Orley Farm, Reddiford and St Helen's College Hillingdon??

[EveDallas]

I think it really depends on what you want from the school and where you want your child to go after they finish.
If you want a well rounded education, with good facilities-then Orley farm is the place to go, especially if you are not aiming for a grammar school place.
Reddiford is a more academic, no frills sort of school and upto half of it’s children go to grammar school(QE boys, Watford grammar etc). Getting into a grammar is often harder than getting into an independent school, so yes there are parents who do extra work with their children(or send them to a tutor) as it is so competitive these days-I don’t think you will be able to rely on either school to do all the work in preparing your child.
If you want your child to go to a grammar school, then I would probably chose Reddiford,
Like I mentioned before Orley farm goes upto age 13(for boys), so I really don’t think they are geared up to the 11+ in the same way. Again if you want you child to go to a public school like Harrow or Eton, Orley farm would be more suitable.

[CoolMum5]

I went to an open day at St Helen's College at the weekend and was really impressed by the children and their work. More importantly, most of the staff seemed happy, engaged and engaging. The Head was also very approachable and there seemed to be a very friendly atmosphere. Visit all the schools to get a feel for them - try to do it on a normal working day if possible. Lots of luck with your choice.

[Pal123]

I have 2 children in Orley Farm one in upper school and another in middle school, they both started in pre-prep. I can confirm I am very happy with the school, but as with all schools there are good points and not-so-good points. The plus points are facilities, ethos, nurturing and co-ed aspects of the school. Academic success is important but goes had in hand with a general well rounded education. The down sides are there more children than Reddiford, boys are expected to stay till 13+ (unlike Reddiford) and most girls leave after yr6, but with no automatic progression to Senior Schools (unlike St Helen's) for boys or girls.

I agree with other posts consideration of where you want your children to go onto is probably quite important (although probably feels like a long way off), as it can be quite traumatic preparing children for senior schools and (i assume you have girls) if you go to a school like Habs girls, NLC or St Helen's the issue is somewhat reduced.

Good luck in choosing - you are lucky to have a choice - and i am sure that your children will be happy wherever they go.

[Pinner]

My son is going to Reddiford - My opinion is if you would like to send your kid at 11+ then Reddiford is the good option. They prepared a lot for independent schools. Not much for grammar schoolsl

[Daogroupie]

So how many student did Reddiford with marks over 230 for QEB this year and how many with high enough marks for the Watford Grammars. Did any dd get Band A for HBS? DG

[kenyancowgirl]

This is a 5 year old thread...

[Jennie]

This is my first post...I thought I would like to kick off with some advice and thoughts rather than a question.

I don't know much about Orley Farm but we do know plenty of parents at Reddiford. Firstly the grammar preperation appears to be out of date and not comprehensive. The independent prep is very much last minute towards the beginning of year 6. The children (and their parents!) are very hard working and the majority are privately tutored from year 5. This approach, in the view of the several parents that I know, results in many of the children doing well in their exams - without it they would have lost out. Parents view is that the generally good results are masked by the heavy external tutoring element. Additionally, there is a lot of emphasis on strict rules and tradition and putting on good concerts every term. The school markets itself extremely well and some of the teaching is good. Don't expect the school alone to get your child into a top secondary school. That will be down to your child, yourself and your tutor. Also my friends complain of a lack of flexibility and an inability to take constructive feedback, and this seems to start with the headteacher. It is a small school which lends to a homely feel. It all depends on what you are looking for and also your child's personality and interests. Hope this helps.

[Daogroupie]

Yes I know that but I am asking the question of Pinner who posted just 16 minutes before me and has a son at Reddiford. DG

[FAC51]

They prepared a lot for independent schools. NOT much for grammar schoolsl

So how many student did Reddiford with marks over 230 for QEB this year and how many with high enough marks for the Watford Grammars. Did any dd get Band A for HBS? DG

Surely the last bit of Pinner's post answers Daogroupie's question.

What chance OP is still active on the forum? Perhaps she could let us know what choice she made and how it worked out.

[ToadMum]

They prepared a lot for independent schools. NOT much for grammar schoolsl

So how many student did Reddiford with marks over 230 for QEB this year and how many with high enough marks for the Watford Grammars. Did any dd get Band A for HBS? DG

Surely the last bit of Pinner's post answers Daogroupie's question.

No, it just says that the school doesn't do much prep for state grammar schools, not that pupils from there didn't do well in those exams.

I've always thought that one must be very desperate indeed to keep one's offspring away from those nasty, common state primary kids, if one is not only willing to shell out for a private school, but also for tutors to make up for the failure of said school to teach / coach them to an acceptable level .