The Sunday Times Best Secondary School in the Midlands
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Re: The Sunday Times Best Secondary School in the Midlands
Well, curiosity killed the cat..and cost me £8 
Never mind, I'm going to make some cloze tests from some other Times articles now so I'll put it to good use before the month is out
It was a far shorter article than expected. However the comment about pupils having tutors in subjects they are struggling in, was a bit unclear. At first glance, I would have thought it meant internal support within the school rather than tuition paid for by parents? Sixth formers certainly do help out and support younger children if they have an area of weakness. Was it referring to this? My ds1 was helping out some Year 7 children with French last term (something that has surprised him as much as it did me
).
I have to say I'm surprised that Stratford Girls' Grammar came so highly ranked and KE Handsworth isn't in the top 10. KE Handsworth is the only KE Grammar to have an Ofsted judgement of 'outstanding' for its quality of teaching, and I really liked the school on the open days we've attended.
Never mind, I'm going to make some cloze tests from some other Times articles now so I'll put it to good use before the month is out
It was a far shorter article than expected. However the comment about pupils having tutors in subjects they are struggling in, was a bit unclear. At first glance, I would have thought it meant internal support within the school rather than tuition paid for by parents? Sixth formers certainly do help out and support younger children if they have an area of weakness. Was it referring to this? My ds1 was helping out some Year 7 children with French last term (something that has surprised him as much as it did me
).I have to say I'm surprised that Stratford Girls' Grammar came so highly ranked and KE Handsworth isn't in the top 10. KE Handsworth is the only KE Grammar to have an Ofsted judgement of 'outstanding' for its quality of teaching, and I really liked the school on the open days we've attended.
Re: The Sunday Times Best Secondary School in the Midlands
The actress Lindsay Duncan, the broadcaster Bill Oddie and the Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien are just some of the household names who owe their education to a religious foundation started by the pious young Edward VI in the 16th century.
Duncan, Oddie and Tolkien won bursaries to attend fee-paying schools run by the King Edward’s Foundation. Its eight institutions now dominate education across the west Midlands.
Of the top 10 schools in our league table for the region, four belong to the foundation. At the head of the table is King Edward VI High School for Girls, one of the foundation’s two fee-paying schools. The other, King Edward’s School (boys), on the same campus beside Birmingham University, comes sixth in our rankings.
Second and ninth in the tables respectively are two of the foundation’s five grammar schools, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys and King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls. The foundation has also recently taken over a formerly failing school, Sheldon Heath Comprehensive in the deprived east of the city, which has been turned into an academy.
Canny parents living in Birmingham and further afield who want to maximise their options enter their children both for the 11-plus, which determines entry to the King Edward grammar schools, and for the exam set by the two fee-paying schools, which includes an essay paper. The children with the highest scores at 11-plus attend the Camp Hill grammars.
Many families hire private tutors to coach their children for the tests. Other parents pay for their children to attend one of the Birmingham prep schools — favourites include Hallfield in Edgbaston and the Bluecoat School on the Harborne-Edgbaston border, which both specialise in getting a high percentage of their pupils through the 11-plus.
A straw poll of parents with children at several of the King Edward schools revealed a high level of general satisfaction — but parents with children at King Edward VI High were particularly enthusiastic. Its principal for the past 15 years, Sarah Evans, has just retired and will be replaced by Ann Clark, a modern linguist who is currently deputy head at Heanor Gate Science College in Derbyshire. So what gives the girls’ school (where fees are £10,935 a year) the edge over its foundation competitors?
Observers say one of the reasons for its success is that it is relatively small — 550 girls compared with about 825 boys at King Edward’s School.
It is also highly selective — the city’s doctors, lawyers and academics favour it for their daughters, partly thanks to its strong record in the sciences. Many of the pupils are from highly educated Chinese and Indian families whose parents are ambitious for their daughters.
According to one father, whose daughter was given one-to-one lunchtime coaching sessions in her weakest science subjects in the run-up to GCSEs, the school “really focuses on upping the grades of its weaker pupils”.
Some families have even been asked to pay for GCSE and A-level exam papers to be re-marked if the school thinks pupils have not lived up to expectations.
