Outsider ranking at Pates

[neveragain*]

For me, who turned down Pates places twice for logistical reasons alone, the real plus to Pates in our minds was that fact that there are boys and girls.......

[Tolstoy]

Agree neveragain*. I always though it a shame that with 4 grammars in Gloucester none were co-ed.

[Tinnyknickers]

I hope this is helpful in terms of considering an appeal to Pate's.

Our DD failed to achieve the qualifying score for Pate's in 2012 and rather than go to HSFG opted for our local school where she is in the top set and is very happy. She is a child who has always enjoyed the company of boys and has always had boys and girls as close friends. However, she was devastated initially and we appealed, although we didn't tell her.
We had excellent academic evidence, it really could not have been better. The highest CATS and predictions of levels 6 from her school. She also had mitigating factors on health grounds. Lastly, she had a sibling already at the school. The appeal was, we were told, very well presented and the evidence compelling.

But they still refused it on the grounds that she had not achieved the qualifying score and that there were other children on the waiting list for Pate's before her. The argument was not that the children there would be disadvantaged by having another child in the class - the school regularly admits up to 4 above the PAN.

We also appealed again this year for entry into year 9 and again were refused. Unlike the other grammars where an appeal in subsequent years is based on performance on tests, Pate's again use the fall back position that their admission criteria states that a child must reach the qualifying score to be considered for a place at the school.

My advice is that if this is not the case, an appeal is not worth the effort and stress that you will need to put into it. We are indeed very lucky that our grammars give us a choice and our children an opportunity not available elsewhere but the school must be right for the child as well as the child for the school.

Just something else to consider.

[DC17C]

I hope this is helpful in terms of considering an appeal to Pate's.

Our DD failed to achieve the qualifying score for Pate's in 2012 and rather than go to HSFG opted for our local school where she is in the top set and is very happy. She is a child who has always enjoyed the company of boys and has always had boys and girls as close friends. However, she was devastated initially and we appealed, although we didn't tell her.
We had excellent academic evidence, it really could not have been better. The highest CATS and predictions of levels 6 from her school. She also had mitigating factors on health grounds. Lastly, she had a sibling already at the school. The appeal was, we were told, very well presented and the evidence compelling.

But they still refused it on the grounds that she had not achieved the qualifying score and that there were other children on the waiting list for Pate's before her. The argument was not that the children there would be disadvantaged by having another child in the class - the school regularly admits up to 4 above the PAN.

We also appealed again this year for entry into year 9 and again were refused. Unlike the other grammars where an appeal in subsequent years is based on performance on tests, Pate's again use the fall back position that their admission criteria states that a child must reach the qualifying score to be considered for a place at the school.

My advice is that if this is not the case, an appeal is not worth the effort and stress that you will need to put into it. We are indeed very lucky that our grammars give us a choice and our children an opportunity not available elsewhere but the school must be right for the child as well as the child for the school.

Just something else to consider.

Thank you for posting this - I think it may help put things in perspective for some parents to know about your experience of appealing to Pates. I have put a link to this into the Gloucester Appeals Feedback - hope that is OK mods and TinnyKnickers

[Kismet]

Thank you all for very sound advice demonstrating pros and cons. Tinnyknickers, that input was particularly useful. We will probably stick with our original view that we leave Pates in our CAF choices but not put any of us through the stress of appealing as other than academic evidence we prob don't have any other grounds. Apologies for not highlighting my little red herring earlier.....busy day, but when I spoke of having both DCs in the same school that was speculative. DD is year 4 now though, if anything, her maths is snappier than DS (not that I'd tell him so) and he himself is fairly sharp. It's her reading I need to work on this year but I can see that she has the potential to do ok if she is able to focus.

Red velvet, we had a lovely 2nd look around Tommies and enjoyed the assembly (or at least I did....I must work on fidget pants before he starts next year). We even did some interactive art with a friend who was very welcoming. The facilities may not all be top of the range but it's clearly a very good school and either very good at faking a brilliant work ethic, or it really exists. Choir sang sweetly too.

Co-ed is indeed one of the aspects that have been of concern but well, lots of others seem to thrive in single sex so nothing to say mine won't.

I worry about my diddy DS playing rugby but that'll happen at any school and hopefully he will get through without getting too battered.

[Amber]

One of mine was at school over 12 hours today (voluntarily) to show parents round. He had a lot of fun - they ordered in masses of pizzas to have between rounds one and two and he said there was such a buzz going on - teachers giving them cakes and drinks and a really good atmosphere. Punctuated by a fire alarm in the assembly, I gather .

Tommies is a bit rough round the edges, but we like that - and yes there is a fine work ethic too. And plenty of girls in the sixth form - they don't necessarily need them before that anyway .

[DC17C]

My 2 are quite happy in their respective single sex schools - ds was really happy to get away from the girls he had had to sit with in primary school who told him what to do all the time Travelling by bus they do get to mix and socialize so it is not quite the same as sending kids off to a single sex boarding school.

[MedievalBabe]

My DS had a great day also yesterday, he spent most of the day showing prospective pupils and parents around and then he managed to wrangle out of tours in the evening for cooking with some sixth formers. He said it was really funny when he arrived to find the fire alarm was going off during Mr Morgan's talk but it was an overenthusiastic Chemistry teacher. Then cooking got even funnier as one sixth former burnt his Victoria sponge, but it was raw inside and he tried to share it with everyone and DS then made over 120 shortbread biscuits that all vanished very quickly when ever pupils came into food tech with groups. He did have to present Mr Morgan with a plate of his biscuits, which soon got wolfed by several members of staff.

The work ethic is real as DS tries his hardest, makes sure all of his homework is done to standard, he is devastated if his work is not good enough. He does know of boys who try to not do their homework but then end up losing their lunchtime to catch up. Also in Y7 & 8 they have joint discos with HSFG, so they encourage the mixing.

[Amber]

We have had some laughs over the cooking at STRS recently. This year they seem to have thrown out the 'healthy eating' agenda (DS1 had to spent agonising weeks in Y8 or 9 trying to centre a project around a healthy bolognese sauce) and the boys seem to be allowed to cook pretty much whatever they like. I was reduced to helpless laughter recently when told that there had been a chip pan fire during a Year 9 cookery class - they had gone from healthy bolognese to chips! My son loves cooking and baking and I am delighted with how it is valued there - and the emphasis seems to be on having a good time too.

[Stressed?Moi?]

We have had some laughs over the cooking at STRS recently. This year they seem to have thrown out the 'healthy eating' agenda (DS1 had to spent agonising weeks in Y8 or 9 trying to centre a project around a healthy bolognese sauce) and the boys seem to be allowed to cook pretty much whatever they like. I was reduced to helpless laughter recently when told that there had been a chip pan fire during a Year 9 cookery class - they had gone from healthy bolognese to chips! My son loves cooking and baking and I am delighted with how it is valued there - and the emphasis seems to be on having a good time too.

Probably realised they were flogging a dead un with boys . Far better to concentrate on nurturing the love of cookery instead and hopefully they will try healthier stuff later.