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Didcot Girls' School
Secondary · Academy · Didcot
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worst skl ever
worst school no teacher care about mental health
Dont. Go. Here.
The worst school i have ever been to.
I grew up moving around and having to change schools alot, nothing compares to the horrors of this one though. Ive moved thank god but Ive been there since late yr7, first day i joined i was bullied and i ran to a teacher crying, teacher dismissed me and said welcome to the uk.
Education and learning - Classes are around 25-35 students, teachers only pay attention to students that have "potential", i was always ignored and even after class when i asked for help they said come back later, did i come back? yes, did they tell me they were going to write an email explaining? yes, did they ever do it? absolutely not, the only teacher that actually helped was a religious studies teacher. The coursework is absolutely horrible and for upper students (yr9-11) they are given so so much homework, i used to struggle with just my math homework and it would take me 4-5 hours per time, they always gave me detentions but because there were so many other students that didnt do it either none of the teachers paid attention to help.
Staff and Teachers- New heard of year joined and on her 4th day of work she thought she could put me into isolation without contacting my parents because apparently i was a "threat", i was bullied and harassed by someone, i finally lost it and stood up for myself and that girl was never punished. Last day of that school and i was nearly beaten up because a girl had made a rumour about me and half of the school believed her, teachers knew about it and THE HEAD OF SAFEGUARDING was 20 ft away from me, heard i was getting threatened and walked off.
Safety and security- i used to work summers for a sport camp and we had multiple break ins, fences were cut into and had holes, lots of students during the school year would also jump the fence, cant blame them lol
Indoor environment- facilities of the school are horrendous, probably a hazard, mold growing in the corner of rooms, water dripping, not enough space in the cafeteria so they resorted to using the sport halls which they never clean properly and force students to then use them straight after lunch. Toilet facilities, no front door to enter the actual bathroom, locks on most of the stalls are broken and theres used tampons stuck to the ceiling
Outdoor environment- balloon canisters everywhere, there was an incident where a 3g of weed was found near a fence where a student had obviously tried to hide it, vapes everywhere
Food and meals- I didnt even know that this was an actual policy for schools in the uk until i moved, NO SALT ALLOWED. food was greasy and i was often sick afterwards, lunch ques were horrendously long and most times after queing up it was time for class.. again..
I cant be asked to do the rest but if you have a daughter and you are thinking of moving them here please please please do not do it, I have to go to therapy after what happened to me at this school.
I grew up moving around and having to change schools alot, nothing compares to the horrors of this one though. Ive moved thank god but Ive been there since late yr7, first day i joined i was bullied and i ran to a teacher crying, teacher dismissed me and said welcome to the uk.
Education and learning - Classes are around 25-35 students, teachers only pay attention to students that have "potential", i was always ignored and even after class when i asked for help they said come back later, did i come back? yes, did they tell me they were going to write an email explaining? yes, did they ever do it? absolutely not, the only teacher that actually helped was a religious studies teacher. The coursework is absolutely horrible and for upper students (yr9-11) they are given so so much homework, i used to struggle with just my math homework and it would take me 4-5 hours per time, they always gave me detentions but because there were so many other students that didnt do it either none of the teachers paid attention to help.
Staff and Teachers- New heard of year joined and on her 4th day of work she thought she could put me into isolation without contacting my parents because apparently i was a "threat", i was bullied and harassed by someone, i finally lost it and stood up for myself and that girl was never punished. Last day of that school and i was nearly beaten up because a girl had made a rumour about me and half of the school believed her, teachers knew about it and THE HEAD OF SAFEGUARDING was 20 ft away from me, heard i was getting threatened and walked off.
Safety and security- i used to work summers for a sport camp and we had multiple break ins, fences were cut into and had holes, lots of students during the school year would also jump the fence, cant blame them lol
Indoor environment- facilities of the school are horrendous, probably a hazard, mold growing in the corner of rooms, water dripping, not enough space in the cafeteria so they resorted to using the sport halls which they never clean properly and force students to then use them straight after lunch. Toilet facilities, no front door to enter the actual bathroom, locks on most of the stalls are broken and theres used tampons stuck to the ceiling
Outdoor environment- balloon canisters everywhere, there was an incident where a 3g of weed was found near a fence where a student had obviously tried to hide it, vapes everywhere
Food and meals- I didnt even know that this was an actual policy for schools in the uk until i moved, NO SALT ALLOWED. food was greasy and i was often sick afterwards, lunch ques were horrendously long and most times after queing up it was time for class.. again..
