mts vs wbgs

[Daogroupie]

I think WBGS can be compared to QEB and HBS. There are lots of very able boys at the school who do very well and turn down places at MT, Habs and QE.

If you as a parent are prepared to work proactively with the school your ds will do very well.

I think at this level it is down to the parents. If you want to hand over your ds to MT I am quite sure they will run the whole show for you. Personally I prefer to work in partnership with the school but many busy working parents just want the end product.

In 11 plus preparation some parents rely totally on the tutor and don't even know the material that is being used. They pay someone else to own it for them.

One parent doing 13 plus told me he didn't ever see a paper, the school did the whole thing for him.

Is any surprise that state school students tend to do better at university as they are much more self sufficent by the time they get there? DG

[ToadMum]

Surely a major reason for choosing one of the Watford schools over QE or a fee-paying place would be the assurance of a sibling place, particularly if said sibling was not as bright (sorry, not as amenable to working hard specifically towards the entrance exam) as the child in question?

[zhp]

thanks everyone for your valid comments

i dont think we can compare WBGS to a QEB or HBS they are 2 very diff entities WBGS being a selective comp- which is why i have this dilemma of whether MTS would provide a closer fit to QEB or not and does it provide 20K worth per year of value add above what we can get from WBGS.
or am i not considering HABS enough if i want a closer fit

more confused

[branmoment]

"If you want to hand over your ds to MT I am quite sure they will run the whole show for you. Personally I prefer to work in partnership with the school"

MTS makes a great play of its tutor system which is designed to link pupil, parents and the school. Unlike many schools, parents have a direct link with a teacher who mentors their son for his whole school career. Continuity of care and communication is a real strength

[AML]

"If you want to hand over your ds to MT I am quite sure they will run the whole show for you. Personally I prefer to work in partnership with the school"

An ignorant comment for someone who is biased against private education judging by recent posts. Which is fine but as an MT parent there are SO many opportunities to be involved in your son's education. Had just been listening to which charities the boys could be involved with this year with emphasis on developing the boys character not just 'for CV', twice yearly Q&A sessions with the headmaster where suggestions are made and taken on board, parents are kept in the loop about what's happening, the drive and vision for the boys 'to become men' not just about academics.

The start of this year a boy lost his shoe, the tutor decided to scrap the planned lesson and all the boys went to look for his shoe - as this was seen as a way of the boys to bond and come together, feel like a team.

It is much more than a school or an exam factory like QE. Yes oxbridge offers and grades are part of it but don't we want our children to be good citizens?

Worth every penny.

[ToadMum]

"If you want to hand over your ds to MT I am quite sure they will run the whole show for you. Personally I prefer to work in partnership with the school"

An ignorant comment for someone who is biased against private education judging by recent posts. Which is fine but as an MT parent there are SO many opportunities to be involved in your son's education. Had just been listening to which charities the boys could be involved with this year with emphasis on developing the boys character not just 'for CV', twice yearly Q&A sessions with the headmaster where suggestions are made and taken on board, parents are kept in the loop about what's happening, the drive and vision for the boys 'to become men' not just about academics.

The start of this year a boy lost his shoe, the tutor decided to scrap the planned lesson and all the boys went to look for his shoe - as this was seen as a way of the boys to bond and come together, feel like a team. Another example, a boy was sent out of the room because the teacher did not like the colour of his skin. The teacher then challenged the remaining boys - why did no one speak up when this was obviously wrong? What amazing life lessons.

It is much more than a school or an exam factory like QE. Yes oxbridge offers and grades are part of it but don't we want our children to be good citizens?

Worth every penny.

Please tell us that you are able to add a P.S. on the 'colour of skin' incident to the effect that it was a pre-planned social experiment carried out with the full and unforced cooperation of the boy who was sent out??? Otherwise, not a very good advertisement for the school, however powerful the 'all that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing' type message

[AML]

PM not needed, just giving examples take from it what you wish.

[ToadMum]

PM not needed, just giving examples take from it what you wish.

Er... 'P.S.' as in 'post scriptum', not Private Message? As written, I'm not sure there is any other way to take the statement,
a boy was sent out of the room because the teacher did not like the colour of his skin
that does not actually present a somewhat disturbing view of the school?

[coolmum123]

"If you want to hand over your ds to MT I am quite sure they will run the whole show for you. Personally I prefer to work in partnership with the school"

MTS makes a great play of its tutor system which is designed to link pupil, parents and the school. Unlike many schools, parents have a direct link with a teacher who mentors their son for his whole school career. Continuity of care and communication is a real strength

I agree Branmoment. That system has served us very well, my DS has had the same tutor for his whole school career and she knows him inside out, this has helped us enormously in the early years when a lot of effort goes into building up the boys' self- esteem and confidence in their ability to achieve.

I actually feel quite insulted at Dagroupie's assumption. I did not anywhere in my post state that we, as parents, had abdicated our responsibility of our child's education to the school!
What I said was I knew of 2 stressed parents who had approached me directly about finding tutors for their boys whilst they were in their GCSE years and that was something I had not had to do.

If you want a closer fit to QE then I would imagine that MTS would provide that fit rather than WBGS. Most of the parents that I know chose the Watford Grammars because of the sibling rule.

[mad?]

PM not needed, just giving examples take from it what you wish.

AML I think you do need to clarify as I imagine your comment would alarm and deter large number of potential applicants. Are you saying that at MTS children are randomly discriminated against/picked on/humiliated by teachers on the basis of the colour or lack thereof OR that a teacher organised a role play where this was enacted in order to illustrate the 'Don't stand by' message? I would hope it is the latter but that is definitely not how your post read OR what it said.
And yes, I agree the 'choose to outsource their parenting as they prefer to work' line of attack is just snide and ill informed.