Ricards Lodge High School

guys i'm turning into year 8 soon but i feel bad for the new year 7s. the website looks nice and the school looked big and independent when you first come but after a few weeks ITS A FREAKING NIGHTMARE. everyday is just the same, i wake up, get to school (which is by the way a mile from home!) spend a hole 5 hours worth of torture and embarrassment and walk all the way back home. the teachers don't care about your problems, the learning is trash and the food costs your bank accounts. ive lost all hope that things will be better and now were having to put on fake smiles while year 7s get lured in like the pied piper. i dont want them to get trapped / tricked as i did or end up like me. ( me have no freinds ) so thats why im making a stand for justice to the school, ill never fall in line and obey but i will fight for whats right so if anyone whats justice for good whever its for your freinnd or daughter then like this review if you will follow me!

thank you for your time

While the educational side of school was generally very supportive—especially for higher-achieving students (I can only speak for top set classes)—there were a few members of staff who clearly lacked the ability to appropriately support students, especially those dealing with complex personal issues.

Three major incidents involving me were handled horrendously. When I was 13 or 14, I had a social worker who was supporting me and my family due to serious issues at home. One morning, I came into school visibly upset after my mum had removed my bedroom door and thrown away all my clothes and makeup. I arrived early to seek comfort and support from the inclusion team.

About a week later, I came to school with a nose piercing, multiple earrings in each lobe, and wearing makeup—partly to cover bruises on my face. My Head of Year at the time, Claire Hodge, asked me to remove my makeup and jewelry. I complied without protest—I wasn’t a troublemaker, just a young person dealing with a lot emotionally.

However, Claire made an inappropriate and hurtful remark: “No wonder your parents threw your clothes away.” I calmly responded, “Don’t comment on situations you’re not fully aware of.” She seemed taken aback and followed up with, “Were they inappropriate for a girl your age to be wearing?” I ignored her condescending tone. She then said, “You’re bringing these problems to school so you can manipulate your parents more easily.”

This comment caused me severe emotional distress. I told her, “You’re not my social worker,” and left to speak with my tutor instead, as I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to continue speaking with her. Claire later informed my parents about what she called an "outburst," which led to a meeting that further strained my home situation.

A few weeks earlier, she had told me she saw me in the town centre around 6 PM and again contacted my parents—even though they were already aware of where I was. That too added tension at home.

Perhaps most disturbingly, during Black History Month, Claire read aloud a scene using the hard R and instructed her mostly white drama class to reenact a slavery scene—forcing three students to say the N-word. Later that week, she referred to Black History Month as “N***** History Month” while addressing a group of about eight of my (majority Black) friends.

On a lighter note, I want to say how thankful I am for the many incredible teachers I did have. They were not only great educators but also fun, supportive, and genuinely attentive to our needs. A special shoutout to Miss D Passio, Mr. Spencer, Dee, and Ms. Beasley—your encouragement and support got me through a rocky school journey. Thanks to you, I passed all my GCSEs with flying colours (all STEM subjects), despite missing over two and a half years of in-person schooling.

Love you all. 💖

this is the worst school i've been to in my whole life and i will give you some reasons why:
1.kids vaping in the bathrooms and harassing other kids
2.teachers not caring about kids problems (physical or emotional)
3.the food cost a heap and so do the cutlery
4. you learn absolutely nothing
5. they treat you like 5 year olds
if you want your kids to have a good education or a good childhood then you should NOT go to this school!!
thank you for listening :)

Awful school to say the least. The kids were ruthless and the teachers would rather ignore all the problems than to even think about doing anything. The schools education is also very poor and they’re often understaffed. No clue how some of the teachers are even qualified and how this place is rated “outstanding” by ofsted.

Terrible school. Staff treated shockingly by the higher ups, they are rude, condescending, and cruel. No one seems to know what anyone is doing, the students do what they want, no discipline whatsoever. Do not work at this school they don’t care about their staff and will work you into the ground.

The school doesn't have much resources and the students often have to wait until they are fully wet from the rain to go to the gazebos. They are not allowed inside the buildings during break or lunch unless they need to go to the toilet. In cases of bullying there are many bullies in this school and it seems that certain teachers like the bullies because they are 'bold'. Teachers are often very strict handling very small things such as if we are wearing our blazer or not but sometimes they don't do much about the big things. Other years got to do water fights during the hot weather at break but for some reason the other day a teacher stopped it even though the girls weren't getting very wet. Some teachers are nice and understanding but others are too strict. Many students get the impression that the teachers are nice only to the year 7s but then when they get to year 8 they start acting like their normal self. Some teachers aren't like that and act like they always do so I can't say all teachers.