Pipers Corner | Mumsnet

laradrake134 · 2023-08-24T20:24:19+00:00

I am considering moving my daughter here for Year 9 but I was just wondering how it is joking in the later years and if it a nice school to make friends in? Also I am quite confused about how hard the test is to get into the school?

ParadiseZity · 26/08/2023 17:30

I visited the school as a potential place for my DD but didn't like the feel of it. I think schools are a head and heart purchase - like a house. They might meet your criteria but what they feel like is also important.

It had great facilities but I found the 6th formers to be charming but lacking oomph. It has a reputation as a place to send your not-so-academically-gifted daughter if they didn't pass the grammar school test or couldn't get into a more academic school. Nothing wrong with that; not everyone is a brainbox. However it didn't suit my DD so she sat for other schools instead.

ittakes2 · 10/09/2023 06:47

We moved our daughter there in year 8 and pulled her out after her GCSEs - we would have pulled her out sooner but did not want to disrupt her GCSEs.
I think all girls schools are very tricky - and I say this after my daughter has been at all girls schools for 5 years. Girls have more complicated social codes so its more difficult to get into existing groups and Pipers is very clicky. Great if they are in the click and I tend to think its OK if a girl goes there from year 6 or year 7 but unless your daughter is super confident and makes friends easily I would not recommend entering her there in year 9.

ittakes2 · 10/09/2023 06:58

Sorry I realised I did not answer you about the test. My daughter sat it in year 6 - she didn't study for it or find it hard but she had just been studying for the 11 plus which she passed so that could be why. I do know not everyone passes the test.

Namesté · 17/01/2024 00:49

Are you ready for this? My daughter left last year and moved to an amazing grammar school and contrary to what Mrs NG tells you at parents evening - she seems to have been able to stop herself going boy mad. What has happened though is that she has never been happier. She has already made some incredible friends in such a short time with stronger bonds than she ever had at Pipers. Piper’s was awful for her and us. The parents are pushy and cliquey and all creep up to the head teachers. The teachers encourage this and it’s really very unpleasant. I had to sarcastically ask once if we were paying less fees than other parents due to the different level of effort then school were putting in - it didn’t go down well! My dd was severely bullied. Please note - they have a counsellor who is too busy and so you will need to pay for private therapy. Please also note that the bully’s parents are also paying the school fees so the child will never be taken to task over this - they don’t want to upset the parents! Academically it was fine and because my daughter was so unhappy all
she did was shut herself in her room and study. It was heartbreaking - but yay for
the Pipers stats - she got 8s and 9s! I wish I could start this next sentence better but far too many of the girls are very bitchy and if you don’t suit that (thankfully we don’t) you’ll be bullied. Not one of her “friends” kept in touch with her from the minute they collected their results. They used her for parties etc as she had a group of boys she knew from primary school and now she is not “useful” they have ignored her. It’s been really hard the past few years but the school
kept saying that she was fine at school - total rubbish. As soon as we left, the weight has lifted from our shoulders. Biggest regret of my life sending her there. She has moved on to an amazing school. She will only be there for two academic years in total which I wish could be much longer. You don’t realise how bad something really is until you’re out of it eh? So - if you’re happy to play the political game, agree with everyone and everything whilst also allowing for the same few girls to get every main part in a play, all the awards, scholarships (so that Mrs NG can try and retain the hefty donor parents or just keep the numbers in sixth form as healthy as possible) - I can tell you now with a lot of confidence who will be Head Girl next. Mrs NG suggested my daughter might be head girl - as we were considering leaving - it just confirmed our decision to leave. It felt very manipulative! Oh - and one year one parent emailed the school insisting her daughter was at least a deputy head girl when they came to decide. Every year they have two deputy head girls. This particular year, after that email - they had three! I could tell you so much more and it’s almost laughable if my daughter hadn’t been so badly bullied and dismissed by some of the staff. Not all - there are some gems there. Absolute gems - I’m not sure how long they will last because if they don’t toe the line……

BeeStrudel · 22/04/2024 09:15

Namesté · 17/01/2024 00:49

Are you ready for this? My daughter left last year and moved to an amazing grammar school and contrary to what Mrs NG tells you at parents evening - she seems to have been able to stop herself going boy mad. What has happened though is that she has never been happier. She has already made some incredible friends in such a short time with stronger bonds than she ever had at Pipers. Piper’s was awful for her and us. The parents are pushy and cliquey and all creep up to the head teachers. The teachers encourage this and it’s really very unpleasant. I had to sarcastically ask once if we were paying less fees than other parents due to the different level of effort then school were putting in - it didn’t go down well! My dd was severely bullied. Please note - they have a counsellor who is too busy and so you will need to pay for private therapy. Please also note that the bully’s parents are also paying the school fees so the child will never be taken to task over this - they don’t want to upset the parents! Academically it was fine and because my daughter was so unhappy all
she did was shut herself in her room and study. It was heartbreaking - but yay for
the Pipers stats - she got 8s and 9s! I wish I could start this next sentence better but far too many of the girls are very bitchy and if you don’t suit that (thankfully we don’t) you’ll be bullied. Not one of her “friends” kept in touch with her from the minute they collected their results. They used her for parties etc as she had a group of boys she knew from primary school and now she is not “useful” they have ignored her. It’s been really hard the past few years but the school
kept saying that she was fine at school - total rubbish. As soon as we left, the weight has lifted from our shoulders. Biggest regret of my life sending her there. She has moved on to an amazing school. She will only be there for two academic years in total which I wish could be much longer. You don’t realise how bad something really is until you’re out of it eh? So - if you’re happy to play the political game, agree with everyone and everything whilst also allowing for the same few girls to get every main part in a play, all the awards, scholarships (so that Mrs NG can try and retain the hefty donor parents or just keep the numbers in sixth form as healthy as possible) - I can tell you now with a lot of confidence who will be Head Girl next. Mrs NG suggested my daughter might be head girl - as we were considering leaving - it just confirmed our decision to leave. It felt very manipulative! Oh - and one year one parent emailed the school insisting her daughter was at least a deputy head girl when they came to decide. Every year they have two deputy head girls. This particular year, after that email - they had three! I could tell you so much more and it’s almost laughable if my daughter hadn’t been so badly bullied and dismissed by some of the staff. Not all - there are some gems there. Absolute gems - I’m not sure how long they will last because if they don’t toe the line……

Same for us, biggest regret of our lives, the school culture and its fostering of closed girl social groups is dangerous. I believe that a fish rots from the head down. I do feel that ex-parents who are unhappy should be writing to foster and the independent school regulator. The school needs to refresh its governors to bring in outside experience and diverse representation (not this differs from diversity as it is not based on ethnic minority or other minority groups, it means all levels of social standing are represented)