Inspiring place and lovely, ambitious yet fun girls of all personalities. Only downside for us was the sixth form- it seemed a bit too informal for us.
Tormead- Smart grounds and nice atmosphere. But felt like they were doing a real hard sell and it completely put us off. We liked it but felt if DD didn't get GHS then we preferred a country setting. Feels harsh but it just doesn't have the same buzz and the sixth form seemed sleepy and like lots of girls leave from what friend with DD at that age told us. Echo what PP said about if it was co-ed it would do well - we really struggled to find a senior for our son who wasn't RGS level. I would've jumped on tormead for my DD and DS if that was an option. I think it would help their numbers and stop them being in the shadow of GHS too.
St Teresa's- liked until found it was merged with cranmore in a diamond model and it seems experimental. Worried about longer term and if their model fails. Loved the senior girls.
Priors field- wasn't for us as want something a bit more ambitious and again small sixth form. Imagine good for SEN and lovely grounds.
ST cats- really liked the community spirit and traditional approach of everyone getting involved. Amazing grounds. Rigorous teaching and impressed by the girls showing us around. Can see why posts on here say pastoral care needs to be a bit more modern. Compared to other schools no work on mental health, diversity etc - which while I agree it shouldn't take over a school, I do think awareness is important in this day and age.

For senior we looked at St John's like PP and loved it. Churchers (other direction so would involve living towards haslemere) was great too.

We actually ended up with DS at Aldro and DD St Cats. We live on the edge of Guildford so easy commute out. So far very happy.

If you're happy to look further afield you could also look at St Nicholas in Fleet and Farnborough Hill in Farnborough. But I don't know what their provision is like for things like dyslexia.

Fleet and Farnham are both nice places to live and with the back-up of excellent state schools in the case of Fleet. Fleet also has a girls' football club.

I've also heard good things about Churchers' but that's co-ed and again I don't know anything about their provision for dyslexia.

Aldro, in Shackleford (across from Godalming) has just started taking girls. This might be something for your younger girl. They go up to Y8.

Does anyone have views on St Edmunds in hind head, to add to the mix, please? Would be for Y7 entry for dd. (Don’t mean to hijack your thread OP!)

Quite a few of my friends have daughters across all the Gford schools. Not unusual at all to find siblings in GHS/Tormead/St Cats/Priorsfield. I knew one lady had four girls, one in each school. It reflects that certain schools suit certain girls. I had a GHS and a Tormead. Each suited each girl, although personally I preferred Tormead on a number of levels, and looking back, even my GHS girl thinks Tormead was the nicer school!

We came from a small prep, and first DD took entrance to GHS/Tormead/St Cats and Farnborough Hill. By the time DD2 came along, and we knew the system better, we only went for GHS and Tormead.

You asked about size OP. GHS and Tormead generally have about 18/20 in each tutor class, across four/five classes depending on numbers. Subject classes will be slightly higher/lower, again depending on that year's numbers.

I have several family members at Cranleigh School. They have done very well there.

Another shout out for Elstead. Pretty village with 2 pubs that do good food, a cafe, a really good convenience store, plenty of sports clubs, and easy access to lovely countryside. Very friendly place half way between Godalming and Farnham.

@BigWoollyJumpers

You asked about size OP. GHS and Tormead generally have about 18/20 in each tutor class, across four/five classes depending on numbers. Subject classes will be slightly higher/lower, again depending on that year's numbers.

When my girls were at GHS not that long ago there were always 25 in each form. Most year groups had 4 forms per year - so 100 girls in each year but occasionally there were 5 forms.