“I was asked to pay to get my daughter’s A-level paper re-marked as one of the ‘bellwethers’ of her group at school as she and several other strong pupils had only scored an A and teachers had expected them to get an A*,” said another mother.
“I did and it turned out the exam board had not included the mark from the third paper, in error, so the whole group’s marks were upped to A*s and As, rather than As and Bs.”
A rare criticism is that the school has never embraced “gung-ho” activities such as Girl Guide companies or the Combined Cadet Force.
Mike Roden, head of King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, the grammar school that comes second in our table, was a former head of department at the fee-paying boys’ school.
A parent with children at the grammar school describes it thus: “It is a real haven for bright, geeky boys who might be misfits elsewhere: the trainspotters and bird-watchers. They fit in comfortably at Camp Hill.
“It is highly competitive though. Fifteen boys in one form have tutors in particular subjects they are struggling with at the school.”
King Edward’s School, the fee-paying boys’ school, is headed by John Claughton, a former banker. It is strong in science — it recently sent 30 out of its 130-odd year group to study medicine at university. The boys’ school now offers the international baccalaureate, while the fee-paying girls’ school has chosen to stick with A-levels.
In Nottingham the same story of singlesex schools scoring highly in the rankings is played out: Nottingham Girls’ High School GDST pips the fee-paying boys’ school to fourth place. Three girls-only schools take the last three places in the top 10.
Duncan, Oddie and Tolkien won bursaries to attend fee-paying schools run by the King Edward’s Foundation. Its eight institutions now dominate education across the west Midlands.
Of the top 10 schools in our league table for the region, four belong to the foundation. At the head of the table is King Edward VI High School for Girls, one of the foundation’s two fee-paying schools. The other, King Edward’s School (boys), on the same campus beside Birmingham University, comes sixth in our rankings.
Second and ninth in the tables respectively are two of the foundation’s five grammar schools, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys and King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls. The foundation has also recently taken over a formerly failing school, Sheldon Heath Comprehensive in the deprived east of the city, which has been turned into an academy.
Canny parents living in Birmingham and further afield who want to maximise their options enter their children both for the 11-plus, which determines entry to the King Edward grammar schools, and for the exam set by the two fee-paying schools, which includes an essay paper. The children with the highest scores at 11-plus attend the Camp Hill grammars.
Many families hire private tutors to coach their children for the tests. Other parents pay for their children to attend one of the Birmingham prep schools — favourites include Hallfield in Edgbaston and the Bluecoat School on the Harborne-Edgbaston border, which both specialise in getting a high percentage of their pupils through the 11-plus.
A straw poll of parents with children at several of the King Edward schools revealed a high level of general satisfaction — but parents with children at King Edward VI High were particularly enthusiastic. Its principal for the past 15 years, Sarah Evans, has just retired and will be replaced by Ann Clark, a modern linguist who is currently deputy head at Heanor Gate Science College in Derbyshire. So what gives the girls’ school (where fees are £10,935 a year) the edge over its foundation competitors?
Observers say one of the reasons for its success is that it is relatively small — 550 girls compared with about 825 boys at King Edward’s School.
It is also highly selective — the city’s doctors, lawyers and academics favour it for their daughters, partly thanks to its strong record in the sciences. Many of the pupils are from highly educated Chinese and Indian families whose parents are ambitious for their daughters.
According to one father, whose daughter was given one-to-one lunchtime coaching sessions in her weakest science subjects in the run-up to GCSEs, the school “really focuses on upping the grades of its weaker pupils”.
Some families have even been asked to pay for GCSE and A-level exam papers to be re-marked if the school thinks pupils have not lived up to expectations.
“I was asked to pay to get my daughter’s A-level paper re-marked as one of the ‘bellwethers’ of her group at school as she and several other strong pupils had only scored an A and teachers had expected them to get an A*,” said another mother.
“I did and it turned out the exam board had not included the mark from the third paper, in error, so the whole group’s marks were upped to A*s and As, rather than As and Bs.”
A rare criticism is that the school has never embraced “gung-ho” activities such as Girl Guide companies or the Combined Cadet Force.