I cant be asked to do the rest but if you have a daughter and you are thinking of moving them here please please please do not do it, I have to go to therapy after what happened to me at this school.
I love it
This is a great school it give you so many opportunities in life and really give you a that boost of education you can’t get any where else (without paying a fortune)
Terrible school.
All they care about is grades. We get set homework that we haven't covered in class then get told of when we cant do it. Department detentions are completely pointless and you can get them for the most stupid of things. The last time i had a maths detention i ended up crying. The teachers are so hypocritical they take weeks to mark tests. They say its because they have other tests to mark then expect us to do homework in a week maximum when we have other homework to do and stay in school all day unlike most of them. They cant accept that a social life is important and that we cant just dedicate every moment of our life to school. I feel like i need extra help in some subjects and homework but because im doing ok i don't get it. I cant remember the last time i did a piece of homework without breaking down crying. School here genuinely makes me want to die sometimes and the other people think they can get away with anything if you're a lower year than them. They pretend to care about your mental health when they really don't . Whoever came up with the idea of a all girls school needs help i can't wait to get away and go to collage. If you are thinking about going here don't.
Obsessed with human machines
The recent review about the year 11 girl's experience with autism at the school rung so true with me it's only right to make a review.
The teachers saw i was struggling but always decided it was because i was lazy, even though i have autism and didn't understand the work often, especially since most if not all of the teachers rushed through so much.
My head of year at the time made sure to write into my autism diagnosis when given the opportunity what she thought was "wrong with me" and wrote that "i do not have the normal range of facial expressions" ... when i am not completely depressed and being bullied by the majority of my year i'm actually quite fine, thanks!
I was bullied by the majority of my year but my head of year wrote in "her behaviours have left her quite isolated" ... nothing was done about my bullying situation, and it seemed to have been blamed entirely on my autistic traits.
My art teacher was extremely ableist and it seemed she saw my autism as an "excuse" or something. Art has always been my passion, but just because i didn't have experience upon joining the school of what they had been teaching and instead what my other school had been teaching i'd been treated like an idiot. Apparently i had to put my art into neat boxes more nicely... ????? And original thought was completely against the rules as i had to show "inspiration", (aka, do it kind of like this and this artist, or whoever but not exactly... *inspiration*
This art teacher had gone as far as to look me in the eye and tell me i had "no choice" but to be in the same room as everyone else in my GCSE's when that wasn't true, and i desperately needed somewhere quieter where i would experience less sensory overload, as i was tearful at the end of every lesson due to my sensory issues but also because of the extremely harsh treatment from this teacher, who many students whispered should have just stuck with jewellery design or something.
Horrifically, my head of year also wrote into my autism diagnosis that I am not willing to accept the help and have taken my art teachers "offers for help and guidance" personally. For context at the end of most lessons my friend would ask if i was alright, concerned for my welfare, and disgusted by the treatment of me from this teacher.
It is a skirt length, attendance, perfection obsessed school that does not treat the students like people, rather machines and one of the most depressing memories i had was at the end of the mock exams they were letting the students know that there were NO excuses to not attend your GCSE's, even if your home burned down.
They used the girl who was in a daze after her flat burned down and attended her GCSE's the day after as an example that you must must must must must *deep breath* MUST be there. Unshockingly, during the exams there were multiple girls throwing up into the bins outside, and sobbing hysterically.
I hope that any parents wondering if they should put their young girl into this school could reconsider, in favour of a school that treats their growing girl like a person with feelings, needs and vulnerabilities.
The teachers saw i was struggling but always decided it was because i was lazy, even though i have autism and didn't understand the work often, especially since most if not all of the teachers rushed through so much.
My head of year at the time made sure to write into my autism diagnosis when given the opportunity what she thought was "wrong with me" and wrote that "i do not have the normal range of facial expressions" ... when i am not completely depressed and being bullied by the majority of my year i'm actually quite fine, thanks!
I was bullied by the majority of my year but my head of year wrote in "her behaviours have left her quite isolated" ... nothing was done about my bullying situation, and it seemed to have been blamed entirely on my autistic traits.
My art teacher was extremely ableist and it seemed she saw my autism as an "excuse" or something. Art has always been my passion, but just because i didn't have experience upon joining the school of what they had been teaching and instead what my other school had been teaching i'd been treated like an idiot. Apparently i had to put my art into neat boxes more nicely... ????? And original thought was completely against the rules as i had to show "inspiration", (aka, do it kind of like this and this artist, or whoever but not exactly... *inspiration*
This art teacher had gone as far as to look me in the eye and tell me i had "no choice" but to be in the same room as everyone else in my GCSE's when that wasn't true, and i desperately needed somewhere quieter where i would experience less sensory overload, as i was tearful at the end of every lesson due to my sensory issues but also because of the extremely harsh treatment from this teacher, who many students whispered should have just stuck with jewellery design or something.
