11 Plus Exams Forum

My dd gained a place at QMHS grammar school and has also been offered a bursary at KEHS. Does anybody have any experience of both the schools that they may share, to assist me in making a decision between the two.

I am surprised that you have asked this question, QMHS vs KEHS!

If you have looked into exam results/ranking or even visited the two schools you would have been certain that there is simply no comparison. KEHS is the best in WM by far.

I have family members in both of these schools, and tutored many students into almost all grammar schools in WM. One niece has been offered a scholarship+bursary this year to KEHS. As I said, no other school in WM is comparable to KEHS/KE Boys.

Hope that helps...

GuidingStar wrote:I am surprised that you have asked this question, QMHS vs KEHS!

If you have looked into exam results/ranking or even visited the two schools you would have been certain that there is simply no comparison.

Other factors such as travelling time, cost, etc may of course be a consideration when making such a decision. If one is on your doorstep, and free, and the other involves a long commute and sacrifices which may affect other family members too in order to pay for it, then the decision isn't as clear cut as just looking at exam results alone.

It's rarely as simple as saying "school A is better than school B", and especially where KEHS/KES are concerned there are some very difficult decisions to make if you haven't habitually got 10k in loose change lying around at the end of the financial year.

hi brendan.im afraid im scratching my head also.perhaps if i were to understand your reason for the initial question i might be able to answer it your child got into grammar and was also offered a kehs bursary? was this a full bursary?
if so im struggling im afraid with your question. i was in the same position ie daughter passed grammar which in itself is a huge achievement and was then offered a place at kehs.there was no question about which to choose.hope you chose kehs maybe are girls will become friends

champagnemoet wrote:hi brendan.im afraid im scratching my head also.perhaps if i were to understand your reason for the initial question i might be able to answer it your child got into grammar and was also offered a kehs bursary? was this a full bursary?
if so im struggling im afraid with your question. i was in the same position ie daughter passed grammar which in itself is a huge achievement and was then offered a place at kehs.there was no question about which to choose.hope you chose kehs maybe are girls will become friends

To obtain a "full" bursary (by which I assume you mean 100% of fees) you have to be able to show a household income of less than £19,500 pa. At that point KEHS will be a cheaper option than any GS because all expenses are met by the Foundation.

For anyone else there are still fees to find, and because of the way the scheme is structured it becomes more difficult to fund the more you earn; there is in effect a "middle ground" where people earn too much to obtain effective support but not enough to be able to pay the fees. So I'm somewhat mystified why you think there would ever be "no question" about the choice. An assisted place is not a panacea; many (perhaps most) people who are offered assisted places turn them down.

Mike

hi mike.why would anyone being offered an assisted place turn it down?

champagnemoet wrote:hi mike.why would anyone being offered an assisted place turn it down?

As Mike explained, if you happen to get a 100% assisted place then it is well worth taking, however these are few and far between as the income level for this is quite low. Most offers will be of a lower percentage .. say 50% or 20%.. this means that the parents still have to find the difference and for many families it can still feel like too much of a commitment for the 7 years, particularly if they have other children going through the system.

hurmanmunster thanks for your comment. i was assuming that brendans child had been offered a full place at kehs and he was unable to choose between that or the grammar offer . i cant imagine anyone turning a full assisted place down.as i hope i have now explained

I can't imagine it either!