11 Plus Exams Forum

If I offend anyone with this question, or it is weird than I apologize in advance. I did search to see if there was anything applicable before posting this question.

As you may of seen my daughter was recommended to apply for WGHS but not QMS which was weird in itself, which I will decide after to speaking to the schools if to proceed with this application, however upon speaking with colleagues at work today & mentioning I may apply for WGHS the general response was '''ohh I wouldn't send my daughter there' & a range of horror stories followed of peer pressure, bullying through 'class' of the cars parents drive, parents jobs etc...I would add none of those parents had children sent or had children there.

No school in any environment will not have an element this, of some form of 'banter' or bullying & children asserting themselves, as they are kids, but I wonder is there anyone who has had children at WHGS & could comment is this the case? does the school have an issue with these problems? & are the school good at dealing with this or is it all a urban myth.

I hope some can shed some light on the issue & I hope I am not coming across as overly protective i'm just trying to get a feel for the environment

thanks in advance

Finners

I know nothing about the schools you mention. I do think schools can differ very much in character.

My DD goes to a girls' school. If anything it the opposite. Girls accept each other for who they are in the main. There's no underlying pressure to conform. That been said I can imagine some schools where that does apply.

(I'd also heard a few 'horror' stories too, from those with no connection to the school. Best to hear it from parents and students at the school.)

@ finners...I''m in the same boat as you...as DD most probably hasn't scored enough for QM and then with me ringing WGHS this morning school explaining I didn't even tick their school when I completed the exam form...anyhow they advised me aslong as I put them down on the CAF and she meets eligibilty she will be offered (QM will remain first for us) in respect with bullying I have a friends daughter who has been attending WGHS for the past 4 years and she hasn't ever mentioned anything along those lines, but as it seems my daughter may get an offer from there ( I really pray) I shall definitely be asking her and will pm you, I understand your concern as my daughter is of a very soft and sensitive nature, I'd hate for her to go through all of what you have mentioned as she wouldn't cope.

We had this discussion yesterday with relatives from up north. The, they advised us that in some of the better grammars, there was a good degree of "princessing" - their words not mine. In essence lots of stuff around competition regarding, look at this or that designer bag that I have got, or my expensive frock etc etc.

I genuinely didn't get any sense of this at any of the KE we visited (isn't that what uniform policy is about). For Edgbaston girls, we generally thought it was similar to Handsworth Girls (very polished and well presented).

In terms problems it's not something I would lose sleep over it.

Just make sure there is a good diverse make up of people at the school and you can probably sort most of the usual normal stuff out. Kids that ooze confidence don't need to start bigging themselves up cos dad drives an audi, or cos they are X shades of grey, or because they are part of this group. If there are any people like that blank em.

I am more worried about getting screamed at, over the next few years as the Teens stuff kicks in. I am already told I am the worst parent ever, on a regular basis

Hi Finners

I don't have any experience of WGHS, by I personally went to KE Handsworth and never experienced any of that. I am very keen for my daughter to go to a single sex school as I can't imagine how badly I would have performed at school if there were boys there to distract me!

Good luck!

Many thanks to those who have replied it seems the consensus is no more/no less than any other school & possibly single sex schools have their +'ives

Just got to hope she gets offered a place if she/I decide to go for it.

Ohh I forgot in the madness of getting the letter I forgot to say to her a massive well done for giving it a craic =, so we went to Alton Towers to blow off steam which was a great way to celebrate & was her choice!

Felt sick after riding the roller coasters all day though!

Got to remember shes 10 & did so well regardless of the outcomes!

My DD has just started Y8 at WGHS and I am pleased to say that she is incredibly happy there and has made no comments about bullying, bragging or competitiveness amongst the girls. They all seem to genuinely get on well and there is a very caring feel to the school. I attended the summer fete and the atmosphere there and amongst girls of all ages was superb. I would recommend the school to anyone.

I have a daughter at KE Handsworth and they ran a really good session for parents as part of the year 7 induction on personal, health and social issues, this included a session on friendships between girls, how problems could occur and how they could be dealt with. They've also done similar sessions with the girls. If you have concerns, and I did have concerns about a single sex school, I guess partly as it wasn't something I'd experienced, I'd ask Wolverhampton Grammar what they have in place to help with problems with friendships. As well as these sessions Handsworth have, in my experience, a really good head of year system and a teacher who has responsibility for children having problems with friends, anxiety issues etc.

My dd is at CHG and I have never heard anything remotely similar to your description happening among her friendship group, which includes girls from a very varied range of backgrounds.
It certainly did happen in her old primary but not in CHG. It's been very refreshing.

Hi

I've no experience of the school, but my first impression was that some of those colleagues may have been expressing some of their prejuidice against a high acheiving selective school that children in their own family did not attend. Something in common British culture loves the underdog but somehow imperfect human nature often resents those who excel: there's an insecurity, competitive imbalance.

It's not likely that the school would cultivate such a toxic atmosphere I guess.

I know a child who has attended a very prestigious single-sex secondary school and he gives no indication of any kind of pretention (pretentiousness?) there. But then that is a boys' school!

Children are children. Some will be mean and nasty at times, but come on, this isn't really Tom Brown's schooldays or St Trinians is it?