Handsworth Grammar (Boys) or Priory School
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Handsworth Grammar (Boys) or Priory School
My nephew has a place at Handsworth Grammar for boys and a 50% scholarship for The Priory School?
Would be grateful for advice about the pros and cons of both!
Thanks
Would be grateful for advice about the pros and cons of both!
Thanks
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GrammarGrad
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2010 1:51 pm
- Location: Birmingham
Re: Handsworth Grammar (Boys) or Priory School
Your nephew will perform to his potential whichever of the two schools he attends.
However in my experience, Priory is normally the last resort for a DC when there is no other option available (i.e. they have failed to get into any GS).
I would go for HGS without hesitation; having Grammar School on ones CV will be a substantial bonus going forward in life. I know many employers (lawyers, accountants etc) that dismiss CVs outright if the applicant hasn't attended a grammar school.
However in my experience, Priory is normally the last resort for a DC when there is no other option available (i.e. they have failed to get into any GS).
I would go for HGS without hesitation; having Grammar School on ones CV will be a substantial bonus going forward in life. I know many employers (lawyers, accountants etc) that dismiss CVs outright if the applicant hasn't attended a grammar school.
They called me Mr Glass
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Turtlegirl
- Posts: 521
- Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2011 1:54 pm
Re: Handsworth Grammar (Boys) or Priory School
I'm very surprised that employers would really be looking at someone's school type rather than the class of their degree and which university they attended.
I would recommend visits to both schools - they are quite different. Priory has a Roman Catholic foundation and is mixed and is quite small. Handsworth Grammar is a much larger secular boys' school. HG is rated 'Good' by Ofsted but has only recently emerged from a 'Satisfactory' rating, when there were behavioural problems. There is a new head and many new staff have come since his appointment. Priory had a good ISI report in 2010.
I would recommend visits to both schools - they are quite different. Priory has a Roman Catholic foundation and is mixed and is quite small. Handsworth Grammar is a much larger secular boys' school. HG is rated 'Good' by Ofsted but has only recently emerged from a 'Satisfactory' rating, when there were behavioural problems. There is a new head and many new staff have come since his appointment. Priory had a good ISI report in 2010.
Re: Handsworth Grammar (Boys) or Priory School
I think it is unfair to suggest that Priory is a 'last resort' for those who 'fail Grammars' and this assertion could be quite hurtful to some.
From what I have seen and heard, it is a caring, inclusive and supportive school at which children receive good teaching, in a very pleasant environment, and are helped to achieve their potential. There are also plenty of children at Priory who achieve very well.
Class sizes are much smaller than those in the Grammar schools, and the individual support and resources available tend to be higher too, making it a great choice for children who do need this - and some do. That doesn't make them 'failures' because, as parents, we love and do our best for each child as individuals, without making such judgements against them.
Although Priory is a Catholic school, they appear to go out of their way in their brochures and website to state that pupils who are not Catholic are welcomed and included in the life of the school. I think the wish to appear inclusive was behind their name change from 'Holy Child'.
Priory School also seems to fairly represent the urban ethnic diversity of Birmingham itself, and I would be very surprised if any pupils there encountered the racism that we have heard discussed on this forum, as being an issue for some at other Independent Schools in the West Midlands.
I find it very hard to believe that any employer would dismiss any CV outright because an applicant had not been to a Grammar School. After all, most Local Authorities in the UK don't even have any Grammar Schools! If such unfounded discrimination could possibly be true, I am absolutely certain that I wouldn't want my child to work for such an employer!
I cannot really comment on Handsworth Grammar except that it serves a very different group of pupils to Priory and is going to therefore be quite a different environment to grow up in.
If it were my decision, I would visit both schools during a normal school day and think about which one my ds would feel most comfortable in for the next 7 years.
From what I have seen and heard, it is a caring, inclusive and supportive school at which children receive good teaching, in a very pleasant environment, and are helped to achieve their potential. There are also plenty of children at Priory who achieve very well.
Class sizes are much smaller than those in the Grammar schools, and the individual support and resources available tend to be higher too, making it a great choice for children who do need this - and some do. That doesn't make them 'failures' because, as parents, we love and do our best for each child as individuals, without making such judgements against them.
Although Priory is a Catholic school, they appear to go out of their way in their brochures and website to state that pupils who are not Catholic are welcomed and included in the life of the school. I think the wish to appear inclusive was behind their name change from 'Holy Child'.
Priory School also seems to fairly represent the urban ethnic diversity of Birmingham itself, and I would be very surprised if any pupils there encountered the racism that we have heard discussed on this forum, as being an issue for some at other Independent Schools in the West Midlands.
I find it very hard to believe that any employer would dismiss any CV outright because an applicant had not been to a Grammar School. After all, most Local Authorities in the UK don't even have any Grammar Schools! If such unfounded discrimination could possibly be true, I am absolutely certain that I wouldn't want my child to work for such an employer!
