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Becky High

Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 3:28 pm
by fleximum
We will soon have to choose which school to put first for our DD. Our choices are Beaconsfield High School which for many years now has been a very popular choice and is highly regarded and, Burnham Grammar School. A few years ago the choice might have been obvious. But BGS really does seem to be rising and I am somewhat nervous about things I know or have heard about Becky High.

For example, that Becky High is having major problems recruiting a new head. A change of school leadership is a traumatic, possibly dangerous time at best and they seem to be having a torrid time of it including reports in the national press of how the first appointed head was scared off taking up her post by student comments on Facebook. A second recruitment process has reportedly also fallen flat. And on top of all of that there there is the issue of the new building development which has run out of money possibly requiring the selling off of land (which is apparantly why they haven't applied for Academy status) etc etc

TBH it all sounds like a big mess! Any thoughts? I am hoping to gather some informed opinions here.

Thanks

Re: Becky High

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:36 pm
by MrsChubbs
Hi Fleximum
I don't think that you have anything to worry about as far as Becky High is concerned. Just take a look at the latest results! The governors are obviously making sure that they recruit the right person and in the interim have the very competent Mr Johns in charge coupled with a very experienced executive head in Pete Rowe. As far as the new building work is concerned although it sounds like a mess I believe a lot of it has been blown up by a bit of witch hunt by the Bucks Free Press. The staff I know who work there still seem very happy.
Hope this helps.
:)

Re: Becky High

Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 11:01 am
by Rob Clark
At the risk of stating the bleeding obvious, there is one huge difference between Becky High and Burnham Grammar… I think whether your DD would prefer/thrive more in a single sex or a mixed environment is a far more key question.

Recent results would seem to indicate that the girls’ education isn’t suffering at Becky High despite the problems of hiring a new HT.