The Shipley School

I have wanted to write this review for a long time. SAA was perfect for our son and our family. When you send a child to school during this time in history, SAA gave us peace of mind. This school produced a young man well on his way on the path of life. He is our third child and our first boy. SAA provided both education for his studies as well as social guidelines for life that we value and see our son exhibit time and time again. This school was the right choice. They tolerate the learning curve of boys but hold them accountable and have shown such basic love and kindness to the boys that I now understand why as we have seen alumni return to this little school time and time again through our years here. Sister Margaret weathered the storm of Covid very well and her level of communication has made her feel like family. She is very passionate about this school and it shows. All of our sons teachers here have had a positive impact upon our son and he will feel their impact for years to come. This school is small but as we hear other families’ stories of other schools we believe this was the best school for our son. Sports outside of school was a norm for us as well as his larger music world. They were current with technology use and were ahead of everyone when it began. Their robot team won awards and their football team is well known. We had three other boys who played hockey with our son in the school but we did not have a team unfortunately. We truly love this school and we highly recommend it for the development of young men especially during these challenging times in the world. We feel very fortunate that we had this school available for our son.

Terrible leadership… the head of school, middle and elementary school leadership show an incredible amount of mismanagement. The teacher turnover is completely out of control leading to hiring of inexperienced teachers who stay 1 year (or less). Favoritism is given to students and families of donors and board members. The priority here is to the almighty dollar. The head of school is outright dismissive and condescending to families that aren’t large donors and just pay tuition. Don’t get me started on how they treat the families receiving financial aid! Not a very Christian philosophy if you ask me. Starting in kindergarten the children are given way to much homework. Much of the classwork given in lower years is busy work, worksheets photocopied from antiquated workbooks. They give the same work week after week with different vocabulary words. The is nothing innovative here. There are so many better options in the area.

The culture of The Haverford School is toxic. The words on their walls, like friendship, justice, and character, are nothing more than comments on walls. Their stated virtues are absent from the culture and student experience. I can say with confidence, sourced from my personal experiences at Haverford, that the administration of the Haverford Middle School makes decisions that permit a culture of bullying and racism. I witnessed a dynamic of these two cultures working together where racism begets bullying, thereby creating more racism. Organizations deserve what they accept, and the Haverford School administration accepts bullying and racism based on their actions. I even received an email from the Head of the Middle School explaining how the bullying works at Haverford, thereby using the bullying dynamic to justify his decision. At one point, I asked multiple school administrators how many times can an 8th grader use a racial epithet before they are expelled. The administrators provide no answer. Based on their administrative decisions from the 2022-2023 school year, the answer to that question at the Haverford Middle School is more than once. There appears to be a history of tolerating this behavior, according to numerous others who have shared their story on this website.The Haverford Middle School demonstrates the leadership gap by saying one thing and doing another. The Head of the Middle School manipulates discussions to justify his desired outcomes. On one occasion, I asked the Head of the Middle School a question and allowed him to speak to my son about it. In that discussion with my son, he twisted the facts and renegotiated an outcome that contradicted my original request, then sent an email misrepresenting my son's opinion. I find this type of behavior grossly lacking in self-awareness and also very focused on doing what is in the best interest of the school, not the student. To say that the Head of the Middle School is asleep at the wheel is not an understatement, and that dynamic also played out in the athletic arena. When the Head of the Middle School asked me what I expected from their athletic program, my answer was simple. I expect the same experience in the field that I expect in the classroom. Challenge the kids and support their growth. My son was neither challenged nor supported to grow athletically.

The quality of education at this school is exceptional, thanks to dedicated teachers who go above and beyond. The English and History departments, in particular, have inspiring educators whose commitment exceeded my expectations.Elective classes are unique and engaging, sparking intellectual curiosity and encouraging exploration.The new Head of School has been a positive addition, bringing clear leadership and a strong vision for the future.The community feels safe and supportive, though with only about 60 students per grade, experiences may vary. Additionally, the school does not offer AP classes, which may be a consideration for those planning to attend certain colleges or graduate early. They don't have big orchestra, or marching band so if you want to have those activities at school, unfortunately this is not the school you want. ( there are some high level youth orchestra in Philly, so you can always play outside of school. ) While I wasn't initially drawn to an all-girls school, I now understand its appeal. Because there are so many leadership opportunities, it has helped my daughters grow into confident, critical thinkers. As far as I know, I have never heard of any serious bullying or anything and the community is very wholesome. But I know some kids are stressed out with academics, EC activities, or social etc, but I guess that's inevitable in any schools.

Our experience with the nursery school at FSH has been excellent. The teachers have a clear pedagogical philosophy, they work very hard to make sure children learn to manage their emotions, and they integrate learning into everyday life. My children have flourished and their individual interests have been fostered by the school. Every teacher and staff member knows my children, and it feels like they are really part of a community. I am looking forward to see how they continue to thrive in preschool.