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Ridgewood School
Secondary · Academy · Doncaster
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Scary school
Awful place. The BFL team were a waste of wages they did absolutely nothing when children needed them made everyone’s experience hell. All of the geography department need sacking they can’t reach to save their lives.
A bit of a dump
I attend this school and have had a poor, borderline average, at best, experience.
Teachers
Teachers, from my personal experience, are generally quite good across the board. Some teachers are more experienced than others but they are all up to a somewhat acceptable standard.
Behaviour For Learning/BFL/Consequence System
The Behaviour For Learning team at this school are shocking. If employed, I am confident that my goldfish could do a better job than half of these loonies. I have been treated unfairly multiple times by the so called 'Behaviour For Learning' team. These people have one simple job, to, in essence, keep the school safe, give punishments, and bring justice. However, 9 times out of 10, they fail miserably. They punish for petty things and most of the time, all forms of bullying, go unpunished. While no real discrimination is rooted within them, they, pretty much all of the time let racism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination go completely unpunished and unnoticed. While they may say that they have a zero tolerance policy for bullying, ask any student who has been at the school upwards of 2 years, and the answer will be a shocking, resounding no. Overall, the Behaviour For Learning team at this school will power trip against you and award you petty detentions for their own benefit as their obsessive power complex against every child- except the ones that suck up to them- flourishes, like a daffodil on a fresh spring morning.
General School Area/Classrooms
The school is visibly dated, with some classrooms being noticeably worn. The same goes for the outside areas of the school. The classrooms are often filthy and as far as a working environment goes, poor, which can often demotivate students. Classrooms are deprived of natural light, bringing a drab atmosphere, and not one you would want to be learning in. Most classrooms have no AC, with a select few new classrooms (positioned, rather coincidentally at the front of the school, to give a good impression to passers by, don't be fooled!!) featuring it. Some have heating, although not nearly enough to maintain a comfortable environment. The general school area is littered and dull. It's depressing. The schools social media often uses grass areas to portray a free environment, however, this is not the case, with a forced restriction to the often overcrowded concrete areas around said grass areas, receiving a C3 (30 minute, after-school detention) if you dare to step foot in said areas.
Overall, the school area and classrooms are dull and in dire need of renovation. If you are looking for a place with a positive learning environment for your child, this is not it.
Canteen/School Catering
The canteen at this school is archaic, and an abhorrent place to spend time in. The canteen is filthy and unclean, but it's not nearly as bad as the overcrowded outside areas. You may be thinking, 'just stay in the canteen then?' Well good luck with that, because you will be rewarded with a petty C3 from the aforementioned Behaviour for Learning team. There are no winners at this school. Only losers. The catering supplied at this school is reasonable with a semi-wide range of variety, however, the positivity ends there. The quality of the food is destitute of any real quality, and hot meals can only be described as slop, and even that is being generous. The queues desperately try to be organised by incompetent dinner staff, but mix an incompetent team of staff with a group of energetic children and teenagers, and there can really only be one outcome. Overall, the canteen is clamant, chaotic and repulsive at the best of times. Do not be fooled.
Activities/Extra Curriculum
There is nothing for students to do at break and lunch times, with the main thought on my and many others minds, not being 'when is it lunch/break', rather 'how long until we can go back to class'.
The extra curriculum at this school is rich and has a wide range of activities for all to enjoy, from sports to music. The teachers who host these extra-curricular activities are distinctly passionate about their subject. Overall, activities for students at break and lunch are extremely limited, but extra curricular activities are outstanding.
Facilities
The school has a range of facilities available to students.
-
Toilets: The toilets are unclean and supervised by incapable members of the dinner/break staff. Use them only as a last resort.
-
Student Services/First Aid: Treatment received at the schools First Aid service is adequate. Student Services are also good enough.
Overall, the schools facilities are average.
To conclude this review, the school, academically, is average, while overall, the school is poor. An aging outdoor environment and ancient classrooms, along with bias BFL staff, put the cherry on top of the cake of corruption.
Teachers
Teachers, from my personal experience, are generally quite good across the board. Some teachers are more experienced than others but they are all up to a somewhat acceptable standard.
Behaviour For Learning/BFL/Consequence System
The Behaviour For Learning team at this school are shocking. If employed, I am confident that my goldfish could do a better job than half of these loonies. I have been treated unfairly multiple times by the so called 'Behaviour For Learning' team. These people have one simple job, to, in essence, keep the school safe, give punishments, and bring justice. However, 9 times out of 10, they fail miserably. They punish for petty things and most of the time, all forms of bullying, go unpunished. While no real discrimination is rooted within them, they, pretty much all of the time let racism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination go completely unpunished and unnoticed. While they may say that they have a zero tolerance policy for bullying, ask any student who has been at the school upwards of 2 years, and the answer will be a shocking, resounding no. Overall, the Behaviour For Learning team at this school will power trip against you and award you petty detentions for their own benefit as their obsessive power complex against every child- except the ones that suck up to them- flourishes, like a daffodil on a fresh spring morning.
