Nottingham Elementary School

We love the staff and small community. The school needs programs for accelerated students, as there are none, but other than that we are very happy.
—Submitted by a parent

Im sure these parents are not taking their comments lightly and have their own issues which you are not aware of. I really doubt that a group of parents would waste their time voicing their opinion just to bring the school's rating down. Is this not where there kids are enrolled also?? I have had two children attend this school and now my third child is there and i am looking at enrolling my child in a private school because of my older children's previous experiences in this school environment.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has gone down hill over the last 5 years, the bullying that is allowed to continue is unbelievable. The administration does nothing to try and stop this, because the bullying is done by the athletic, popular kids it is allowed to go on with no repercussions. Yet they advertise all the supposed efforts to stop this. The children are obviously not be educated or we would not still be failing the assessments and be designated as a School in Need yet again. The children were exposed to affairs between married teachers for several years, the principal was aware of this and has many emails that transpired on school time and computers yet nothing was done. So how is it that she made Principal of the Year? It is sad to know that this school is not looking out for the best interest of our children, just what will make them look good. Open your eyes Nottingham Parents!
—Submitted by a parent

I love our school. My children are well educated, and exposed to an enriched curriculum at Nottingham School. I believe it is our job as parents to expose our children at home to educational opportunities as well, not simply the job of teachers from the hours of 8-2:30. Even if I paid for private school for my children, I would continue to work with my children at home simply to be a part of their educational experience and witness their learning. The teachers work very hard at Nottingham School, and although there are areas for improvement, every school has some imperfection. But we are a happy and satisfied family for sure, and our children love school.
—Submitted by a parent

The simple fact is that a K-8 school needs to educate all grade levels. There IS room for lockers and most K-8 schools have them. The locker rooms are used for STORAGE, taxpayer dollars are being wasted by poor decision-making on the part of the school principal. Other schools in the area do not have the superior facilities that Nottingham has, yet they are providing a better education than Nottingham, that is the POINT. Finally, it is the school's responsiblity to educate, most of the parents in town do in fact hire tutors and work extra hard to ensure their children are getting an adequate education despite the poor school.
—Submitted by a parent

I have to give my two cents. Firstly, the school was built in 1995 as K-8. The school is not set up for JH. No lockers? No room. Can't change for gym? No time to. No place to change? Gym staff uses the locker rooms as storage closets. No space. There ARE science labs. Understand why they want to EXPAND the school? Regarding the 7/8 combined classes, my student is WELL prepared for high school and beyond because my job as a parent is to prepare them, not to expect the school to do it all for me. Language? Yes, that is lacking. We had it, and it was cut in budget cuts a number of years ago. Take your kids iPod touch and instead of Facetime or texting their buddies, hook them to Coffee Break Spanish or any number of language Podcasts and they can get a jump on learning a language. And those who like to compare to the other schools in our SAU - have you walked into them lately? They are in a sorry state of disrepair. I have relatives in superior school districts in NH and those parents complain the school is TOO HARD. So you just can't win.
—Submitted by a parent

We are very impressed with this school. While some want their children to be exposed to a "middle school" environment, we happen to like the fact that our kids are left to be a little bit innocent, having to be role models to the younger students. The teachers are approachable, and we love the small community feel of the learning environment. Our kids have plenty of time to be little fish in a big sea, but for now we are just going to let them be kids.
—Submitted by a parent

Nottingham is a friendly, strong and educated middle class community. We have a large base of volunteers and a child focused community. The school's test grades do not reflect the ability of the children to learn. The school practices the "inclusion method" and combined grade classrooms. Both have proven to be ineffective. The curriculum is in need of intervention. The children should be better prepared for high school. The school sends home useless correspondence and does not communicate matters of importance. . The school employs several strong teachers. Sadly a number of the others need motivation in areas of striving for excellence, classroom control, professionalism and anger management. The elected school board ignores the academic wishes of the parents. Sadly, families are moving out of town to towns with stronger school systems. This will undoubtedly decrease the value of the homes in our beautiful country town.
—Submitted by a parent

Jr. High students treated like small kids. As an elementary school I felt the school had many issues but overall was tolerable. However, the 7th and 8th grades have no resemblance to a traditional Jr. High. They do not use bells for passing between classes, do not have science labs, do not have lockers, do not dress or shower for gym. These are the impotant things that segregate elementary school from upper levels. All of these deficiencies have been exacerbated by the fact that this year the 7th and 8th grade classes were combined without notification to the parents before hand. This combining of classes was done without research or preparation and has turned out to be a debacle which has been voiced by both parents and teachers (in private discussions). The administration and school board don t communicate, don t listen and have railroaded their agenda for a school expansion through at the expense of the Jr. High students welfare.
—Submitted by a parent

