Beecroft Primary School

Beecroft is excellent in every way. The teaching, clubs, opportunities to play a musical instrument (free) are just some of the reasons it is great. It is always calm and when I was there you were really made to feel special. All children get on well together- and it is very diverse. When I went to High Schhol I knew much more than pupils from other schools.

Despite consistently getting outstanding reviews from visitors, this school was an awful experience. I was constantly punished for an anxiety disorder that affects my speech. I have had books thrown at me and have been pushed into walls by the teachers because of my disorder, and my best friend was forced to leave because of her Tourette’s syndrome. I was told to ‘man up’ when I said I was unhappy there and when I said I had been humiliated in class I was told by the headmistress that ‘humiliated is quite a big word’. In this school they had unrealistic expectations from students and when I could not meet these expectations I was ridiculed and made to feel I was not good enough. The teachers said me and my sister were ‘embarrassments’, ‘disgusting’ and I was called ‘the naughty little sister’ when I had non-verbal episodes. Please do not send your children here.

While I was at this school, I witnessed and experienced a lot of emotional and physical abuse. We were told that this was a form of discipline, and that we just need to "man up". Children with disabilities were disproportionately mistreated, and those trying to speak up about issues that they were having at school in terms of their mental health were shut down immediately. I have struggled a lot with my mental health, and when i tried to get help from school, they told me "you're not even putting in enough effort into your schoolwork to please yourself,just try harder." Every day after school i would break down and cry because of the stress that they put on me to put more effort in, although i spent hours every night doing homework. When people tried to tell teachers about bullying, we were told to "stop telling tales" because "we dont have bullies in this school". Me and my sister are both traumatised and now need councilling. Please do not send your child here.