Barclay School

As a former student, I can only write from experience. I suffered severely with my mental health whilst I attended the Barclay School. The support I received was fantastic. I was guided for every step of the way, I had regular meetings with the ladies in the flat. The nurse, Kim Hutchinson, was absolutely fantastic, she made sure I was alright and always treated me like a person rather than just a number. I also unfortunately self harmed quite badly on a regular basis and Kim was always there to talk too and help me. The school helped my family to understand why I was feeling the way I did and to help me receive the right support.

If you had a problem or wanted to go the 'flat' to talk to someone, they would also make time for you.

The education side of things I also couldn't fault. The school saw my potential in English lessons and fought for me to get moved up a set. They also actively encouraged taking a language for GCSE however. When I told them that I didn't want too they worked with me to find an alternative solution.

Maths teacher, Ms Sherwin, was also fantastic. She had a way of making maths interesting and making you feel like you're actually good at it. She was great at blocking out all of the kids who didn't want to learn and were just disrupting the lessons, and focussing on those that wanted to succeed. I would NEVER has passed maths without her. She is the best!!

Canteen is very overpriced!! :(

Overall, they really did believe in me and push me to see my potential and I couldn't be anymore grateful!

Unfortunately after I left the school, it became and Academy and although I have no experience attending here since, I have heard some mixed reviews.

Terrible. Teachers don't care about your issues and when you raise concerns nothing ever actually gets done. They got rid of a bunch of btecs because apparently they aren’t “real GCSEs” and favour teaching dead languages like latin or classics because apparently they “look good on your CV”. Literally go to any school other than this dump.