Farnborough Hill

[TopCat2022]

I've been reading already the reviews already on MumsNet.
Any recent ones you can provide as I am looking at Year 7 entry in 2023

Academically? Is it very 'selective'....Teaching, Well-being, any issues of it being all girls with catiness (particulary during the teens!), sports and general feedback. We are not religious so know that it is OK for not having a faith

Anyone starting in sept, My daughter is would be great to know someone

Anybody know anything about the head resigning?

Do you think it will affect the school results/ethos/education/approach etc in any way?

I hope the ethos won’t change, especially the wonderfully feminist vibe. In fact I hope it stays exactly the same under a new head, as DD absolutely loves it there - they have such a good balance between academics and fun.

@CStrike yes lets hope it does not change - this is what we loved about the school x

FH old girl here (1996-2003). I loved it, and now consider myself very lucky to have had the experience. Like someone else said further up, I still have dreams where I'm scurrying around the hidden bits of the 'old house' like I own the place! 😅

The school motto back then was 'Educating the Whole Person', rather than 'Wholeheartedly' as it is now - but I think both ring true. I got great GCSE and A Level grades and got into a good uni, but also found a love for music and drama, both of which I carry on to this day and I'm nearly 40!

I only wish I a) had a daughter and b) could afford to send her to private school!

Hi @PlateSpinner23 great to hear you had a great time and how you progressed. We are in our 1st year and have no regrets. Our daughter is loving it and has been enjoying wandering through the old buildings and grounds. I've seen her confidence grow and she has settled in well making great friendships. So far so good!

Hello! Please excuse me jumping on this old thread but I’ve just read the above and for us, it’s come a great time! My DD was due to start Alton School in September and now they’re closing, leaving us with nothing for September and no state place back up as we handed the place in to others on the waiting list! Needless to say us and the other families are bereft. FH have been great so far at communication and we’re going for a visit tomorrow. Hope it’s still as great as you all say! Does anyone know anything about St Nic’s in Fleet? I’m worried it’s a hothouse, and I don’t want that for her. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for all the info!

Sorry to hear about your situation, it must be very stressful.

Our dd1 is at Farnborough Hill and we are extremely happy with it. She is doing very well academically but more importantly she
is very happy with a lovely group of friends. We have every intention to send dd2 there too. It really is a lovely place.

We considered St Nicks as well for dd1 but honestly the small number of pupils put us off - I’d be very careful about going for somewhere which has low numbers already with everything else that’s about to come.

Good luck to your dd whatever you decide. Hopefully wherever she goes will turn out to be the perfect place for her.

FH has been fab for our dd, she has loved it there so far. The facilities are great, the teaching mostly excellent and all abilities seem to be catered for. We discounted St Nicks as FH seemed a much better fit for our dd, and we haven't been disappointed.

I am hearing that the school is adding another class on for year 7 this September due to higher demand as a result of a school closure.

There are no SEND issues with my DD. With regards to the school I am seeing that this is NOT a very highly academic school but more about value based education. My daughter has settled in year 7 very well and is blossoming character wise. She loves going in every day and has made some very good friends. My thoughts are if she enjoys school and is nurtured well she will naturally also want to do well. Let's see!

I think that those that are naturally very academic will thrive in any environment including this one.

My advice so far going through year 7 is keep in touch with the teachers/pastoral more than just the parent meetings to help steer your daughter's progress and identify further support sooner rather than later.

An interesting statistic recently picked up is that 60% of parents/girls in the school are coming from state schools. It will be interesting to see if this figure declines in future years if Labour win at the next election and fees increase! Financially the school seems sound so seems good for stability/continuity. FH also have close links with Salesian all boys school so this may give the leadership team options in the future to drive more efficiencies/enhanced collaborations

I'm glad this feed is helping people and would also love to hear new feedback /views to keep relevant for other visitors to this feed.

Good luck.

Thanks, TopCat2022, this is so reassuring. I genuinely haven’t heard anything negative about FH so am holding lots of hope! My one big stress is whether they can facilitate a bus route, as it looks like they don’t go to where we need just yet.

hi @Willtherebewine if you wish to go, you will work around the logistics ;-) Buses tend to be very expensive. Have you looked at going by train....there are so many girls going into Farnborough North or Farnborough Main. Mine went straight away on the train and has had no issues at all...around £40 per 4 weeks (3 stops, direct 10 minutes, then a 10-15 walk).

Marketing team, hard, at, work.

@Willtherebewine
We have had children at St Nick’s, Alton, Lord Wandsworth, and Farnborough Hill.

The new head at FH has impressed my daughter very much.

It’s a lovely school and I would thoroughly recommend it.

@Neverenoughflowers I can assure you that I’m a genuine parent with a very happy daughter at FH - I think everyone is checking these boards more often than usual for obvious reasons at the moment so there’s bound to be lots of comments. Is it so hard to believe that the fact that they’re mainly very positive is actually a true reflection of how parents feel about the school?

Thanks for all the positive comments about FH. We visited today and it was truly lovely- I can completely see why so many parents are happy. We have lots of thinking to do over the half term break!

How is FH doing under the new head?

Well, we went for FH in the end- a term and a half in and my daughter is loving it! We’ve known no other Head to compare, but this one seems very approachable and innovative. There are lots of focus groups planned, careers advice for girls in sixth form and those doing GCSEs, and we’ve had lots of opportunities to become a part of school life. I always said if my child liked FH on a cold, wet day in January we’d know we made the right choice, and only this week I picked her up after a hockey match and she simply said “I’m happy!” So can’t say fairer than that in my eyes!

