Dartford girls or Townley?

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Mumsy77
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 4:20 pm

Dartford girls or Townley?

Post by Mumsy77 »

My daughter got a place at Dartford Grammar after being on the waiting list. She scored 394 and we are out the area so quite pleased but now her heart is set on Townley...we think Dartford is a better choice. Townley was offered to her last month but we kept on the waiting list for Dartford. Any thoughts on the 2 from parents with experience?
MerlinFromCamelot
Posts: 224
Joined: Wed Jul 03, 2013 10:21 am

Re: Dartford girls or Townley?

Post by MerlinFromCamelot »

My DD has friends who have gone to Townley and not a great success. A lot of bullying. Had a look at it and quickly decided it was not for us. The results are good but if you dig deeper in the stats it quickly becomes clear that soft subjects are encouraged. Also no Latin at Townley. I don't know much about DGGS, perhaps worth posting on the Kent board. Good luck with whatever you decide.
Mumsy77
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 4:20 pm

Re: Dartford girls or Townley?

Post by Mumsy77 »

Thank you so much. I actually assumed they studied Latin at all grammar schools. Very grateful for your thoughts.
salsa
Posts: 2686
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2013 10:59 am

Re: Dartford girls or Townley?

Post by salsa »

I know girls who go to Townley and DGGS. They are all happy. However, from where we are, DGGS is much easier to get to by train. I see the Townley girls having a complicated journey and the mothers have organised themselves to carpool. It seems that Townley is a bit hidden away, transport wise.
What did you think about both schools? Are your daughter's friends going to Townley?
I have not heard any issues about bullying or anything negative about DGGS, but I have read on this forum about behaviour issues and bullying at Townley.
My son goes to Dartford boys and says that lots of girls take the train too. Some of his primary school friends go to Townley and sometimes take the train to Dartford, loop back to Barnehurst and take a bus. It seems a bit cumbersome to me, but they don't seem to mind.
Anyway, do post on Kent to get more opinions. All I know is that DGGS is a really sought after school. Oh, you'll have the Dartford boys to worry about! :wink: I hear some of them "camp" outside!
Last edited by salsa on Mon Apr 27, 2015 10:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mumsy77
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 4:20 pm

Re: Dartford girls or Townley?

Post by Mumsy77 »

Thanks, she has a few friends going to Townley but won't know anyone at DGGS. I wasn't able to attend the open day but she went with her dad and liked it. We didn't put DGGS first choice originally as we though we might live too far so wanted to secure a place at Townley first and join the waiting list for DGGS after. It's difficult to apply without knowledge of the cut off score for out of county children when the results first come out. We will thoroughly review both and decide over the next couple days.
MerlinFromCamelot
Posts: 224
Joined: Wed Jul 03, 2013 10:21 am

Re: Dartford girls or Townley?

Post by MerlinFromCamelot »

salsa wrote: Oh, you'll have the Dartford boys to worry about! :wink: I hear some of the "camp" outside!
Think boys camping outside is still better than girls hanging out in the Broadway shopping centre meeting boys. :lol:
salsa
Posts: 2686
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2013 10:59 am

Re: Dartford girls or Townley?

Post by salsa »

So much for keeping them at single sex schools! :lol:
Mumsy77
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 4:20 pm

Re: Dartford girls or Townley?

Post by Mumsy77 »

Just phoned DGGS and they don't offer Latin there. Not much in it now between DGGS and Townley.
salsa
Posts: 2686
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2013 10:59 am

Re: Dartford girls or Townley?

Post by salsa »

So, which one is nearer to you? Which one is easier to get to?
What about your daughter, what subjects does she prefer? Are they offered at either school?
Muggle
Posts: 441
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:24 pm

Re: Dartford girls or Townley?

Post by Muggle »

Hi Mumsy

What a dilemma, but two great schools to choose from.

Latin is available at Townley as an extra-curricular subject. My DD learns Latin in addition to her two languages.

She is very happy at Townley and doing extremely well. The pastoral care has been excellent. She has a lovely friendship group of similar minded girls and hasn’t noticed any bullying, in fact she often comments on how friendly the school is and how approachable the older year groups were when she started.

She has benefitted from great extra-curricular activities, including the Leadership Development programme, which involves working with Psychologists and Industry leaders.

The Arts are a real strength of the school and your DD would enjoy the Drama and Dance on offer, my DD has discovered a love of Dance since starting there. My DD is musician and their Music Dept is second to none.

The school tops the GCSE league in Bexley. I disagree that it offers softer options than the other schools, all the girls take: 3 x Science, 2 x Eng, Maths, Language, R.E. and then other options of their choosing.

At Sixth Form it compares favourably to the other Bexley Grammars, Oxbridge offers this year are: Bex Gram (8), Townley (7), C&S (2), Beths (1).

Good Luck with your difficult choice.
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