life on mars 73
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- Oct 19, 2010
- 264
Anyone know this school ? What's it like ?
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Oakmeeds School, Burgess Hill
- Thread starter life on mars 73
- Start date
Crispy Ambulance
Well-known member
It's ok. All 3 kids have gone there (youngest is in year 8). The eldest two enjoyed their time there and, without setting the world alight grades-wise, were given good support in the run up to taking their GCSE's. I was surprised when the school had a damning Ofsted report earlier this year; think they may have concentrated too hard on achieving Academy status and took their eye off the ball with the basics.
n1 gull
Well-known member
It doesn't have the best reputation. It's had a bad ofsted report. I have heard it's getting turned round now, so it should get better
Return of the Rev
Well-known member
The wife's old school
TomandJerry
Well-known member
- Oct 1, 2013
- 12,323
I'd say under average
Gets more bad press than it deserves in my experience - I think [MENTION=16592]Crispy Ambulance[/MENTION] hit the nail on the head. My daughter left 4 years ago with top GCSE results (now at Edinburgh Uni) and my son has just left with decent grades too. Local talk is that the year before lasts year 11 were spectacularly bad, meaning the GCSE results overall were very poor, which also contributed to the Ofsted view. Also bear in mind the school is not selective (unlike some others nearby) so comparing exam results will always mean Oakmeeds comes off worse. Finally, I understand that many years ago the school was known to be very poor, and still has that reputation with people of a certain age (mostly parents of school age kids). Pastoral care is quite good, sports facilities good (new 3G pitch) and music too (new building).
Elvis
Well-known member
Funnily enough getting a bad ofsted can be a good thing for a school in the long run. Too many schools will coast along after a satisfactory observation. After a bad or less than satisfactory outcome this can lead to a change of leadership/direction or how the funding is spent.
Weststander
Well-known member
Know a few parents, including in recent years, who did everything they could for their children NOT to go there.
The usual story of St.Paul's R.C. secondary school, but more particularly Downlands in Hassocks, having better exam results and reputations. The savvy Burgess Hill parents, but who haven't got the funds for private schools, plan ahead to get Downlands or St.Paul's .
Also, the son of someone I know was bullied at Oakmead, the head and team were useless in dealing with it, so the parents got him moved to St.Paul's. The lad is still there now, and better I gather.
The usual story of St.Paul's R.C. secondary school, but more particularly Downlands in Hassocks, having better exam results and reputations. The savvy Burgess Hill parents, but who haven't got the funds for private schools, plan ahead to get Downlands or St.Paul's .
Also, the son of someone I know was bullied at Oakmead, the head and team were useless in dealing with it, so the parents got him moved to St.Paul's. The lad is still there now, and better I gather.
n1 gull
Well-known member
My kids are in Downlands and I think it's stunning, fantastic school imo
maltaseagull
Well-known member
The wife's old school
Nothing wrong with being old school !
Some pretty good standards
Weststander
Well-known member
I'm a Brightonian so have no first hand knowledge, but it always has fantastic results, not bad at all from a non-selective school.
There will always be examples of kids that went to the likes of Patcham, Longhill, Oakmeads etc, who achieved tons of A's and went on to Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Bristol and so on, but those intelligent kids would have thrived in almost any environment. They're the exception and did well in spite of their school.
Crispy Ambulance
Well-known member
KZNSeagull
Well-known member
Very true and difficult to shake off. Friends of mine in BH moved to Hurstpierpoint a couple of years ago so they could send their child to Downlands rather. Whether that reputation is deserved it is hard to say, I suspect not, in much the same way that Oathall was always seen as worse than Warden Park in HH. I do have other friends whose children go to Oakmeeds and they have no complaints.
Oakmeeds is a good school if the children work hard,lots of children have gone on to uni and have done well.The school is unlike Downlands and Warden park that only put children in for exams if they think they will get high grades.The children are smart and well behaved around the town.The music department and english departments are the best in mid-sussex.My
gandchildren and people l know,children have gone there and have all done well two are now Doctors and one a teacher at London Meads.You should also remember allways to sides to every story.
gandchildren and people l know,children have gone there and have all done well two are now Doctors and one a teacher at London Meads.You should also remember allways to sides to every story.