School Board turns deaf and arrogant ears to parental input. School is one of only a few in state that has two areas in need of improvement. Strong on feel good activities, weak on reading, writing, and math. See test scores! School uses "Every Day Math" program. Parents should do online research for this very controversial program! School lacks middle school amenities to facilitae smooth advancement to Dover High School, or other high school. School Admin big on writing reams of "policy". (See their website.)
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent of a 6th-grade student I am totally disgusted by the lack of professionalism at this school. And things are getting worse!!! It starts at the top, with the majority of school board members interested in one thing only...saving money. The school Principal is interested only in getting the school out of hot water as a School in Need of Improvement.. The great majority of teachers are certainly decent enough people, but they have been ordered to Teach-to-the-Test. And I am not looking forward to my daughter's next two years (7th and 8th grade) because parents of 7th and 8th-graders are complaining about how bad things are for their children. It's just a dreadful situation.
—Submitted by a parent

As a student of Nottingham School, I feel like I don't get the full experience of junior high. Our school does not provide lockers or allow us to use the locker rooms attached to our gym. Also, the school does not offer a foreign language, and they combined seventh and eighth grades which I do not enjoy.

Nottingham school board and admin. are only focused on special education children. The curriculum is boring and not challenging to the average student. They ignore gifted students. The staff not allowed to express creativity and is hindered by the leadership of the school. I have lived in Nottingham for seventeen years, I wish I could move. Last year 57 out of 62 children in my students grade were on the honor roll, makes me think that they the majority of the students are not being challenged.
—Submitted by a parent

The school and the School board leave much to be desired. The administration is divisive and very uncooperative. The school offer no advance placement or challenge to the better students The teachers have no support from the board or administration. They continually test lower than the surrounding schools and I'm afraid it is only getting worse. If you have a young family I would advise you to not buy in Nottingham.
—Submitted by a parent

Nottingham School is absolutely excellent. I have children that attend this school, and have felt involved and supported in every way. Many people complain about our school not making AYP, however only a small subpopulation did not make AYP. The general population of students tested very well, and we have been very happy with our family's experience.
—Submitted by a parent

On a website titled 'Great Schools', sad to say, Nottingham is not one. The Nottingham Elementary School is stuck in the muck of mediocrity...a jarringly uneven quality in teaching, poor test score (when compared with scores from schools within the same SAU), a PTA without even a single teacher bothers to be a member, a physical education program that fails to come close to meeting State of New Hampshire standards, an 'anti-boy-pro-girl' philosophy that rewards docile behavior and punishes effervescence, and a particularly weak academic program for 7th-and 8th-grade students. Particular if you have a son, or a 6-7-8th-grader, this is a school to avoid. There are much better options for you locatedin towns nearby.
—Submitted by a parent

I believe the 6/10 great schools rating says it all. The parent involvement is superb, the teacher and administrative involvement is lacking. Focus is on special ed. Gifted students are not challenged. Students do suprisingly well in Athletics considering lack of coaching expertise and equipment. It seems as though people giving the school high ratings don't have students currently attending the school.
—Submitted by a parent

I've been involved with many schools as a parent, grandparent and a volunteer coordinator. Nottingham Elementary School is the BEST. The entire staff is committed to the students--they know each student by name; the security measures are topnotch, and the teachers are totally engaged in both the academic and personal issues associated with each child. If you are lucky enough to get the chance to enroll your child in this fabulous school.....DO IT!!!!!
—Submitted by a parent

For a small town of approx 4000 and with limited resources, I feel Nottingham Elementary has much going for it. Class sizes are small. Parental involvement is substantial. My kids have always loved their teachers. Activites outside school seem plentiful, and the town makes up for what some feel the school lacks. The small town quality of life in Nottingham makes up for what the school may 'lack', in my opinion. My kids are learning about community and caring for their hometown through volunteerism (which is also encouraged at the school). I feel many newcomers who purchased homes based on our low taxes and home prices are the first to complain about the school. Well, you can't get everything for nothing.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is ok. There is terrific volunteer involvement, but the staff is not held accountable for proffesional behavior. THere is way too much 'screaming' vs instructional development ( which is tolerated by the 'management') to make it a nurturing place for children to grow and learn
—Submitted by a parent