Frewen College, Rye for dyslexic/adhd son.. feedback please!

[tunbridgewellsmum]

We are considering Frewen college in Rye for our dyslexic/adhd son. Does anyone have any feedback/recommendation/experience of this particular school? Many thanks

anyone??? thanks

My son is in Year 7 at Frewen and has been at the school since 2008. We have been absolutely delighted with the school and our son has made great progress. Prior to Frewen he was in mainstream with a statement and had become a school refuser. His self esteem and confidence have grown so much and he now enjoys school. Have a look at their website www.frewencollege.co.uk. There are details on there of their open morning. I would recommend a visit. Hope that helps.

I live near it and have a very dyslexic dAughter but know nothing about it! How old is tour child? Sevenoaks Prep has a fantastic cutting edge Dyslexia Programme.

Also look at www.northease.co.uk school just outside Lewes. My baby brother went there and absolutely loved it. Opened up his eyes to what he was capable of instead of what he wasn't

Hi
MY daughter started just before xmas 2012 at Frewen college in year 7.
She has settled in well. It is slightly difficult as the girls are few in number as yet ( used to be boys only school).
The teachers are great at helping the children fit in and it is relaxed and friendly. My daughter has social skills problems and can misunderstand and even with this and poor self esteem she is thriving.
I would definately recommend and i fought for funding for the place through tribunal. Cannot imagine how awful it would have been to send her to large mainstream. In just a few weeks people are noticing she is growing in confidence. :)

That's great to hear my son is starting in September

I AM mmm1 -Below--
MY GIRL has now LEFT FREWEN As she refused to attend in 2016 due to SEVERE Bullying Being ignored.
THE SCHOOL has changed HEAD and after SEPT 2014 it as all changed. SO MY previous great review NO Longer applies as this school has driven my daughter to school refusal and self harm. This is down to failure to give therapy and any counselling by NEW principal and some great teachers leaving.

We had a similar experience at Frewen to NOTIFICANHELPIT. Bullying not addressed at school and in boarding for our child -making them very despondent. Management took no responsibility for resolving issues. Also the SEN support was partly withdrawn without notification and we had trouble with the EHCP and placement at another school because of it. -A frequent issue we have heard. The principal and vice principal lack any SEN credentials so that partially explains the decline. Their disability discrimination policy is out of date and they seem to have no clue in that regard.

These sorts of issues need to be taken to the governors, OFSTED and other similar outlets. Some good teachers left, though there has been significant turnover. Time will if that persists.

I am sorry to read about the bullying your children - NOTIFICANHELPIT and MagMan - experienced at Frewen.
My experiences are different.
The HM, teachers, and boarding staff at Frewen have been very supportive and approachable. Bullying does not seem to be a frequent occurrence to me - on the contrary: Frewen has been a very friendly and gentle school.

Don’t know how long your dc has been at the school. But Frewen has changed so much in last 2 years and is no longer the gentle nurturing environment it used to be. key staff including most of senior leadership have left. There is now little understanding of individual needs, poor communication within the school and with parents and pupil behaviour not being dealt with. The prep school is still good and well led but after that there are many unhappy children and little being done to resolve problems.

Also if your child has speech and language difficulties be careful before choosing this school. They will likely stop providing the SALT by around year 9 even if it is in EHCP and you don’t agree to removing

Unfortunately our experience of Frewen College is terrible.
Whilst the teachers are caring and kind enough many have now left which is hardly surprising given the lack of proper management which appears to create discord and stress amongst staff. This is a very disorganised, uncommunicative and poorly run facility and the management have become weak, complacent and disengaged. The governor's need to get to grips with this before it gets to a point of no return.
The school only survives financially by encouraging parents to apply and fight for EHCP funding and they have a member of staff (the vice principle) dedicated to helping parents with this. However, they are so focussed and distracted on the fight for EHCP funding that they have unfortunately forgotten the key principles of the advertised 'Frewen-Way' which has been diluted and lost.
This really is a failing school and anyone considering it should talk to as many past parents of recent years as possible and consider all other options before signing up.
We are not happy to write such a review but really want to warn others as education for our children is just so crucial and there is only one chance.

Can I ask if you did send your son to Frewen? We have a dyslexic child who is 8 years old and we are considering Frewen College and wonder if you did send him there? We are keen to hear any up to date comments from anyone’s experience at Frewen College, Rye please.

Frewen Prep is a wonderful place to be a pupil. It is small, nurturing, the head of Prep, teachers and TAs are tuned-in, they ‘get’ the children. All the children in Prep come to know each other very well: due to the small size of Frewen Prep, they often are in mixed age groups, which we found enriching.The dyslexia support is tailored to your child. As with each school, it’d be important to take a look and see for yourself.