Mike Roden, head of King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, the grammar school that comes second in our table, was a former head of department at the fee-paying boys’ school.
A parent with children at the grammar school describes it thus: “It is a real haven for bright, geeky boys who might be misfits elsewhere: the trainspotters and bird-watchers. They fit in comfortably at Camp Hill.
“It is highly competitive though. Fifteen boys in one form have tutors in particular subjects they are struggling with at the school.”
King Edward’s School, the fee-paying boys’ school, is headed by John Claughton, a former banker. It is strong in science — it recently sent 30 out of its 130-odd year group to study medicine at university. The boys’ school now offers the international baccalaureate, while the fee-paying girls’ school has chosen to stick with A-levels.
In Nottingham the same story of singlesex schools scoring highly in the rankings is played out: Nottingham Girls’ High School GDST pips the fee-paying boys’ school to fourth place. Three girls-only schools take the last three places in the top 10.
Re: The Sunday Times Best Secondary School in the Midlands
By the way my sons are neither trainspotters nor birdwatchers
But I know what they mean about 'geeky'. It is true that some, if not many, of the boys I know at CH may not have fitted in too well at a standard Birmingham comprehensive. I was just thinking the other day about the trouble my ds1 had throughout his (good) Primary schools because he was nerdy/swotty. At CH that hasn't been an issue as there are plenty of boys more 'swotty' than he is. In that sense, CH is not for everyone but is quite a haven for brighter boys, and as a parent I appreciate that.
But I know what they mean about 'geeky'. It is true that some, if not many, of the boys I know at CH may not have fitted in too well at a standard Birmingham comprehensive. I was just thinking the other day about the trouble my ds1 had throughout his (good) Primary schools because he was nerdy/swotty. At CH that hasn't been an issue as there are plenty of boys more 'swotty' than he is. In that sense, CH is not for everyone but is quite a haven for brighter boys, and as a parent I appreciate that.
Re: The Sunday Times Best Secondary School in the Midlands
Just received an email from our respected national newspaper, The Times, about my sub, with the legend: For full Term's and Conditions click here
God give me strength....
God give me strength....
Re: The Sunday Times Best Secondary School in the Midlands
I found a flying apostrophe in a DfES Literacy document once..um wrote:Just received an email from our respected national newspaper, The Times, about my sub, with the legend: For full Term's and Conditions click here
God give me strength....
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DIY Mum
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Re: The Sunday Times Best Secondary School in the Midlands
No, not another kechb v kes thread! The OP's concern and surprise was about the amount of tuition taken up by chb pupils. You do have to be careful with newspapers' statements. Yes, there will some dps pushing for tuition at all schools (hence my comment about tutor friend's more frequent pupils for IGSCE / GCSE).
Perhaps dps are more pushier now...? In my dd2' year, I've had a couple of dps talking of engaging tutors and their children haven't even started their respective grammar schools yet!
Anyhow, there is more information given by the ST when you click. Top 30 secondary schools in Midlands are listed below. Tbh, the list was as expected. KEHS and KECHB tend to dominate with their results, very little difference between CHG and KEVIHS; and BV and KEA (couldn't paste the other page) are further down the list.
