Reviews of Greenfields Independent Day & Boarding School

“At the end of 2011 despite much juggling of funds and making tough decisions on saving money, I inevitably had to look at the expense of keeping my son at Greenfields School.

So I had a good look at exactly why I should or shouldn’t keep him at the school and this is what I realised. That though the school is not the biggest, most prestigious or most high tech school in the UK, it is giving children something I honestly doubt any other school in England could guarantee – confident, independent and able children routinely. Of course all schools will produce some children like this but without the study methodology, ethical values and other brilliant gems of technology being applied at the Greenfields – it is not guaranteed – and I want it guaranteed.

What I observe is that some children survive well in other schools and many others do not. There are too many random factors that will hit a child despite all the best efforts of teachers and parents (and most of them are sincerely doing the best they can I have no doubt about that). Things such as environmental menace, street drugs, psychiatric drugging, bullying, peer pressure, alcohol, the need to impress ‘friends’ with their first ASBO etc. What they lack is the technology Greenfields has - and this is why - percentage wise - Greenfields can honestly ensure that the majority of its children learn how to study, how to use what they learn, have good a ethic level instilled in them (‘Way to Happiness’) and the confidence in themselves to withstand peer pressure and do what they think is right.

Most all the children I see at Greenfields are confident, independent and able to the point of being ‘cocky’ (although most have excellent manners). It pleases me as it is so beyond what I’ve observed in other schools. My own secondary school, for example, took me in at 11, crushed most of the confidence and aspirations I had managed to scrape together in junior school and primary school (which are generally much kinder to children I think) and spat me out at 16 with an ‘average intelligence’ label and no self confidence at all unless I was drunk. This is not unusual– just observe some children sometime.

My son did not start at Greenfields until he was 11. He went to a good primary school and was not unhappy – he was, however, quite indifferent to school. This changed almost overnight at Greenfields and I was very happy to see it. He makes sure I get him to school on time and he comes home enthusiastically telling me things he has done and learnt – I like this.

I want my son to have the best start he can get in life and I don’t just mean good exam results. A child’s success in life should not be measured by what exams he has or how much money he can make. It should be judged on how well he can communicate, achieve his goals and help other people in the process. He may get this in another school. But I know he will get this at Greenfields. This makes my efforts to keep him there completely justified despite any temporary difficulties in doing so.”

GK - parent