South Gloucestershire/BANES secondaries - any good ones?

[sallycinamon]

Hi there

Planning to move and wondering if anyone can recommend any good secondaries in South Glouc and Bath and North East Somerset.

Have heard gossip and rumours about certain schools but wondering what to believe. Cynical about league tables too!

Thanks

I have not lived in S Glos now for a few years but the 2 schools people used to "fight" to get their DC in were Katherine Lady Berkely - Nr Wotton Under Edge and The Ridings in Winterbourne.

No idea where they stand these days but perhaps worth researching to see if they are still any good.

Thanks Slummy.

Alot of people seem to have mentioned the Ridings (or Winterbourne International Academy as it is now called!)However, for every positive comment about it there seems to have been a negative one. I'm thinking there might be alot of hype surrounding it. I sometimes think people just jump on the band wagon of saying a school has a good reputation when they haven't really got a clue.

It's so hard to really get to the bottom of it!

My DD's both go to Hayesfield Girls in Bath which we're very pleased with (oldest DD also spent 3 years at secondary in London so can compare).

Also have heard lots of good things about Beechen Cliff (boys) from parents and students and am planning to send DS there in a couple of years.

What schools have you heard things about?

Hi Coca
That's interesting. I haven't heard of that one.I have been doing a bit of research and noticed that Oldfield School seems quite nice. It is also on the side of Bath we want to live on though I would anticipate us living nearer to Bristol really. Do these schools work on catchment areas?

There is a discussion currently underway in Bath about merging Oldfield School with St Marks, a co-ed school, so if the attraction is sending DD to a top girl's school, then be wary. Both Oldfield and Hayesfield have quite a few girls coming in from Bristol.