Seeking info on Barrie for early grades

[Anonymous]

Know its Montessori, but do they have the huge typical class sizes? (25+) Also, how are the teachers? Lower grade staff? How is community/family environment? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Are you aware that the head of the school just resigned today?

[Anonymous]

Here's another red flag. Barrie is one of the only schools which demands that parents commit to the year's tuition before children will have heard back from schools to which they may be applying in outplacement years. By mid February (ie before any acceptances) you either have to decline re-enrollment (and hope to God your child gets into another school), or you reserve your place by committing to the full year's tuition. That school is telling you something right there...

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have additional info on the Head of the School resigning mid year?

[Anonymous]

I heard that academics can be pathetic there.

[Anonymous]

I sent three children through Primary and LE grades. I would not recommend the school. In one statement: the teachers and staff have a sense of entitlement. They do whatever they want to do and there is no accountability. I was hit with a culture shock when I switched my kids to a new school. The teachers and staff at the new school were polite and professional and the kids and the curriculum came first, not the teachers. Look at greatschools.net for feedback.

In response to the 19:46 PP, I think this is common. The schools have to know who is returning before they can send out new contracts. I’m in that situation currently with DS and know I will lose my deposit at his current school (I want to hold a spot) if my child gets into the new school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I sent three children through Primary and LE grades. I would not recommend the school. In one statement: the teachers and staff have a sense of entitlement. They do whatever they want to do and there is no accountability. I was hit with a culture shock when I switched my kids to a new school. The teachers and staff at the new school were polite and professional and the kids and the curriculum came first, not the teachers. Look at greatschools.net for feedback.

In response to the 19:46 PP, I think this is common. The schools have to know who is returning before they can send out new contracts. I’m in that situation currently with DS and know I will lose my deposit at his current school (I want to hold a spot) if my child gets into the new school.

But I was under the impression that for Barrie, that deposit was literally the entire year's tuition. Most schools of course have deposits, but they are a few thousand dollars, not the whole year's tuition. At least this was the case the year my friend was applying out.

What is the amount of the deposit you might lose?

[Anonymous]

When we attended Barrie the payment requirements were similar to our current school’s. ~Feb contracts are signed; 10% tuition is due; and you are committing to paying full tuition. Parents have until ~ end of May to cancel the contract. 1st half of the tuition is due by ~mid-June. So, if you cancel after May you owe full tuition. If you cancel before May, you lose 10% of tuition (depending on the grade, ~$2,000).

Barrie sued a family for refusing to pay full tuition for a contract that was canceled after May. I wasn’t sympathetic to the family because that year the contract cancel date was May 31st.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have additional info on the Head of the School resigning mid year?

I am not sure of all the details, but there has been a lot of things going on at Barrie. It has been going down hill for the past 7 years. They cannot keep a Head of school and their new middle school head is just a loud mouth, and has pretty much pissed everybody off from teachers to parents.

I think if you were to ask current parents at Barrie what they see or have seen they could probably give you an ear full.