Bishop Gore School

Unfortunately, Bishop Gore School has disabled its Google reviews — and frankly, I’m not surprised. The way this school conducts itself is deeply disappointing and, in many cases, shameful.

The leadership systems are a complete facade. They claim to prioritise the wellbeing and development of students, but in our experience, this could not be further from the truth. My child has been repeatedly belittled and harassed by staff members who are supposed to be in positions of trust and protection. After enduring ongoing issues with another pupil and receiving little to no meaningful support, we were left with no choice but to file a formal complaint. Sadly, this did not result in any visible change.

Mental health is a serious issue in today's society, yet Bishop Gore appears to show little to no regard for it. Despite my child attending counselling sessions, clearly showing that they were in a deeply troubled place, they were told by a senior member of staff that they were “letting others win” by missing school. To say such things to a vulnerable student is not only insensitive, it’s utterly irresponsible. My child’s mental health is not a game to be won or lost.

This same member of staff has made repeated snide and inappropriate remarks, seemingly targeting my child and the peers they associate with. It's hard to ignore the feeling that there's a clear personal bias at play. In my opinion, someone who behaves so emotionally and unprofessionally should not be entrusted with a role that is designated for the protection of our children.

To make matters worse, my child — along with others — has heard this member of staff express excitement for leavers day to Year 11 pupils who’ve had prior conflicts with said staff member, suggesting they are not welcome. This shows a disturbing level of disdain for the very students the school is meant to support, particularly at such a critical point in their education. It's appalling that such remarks would be made to children, especially those considering staying on for sixth form.

I am not someone who complains lightly. But after witnessing countless instances of children being treated unfairly, I can no longer stay silent. This is not just a frustrated rant — I took my concerns through the proper channels and even spoke with the school’s police liaison officer. Their response was telling: “I’m here because the school has let you down. I don’t want you to think the police will do the same.”

Sadly, it wasn’t just senior staff. The house teams also consistently fail into follow through on promises. My child was misled on multiple occasions and given false assurances. When they brought forward a concern about another pupil to their house team and was promised action — but instead, nothing was done. In contrast, when the other pupil raised an issue, it was immediately escalated and handled by said teacher, once again showing a glaring disparity in how students are treated.

In another shocking incident, my child and a friend were verbally abused by a male pupil while in the HWB office. Not one staff member intervened. These two vulnerable students were left unprotected, and when they spoke up afterward, they were dismissed and even reprimanded for questioning whether the other pupil was held accountable.

I urge any parent considering Bishop Gore School to think very carefully. If you truly value your child’s wellbeing and mental health, this school is not the place for them. The treatment my child — and others — have endured is, in a word, disgusting. I am only thankful that my child has a strong support network outside of school, because without it, I fear the consequences of this school’s neglect could have been far worse.

its horrible there they only care about the schools reviews. they say they care but they dont.

this school is racist and doesn’t know how to deal with big problems and automatically exclude the pupil even if they aren’t in the wrong this school is unfair and only care about their staff even when the staff are in the wrong

It’s not too bad and not too good either. Most teachers can be nice but some can be a pain. When doing online work they can give you way too much work to do and expect you to do it in 1 hour.

Bishop Gore is a generally friendly place. The majority of teachers are helpful and good at what they do, with many having a good sense of humour and are friendly. It has an excellent Performing Arts Department and decent Sports Department as well as alright consistency in other departments. The staff are usually reliable and tackle problems in a fairly good manner. The school also has a good reputation with the STF Department and the members of it are given a variety of opportunities that they may not otherwise be provided with. However, the school is not without its negatives. There are, of course, groups of rowdy students, and fights aren't completely unheard of. Parts of the building are old and in need of repairs, and the school toilets are about how you would expect school toilets to be. Broken, unusable, and quite often, disgusting. School exam results are roughly average, with a vast difference between the highest and lowest achieving pupils.