My wife and I both went to Oakmeeds a very long time ago (I left in 1978).
My kids also both went there and left 1 and 3 years ago with very good grades and having enjoyed their time there. From what I've seen of their friends they are all decent, well rounded kids, whereas their primary school friends who went to Downlands and Warden Park have a superiority complex despite not doing any better in their exams. I don't know any kids who went to St Paul's and enjoyed it.
I only had one issue with Oakmeeds and found the headmaster to be a bit weak in dealing with it (refused to accept a member of his staff had been un-professional), but I put that down to him and the member of staff in question being too close to my ex-wife.
Overall, I think that most bright kids will do fine wherever they go to school and everyone else blames the school for their kids not being geniuses. There are always kids who do better in different environments, but this is often down to their peers rather than the school itself.
I never had any doubt that Oakmeeds was right for my kids. Mostly because it was local, so they didn't need to get a bus/train and could therefore stay for after school clubs and the like without having to make alternate transport arrangements. Parents at Warden Park seemed to have no end of transport issues.
My kids also both went there and left 1 and 3 years ago with very good grades and having enjoyed their time there. From what I've seen of their friends they are all decent, well rounded kids, whereas their primary school friends who went to Downlands and Warden Park have a superiority complex despite not doing any better in their exams. I don't know any kids who went to St Paul's and enjoyed it.
I only had one issue with Oakmeeds and found the headmaster to be a bit weak in dealing with it (refused to accept a member of his staff had been un-professional), but I put that down to him and the member of staff in question being too close to my ex-wife.
Overall, I think that most bright kids will do fine wherever they go to school and everyone else blames the school for their kids not being geniuses. There are always kids who do better in different environments, but this is often down to their peers rather than the school itself.
I never had any doubt that Oakmeeds was right for my kids. Mostly because it was local, so they didn't need to get a bus/train and could therefore stay for after school clubs and the like without having to make alternate transport arrangements. Parents at Warden Park seemed to have no end of transport issues.
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S.T.U cgull
Well-known member
My old man also left in 1978 & was less than complimentary of the school.
By contrast I went to Downlands, leaving 6 years ago & refute the claim of a superiority complex, at that time Oakmeeds was simply a worse school to attend than either Downlands or St Pauls.
Kazenga <3
Test 805843
I went to Oathall so can't speak of the lower school at St Paul's, however I finished Sixth Form there two years ago so have a lot of friends who went through secondary there too. Most of them really enjoyed it. However I did get the impression that a lot of the kids who'd gone all the way through St Paul's were living in a bit of a bubble- its almost too cushy and you won't meet the variety of people you would through normal state education- and so some seemed a little oblivious to the real world. (Maybe also because they spend a lot of time preaching about the world in the clouds). Fantastic teaching and results mind.
One of my parents has worked at Downlands for many years and I did some part time cleaning work there for pocket money, and its just basically a normal school with much higher proportion of 'nice' kids given the area its located. This is turn means its easier to teach them as in the main they'll be more receptive, staff can then be less stressed etc etc and all adds up to better standards of teaching, better support and higher grades. Without wanting to sound classist, its just a fact that schools like Oathall where I went and Oakmeeds draw more in from a different demographic so to speak. They are still very good schools compared to most in the country however and any child will succeed with good support and a good working attitude. Though obviously how well they do can very easily be impacted by the environment they are in and the level of support they can subsequently be afforded.
Weststander
Well-known member
The Oakmeeds website displays a non-subtle PR exercise, re the recent GCSE's.
They publish very selective positive data first, then hidden amongst the narrative and numbers is the key figure - 55% achieved 5 A to C's including the crucial maths and english.
Nearby Downlands achieved 71% and St.Paul's 84%. 84% .
Varndean in Brighton did a similar PR job, praising achievements, before quietly revealing the key figure was 48%, and making no mention that was a fall of 15% from 63% in 2013.
They publish very selective positive data first, then hidden amongst the narrative and numbers is the key figure - 55% achieved 5 A to C's including the crucial maths and english.
Nearby Downlands achieved 71% and St.Paul's 84%. 84% .
Varndean in Brighton did a similar PR job, praising achievements, before quietly revealing the key figure was 48%, and making no mention that was a fall of 15% from 63% in 2013.