THE TOP STATE AND INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS IN THE MIDLANDS
MIDLANDS
A-LEVEL GCSE
MIDLANDS RANKING, NATIONAL RANKING state schools in bold A*-B A*/A
1 40 King Edward VI High School for Girls, Birmingham 93.7 88.0
2 55= King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, Birmingham 91.6 85.3
3 57 Concord College, Shrewsbury 94.9 78.5
4 62= Nottingham Girls' High School GDST 91.0 84.6
5 79 Nottingham High School 91.1 76.4
6 89 King Edward's School, Birmingham 86.1 84.3
7 93= Loughborough High School 88.6 77.4
8 95 Wolverhampton Girls' High School 87.0 80.5
9 99 King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, Birmingham 85.9 80.8
10 102= Stratford-upon-Avon Grammar School for Girls 84.7 81.9
11 104 King Edward VI Handsworth School, Birmingham 85.4 80.1
12 105 Rugby School 87.2 75.9
13 107 Warwick School 86.1 77.8
14 112 Newport Girls' High School 84.2 80.2
15 124 King's High School, Warwick 85.6 73.1
16 125= Repton School, Derby 88.2 67.6
17 144 Leicester High School for Girls 86.8 66.5
18 147 Leicester Grammar School 85.1 69.3
19 149 Uppingham School 85.2 68.6
20 151 Solihull School 84.6 69.1
21 154= St Mary's School, Worcester 95.0 47.8
22 158 Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall 82.4 72.4
23 161 Bromsgrove School 86.6 63.5
24 164= Rugby High School 80.3 75.3
25 167= Loughborough Grammar School 82.8 69.3
26 183 Derby High School 84.9 62.1
27 184 Shrewsbury School 79.4 73.0
28 185 The King's School, Worcester 82.7 66.3
29 195= King Edward VI Five Ways School, Birmingham 82.6 64.9
30 207 Bishop Vesey's Grammar School, Sutton Coldfield, 80.6 66.9
The OP's concern and surprise was about the amount of tuition taken up by chb pupils. You do have to be careful with newspapers' statements. Yes, there will some dps pushing for tuition at all schools (hence my comment about tutor friend's more frequent pupils for IGSCE / GCSE). Perhaps dps are more pushier now...? In my dd2' year, I've had a couple of dps talking of engaging tutors and their children haven't even started their respective grammar schools yet!
Anyhow, there is more information given by the ST when you click. Top 30 secondary schools in Midlands are listed below. Tbh, the list was as expected. KEHS and KECHB tend to dominate with their results, very little difference between CHG and KEVIHS; and BV and KEA (couldn't paste the other page) are further down the list.
THE TOP STATE AND INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS IN THE MIDLANDS
MIDLANDS
A-LEVEL GCSE
MIDLANDS RANKING, NATIONAL RANKING state schools in bold A*-B A*/A
1 40 King Edward VI High School for Girls, Birmingham 93.7 88.0
2 55= King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, Birmingham 91.6 85.3
3 57 Concord College, Shrewsbury 94.9 78.5
4 62= Nottingham Girls' High School GDST 91.0 84.6
5 79 Nottingham High School 91.1 76.4
6 89 King Edward's School, Birmingham 86.1 84.3
7 93= Loughborough High School 88.6 77.4
8 95 Wolverhampton Girls' High School 87.0 80.5
9 99 King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, Birmingham 85.9 80.8
10 102= Stratford-upon-Avon Grammar School for Girls 84.7 81.9
11 104 King Edward VI Handsworth School, Birmingham 85.4 80.1
12 105 Rugby School 87.2 75.9
13 107 Warwick School 86.1 77.8
14 112 Newport Girls' High School 84.2 80.2
15 124 King's High School, Warwick 85.6 73.1
16 125= Repton School, Derby 88.2 67.6
17 144 Leicester High School for Girls 86.8 66.5
18 147 Leicester Grammar School 85.1 69.3
19 149 Uppingham School 85.2 68.6
20 151 Solihull School 84.6 69.1
21 154= St Mary's School, Worcester 95.0 47.8
22 158 Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall 82.4 72.4
23 161 Bromsgrove School 86.6 63.5
24 164= Rugby High School 80.3 75.3
25 167= Loughborough Grammar School 82.8 69.3
26 183 Derby High School 84.9 62.1
27 184 Shrewsbury School 79.4 73.0
28 185 The King's School, Worcester 82.7 66.3
29 195= King Edward VI Five Ways School, Birmingham 82.6 64.9
30 207 Bishop Vesey's Grammar School, Sutton Coldfield, 80.6 66.9
Re: The Sunday Times Best Secondary School in the Midlands
Thanks for the complete article, um 
I thoroughly enjoyed the Channel 4 programme Child Genius which was on in June, being amazed by the intelligence of some children (the memory test of the deck of 52 cards to be remembered in the right order was breathtaking!
). But this kind of programme certainly prompts some parents to look out for tuition, wishing that their children would also become genius.