Horrifically, my head of year also wrote into my autism diagnosis that I am not willing to accept the help and have taken my art teachers "offers for help and guidance" personally. For context at the end of most lessons my friend would ask if i was alright, concerned for my welfare, and disgusted by the treatment of me from this teacher.
It is a skirt length, attendance, perfection obsessed school that does not treat the students like people, rather machines and one of the most depressing memories i had was at the end of the mock exams they were letting the students know that there were NO excuses to not attend your GCSE's, even if your home burned down.
They used the girl who was in a daze after her flat burned down and attended her GCSE's the day after as an example that you must must must must must *deep breath* MUST be there. Unshockingly, during the exams there were multiple girls throwing up into the bins outside, and sobbing hysterically.
I hope that any parents wondering if they should put their young girl into this school could reconsider, in favour of a school that treats their growing girl like a person with feelings, needs and vulnerabilities.
Mental health is NOT their priority...
So I am a student in yr11, soon to leave, and I can honestly say this school has given me such mixed feelings. Since I joined 4 years ago, my mental healh has declined. After teachers literally telling me about *certain* unhealthy things I ended up in various hospital settings. During this, the school failed to pick my education up quickly once it would have been appropriate, and once 2 years had passed I finally managed to get back in. However, it was handled badly, my TA was not given enough info on my situation, and the school made no precautions to my safety or the safety of others.
I was gaslighted and repeatedly patronised by staff about my struggles especially earlier on. I know lots of people let down by this school.
There is a teacher who has no regard for autism, and autistic students' struggles. In fact, most teachers are very undereducated (ironically) in mental health. Detentions are bad (as other reviews will say) and I was suspended indefinitely (2 months in the end) just because of a civily resolved incident. I have had so many teachers completely abuse their power over students, especially TAs I think.
It's not all bad: the school is okay if you aren't neurodivergent, and if you get along with some of the staff they are very sweet for the most part. Luckily my grades have been minimally affected by my time away from school, which brings my next point: GCSE and mock exams are so stressful, and some days there is 3 exams in one day. This isn't necessarily a reflection of the school, but considering their lack of sensitivity and empathy towards students mental-health-wise, this can be a devastating time for some; it is so stressful and scary. Especially with the school preaching their "outstanding" reputation for high grades, students (including myself) can feel pressure to live up to the schools expectations.
The school has no idea how to handle mental health. At all. When asked if I was okay I was later informed "it would've been easier if (I) said yes", after admitting I wasn't okay and being sent home to cool down from the day. There is an overbearing pressure to be "perfect", from the OTT uniform rules to the 100% attendance rewards (picked at random and I swear it's rigged).
Anyway, if you're here to see if you should go here, I'd say it depends. Some girls thrive but some are broken. I'd talk, if you can, to various people who've been there themselves.
But I can't wait to escape to college!
I was gaslighted and repeatedly patronised by staff about my struggles especially earlier on. I know lots of people let down by this school.
There is a teacher who has no regard for autism, and autistic students' struggles. In fact, most teachers are very undereducated (ironically) in mental health. Detentions are bad (as other reviews will say) and I was suspended indefinitely (2 months in the end) just because of a civily resolved incident. I have had so many teachers completely abuse their power over students, especially TAs I think.
It's not all bad: the school is okay if you aren't neurodivergent, and if you get along with some of the staff they are very sweet for the most part. Luckily my grades have been minimally affected by my time away from school, which brings my next point: GCSE and mock exams are so stressful, and some days there is 3 exams in one day. This isn't necessarily a reflection of the school, but considering their lack of sensitivity and empathy towards students mental-health-wise, this can be a devastating time for some; it is so stressful and scary. Especially with the school preaching their "outstanding" reputation for high grades, students (including myself) can feel pressure to live up to the schools expectations.
The school has no idea how to handle mental health. At all. When asked if I was okay I was later informed "it would've been easier if (I) said yes", after admitting I wasn't okay and being sent home to cool down from the day. There is an overbearing pressure to be "perfect", from the OTT uniform rules to the 100% attendance rewards (picked at random and I swear it's rigged).
