Topic ID 3796
It's that time of year again, when new parents start looking at secondary. Does anybody know when the open evenings are yet?
Reply ID 55142
Richard Hale School prospective parents'evenings are 13th and 14th of October
Reply ID 55143
Sele School is Thursday 2nd October. http://www.sele.herts.sch.uk/page13.html
Reply ID 55260
quote:Their website also says the 6th and 7th! Will be in the mercury soon I would expect.
Originally posted by dutch knight
Richard Hale School prospective parents'evenings are 13th and 14th of October
Reply ID 55265
Surely your kids Primary schools will give you the dates ??????
Reply ID 55317
quote:The dates are the 6th and 7th,just checked the website and they have both sets of dates listed in different places, but have had it confirmed that it is the earlier dates.My apologies[:I]
Originally posted by Leo Densianquote:Their website also says the 6th and 7th! Will be in the mercury soon I would expect.
Originally posted by dutch knight
Richard Hale School prospective parents'evenings are 13th and 14th of October
Reply ID 55802
Many thanks to all.
Reply ID 55803
quote:Did you go - and if so what did you think?
Originally posted by Witch of the north
Many thanks to all.
Reply ID 55831
Yes we did go. I feel that all the schools in Hertford and Ware have alot to offer now. We did all this four years ago with our eldest, but all the schools seem to of moved on so much since then. We are looking at Chauncy on Wednesday and then he will have to make his mind up. So far I think Richard Hale is his favourite.
Reply ID 55858
quote:Same here. Simon Balle seemed to be strong on window dressing and less on substance IMO.
Originally posted by Witch of the north So far I think Richard Hale is his favourite.
Reply ID 55922
quote:We came to the same conclusion 2 years ago. We opted for Sele and haven't regreted it for an instant
Originally posted by Leo Densian
Same here. Simon Balle seemed to be strong on window dressing and less on substance IMO.
Reply ID 55969
Sele is good, just to far away. Simon Balle, I agree with Leo and Gemi. Chauncy, I've got one there already. It is a wonderful school, but not right for my middle child. So I am going for Richard Hale. Fingers crossed now for the next six months.
Reply ID 68192
Has anyone been to the viewings this time round and if so what are your thoughts? For me, Richard Hale still trumps Simon Balle for my son and the application is in.
Reply ID 68223
quote:excellent choice IMO. Regret sending my son to SB....which I get stick for on here but that is my opinion/feeling and I'm entitled to it.
Originally posted by Leo Densian
Has anyone been to the viewings this time round and if so what are your thoughts? For me, Richard Hale still trumps Simon Balle for my son and the application is in.
Reply ID 68228
I'm not going to check or reply in this thread any more as I don't see why I have to justify repeatedly what is simply my opinion. I can only base my comments/thoughts on my/my son's personal experiences that Simon Balle is a good school.[;)]
Reply ID 68234
On both occassions that I have had a child looking at secondry schools, I have watched my childs reactions when attending the open evenings. From both of my son's there was a distinct impression, that they felt at home more so in one school then another. So hence I now have three children in three different schools and all seem very happy. When in two years I start to look for my daughter, I will do the same. So good luck to all with your applications. I hope you all get your first choice schools.
Reply ID 68237
Simon Balle is ticking all the boxes for my boy who started there in Sept. He is quite academic and also very musical and you certainly can't come near Simon Balle for music. If sport is very important to your boy then you should certainly consider Richard Hale carefully (though SB is not totally devoid of sporting opportunities!). My boy is really enjoying the kickboxing ! If your child is musical, you should think about Simon Balle as the foundation for music performance and Exam success cannot be beaten here. Other than that, it really is what suits your child's personalityand which atmosphere you prefer. For our personal choice, we considered that if you could get good results in either school, why would you choose to spend your time in a school which appeared stressfully competitive and the atmosphere quite miserable? At the end of the day you are likely to get the same results at Simon Balle and you might just have enjoyed your learning. Obviously, this is our own view and I know others will think the opposite. Don't get taken in by by the specialism subjects - they both have good facilities and comparable results. When you look around, imagine YOU were ging to spend the next 7 years of your life teaching there - which would you choose? [?]
Reply ID 68267
I feel we are very lucky to live in an area with FIVE wonderful secondry schools. I can only comment on Chauncy and Richard Hale from personal experience, as that is the schools chosen by our sons. I have found both schools to be ecouraging enviroments. Neither schools have been stressful or miserable. As for competitive, I think all schools use this for motivation. On the rare occasion that I have had corcerns with either school they have always been dealt with promptly and with great care. I would also like to mention that, when we attended the school open evenings another school that stuck in our minds was Sele. We felt that it was a wonderful school, very welcoming and the staff seemed to have a certain enegry about them. I would have been happy with either of our children attending Sele, but at the end of the day we felt that the decision was our children's not ours. I did however feel that when we looked at Simon Balle, and spoke to the Head Mistress, she was feeding off of a reputation that the school had many years ago, which I guess is fair as for some Sele and Chauncy still seem to be living down the reputations they had in the eighties.
Reply ID 68268
My son has recently started in year 7 at Richard Hale, so I thought I'd add my bit. So far, he loves it and we have been very impressed. The curriculum is oustanding and there is so much available to them extra-curricularly (if that is a word!). The atmosphere is one of encouragement and he seems very keen to work hard and do well.