Even Dr Rowan Williams, former archbishop of Canterbury, pointed out a few years ago that many children nowadays do not have time ‘to enjoy their childhood’. Sadly I can’t find back the article on the web.
nobody wants a debate CHB versus KES. I am sick of it that as soon we state an opinion, this is seen as lobbying!! We should be able to air our thoughts, fears, questions or our appreciation on this forum totally freely.
Both CHB and KES are excellent…and it might be extremely difficult for some to choose between them when one has the monies for the indie while also having a place for CHB.
Personally, after one year having my son studying at CHB and despite him having an excellent report, I am just scared, really scared… scared that he won’t make it, that he won’t succeed…
Is it because he is surrounded by too many bright sparks? KES might be a better school for him, with smaller classes, more pastoral care, teachers whose work might be more scrutinised, and a ‘spoon feeding approach’ that I do prefer at KS3 stage.
This is the reason why I think Guest 55 consider that the league tables are not so important though we can’t totally dismiss them.
Your friend should visit the two schools on open days (maybe more than once!
), asked targeted questions to the teachers, and ask from parents having their children there what they think, knowing that their comments does not necessarily apply to their own child.
Several articles in the press since a few months have been mentioning the rise of private tuition in UK… some even pointing out that even 3 years-old children are now tutored.DIY Mum wrote: Perhaps dps are more pushier now...? In my dd2' year, I've had a couple of dps talking of engaging tutors and their children haven't even started their respective grammar schools yet!
I thoroughly enjoyed the Channel 4 programme Child Genius which was on in June, being amazed by the intelligence of some children (the memory test of the deck of 52 cards to be remembered in the right order was breathtaking!
). But this kind of programme certainly prompts some parents to look out for tuition, wishing that their children would also become genius.Even Dr Rowan Williams, former archbishop of Canterbury, pointed out a few years ago that many children nowadays do not have time ‘to enjoy their childhood’. Sadly I can’t find back the article on the web.
Hi Moseleymum,moseleymum wrote:This wasn't supposed to turn into yet another KES v CHB thread
nobody wants a debate CHB versus KES. I am sick of it that as soon we state an opinion, this is seen as lobbying!! We should be able to air our thoughts, fears, questions or our appreciation on this forum totally freely.
Both CHB and KES are excellent…and it might be extremely difficult for some to choose between them when one has the monies for the indie while also having a place for CHB.
Personally, after one year having my son studying at CHB and despite him having an excellent report, I am just scared, really scared… scared that he won’t make it, that he won’t succeed…
Is it because he is surrounded by too many bright sparks? KES might be a better school for him, with smaller classes, more pastoral care, teachers whose work might be more scrutinised, and a ‘spoon feeding approach’ that I do prefer at KS3 stage.This is the reason why I think Guest 55 consider that the league tables are not so important though we can’t totally dismiss them.
Your friend should visit the two schools on open days (maybe more than once!
), asked targeted questions to the teachers, and ask from parents having their children there what they think, knowing that their comments does not necessarily apply to their own child.-
moseleymum
- Posts: 659
- Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2008 8:59 pm
Re: The Sunday Times Best Secondary School in the Midlands
Hi to you too, JE, *waves*JaneEyre wrote:
Hi Moseleymum,
nobody wants a debate CHB versus KES. I am sick of it that as soon we state an opinion, this is seen as lobbying!! We should be able to air our thoughts, fears, questions or our appreciation on this forum totally freely.
Both CHB and KES are excellent…and it might be extremely difficult for some to choose between them when one has the monies for the indie while also having a place for CHB.
Personally, after one year having my son studying at CHB and despite him having an excellent report, I am just scared, really scared… scared that he won’t make it, that he won’t succeed…
This is the reason why I think Guest 55 consider that the league tables are not so important though we can’t totally dismiss them.
Your friend should visit the two schools on open days (maybe more than once!
Yes it's up to the parents what would suit their DC. My friend was only concerned about potentially half the boys at CHB needing tuition after getting there but we've discussed it to death now.
Thanks to all.
Re: The Sunday Times Best Secondary School in the Midlands
um wrote:Just received an email from our respected national newspaper, The Times, about my sub, with the legend: For full Term's and Conditions click here
God give me strength....
I really needed a laugh today, thank you Um