I cannot really comment on Handsworth Grammar except that it serves a very different group of pupils to Priory and is going to therefore be quite a different environment to grow up in.
If it were my decision, I would visit both schools during a normal school day and think about which one my ds would feel most comfortable in for the next 7 years.
Re: Handsworth Grammar (Boys) or Priory School
I have to say that having Grammar School on ones CV adds nothing to your ability to gain employment with some of the biggest companies. I do know that many require potential candidates to have obtained a degree from a Russell Group university but most, if not all, will look at the classification of your qualification rather than where you obtained it.GrammarGrad wrote:Your nephew will perform to his potential whichever of the two schools he attends.
However in my experience, Priory is normally the last resort for a DC when there is no other option available (i.e. they have failed to get into any GS).
I would go for HGS without hesitation; having Grammar School on ones CV will be a substantial bonus going forward in life. I know many employers (lawyers, accountants etc) that dismiss CVs outright if the applicant hasn't attended a grammar school.
I have to say I'm with um all the way on this. Such a shame people have these unfounded opinions.
I have a son already at Handsworth Grammar and another who will hopefully be starting at Camp Hill in September but personally I never attended a grammar school nor a Russell group university but that hasn't stopped from gaining employment with some big companies. I have never been out of work and been able to go from one job to another without much difficulty but at my level its more to do with working experience and skills rather than what grammar school I didn't attend.
Re: Handsworth Grammar (Boys) or Priory School
[/quote] I know many employers (lawyers, accountants etc) that dismiss CVs outright if the applicant hasn't attended a grammar school.[/quote]
I don't! On the contrary, I know many people (now in their forties) who have reached positions of great status in very well-known law and accountancy firms who attended state comprehensives, and ones near the bottom of the league table too!
I don't! On the contrary, I know many people (now in their forties) who have reached positions of great status in very well-known law and accountancy firms who attended state comprehensives, and ones near the bottom of the league table too!
Re: Handsworth Grammar (Boys) or Priory School
No way any employer would focus so much on what school someone went to.. Surely the emphasis would be on the actually exam results and the 'employability' of the candidate, and in some cases even exam grades probably wouldn't matter! What nonsense 
Re: Handsworth Grammar (Boys) or Priory School
Hi,
I might be too late here but I just wanted to say that my oldest son recently left the school and it is a lovely school. Firtsly, I would like to say that people have said some nasty things about the school but this is because they do not know it (I've had people call it to my face a 'school for thickos'). Basically it is a NON-SELECTIVE school, that means they do not need to pass a test to get in and you will get the full range of abilities in the school that you would have in a comprehensive (this is reflected in their results). Although they do take an 'entrance test' this is for streaming purposes/bursaries etc. The pupils are streamed and the top set would be equivalent to a top set in a comprehensive (I'm a teacher BTW..but not at the Priory). The Priory are inclusive and are very supportive of pupils with SEN (who are in a minority).The main benefits include that the class sizes are small (10-15 for my son) which means they get plenty of attention from the teachers, the surroundings are beautiful, the canteen food is of a high quality (plenty of fruit and veg) and at a reasonable cost. The teachers get to know the children extremely well and this supported by the "family" ethos. One of the things I would really like to praise is the stance on discipline and bullying. They operate a ZERO tolerance protocol and will permanently exclude pupils who bully or are persisantly poorly behaved. I found this very impressive as they are not encourage to keep pupils on just for the money. Basically the wellbeing of the other pupils is put higher than their financies. There are not many schools that follow through their 'zero tolerance' policies.
Hope this helps!
I might be too late here but I just wanted to say that my oldest son recently left the school and it is a lovely school. Firtsly, I would like to say that people have said some nasty things about the school but this is because they do not know it (I've had people call it to my face a 'school for thickos'). Basically it is a NON-SELECTIVE school, that means they do not need to pass a test to get in and you will get the full range of abilities in the school that you would have in a comprehensive (this is reflected in their results). Although they do take an 'entrance test' this is for streaming purposes/bursaries etc. The pupils are streamed and the top set would be equivalent to a top set in a comprehensive (I'm a teacher BTW..but not at the Priory). The Priory are inclusive and are very supportive of pupils with SEN (who are in a minority).The main benefits include that the class sizes are small (10-15 for my son) which means they get plenty of attention from the teachers, the surroundings are beautiful, the canteen food is of a high quality (plenty of fruit and veg) and at a reasonable cost. The teachers get to know the children extremely well and this supported by the "family" ethos. One of the things I would really like to praise is the stance on discipline and bullying. They operate a ZERO tolerance protocol and will permanently exclude pupils who bully or are persisantly poorly behaved. I found this very impressive as they are not encourage to keep pupils on just for the money. Basically the wellbeing of the other pupils is put higher than their financies. There are not many schools that follow through their 'zero tolerance' policies.
Hope this helps!