General School Area/Classrooms
The school is visibly dated, with some classrooms being noticeably worn. The same goes for the outside areas of the school. The classrooms are often filthy and as far as a working environment goes, poor, which can often demotivate students. Classrooms are deprived of natural light, bringing a drab atmosphere, and not one you would want to be learning in. Most classrooms have no AC, with a select few new classrooms (positioned, rather coincidentally at the front of the school, to give a good impression to passers by, don't be fooled!!) featuring it. Some have heating, although not nearly enough to maintain a comfortable environment. The general school area is littered and dull. It's depressing. The schools social media often uses grass areas to portray a free environment, however, this is not the case, with a forced restriction to the often overcrowded concrete areas around said grass areas, receiving a C3 (30 minute, after-school detention) if you dare to step foot in said areas.
Overall, the school area and classrooms are dull and in dire need of renovation. If you are looking for a place with a positive learning environment for your child, this is not it.
Canteen/School Catering
The canteen at this school is archaic, and an abhorrent place to spend time in. The canteen is filthy and unclean, but it's not nearly as bad as the overcrowded outside areas. You may be thinking, 'just stay in the canteen then?' Well good luck with that, because you will be rewarded with a petty C3 from the aforementioned Behaviour for Learning team. There are no winners at this school. Only losers. The catering supplied at this school is reasonable with a semi-wide range of variety, however, the positivity ends there. The quality of the food is destitute of any real quality, and hot meals can only be described as slop, and even that is being generous. The queues desperately try to be organised by incompetent dinner staff, but mix an incompetent team of staff with a group of energetic children and teenagers, and there can really only be one outcome. Overall, the canteen is clamant, chaotic and repulsive at the best of times. Do not be fooled.
Activities/Extra Curriculum
There is nothing for students to do at break and lunch times, with the main thought on my and many others minds, not being 'when is it lunch/break', rather 'how long until we can go back to class'.
The extra curriculum at this school is rich and has a wide range of activities for all to enjoy, from sports to music. The teachers who host these extra-curricular activities are distinctly passionate about their subject. Overall, activities for students at break and lunch are extremely limited, but extra curricular activities are outstanding.
Facilities
The school has a range of facilities available to students.
-
Toilets: The toilets are unclean and supervised by incapable members of the dinner/break staff. Use them only as a last resort.
-
Student Services/First Aid: Treatment received at the schools First Aid service is adequate. Student Services are also good enough.
Overall, the schools facilities are average.
To conclude this review, the school, academically, is average, while overall, the school is poor. An aging outdoor environment and ancient classrooms, along with bias BFL staff, put the cherry on top of the cake of corruption.
Better options out there
Teachers are okay for the most part, core subject teachers are for the most part extremely poor in quality, lesson management and behavioural management. A good few of them are rather young and not far out of training so it’s part of the learning curve, I guess. Besides from that most of the teachers are really good as long as you respect them. Humanities teachers (History, Geography, Religious Studies) are probably the best of the lot and make all in all, the experience outside of core subjects teachers wise good.
Course wise the Year 9 students moving into Year 10 were forced into dropping 1 of their 4 GCSE subjects and forced to take a triple science course if you are in the top 3 of 5 sets which in simple terms is hell, having gone through Year 10 in Triple Science and pleading to get out of it from day 1 I can recommend against it, however the decision is not yours to take or drop Triple Science and that is made evidently clear by the heads of department.
Again, Humanities courses for GCSE tend to be the most engaging, and entertaining for students, as someone that takes History I can say it is by far the most interesting subject and you may even go as far to enjoy the course, especially as the teachers you can tell are extremely passionate for the subject and even do extra research to give you information you don’t need to complete GCSE’s just to be nice. For Performing Arts, BTEC and Computing courses all are relatively meh, not good not bad and the teachers are alright as well, some aren’t the best but it’s life.
The school canteen is basic at best but it keeps you fed, the food tastes like it’s gangrene off the streets so I would recommend a packed lunch if you have the time to make one, however an average meal will cost you about £2-£2.50.
Teachers most certainly have favourite students but racism, inequality and discrimination for the most part is non-existent among teachers and students, so if you are of ethnic minority you’ll be more than okay in the school from people I know that are classed as that.
After school activities are available when not interrupted by Covid and there is a very wide variety so if you are into that there should be more than enough options, same with revision which is mainly focused on Year 11.
To sum up on the rest.
-Bullying issues will not be sorted.
-Covid-19 Management was poor at best
-You will face little development during your time
-The school is formulated from gossip, nothing you do or say is safe
-The sports department is very good
-The school is currently underachieving and for students that don’t have high target grades will be put into sets that will be extremely disruptive and will not allow even the hardest workers from developing.
