A Christmas gift from CGS?

[Averagedad]

Dear Ready to Relax, Reflect, Rejoice Parents,

A Christmas present to all interested parents from CGS?

CGS is planning to raise the number of Year 7 from the currently 124 to 155 (starting from the intake of Sept 2017)

http://www.colytongrammar.devon.sch.uk/ ... tation.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Link edited by Moderator to make it clickable

(And the current 3-year A level programme will be changed to the standard 2 years)

Good luck.

Have the best Christmas ever and the happier New Year forever.

Kind regards
Terence Lai
Seaton

[Iscamaid]

Our son starts next September and the larger intake should not affect his year group. Not that the larger intake is a problem, provided the school has sufficient space to accommodate the increase. I am undecided in the change to a 2 year A level system, I had felt the 3 year system gave scope for the pupils to take on extra-curricular interests, such as D of E.

[buzzard]

you should be greatly relieved that the school has dropped it's stupid 3 year 6th form and reverted to the normal pattern. It was an experiment that hardly anyone, and certainly no well run school, copied. Other schools find time for DofE and the other activities Coyton undertakes, although as DofE actually starts at 14 or 15 and few go as far as Gold the GCSE changes are more relevant to DofE anyway.

Early GSCEs and a 3 year 6th form forced early subject choices on children. Some made bad choices and only those with well off parents were able to recover from that as the school was inflexible. You've dodged a bullet.

The expansion of the school will be interesting. The level of ability of the extra children is likely to be lower so all other things being equal the results might be expected to fall when that cohort reaches GSCE and then A level. However the new headteacher is coming from a school that actually has a better reputation than Colyton for those not blinded by league tables and exam results. What matters to a well informed parent is not position in the league tables but whether they can turn out better results for your child than other schools.

The changes are really promising, well informed parents might now be attracted back to the school.

[Kit]

I too am very pleased for the future of the school and for new families that the 3 year Sixth form is being abolished. I agree that anyone considering the school should be very pleased, it is definitely a move for the better.

I actually don't think that expanding the school will be a problem or lead to a significant drop in results. The additional children admitted will probably only be marginally below those who are in the top 120 in ability. I feel that for too long Colyton has been governed in a rather insular inward-looking way, trying to justify past decisions and hanging on to the three year 6th form despite increasingly strong evidence over the last couple of years that it is not in the best interests of the children. It has not be able to take additional students for Sixth form, meaning it has been a closed community.
Giving more children the opportunity of an academic education is a good thing and I'm sure that the new Head will be a breath of fresh air with lots of new ideas (assuming the veteran governors on the board i.e. the majority, allow it!). The Chairs of the board and committees say they need a period of stability on the board for the next few years which considering they have already been governors for 33+ years, 17+ years, 16+ and 13+ years respectively is very stable indeed so who knows??

I'm visiting this site after a long time to try to get hold of past GCSE papers for a particular subject as the head of department concerned (also a governor) doesn't seem to believe in giving students free access to them, even post-mocks and 3 months before their GCSEs (!) - that does unfortunately exemplify the rather closed, defensive behaviour of a few. There are many great teachers who really try their best for the students though, and not just the super-bright children.

Do apply to the school, I think it has a great future ahead, particularly if parents and the local community put themselves forward to become involved in the governance of the school so that it can embrace the future free of past legacies. The school's league table position is great (but it'll be all change next year anyway) but much more important is the grade per GCSE or exam entry (also on DfE tables)- there's still some work to do there particularly in a couple of key subjects but I think the new head will take everything in hand!

P.S. GCSE papers search successfully concluded.

[buzzard]

well the 120 already include some who find the atmosphere at Colyton unhelpful but that will have been changing under the former deputy and will change further with the changes to the exam structure, the inclusion of new children and a new head. Where league tables will go is anyone's guess - possibly an immediate drop with the changes to the exam structure but then in a few years an improvement again as the impact of a new head teacher begins to take effect and you get the gain from the extra maturity of the students sitting GCSE. I'd hope an exceptional teacher who left in recent years could be attracted back too.

The problem in one department is well known but hard to do anything about when it's a subject with a national shortages of good teachers. Glad you found the GCSE papers.

There are a lot of people locally who were at the school themselves so the head has a pool of residual goodwill to call on.

I'm very optimistic about the school's future. It's got some good teachers and support staff, all it needs is good leadership.

[pooplechair]

While some people may be finding life under the temporary head more helpful others are finding it decidedly less helpful. Swings, roundabouts.

The school had good leadership. Where it goes now is anyone's guess. But I'm far from impressed with the temporary head so far, apart from the change to a 3 year KS 4 which would have happened no matter what since it has effectively been imposed by the DfE.

[Kit]

Are you a governor pooplechair?

[pooplechair]

Nope. I suspect they wouldn't want me to be a governor. And I'm not the one singing the praises of the temporary head! I'm really quite concerned at the moment. Hopefully my concerns will prove to be unfounded. Are *you* a governor?

[Kit]

Good grief no! I suspect they wouldn't want me to be a governor either.
What are your concerns? PM me if you prefer.

[pooplechair]

My concerns relate specifically to one of my kids. They would probably identify them if I voiced them. But my mild concerns of last year have become much stronger since the deputy head took over. I am hoping that once the new head is in place things might improve.