plantpot

Hello there, I am interested in both Redlands (Scegs) and St Andrews Cathedral school for my son and daughter from year 7.

I will visit both but would be interested in personal recs from people if you have any.

I am interested in the IB programme and the fact they are both co-ed.

thanks

killerhales

Here we go plantpot, my daughter is doing year 11 IB at Redlands; has been there for 5 years.

I would certainly recommend the school. It's a little bit "up itself", but apart from that, most teachers are dedicated and good at teaching.

The Christian emphasis can also be a bit annoying at times for heathens like us, but again is a minor irritant rather than a big issue.

The IB programme is well established (which is important, as schools take time to get good results in the IB). Lots of good extra-curricular stuff too, to avoid getting too academic.

About a third of the cohort do IB.

As Redlands is non-selective (as long as you have the money!) then there is less of a hot-house feel than some of the selective schools. There are still some outstandingly clever kids, so plenty of scope for them to be challenged by peers and teachers alike.

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask. Good luck

plantpot

Thanks great to hear positives....what do you mean by up itself, the school, the kids or the teachers?

I am on the visit in August so will see then...

killerhales

Redlands takes itself a bit too seriously; there's a bit of pompousity around, for example, in some of the board members. Speech day is more British than the British (but makes me feel nostalgic for my old grammar school!)

But, as I said, the majority of the teachers are great; my daughter loves the school and there is a really good vibe for the vast majority of students.

So I wouldn't hesiate to recommend the school, so long as your pockets are deep enough ;-)

plantpot

I have a while to save... Thanks for all your info and advice....

emigratingherberts

My kids go to SCECGS and I find it a generally nice, friendly school. The kids all seem to be pretty accepting of each other as there is a lot of coming and going with expats from all over the world. It has a very international feel.

I have not had a problem with the religious thing. They don't seem to shove it down your throat like some schools.

I'm not sure the academic results are quite as good as some schools as it is non-selective, but they seem to get a well rounded education there.

I am quite happy with the school. There are some very good teachers and a few crappy ones, just like anywhere.

Hope this helps. I have no plans to move mine anywhere else.