Brighton Varndean vs Dorothy vs Hove Park

[manutdbj]

Hi Everyone,

My family live in Varndean and Dorothy catchment area recently. For some reason, my daughter is studying Hove Park (start this year) and would like to change back to catchment area. Just got the offer from Varndean but some comments said that focus result and no more take care students. Anyone can help and give some suggestions to me? How to compare 3 schools?

Go and visit them! They're all doing open evenings and tours at the moment for next years Y7 cohort.

Have you also looked at Patcham? It's a smaller school than the others and a nice community feel

Sorry that probably just confuses matters actually. I have friends with children at Stringer who seem to be happy there. I don't know much about Varndean

I may not have time to see their Open Event on 16 Oct since I need to reply them for the offer these few days.

If I decline Varndean, I need to re-submit the application in reallocation pool for another school just like Dorothy. If Patcham is good too, I may add it into the priority list. However, if Varndean School is better, then I will accept it. Therefore, I hope someone may give me comments before to make decision.

Very happy Varndean parent here - school is strong both academically and pastorally. New head is continuing the ethos. Her speech from the Open Day is on the website if you want to get a flavour of the school.

yes, I watched Varndean open speech and feel good.

Varndean is a phenomenal school with a very big focus on pastoral care, and looking at the over all development of the kids strengths and skills not just their academics. The communication from the school is clear and open.
As a parent I know exactly who I can call to talk about my child, not just his class tutor but also the head of his school base, the pastoral lead at his school base, the over all pastoral leads. They are transparent and approachable and the new head is very impressive.
IMHO Varndean blows both Stringer and Patcham out of the water. Patcham just isn't a good school unfortunately, though it's improving I hear.

Thanks your comment..!!

‘ If I decline Varndean, I need to re-submit the application ’

Don’t decline the best state school in Brighton & Hove!

Thanks... I decided to accept their offer.

We are having this dilemma as my eldest is actually at Dorothy Stringer so we would get sibling priority. When we looked for DS, we thought DS was the stronger school, results wise I thought they had a higher percentage achieving 5 A*- C (old equivalent) it was in Tatler a couple of years ago for being one of the best state schools in the country. We visited Varndean for DS and we weren't as impressed. However, we are worried as DD has friends putting it as first choice and she wants to probably do the same, can anyone tell me why it is so good now compared to 3 years ago?

@Goldenbear

I'd be really interested to hear that too...

DD has just started at Stringer and we couldn't be more impressed. We did actually appeal for Varndean though as she has ASD/ADHD and severe anxiety and her entire friendship group were allocated Varndean and that pretty much destroyed her over the summer (so gutting to hear OP has been given a place when they weren't even sure they wanted it!).

However I went through both schools with a fine toothed comb doing the appeal and could literally find nothing to separate them in terms of which one was "better" on paper, yes Varndean's results are better but its by quite a small margin imho.

I genuinely think a lot of it is word of mouth and a but of following the herd, for example I heard Varndean was the arty school, which is what DD lives for, yet I found Stringer's facilities to be head over heels better for art (we went to the open day just before COVID) plus there are more options for art eg textiles, so im not sure where it comes from.

I think children would be lucky to go to either though. The whole lottery system down here is just horrible though!

That's really interesting to hear GoldenMushroom as I have heard the same about Art and Varndean but my DD who is Arty prefers Dorothy Stringer. Her friends favour Varndean. DD is musical and I was more impressed by DS and my son's experience is good in that area. It is very hard to know what to do as I dread DD being lonely at lunchtime etc.

From what I've heard from parents of kids my son knows Varndean IS the better choice. The communications at DS isn't good, they have major discipline and behaviour issues, and the thing they are best known for is dance, drama and some sport.
I also prefer Varndean's zero tolerance on mobile phone use - phones are off and in bags the second the kids walk through the gates until they leave at day end. String allows kids to use phones in break times and lunchtime which has ovs lead to kid sneaking them in class time and using them to video and photograph other kids, not always with their consent, during activities.
Ultimately you choose a school that you think will suit your child, and the small school system at Varndean really suits our kid and he's thriving in it.

hi all,
I can't find the information ;
Do both schools offer the study of at least two foreign languages from y7 onwards, and if so, is it possible to learn French and German?

Varndean:

https://varndeanschool.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/document/The-Varndean-Curriculum-visual.pdf?t=1661252304?ts=1661253132

Looks like it's one MFL in KS3, then can add a second as an option fir GCSE?

No mention of German at Dorothy Stringer?

dorothy-stringer.co.uk/curriculum_maps/

At DS you study French and Spanish from year 7, there is no option of German even at GCSE level. At GCSE you pick between the above and Latin.

Varndean is a cack hole. Unless5its changed in recent years it takes on alot from moulscoombe and Whitehawk. I've physically witnessed some disgusting stuff going on over at the hollingbury park by students with the schools break supervisor too scared to say anything. They're mostly rude and loud (i live near by). God knows how people are hearing they have a good reputation as I've never heard that in my 11 years living here. My daughter went there and lasted a week before we took her out and sent her to stringer.