....We've been going for over nearly 2 years! Wow a lovely school....it is not a hot house academic, but focuses on value based education. Those that are naturally gifted will perform well no matter where.

Our daughter does not give us feedback but is very happy!

Some very honest feedback...

Those that are average and have a tendency to get away academically from doing the bare minimum and will settle in very well!!!
Excellent Pastoral Care for teenage years!

Year 7 - the girls get heaps of settling in support, year 8 they have to become more independent and have lower settling in support....

The girls seem to think they get better teachers in year 7 to impress parents and pupils and then year 8 onwards not so good! Is this really the case or is it that the girls have to become more self sufficient and independent...?????? lol!
There are good and not so good teachers in all schools - private or state !

Different teachers in the same subjects across different classes give varying qtys of homework..

So far we notice that prep time after school is not being utilised by my child for homework as she finishes it quickly so gets bored and finds other things that she can do online/offline... Also she finds ways to do her homework at school to the bare minimum to free her time for other things! So therefore she comes home....her choice not ours!

Best to keep in touch with teachers and head of year than just the parent's meetings that are a couple of times a year online/f2f. This way you can highlight things that you notice to help get specific and tailored support or ease/remove any unnecessary worries.

The new head is amazingly approachable and is driving postive change in great collaboration with her leadership team support. So a fantastic big tick there!

My aim is if my daughter loves going to school then she will do ok/slightly better than state school

We were conscious over test results in year 7/8 but girls all cime from different backgrounds so its hard to really know if it makes an positive impact because it is too soon.... it all changes up a gear in year 9 due to GCSE options....so let's see.

Our year group is a high birth rate year so classes are 20-21 pupils other lower birth rate years are smaller.

VAT impact so far + 15% rise on fees, this qhas affected seeing a slight drop in joining however they are in lower birth rate years. I'm expecting more increases due to NI rise unless the school can reorganise itself to reduce costs....

Financially they are in good stance....check their accounts....also I think they could join forces with the boys school Salesian if really needed...I do not see them in financial trouble..... If the VAT stays they will just adapt with any lower intake and ensure they don't lose anyone currently there who are very much impacted.

Buses to/from school from pick up points direct.....are expensive around £10 return per day...compared to public transport so this is a sore subject for me!! A return train journey is £2.25!! plus a slight walk from the Farnborough train station...

Lunch - the girls love it particularly the desserts!

Religion - even though it is Roman Catholic there is a high number of kids that are not religious....however the values gained from the environment are really shining through

It's a tough time during teenage years and the school is amazing for any support you need and will take time to help and nurture

You have to go with your gut feeling and if your daughter doesnt like it.....you can always change environments in year 9 prior to the important GCSE time

For me....the school is like what state education used to be like before all the overcrowding, government meddling and lack of teacher-work-life balance so this reflects in a more enjoyable experience for both the girls and families! ...

If leadership from the school read this.... keep doing what you are doing you are amazing!!

Thank you @TopCat2022 & @Willtherebewine for your valuable feedback. Will be mostly going for FH itself. DD absolutely loved the feel of the school and we have always seen such well behaved, level headed girls from FH as well.

What innovations do you see coming from the new head... I'm interested to know what parents think of farnborough Hill at the moment, but the comments in here and another FH thread all seem a little OTT. It's quite a strange market out that way towards aldershot. What feeder schools do they rely on, given there's no prep school? How big is a Yr 7?

It might seem like a strange market if you’re over Guildford way where fab independent abound but FH draws intake from quite a wide area - including Camberley, fleet, out to Basingstoke. If you’re out towards Basingstoke or Alton your alternatives are st Nicks which doesn’t have a sixth form or Sherfield which is coed and seems very marmite. There used to be Alton which has closed now. Feeder schools - the intake is 50/50 independent/state and girls come from so many different schools that it allows them to feel like a FH girl rather than a whatever prep girl.

The comments might seem ott but I think that does reflect that girls are just very happy at the school! Obviously nowhere’s perfect - it might not have the stellar results of some schools but that reflects its more gentle selection process. But bright girls are definitely pushed.

The new head hasn’t come in all guns blazing but I don’t see that as a bad thing. She’s taking her time to evaluate and has already made some positive changes. She’s very easy to find and talk to and very open to feedback. Time will tell!

Totally agree @CStrike @JamieleeS also some girls travel from Bagshot and the Berkshire areas bordering Hampshire County Council....its worth visiting several independent (and state) to gain an informed decision then go with what suits your daughter and situation....I visited many and checked on finances before making mine...I gave up a state school place which I can't get back and would get a low performing school if I did go back into State....

Just chipping in to say how impressed we are with the new Head at FH. We were planning to move to a state sixth form next year, but have been so impressed with Mrs Young that we've now decided to stay (despite the hefty VAT increase).

Mrs Y has very quickly implemented a number of positive changes (integrating more experiences with local boys schools, including the sixth form residential with Salesian, much more focus on sports, better communication and involvement with parents etc). She is incredibly responsive and approachable and has been very hands on and supportive of our DD who has had a tough time in Yr11 so far. She has taken time to know her, and celebrate her when her dropping confidence needed it most. I am really excited about where she is taking FH and the ambitions she has for the girls.