KEFW or KECG? - for a sports mad girl

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OldTrout
Posts: 386
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2013 1:21 pm

KEFW or KECG? - for a sports mad girl

Post by OldTrout »

OK - so there is still the small matter of passing the 11+ -

but having been to open days at Five Ways and Camp Hill Girls we've tumbled that there seems to be a problem

My daughter is totally sports mad - but when we toured Five Ways it seemed that most sports were boys only.

Our daughter & friends at school can talk of nothing else now. So what I wanted to understand from people who know KEFW better or who have made this decision between KEFW/ KECG themselves, is whether this is an unfair impression of sports availability at KEFW.

Are sports at KE Five Ways primarily only for the boys?

Is there a wider range of sports opportunities on offer at KE Camp Hill Girls?

Again, apologies for asking this before even sitting the 11+ - but I don't want my daughter to rule something out or in based on an impression (unfortunately a negative one) which might not be true.

thanks
Nervousmum
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 10:02 am
Location: Birmingham

Re: KEFW or KECG? - for a sports mad girl

Post by Nervousmum »

My daughter is at KEFW. She is in the hockey, netball and rounders teams and she has competed in athletics and cross country events. At October half term there is a hockey/netball tour to Italy which she is taking part in. I certainly think that there is plenty of sport for her!

My son is also at KEFW and he plays in the rugby team. It is true that there is quite a bit of emphasis on rugby (and less so on cricket), but I do not think that this means that girls' sport is less important.

If your daughter loves sport she will be kept very busy at KEFW!
OldTrout
Posts: 386
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2013 1:21 pm

Re: KEFW or KECG? - for a sports mad girl

Post by OldTrout »

Thanks nervousmum

That's really useful to know. My daughter was talking to boys playing cricket at the time - so maybe it's a case of no girls cricket or rugby team, but other sports are available.

We were a bit surprised there's no girls cricket.
muminbrum
Posts: 362
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:14 pm

Re: KEFW or KECG? - for a sports mad girl

Post by muminbrum »

Bear in mind that, while KEFW is a mixed school, it is still male-dominant presumably because there are more places at the girls schools and maybe because parents of girls are more likely to prefer single-sex education? I had heard that it was usually around a 60:40 ratio but my DS starts there in Sept and there are 6 girls and 20 boys in his form. I guess that may partly explain why there is, or seems to be, more for girls but it must also mean that girls have a better chance of making the school teams :D
OldTrout
Posts: 386
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2013 1:21 pm

Re: KEFW or KECG? - for a sports mad girl

Post by OldTrout »

Thanks muminbrum

You've raised a really good point - hadn't even considered this in terms of chances getting on team. :)

DD is still very impressed from what she saw on visits (2nd visit to KECHG, maybe because she was more relaxed & I had a better idea where I was going - went much better than first visit to KEFW).

At present I'm taking the view let's worry about where to go once we know you've scored high enough to be offered a place. I suspect like anything this will all depend on where her friends are going.
JaneEyre
Posts: 4843
Joined: Sun May 09, 2010 1:04 pm

Re: KEFW or KECG? - for a sports mad girl

Post by JaneEyre »

muminbrum wrote: my DS starts there in Sept and there are 6 girls and 20 boys in his form.
May I ask if your DS starts in 6th form?
When I first read you message, I thought: 'How lucky they are in FW! Only 26 pupils per form!' But if this is in sixth form, this is just normal...
koala
Posts: 91
Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2010 7:34 am

Re: KEFW or KECG? - for a sports mad girl

Post by koala »

I have DSs in year 9 in Sept at KEFW. All classes have 26 pupils, normally 6 or 7 girls and 19 or 20 boys. They started with 25 in Year 7 but with one or two successful appeals have found they can cope with 26 in each class making it 155 for each year.

In answer to OP about girls and sport at KEFW, they do lots of sport. Advantage is a sporty girl could get in every sports team (netball, hockey, tennis, athletics, cross country, rounders, swimming etc). Disadvantage is that with so few girls to choose from compared to KE Camp Hill and KE Handsworth, they are not as competitive most of the time so don't do as well in competitions. It is the reverse for the boys as they have so many to choose from.

There is lots of sports at KEFW for girls but if your daughter shows promise in one or two, I would suggest to get superior coaching, she joins a club for her favoured sport(s). School sport tends to stimulate further interest in it, especially in years 6 and 7. That is my experience.

Hope this helps
JaneEyre
Posts: 4843
Joined: Sun May 09, 2010 1:04 pm

Re: KEFW or KECG? - for a sports mad girl

Post by JaneEyre »

koala wrote:I have DSs in year 9 in Sept at KEFW. All classes have 26 pupils, normally 6 or 7 girls and 19 or 20 boys. They started with 25 in Year 7 but with one or two successful appeals have found they can cope with 26 in each class making it 155 for each year.
Thanks Koala for your explanation about class size at FW. I am surprised as I always thought that state schools have 30 pupils per class (sometimes even 31!)… unless of course the school is in a rural area with not so many demand…
How is it possible then that FW has small classes? Isn’t this peculiar knowing that the grammar school places are so much coveted?
KenR
Posts: 1506
Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:12 pm
Location: Birmingham

Re: KEFW or KECG? - for a sports mad girl

Post by KenR »

KEFW has historically tried to limit class sizes to 25 - they have always treated this as very important and have ensured funding for this.

Interestingly, this is lower even than KEHS independent which used to run at circa 28 or most of the other KE grammars which are 30.
mike1880
Posts: 2563
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2008 10:51 pm

Re: KEFW or KECG? - for a sports mad girl

Post by mike1880 »

KEHS runs at 18-20; CHB is 31 (more in case of appeals) which is far too many imho.
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