Frewen College

[koKoBee]

Hello, can anyone please give their opinion on Frewen College ...I am looking for specialist Independent school for daughter. she is dyscalculia....she will be going into Y7 in September. we were not offered a place at Bethany after she did the entrance exam...they said they can't help. She has done Cobham Hall entrance exam but we are in talks to ascertain if they can help. I came across Frewen College and will like to know if anyone has heard or can give their candid opinion. open to other suggestions as well. many thanks in advance

Hi Kokobee. I was wondering if you ended up at freemen college and how your child is getting on there as it sounds like you are in a very similar situation to us. Thanks

I have heard negative things and know of a family that pulled their child from there and into a local mainstream college. Apparently promise a lot on paper and rest on their laurels but don’t deliver and don’t challenge academically inclined children in the upper years.

Hiyah, apologies! Just seeing your message. Yes we are at Frewen, we were all nervous as there are only two girls including my daughter in Y7… she has settled in and the school is extremely nurturing and endearing. I will wait till end of Y7 to assess her progress. She is less stressed academically for now though I wonder if they will get extended as the go into the olde years. Let’s see. What have you decided with your child?

@Nekoness Hello 👋🏼 oh really?!? Yikes! Now that’s my concern though my daughter is pretty settled for now. Hmm… can tell me some of the other negatives please?

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.

Thank you so much for your response, really appreciate you taking the time out to send this.

I initially posted the questions when we were considering Frewen for my daughter and she has started at the school since then. From what I understood when making enquiries at the time, the current head teacher Mr. Goodman came in and changed a few of the negative attitude that existed, was he the headteacher when you moved your child?

I absolutely agree with you on communication and this is still an ongoing problem. It’s just so hard when you have limited options around you (we live in Maidstone, kent) except one is ready to put the child in boarding up North etc.

we are at the stage where we are desperately trying to measure her level of improvement as well as defining concrete benchmarks to measure the impact of the school on her.

where did you move your child to, if you don’t mind me asking and what changes have you noticed compared to your experience at Frewen.

cheers

Hi There,

I hope your daughter is getting on well, our child left after GCSE's as we didn't see the benefit of 'A' levels at Frewen.

Although it is a relatively stress-free environment the SEN isn't, in our experience, all it is cracked up to be and it was always difficult to understand the level of development with measurable targets which seemed hard to define - this we found worrying and disappointing from a specialist school.

Mr Goodman is a nice guy but doesn't respond well to directness from parents and tends to hide away. He seems a little out of his depth in this position and the school really needs to be directed. The previous head was more organised and approachable.

Therefore, the school is really disorganised and they don't engage with parents on crucial decisions for the child, much is agreed between school and child - consequently there is a significant disconnect.

Maybe deliberately? but there are few events and opportunities to meet other parents and there isn't a PTA which is desperately needed.

Hope this is helpful.