Buckinghamshire grammars- speciality

[MimiTa]

Can anyone explain the specialty of of Aylesbury High, Royal Latin and Henry Floyd grammar schools? They are not all the same,contrary to the general belief, yet I cannot find anything on it on their websites. They prepare you for different universities based on the specialist subjects they teach in details and the nature of their subjects,in later years,I presume.

[Guest55]

Specialisms don't exist any more that's why you can't find them!!

The funding went years ago and, actually bore absolulely no link to the quality of teaching in those subjects!

If you really want to know what they were then do PM me - but actually it's not very useful information.

[scary mum]

I do find it strange that schools still advertise that they are specialists in subjects (Burnham Grammar does).

[kenyancowgirl]

Scary...do they "actually" advertise or have they just not changed the signs/headed paper? A subtle difference, admittedly, but a difference nonetheless! Our local school still has "sports specialist" on it...it isn't but they just haven't changed the sign...they do still have the new (then) astro pitch they built with the additional funding they got way back wehn though!

[drummer]

They all teach the same national curriculum and will likely teach a near identical range subjects at GCSE and A'Level. There may be small differences in say the languages they teach (eg German and Latin are not taught in all GS). There are no specialisms in the way you describe and they certainly don't prepare students for different (or particular) universities.

One school might at times get better results than another in a particular subject but that is likely due to the talents of a particular teacher who might move on at any time. In the meantime the other schools will work to catch up.

Where specialisms have existed they have in practice meant very little to the pupils in the schools and their outcomes but were at more about collaboration with partner schools and certainly about school marketing.

[Guest55]

Where specialisms have existed they have in practice meant very little to the pupils in the schools and their outcomes but were at more about collaboration with partner schools and certainly about school marketing.

I have to slightly disagree with that. One Bucks GS had leadership specialism and that still permeates through to students leading many activities and this aspect was actually mentioned in the Ofsted report. However, that is probably down to the ethos of the school rather than any funding it got.

[kittymum]

Where specialisms have existed they have in practice meant very little to the pupils in the schools and their outcomes but were at more about collaboration with partner schools and certainly about school marketing.

I have to slightly disagree with that. One Bucks GS had leadership specialism and that still permeates through to students leading many activities and this aspect was actually mentioned in the Ofsted report. However, that is probably down to the ethos of the school rather than any funding it got.

I think they all do that don't they? Certainly at SWBGS it's the norm.

Re specialisms obv they don't exist anymore but Dance / Drama are outstanding at SWBGS and certainly figur far higher on he ks3 curriculum then in other schools.

[Guest55]

kittymum - I can name at least one other Bucks GS that also has outstanding dance/drama - in fact they are Southern Area Premier Rockschool champions.

I agree many schools have students running clubs but the student leadership goes far beyond that.

[drummer]

Where specialisms have existed they have in practice meant very little to the pupils in the schools and their outcomes but were at more about collaboration with partner schools and certainly about school marketing.

I have to slightly disagree with that. One Bucks GS had leadership specialism and that still permeates through to students leading many activities and this aspect was actually mentioned in the Ofsted report. However, that is probably down to the ethos of the school rather than any funding it got.

Yes, I was thinking more in terms of academic outcomes for pupils in the light of the original poster's assertions. Different schools will have different strengths of course.

I remember when much more was being made of 'Specialisims' and on visiting schools I would ask them about it and much more often than not the differences were very superficial and it was several times explained that the named specialism didn't so much mean anything to the school's pupils but was about the school acting as a training hub for other schools or trying to attract funding (eg technology specialism). I do remember for example, Becky High being a specialist language school which didn't stop it dropping German. I certainly learned to ignore the claimed specialism as part of a decision making criteria as to which school to pick for my child.

[Guest55]

Very true drummer - I think it was just a way of getting additional funding in many cases ....