HGS

[helen0209]

Not a fan of him having to walk down Soho Rd but the posts from you and Helen have really helped put my mind at ease!

Glad to hear that
Not wanting to put you off, but DS1 has had one incident in 2 years - he and two friends were 'hassled' by some older youths on the way to the bus. It was reported to the school and the following evening the Head of Year 7 walked to the bus with them to ensure they were ok. They were, and there has been nothing since - other than a few dodgy drivers who think the pavement is the road ! To me, this was more about a caring school who went out of their way to ensure the wellbeing of their pupils rather than me having to be concerned about a one off incident.

Unfortunately things can happen anywhere - the boy who was stabbed at the bus-stop in Sutton, another who was mugged at knife point on a bus from Sutton - Walsall. Sutton is perceived as a 'nicer' area than Handsworth, but still has bad characters around. It's ensuring your DC is aware of their surroundings and not drawing attention to themselves to limit something happening and knowing what to do should anything occur.

[Faisal2110]

I guess this is my main issue with it all. Yes problems can happen anywhere and it is a sad truth of the times we live in but paying a premium for the green bus is supposed to take that away to a greater extent and I don't think it is for the HGS boys route! If DS2 went public, he actually only has to walk two minutes as opposed to the ten but I think for Yr7 the green bus is ideal as we can also make contacts with children who get on with him as we will then know they are local and maybe we can organise a car share at a later time. Even with DS1, I never thought to continue with the green bus unless it was necessary. He is Yr7 at the moment and I may cancel next year.

[Ricky74]

Lategate, think I'll email the Green Bus co. anyway... I wonder where it pulled in before? Did it start at the boys then go to the girl's I wonder.

Helen, that was really heartening to hear the HoY walking. I find HGS to be a very caring school.
Dr Bansal in particular has been very thoughtful. We had one 'incident' during the first week that was handled extremely well.
He was also very kind to my son another time.

[Penguin Mom]

I agree - we have also found HGS to be a caring and supportive environment.

Our DS, currently in Yr8 has a medical condition which means he sometimes needs extra support and a number of staff members, Mr Bansal included, have certainly gone the extra mile to make his life at school easier.

He travels to/from school independently on the Metro (in the Wolverhampton direction) and has done so since Day 3 of Yr 7. This independence has increased his confidence considerably and happy to report he has had no issues - apart from the odd tram breakdown when he switches to Plan B - which is a walk back up Boulton Rd to catch the 74 towards Dudley. Fortunately this is not a frequent occurrence.

There were very few HGS boys on the Metro last year so its been nice to see a few more travelling on it since September.

[Faisal2110]

Sorry everyone but I thought I would up date you all. I have been frantically looking at travel options from Kings Heath to HGS and have finally found something that suits!

DS1 is at KEFW and DS2 should start HGS next sep. I have found that for the outward journey, both boys can get on the 11c together. DS1 would get off about 25 minutes later and get the X22 to KEFW resulting in 2 minutes of walking. DS2 would stay on the 11c until it gets to HGS. This results in a six minute walk as opposed to the 13 minute walk using the Green bus!

The way back is different. HGS finish at 15.05 and KEFW at 15:35. DS1 would came back the way he came but DS2 would go into the city centre and back out (as stated, for some reason the 11c just takes way too long on the return journey from HGS) but his bust stops are all very close so hardly any walking.

All in all, both children have about an hour of commuting from door to door with hardly any walking and they also get to leave together in the mornings! Win win? (I haven't even mentioned the financial saving - about £1500 for two boys on Green bus compared to around £600 with WM Travel with the added bonus of flexibility to leave later / earlier etc

[crazycrofter]

That sounds perfect! Have you been using centro journey planner? I got quite addicted to that last year! It can take a while to find the perfect combination. Sometimes you have to break the journey down and do the two parts separately (if it involves town) to get the best result.

The good thing about HGS finishing early is that they can get back at a reasonable time even with a long journey. Really pleased you’ve found a solution!

[Faisal2110]

Hahha yes, I spent hours on it and triple checked the routes! So glad it seems to all be working out. In other news, I used to KEFW open evening yesterday to see what my eldest does, meet his friends, see his classrooms etc. I'm so in love with that place. I would have loved both to get there - I can't even appeal due to the sibling factor? From what I hear there's no point.

[crazycrofter]

Hahha yes, I spent hours on it and triple checked the routes! So glad it seems to all be working out. In other news, I used to KEFW open evening yesterday to see what my eldest does, meet his friends, see his classrooms etc. I'm so in love with that place. I would have loved both to get there - I can't even appeal due to the sibling factor? From what I hear there's no point.

That’s a shame I hope ds 2 will be happy at HGS though. What is it about FW that you and your son like so much? I remember we were impressed by the open day too.

[Faisal2110]

Well it's a pretty modern school so obviously the facilities etc catch your eye first. It's very modern and contemporary but also absolutely massive. They also have lots of space for future expansion. What my whole family loved is the nurturing environment. From the headteacher to the cleaner it was just one big family. Everyone is in it together and my son has confirmed it's not just for the open evening. The headteacher is always available and is very friendly with the kids - a sixth former boy came dressed as her for non uniform day! Just a brilliant atmosphere and vibe, great location, great facilities, superb teachers and a brilliant headteacher. God I'm in love with it hahahaha. Just felt it ticked every single box. The kids were also SO confident and happy to joke around etc whereas all the other schools I got the feeling the kids were a bit reluctant to let loose and say what they really wanted to. Apologies in advance for bad grammar or spelling mistakes - I'm typing this on my phone!