MathsMonster wrote:
Thank you so much for such detailed replies

crazycrofter- yes I thought the same- you can hear good and bad about any school if you look for it

so true! I hear mixed reviews from parents of current pupils, but you're right - that could be the case anywhere. I hope your DD has settled well at her school. Can I ask what is KEHS like? KEHS and SCGS are our favourite choices (if she passes!) KEHS would be number 1 if it were closer or if she managed to get a scholarship, but the journey puts me off, as SCGS is right on the door step. So we are really 50/50 if she passes for both (maybe it will be decided for us!). I know there is a bus that goes from the Scott Arms but I believe it is a public bus but not sure exactly how public it is. I also noticed the ISI report suggests parents are very satisfied with KEHS, but its from a few years ago, and I think the Head and Deputy has changed since- plus I know the reports aren't always that accurate anyway!
booellesmum - that is so useful- thank you for such a lot of detail. Sounds like they both have had a great experience of school- that is great! Can I ask is it heavily weighted on science/maths or is there plenty of drama/art etc?
Thank you again for the replies - so helpful to hear from someone who is there

Like Boellesmum, we’ve been really happy with KEHS. The extra curricular is very varied and heavily pushed. Dd has tried loads of different things over the last three years. She’s very happy there and doesn’t seem to feel under pressure! They’re not set for any subjects and everything is open to everyone. This is different from some of the grammars. Anyone can take Additional Maths at GCSE for example.
There’s a bit more flexibility at GCSE level than at state schools- dd will be dropping a Science to take an extra humanity as that’s really her thing. There’s also 6 languages on offer including Latin and Greek. Dd is not a linguist but she’s really enjoyed the Roman culture aspect of Latin and she’s hoping to pick up Classical Civilisation again at A Level. For years 10 and 11 they take 10 GCSEs and then choose an enrichment option for Wednesday afternoon from things like food tech, computer coding, engineering etc.
As for transport, it depends where you live. If you’re near the cross city line, loads of girls go north on the train towards Sutton. There’s a big group in my dd’s year. The bus to Scott Arms finishes at Walsall, where we used to live and dd took that for the first term of year 7. It’s theoretically a public bus but in reality it’s just KEHS girls and KES boys. Dd loved the bus journeys!
Hope that helps! We felt very lucky to have the choice and I’m sure dd would have loved SCGS too!