KES or CHB

[sbarnes]

Oh in that case, KECHB still better

[Fatnorville]

Oh in that case, KECHB still better

KECHB has better exam results.

KES might have wood termites.

Any other reasons why?

[JamesDean]

KECHB has better exam results.

KES might have wood termites.

Any other reasons why?

KES is easier to get to from my house!

JD

[Fatnorville]

KES is also easier to get to from my house, but I am still out of area and my DC will never get in unless:-
- My DS has the IQ of Magnus Magnusson
- My DD changes sex.

To summarise:-

Other than KECHB excellent exam results.

Other than KES having a massive infestation of wood eating reptiles.

Other than the commuting convenience for JamesDean and family


Why would you regard one school better than the other?...

[JamesDean]

To be honest, I know nothing of CHB! I'm assuming its in Birmingham, which therefore makes it completely off our radar - it would be impossible for DS to get there from where we live ... And I would imagine this is also the case for most Warks parents???

JD

[Fatnorville]

For Southern Warks parents the "catchment" area is massive and includes the southern half of Coventry and most of Solihull (with all stations in between), and is ideally placed for both Warks and Bham schools, especially as Bham schools are served by the Green Bus.

To recap:-

Other than the exam results

Other than the wood eating lizards at KES

Other than the convenience of KES for JamesDean

Other than the convenience and flexibility of the Green Bus

Why would you chose one school over the other?

[serendippyty]

It is always child dependent I think. You know your child best, so you are best placed to judge which would suit them as an individual. I would just get as much info from parents' points of view on each school (I have posted quite comprehensively on my opinions of KES but cannot comment on the other as it was never a consideration for us). Listen to what they say and find out the negatives and positives and where they fit with your child.

[um]

They're very different schools, even though, funnily enough, I think my ds2 would have been comfortable with either (ds1 is a CHB boy and I don't think he would have been so comfortable at KES Stratford).

KES Stratford represents a pretty rural (at most, very suburban) area. CHB represents a vibrant, multicultural urban city area (although to be fair the boys are still in general very privileged, with around a third coming from the Independent sector and others from very good state schools).
I might argue that CHB is closer to 'reality' than KES Stratford but then that depends on what your 'reality' is

My understanding, from speaking to KES Stratford parents, is that it is not as academically pushy as CHB. That could work very well for some boys, but others may find they will be stretched more and therefore possibly achieve higher grades at CHB.
KES Stratford do not have playing fields on site and take a minibus out of town to play rugby, etc. whereas CHB have their own sports facilities, including a swimming pool, on site. I guess they're possibly able to do more financially because they are not only slightly bigger, but share a site with CHG.

[HappyRobot]

Had the same dilemma last year.

We had the marks for both grammars but put chb top of the list and kes second...reasons were although we preferred kes, the distance was just too much for us.....we're not on a direct bus route....and although they get used to distance, I wanted a school closer to home.

We ended up going to an independent.

[kenyancowgirl]

We are South Warks so are only priority circle for KES or AGS for my sons. I have one boy already at KES and the other due to start Sept 2014. KES works for us - it is closer, it is academically more stringent than AGS which suits both boys. It has more of a competitive sporting edge (although this is unashamedly rugby/cricket) than AGS - if your boys are into football then AGS would probably suit better! The new Director of Sport has made a real difference - athletics featured prominently last year for the first time (they've done it before but not with any real gusto) - the sports fields are a ten minute walk from the school (not a drive away as someone else posted) and they play against most of the Birmingham Grammars, regularly, providing transport for the boys to and from matches. Fundamentally, the thing that worked for us for our older boy was that it was a smaller environment - my second son is much more socially confident and would be happy wherever.

I can't comment on CHB but would advise that it is definitely not a one size fits all with Grammars - if you have a daughter and a son, it makes sense to look at a mixed school - if they embrace grammar school life fully then you will be collecting regularly so distance has to be a consideration!