LSS

[hermanmunster]

Marked, it sounds to me from the post that the sports teachers soon suss out who REALLY likes Rugby - ie those who dash after the ball, get in the tackles etc etc and those whose sole aim is to keep the kit clean....

They probably try to encourage the second lot but after a while it is better to let them do something else rather than them get totally fed up.

[Rugbymum]

My son, year 7, had to play rugby for the first term but, as he wasn't in the top set, was able to choose to play hockey after Christmas. They're now all getting thumped playing cricket!

What is "top set"? Is this some sort of streaming on ability? Are boys streamed in all sports or generically on fitness? What is the basis of assigning a set?

Are boys streamed in academic subjects in Year 7?

Saram - sounds like things have changed a bit (my DS is in year 8 ) as when he was in year 7 and the first term of year 8, they all had to play rugby. A lot of his friends still play football despite enjoying rugby so your son may surprise himself and end up doing both sports!

Marked - they are assessed during the first few weeks and put into sets, my DS's year has 5 sets for each sport and the top sets are usually selected for inter-school competitions. Not sure how they are assigned but I suspect a mixture of ability/experience/enthusiasm. I remember that the afternoon of my DS's first day was spent on the rugby field and that he turned up at the bus stop wearing his now muddy kit! So do pack his sports kit.

LSS tends to place a lot of importance on being sporty with a lot of time being spent on PE and popular boys tend to be the ones who excel at sports...the other thing your son needs to be prepared for is that the sports field is quite a long way from the school (around 10-15 mins which probably feels like ages when its freezing cold and pouring with rain!).

Boys are not streamed until year 8 for academic subjects and even then its only in maths, assessed by year end exams which take place every summer.

[marked]

Thanks everyone.

Do have any other useful information or tips?

Is Rugby for just 1 term, or 2 or 3 terms?

Even if LSS do not stream until year 7, do you know if they assign classes on the basis of 11+ or SATs results in year 7?
(In my day, years ago, children were streamed from day 1 in secondary school).
Are the boys tested in maths as soon as year 7 starts (I was many yeas ago!)

What is the average number of children per class?

Is there much homework in year 7? If so, on average, how many hours a night?

On a sensitive note, is there much "bullying" at the school? It happens in all schools to some degree, but what is LSS like?
Is there denial, swept under the carpet or addressed?

Is much interaction, if any, with the girls' grammar school, eg social evenings etc, during later years?

Sorry for all the questions.

[Rugbymum]

Rugby takes place during the first two terms - summer term is taken up by cricket or athletics.

They take no notice of 11 plus scores and usually carry out their own assessments, via class work & regular tests. End of year exams are taken by all boys, except for those doing GCSEs and A levels exams. They also did a CAT test during my DS's first term. You should get a report (either grades or full school reports) each term. You also get the opportunity to meet teachers at parents evening, held once a year.

Year 7 boys are allocated houses and they spend their first year with others in the same house for all academic subjects and form time, they start mixing in year 8 but by then loyalty to their house is pretty strong. They are not streamed during year 7. Classes are fairly small - around 20-25.

My DS got a decent amount of homework during year 7. I would say no more than 30-60 mins per night on average. Be prepared though that they are very strict about missed deadlines and other minor offences.

As for bullying, I am sure there is some as in other schools, but my DS and his friends have never seen or experienced any. I have stood outside the school gates and have not seen anything to concern me.

LSS and RHS do work together - joint productions, discos etc from year 7 onwards and in the 6th form they share classes for some subjects.

[Rugbymum]

One more tip - do visit their website and download their weekly newsletters

[youngest]

One more tip - do visit their website and download their weekly newsletters

School will ask you to register an email address and then you will receive a link to download the newsletter each Friday.....or you used to be offered the opportunity for your son to collect a newsletter from the office each Friday (only to be used by those who are confident that their son's memory extends beyond academic subjects and the Playstation 3 etc).

The grouping for Rugby initially is top set those who are already in a club, or have played before, working down through those who have played tag Rugby, right down to those who do not know the game or rules at all. The other sports lesson is according to ability on a more fitness basis.

[um]

Thanks for that. Oh well my son is not going to be happy. He hates Rugby, but loves football, plays in a Sunday league etc. I am surprised why boys can opt for football in year 9, but not year 7. Two years of torture![/quote]

My son (now at KE Camp Hill) spent the whole summer before Year 7 whinging about having to play rugby and how he hated it (he played for a football team).
However he now completely loves it, has left the football team and we jokingly had to remind him of his previous aversion

[Optimist]

I attending the LSS Open Day on Thursday. The Headmaster was cheery and optimistic about the school's GCSEs, but got clearly irked when I asked him what they were doing to ensure the A2 results were of a similar magnitude. He stated the opening up of the sixth form (ie it's "comprehensive" sixth form) was going to cause this, but offered no cogent rationale to address the A2 results. Upon closer inspection the sciences and maths had too few A*.

[J.P.]

I attending the LSS Open Day on Thursday. The Headmaster was cheery and optimistic about the school's GCSEs, but got clearly irked when I asked him what they were doing to ensure the A2 results were of a similar magnitude. He stated the opening up of the sixth form (ie it's "comprehensive" sixth form) was going to cause this, but offered no cogent rationale to address the A2 results. Upon closer inspection the sciences and maths had too few A*.

If you want to compare schools do not look at the old GCSE League tables. LSS was top because children sat more than the equivalent of 15 GCSEs. This does not mean they achieved A or A*, just collectd lots of points. In the English Baccalaureate tables LSS is nowhere near the top.

"A" level results will never be great as the sixth form is non-selective, which brings down the average grades. Look at A level results and ask how many children won Oxbridge places. LSS is not that great. But you cannot compare with selective sixth forms as LSS is non-selective. They will not release figures of the original cohort alone.

It is not a bad school. It is quite good, but nowhere near as good as it makes out to be. I use Oxbridge places or average "A" level grades as the marker and not 15 GCSEs as a marker. I would prefer LSS than many non-selective schools in the area. But do not underestimate the work a child has to do. A great school will not produce A* if a child does not work. A school can guide, a child has to do the work.