On 22 Nov 2015 at 8:48pm Worried Parent wrote:
My child will soon be moving on to Secondary school. I was assuming Priory was the best option. I find some of the recent comments on here worrying particularly about bullying which should not be tolerated in the slightest.
On 22 Nov 2015 at 8:58pm Grumpy wrote:
It's a shame the little darlings can't stand up for themselves any more.
On 22 Nov 2015 at 10:47pm resident wrote:
If you can afford to go Private then do so otherwise not much you can do about it,seems to be bullying in all schools unfortunately. starts in primary education and carries on all the way through. good luck
On 22 Nov 2015 at 10:56pm Woody wrote:
All my kids have been / go to Priory and they all recommend it and my youngest said today (Sunday) he wished it was a school day!!!
On 22 Nov 2015 at 11:49pm Jo wrote:
Coz he's the school bully
On 23 Nov 2015 at 7:04am Woody wrote:
The post two above wasn't me.
I went to Priory years ago (and hated it) but my opinion is out of date.
A friend of mine who was with me there didn't hate it; his son now goes and is doing well.
On 23 Nov 2015 at 7:09am molly wrote:
It seems to me that Priory school has never much concerned itself with pupils who have learning or behavoural difficulties. Its instincts have always been, probably inherited from the previous grammar schools, to concentrate its resources on the academic members of its community. It doesn't really deploy expertise to the middle of the road majority either. It's a very divided school and always has been. The changing mix in the Lewes community in recent years has probably not helped either. Having said this a clever middle class kid is likely to do well.
On 23 Nov 2015 at 8:23am resident wrote:
true a clever middle class child will do well because a great many of them have private tutors.
On 23 Nov 2015 at 9:04am in the know2 wrote:
all the schools in this area are good, bullying happens in all schools but is dealt with if it is known about. Any school that says it has no bullying is lying.
On 23 Nov 2015 at 9:09am Headmaster Bates wrote:
Avoid at all costs. Go to Chailey or Ringmer.
On 23 Nov 2015 at 3:26pm Worried Parent wrote:
What a bunch of moronic replies...what's the point of this forum?
On 23 Nov 2015 at 3:55pm Observer wrote:
A bit strong Worried Parent. Some of the replies were quite sensible!
On 23 Nov 2015 at 4:05pm ali wrote:
I realised, too late, that my son needed help with his maths before his GCSE's. A tutor was recommended, but was unable to help as every available session was booked, and had been for months. He said he had to give priority to the students who had been having maths tutorials with him since class 7 and had stayed with him all the way through to GCSE. Because of demand, this is his full time job.
On 23 Nov 2015 at 4:10pm Sjep76 wrote:
My eldest 2 children chose to go to Ringmer school. Ringmer do not tolerate bullying at all. I have a couple of friends who have moved their children from Priory to Ringmer because of the way their children's bullying was handled at Priory. Having said that I also have some friends with children at Priory and say it is brilliant. My advise would be to visit the school and get a feeling for the place.
On 23 Nov 2015 at 4:27pm bastian wrote:
worried parent, why are you choosing your school through a rats nest like the Lewes Forum-why not go and visit the schools, all three of them, then ask questions, then ask your child which one they like-then scam the authorities by moving into th area most favoured to get onto the school/change your religion so you have an automatic place-like all the other parents do.
Or you could just help your child to be confident enough that if they encounter bullying, they understand how to deal with it, like talking to their tutor, or you, or their teacher, or confide in a friend for help. Bullying relies on people not actuing at all, that is when it succeeds, but if your kid trusts YOU to listen, and STAFF to help-they will be fine and have agreat time in any school. Kids who bully are insecure, that's why they do it, to make themselves feel bigger and better about themselves-it's why the forum is full of bullies-they wouldn't dare talk to people the way they spout on here. The best thing you can do for secondary school is make time for your kids every evening, don't isolate them with headphones and I-phones and listen to them, then they don't feel alone with their problems-they need you more now than they did when they were 5.
On 23 Nov 2015 at 8:23pm H wrote:
Anywhere but priory (former student).
On 23 Nov 2015 at 9:02pm little wren wrote:
NO to Ringmer. My daughter had an awful time there. Lot's of bullying, the answer to that was, first of all deny it happens then put the bullies in the special needs department, out of the way. And that sadly was were many of those who were bullied would hide out too, supposedly the safe area. The head is out of kilter, she has no emotional IQ and no common sense. It could be a great school yet it is mediocre.
On 23 Nov 2015 at 9:09pm bastian wrote:
school is tough full stop-it's a weird enviroment to put all those hormonal young people together in one place and expect them to get on with each other. The best you can do as a parent is help your kids through, not only the difficult transition to adulthood but to know who they are themselves and to respect them selves and others equaly.
remind them they are not made up of what they own, but what and how they think.
On 23 Nov 2015 at 9:31pm To woody and molly wrote:
It wasn't all that good when it was a(boys) grammar school ! The A stream guys were a race apart and sailed through lessons going on to Uni. They are now retired from high flying professional careers with good pensions. The B stream was variable ( going by the people I know) And the C stream was a disaster. We should have been next door at the Secondary Modern where we would have been in the top class and could have become skilled engineers and artisans.I can count the number of teachers who were good for us C stream laddies on half the fingers of one hand.Conversely there were one or two who must have been models for Pink Floyd "The Wall" and the irony is we did want education. I'm too old now to still be bitter, but it's fact.
On 23 Nov 2015 at 9:57pm Student wrote:
Priory has much more bullying than my old private school. It has much less buggery though.
On 29 Nov 2015 at 7:35pm curmudgeon wrote:
Why Oh Why choose a school based on the mumblings of this flatulent cesspit?? You might as well choose who to vote for by reading The Daily Mail while you're at it (as some people on here seem to)
Your child will definitely have opinions about what school they want to go to, I know that I picked Priory because all of my friends were going and that gave me the stability that I needed to withstand any minor bullying from kids who had harder lives than me and needed someone to take it out on.
Priory is an excellent school with a similar anti-bullying policy to all of the other schools in the area, which is to say, they have one and they try their best but in an environment with so many kids and hormones and major pastoral care issues, a bit of mild bullying might slip under the radar if it's not brought up by the student or their parents. I went there (some time ago!) and was bullied like many other kids, but I found that simply sticking up for myself and talking to teachers/my parents/friends was enough to solve the issue.
The issue here is not with the school to deal with the bullying, it is not really their job and they cannot police the behaviour of hundreds of little monsters so that they turn out to be angels. The parents need to step in and sort out the issues themselves. This might involve a brave parents standing up and admitting that their child is a bully! Not very many parents will do it because they can't imagine little Tarquin being anything less than a charming young man, but that is the first step in preventing it from happening again. Parents need to engage more with their children, unstick everyone from their black mirrors and TALK ABOUT THINGS. Does your kid seem withdrawn? Have they started picking on their siblings or you? Guess what, they're probably being bullied and feel like they can't talk to you about it. Ask them. Put your iPhone in the bin and ask them.
On 30 Nov 2015 at 8:26am oxo wrote:
In this area all the schools are fine. There will always be bullying and issues in schools its impossible to avoid....unless you home tutor ! I know lots of people who's children go or went to priory and its mostly positive feedback. I wld actually say if anything its the "middle of the road" kids dont do as well. Special needs is good and good for high achievers.