Anyway, if you're here to see if you should go here, I'd say it depends. Some girls thrive but some are broken. I'd talk, if you can, to various people who've been there themselves.
But I can't wait to escape to college!
Hypersexualisation of children
What these reviews say is true. As a former student I was not only sexualised but targeted by teachers who believed my bullies who said I was creepy because I'm into girls. I can't put into words everything that happened only because it's so retraumatising to write it out fully, but it contributed to a certain science teacher deciding that she had the power to take 14 year old me aside and tell me I was "being sexual and inappropriate, all the other girls on your table were laughing at you" (they weren't) because I was interested in the shoe she held up and showed everyone was melting because it was a hot day-as in she insinuated that I had a foot fetish because of the melting shoe that she showed everyone.
Keep in mind this was a fully grown woman in her early 40's? Saying this to a CHILD.
- One day I was denied healthcare after throwing up in favour of deciding I faked it and using this opportunity to get a teacher to tell me that I should stop making "gay" comments to the other girls (see first part.)
There were MANY other instances of teachers using this whole "creepy bisexual girl" thing to sexually harass/abuse me (that's the actual term for what happened by the way.)
And what we all have in common: the moment we entered the school our bodies were treated like potential threats, the threats being causing erections in male teachers, if you'd like to hear it frankly.
I was being sexually abused at home at the time, but this was the cherry on the cake. It was TRAUMATISING, revolting, hideous... no words can really do it justice. So glad I'm out.
Keep in mind this was a fully grown woman in her early 40's? Saying this to a CHILD.
- One day I was denied healthcare after throwing up in favour of deciding I faked it and using this opportunity to get a teacher to tell me that I should stop making "gay" comments to the other girls (see first part.)
There were MANY other instances of teachers using this whole "creepy bisexual girl" thing to sexually harass/abuse me (that's the actual term for what happened by the way.)
And what we all have in common: the moment we entered the school our bodies were treated like potential threats, the threats being causing erections in male teachers, if you'd like to hear it frankly.
I was being sexually abused at home at the time, but this was the cherry on the cake. It was TRAUMATISING, revolting, hideous... no words can really do it justice. So glad I'm out.
living hell
im a year nine student a the moment, and i can tell you that this school has been the worst years of my life. they sexualise us and dont care about our wellbeing. I once was put in isolation for wearing ripped jeans on NON-SCHOOL UNIFORM DAY yeah non-school uniform day where we are aloud to wear our own clothes yet i was in isolation for apparently "sexualising" msyelf. The teachers just scroll through a powerpoint and expect us to learn.If we wear some makeup we are threatened with a suspension. The teachers look under the desks to look at our skirt lengths and even when we mention we feel uncomfortable they carry on; we have a male music teacher who i shall not name repeatedly come into the girls bathroom by the music block, he also once tried to make us go into the mens bathroom when we were waiting in line for the toilet. We get continuous assemblies about bullying, sexual harassment, LGBTQ+ awareness and POC awareness, yet nothing is actually done about it, following on from assemblies when we go into them we are forced to sit on the manky floors whilst the teachers sit on chairs or benches or stand.We currently have a one way system, and when we get a room change for a lesson and are not informed about it (which we are mostly never informed about) we get a detention for being late even though we have to figure out where we need to go and then follow the one way system and then when we get there shouted at. In the canteen the food is never restocked and it is also overpriced, i never get to eat in school cause there is never any food we also are not alowwed to go over 5 pound when we buy food and most the food is one pound or over, so they sell breakfast lunch and snacks at break you could only pick one of those ITS STUPID. Overall i wouldnt come to this school and if your a parent please think twice before sending your daughter to this living hell.
not good!
i was at this school for 5 years and on the outside it seems like a good school but they only focus on grades and uniform. they pressure you to keep looking smart and do well in exams to cover up the fact their school system is failing hugely. if you suffer with any mental health issues you will essentially be laughed at and written off. i was told many times that i wasn’t going to get anywhere because i had anxiety and couldn’t bear the idea of going into a classroom. instead of being helped like i asked many times, i was shoved back in to lessons and told if i didn’t attend, there would be a punishment. the same idea went for skirt lengths and uniform, if you couldn’t fix the uniform issue right there and then, you were sent straight to detention. they were weirdly hung up on skirt lengths as-well, every teacher (including males) had rulers which they would hold up to the girls thighs to measure the gap between our skirt and our knee. it was just uncomfortable. i would only recommend this school if you deeply care about grades because if you’re there with any other priorities, you will be treated like dirt.