Course wise the Year 9 students moving into Year 10 were forced into dropping 1 of their 4 GCSE subjects and forced to take a triple science course if you are in the top 3 of 5 sets which in simple terms is hell, having gone through Year 10 in Triple Science and pleading to get out of it from day 1 I can recommend against it, however the decision is not yours to take or drop Triple Science and that is made evidently clear by the heads of department.
Again, Humanities courses for GCSE tend to be the most engaging, and entertaining for students, as someone that takes History I can say it is by far the most interesting subject and you may even go as far to enjoy the course, especially as the teachers you can tell are extremely passionate for the subject and even do extra research to give you information you don’t need to complete GCSE’s just to be nice. For Performing Arts, BTEC and Computing courses all are relatively meh, not good not bad and the teachers are alright as well, some aren’t the best but it’s life.
The school canteen is basic at best but it keeps you fed, the food tastes like it’s gangrene off the streets so I would recommend a packed lunch if you have the time to make one, however an average meal will cost you about £2-£2.50.
Teachers most certainly have favourite students but racism, inequality and discrimination for the most part is non-existent among teachers and students, so if you are of ethnic minority you’ll be more than okay in the school from people I know that are classed as that.
After school activities are available when not interrupted by Covid and there is a very wide variety so if you are into that there should be more than enough options, same with revision which is mainly focused on Year 11.
To sum up on the rest.
-Bullying issues will not be sorted.
-Covid-19 Management was poor at best
-You will face little development during your time
-The school is formulated from gossip, nothing you do or say is safe
-The sports department is very good
-The school is currently underachieving and for students that don’t have high target grades will be put into sets that will be extremely disruptive and will not allow even the hardest workers from developing.
Please save us
-Favourite students so when it comes to bullying and sexual harassment they’ll only listen to one side of the story
-One teacher is ********* to say the least
-No heating and/or air con in some buildings
-Only 3 choice GCSEs, however triple science is compulsory for everyone and we have to take ungraded GCSEs
-Didn’t even try to provide decent education during lockdown
-School uniform costs something over £100
-Random people keep managing to get into the back people. Very easily.
-Strict about drawing on your hand (not a rule against it) but allow people to have skirts rolled up past the bottom of their blazer, get terrible and obvious fake tans with tacky false lashes, and all sorts of other stuff (which there are rules against)
-one teacher makes you write with a broken hand/hand with broken fingers
There’s more stuff but I can’t be bothered tbh
-One teacher is ********* to say the least
-No heating and/or air con in some buildings
-Only 3 choice GCSEs, however triple science is compulsory for everyone and we have to take ungraded GCSEs
-Didn’t even try to provide decent education during lockdown
-School uniform costs something over £100
-Random people keep managing to get into the back people. Very easily.
-Strict about drawing on your hand (not a rule against it) but allow people to have skirts rolled up past the bottom of their blazer, get terrible and obvious fake tans with tacky false lashes, and all sorts of other stuff (which there are rules against)
-one teacher makes you write with a broken hand/hand with broken fingers
There’s more stuff but I can’t be bothered tbh
Sorry luvs
We have to wear our masks outside but then in the classroom we don’t which I don’t see a point about because we’re out into year group bubbles anyway so we’re not around any other people other than who’s in our lesson.
There is no social distancing and over all just corona central.
Some of us have had to self isolate because there is lots of staff tested positive however this could have been solved when a member of staff had it there was other staff that had been in contact with them however they did not isolate so it didn’t really make sense so yeh. Overall it’s alrate
There is no social distancing and over all just corona central.
Some of us have had to self isolate because there is lots of staff tested positive however this could have been solved when a member of staff had it there was other staff that had been in contact with them however they did not isolate so it didn’t really make sense so yeh. Overall it’s alrate
Hahaha
COVID 19
We have to wear masks outside.
Nobody knows what’s happening
The hand sanitizer is always empty
If we stand with people outside school we have to put masks on.
Some years get told where to sit at lunch and break so they can’t sit with their friends.
In general
The bfl team (basically the people who control detentions) walk down to the shops near the school thinking they have to much power and telling you what to do and how to act outside school.they abuse their power.
Some of the teachers are nice if your lucky.
The pe teachers are very temperamental and will ask you why you need the toilet which I find ridiculous.
Children try to escape by climbing the electric gate and run out crying.
They don’t have the correct food for allergies and won’t let you purchase what you want even if you know you can eat it.
We have to wear masks outside.
Nobody knows what’s happening
The hand sanitizer is always empty
If we stand with people outside school we have to put masks on.
Some years get told where to sit at lunch and break so they can’t sit with their friends.
In general
The bfl team (basically the people who control detentions) walk down to the shops near the school thinking they have to much power and telling you what to do and how to act outside school.they abuse their power.
Some of the teachers are nice if your lucky.
The pe teachers are very temperamental and will ask you why you need the toilet which I find ridiculous.
Children try to escape by climbing the electric gate and run out crying.
They don’t have the correct food for allergies and won’t let you purchase what you want even if you know you can eat it.
Ok.
Decent school.
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