Oxfordshire’s biggest exam factory
The school overall is alright. However the atmosphere and values of the school feel very grade based. I feel there’s quite a few teachers that love to give students a detention. I have been told off for skirt length before- which is weirdly fixated on, as the teacher smirked at me with a dress on, that came down about 5cm down her leg. I understand there are rules, and they are to be followed but i feel that is a lack of care and understanding for students and their wellbeing- it’s all very well doing an assembly on what teachers are mental- health trained but the general environment of the school is focused more on uniform, ofstead and attendance (appearance of the school). It also is a conflicting message when we are told to consider what people may be going through in assembly but miss will cut in at the end to remind us that being upset or having panic attacks are not excuses for missing lesson time or going to try and see your head of year. My year group has 300 students in which is about 40% more than most years. However we still only have one student councillor and head of year, it is nigh impossible to get a meeting or even a phone call with either of them. This is not their fault obviously as they have a lot to do but i think the school could do more to help certain students. I have a friend that suffered from an ed, she was told that coming to school was her main priority. This sort of environment is why i wasn’t excited to go back this year, and i think if a student at this school has a problem that having a bath, going for a walk, or making a cup of tea doesn’t solve then they should seek help elsewhere.It’s fine if you get great grades or if you need a lot of help, but if you fall anywhere in the middle there is no recognition for success unless exam based. I see a great lack of girls from more challenging backgrounds in leadership roles within the school, and girls that get told off more are caught in a cycle of being scrutinised more, i have worn minimal eyeliner before and been told it’s not acceptable but my friend who has never had a detention, stood right next to me in bold thick eyeliner was ignored. If you have no personality, original thoughts or mental health struggles then this is the perfect school for you. To be honest the main highlight of it is the canteen which does a quality vegetarian menu and great prawn crackers for 50p- absolute bargain and the highlight of my day apart from that i personally wouldn’t recommend.
It's a good school
It's realy pushed me too my best
It’s all about skirt length
I was taught by some fantastic teachers fortunately, however I think the school does not deal with mental health well, most advice given is patronising and of no actual help. I personally think the biggest issue is their obsession with skirt length, defined as to be no more than 5cm above the knee,which is sporadically enforced. It strains student-teacher relationships because even straight A, perfectly behaved students are being threatened with detentions. Although many girls achieve amazing grades from dgs, the hyper focus on appearance (primarily skirt length) is alarming as other responsibilities are neglected e.g. inclusivity, mental health. In the modern day skirts more than 5cm above the knee are accepted in many businesses and it seems insane to put a number to what is deemed acceptable. From a young age your daughter will be taught that people make assumptions from what you wear, and that is your fault and you should change so you fit inline with their views. This also feeds in to victim blaming in instances of sexual assault which shouldn’t be tolerated especially in an all girls school and from such a young age.
It’s okay 👍
Mostly friendly teachers. Good grades, but put you under a fair bit of pressure! Detentions can be for just having a hair band on your wrist, but usually the teachers are laid back. Mostly friendly students, but some bad cases of bullying not handled properly. I’d recommend the school 👍 (Written by a yr10 attendee)
not the best
they don’t listen to the students at all
This place is alright
If you’re looking for your daughter to come out of school with good grades this place is great however to get there they put you under great stress and don’t teach very good social skills. The anti bullying policy exists but all they do is hand out a detention and get the bully to apologise which is not how it should be handled. They also teach young girls that a short skirt puts you at risk of being raped and anything that is revealed puts you at risk of sexual assault or makes you sexualised. They don’t support LGBTQ+ very well at all and don’t try and do anything to make them feel welcome or included properly. Mental health is rubbish they put you under so much stress to achieve well that mental health gets really bad and they do hardly anything to help. The general good side of this school is created by the students and the social aspect is great but there are so many problems that friends can’t always get you through and make better. But hey if you want good grades and a “perfect” daughter then this is the place for you
very good school
acc very nice school with amazing teachers and deal with bullying etc decently. teaches us on issues and how to deal with things. only issue is giving out detentions for the most ridiculous reasons and being chilly
terrible quality school.
as an attendee of year 11 at this school, I can tell you every year of this place has been a living hell. they don't handle bullying, and half the teachers don't know what they're talking about and are genuinely really quite unreasonable.
How I found it
Don’t help you much. Don’t deal with bullying very well
I would go there 100%
Every is so nice the teachers actually teach you things you make unbreakable bonds with them and the people who go there are so nice and funny I love going to school
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