Marling and Stroud High Sixth forms

[Octsmum]

To be honest / fair, we did only visit the girl's grammar schools as we have a DD. It was my perception that there were few boys except at SHS/Marling. I will put STR on my list for when we get there then!

[Amber]

To be honest / fair, we did only visit the girl's grammar schools as we have a DD. It was my perception that there were few boys except at SHS/Marling. I will put STR on my list for when we get there then!

A very good plan.

[stroudydad]

I thought it was a consultation - so parents & pupils need to feedback their views & make them heard...

I do think it's a shame - the truly co-ed nature was very appealing to us - rather than other Glos grammar schools (except Pates) where there are just a few pupils of the opposite sex.

I'm not an expert in the progress 8 measures - but I think when I looked the 6th form results didn't seem to have the same progress as from yr 7 - 11 so I wonder if that has something to do with it....

They will get lots of feedback from us

[Epicurious]

Can't see what the logic is behind the move myself. The daughter's already decided she's off to Marling as are all her friends. Let's be honest,the lads are too lazy to change and the girls will just make the short hop over to Marling. After all who wants to attend a single-sex 6th form these days? Maybe they should rename Stroud High as St Trinian's...

Either way it looks as though Downfield will just become Marling 6th form.

[stroudydad]

I do think it's a shame - the truly co-ed nature was very appealing to us - rather than other Glos grammar schools (except Pates) where there are just a few pupils of the opposite sex.

Just asked my son, he's in lower 6th at Tommies. He reckons it's 45% girls 55% boys. Although that might be a perception thing...

I think that is about right; Tommies has a huge influx of girls in Y12 who are largely responsible for doubling the size of the year group. Conversely, however, I think there are very few boys relative to girls in the girls' grammar schools at sixth form.

I was at tommies when both Tommies and gaff decided to take boys/girls. I think we had 9 girls come in the first year, and certainly only one boy joined HSFG (he actually went from Tommies -mainly because he lived almost next door)

[Kismet]

I know this thread isn't about Tommies 6th form but as a mum of a year 9 at Tommies it's a scary prospect in two years time as there will be so much competition from all the other grammars just to get back into his own school. Argh.....I mustn't pass on my anxieties to him. 5 grade As or whatever the equivalent is now! It's like doing the 11+ again. I thought I could step back when they got to secondary but emotionally they need my support just as much, if not more, imho. Still trying to tell DS it really doesn't matter. What's the worst that happens.....you fail.....you still survive. Ho hum

[ToadMum]

I know this thread isn't about Tommies 6th form but as a mum of a year 9 at Tommies it's a scary prospect in two years time as there will be so much competition from all the other grammars just to get back into his own school. Argh.....I mustn't pass on my anxieties to him. 5 grade As or whatever the equivalent is now! It's like doing the 11+ again. I thought I could step back when they got to secondary but emotionally they need my support just as much, if not more, imho. Still trying to tell DS it really doesn't matter. What's the worst that happens.....you fail.....you still survive. Ho hum

Although schools are not permitted to have different admissions criteria for internal and external applicants to their sixth forms, they are permitted to offer places first to all internal candidates who meet the threshold criteria (overall - e.g. 'at least five GCSEs at grades 5 - 9' and specific e.g., 'with a 7 in any subject they wish to study at A level'). So unless the school has chosen not to prioritise internal candidates, the vast majority who want to stay on at their own grammar school are usually able to do so.

(I can only think of one state secondary school - much discussed on this site, not in your area - which does not have a second formal point of entry at year 12, but even there it does not mean that entering at year 7 means your place is guaranteed through to year 13, just that those who leave / are not permitted to stay on after year 11 are not replaced by new entrants).

[FluffyCat]

I know this thread isn't about Tommies 6th form but as a mum of a year 9 at Tommies it's a scary prospect in two years time as there will be so much competition from all the other grammars just to get back into his own school. Argh.....I mustn't pass on my anxieties to him. 5 grade As or whatever the equivalent is now! It's like doing the 11+ again. I thought I could step back when they got to secondary but emotionally they need my support just as much, if not more, imho. Still trying to tell DS it really doesn't matter. What's the worst that happens.....you fail.....you still survive. Ho hum

It isn't a competition. When I went to sixth form open evening at Tommies last year they said that anyone who applied and achieved 5 A's would be given a place. A quick look at the exam results for last year suggest that 97 boys qualified for sixth form. These boys started the school in 2012 when the PAN was (I believe) 108. You may need to worry if you believe that your son is in the bottom 10% of his year, but he has already made it to Tommies - if they didn't expect most of the boys to achieve the 5 A's (now 5 x 7's) then they would have set the bar lower.

All schools aim to keep their students for sixth form. They set their entry requirements accordingly.

[FluffyCat]

We are very sad about this.. the letters from both schools are almost identical but with a a subtle difference in the paragraph on implementation, I would post pictures of both if I could but don't think it's possible here. As has already been stated various reasons have been given, but in essence we also think it's about money and results. Interestingly Both my DC seemed to think that 5 subjects would be affected from this coming September.
(Think they mentioned sociology, physchology, biology, and a couple of others)

It is a big shame, and we have many reservations

Us too, particularly since my daughter is in the first year it will affect. We've never had particularly good experiences of being the first year to try something

[steppemum]

I have a ds at Marling and a dd at SHS. We really liked the nature of the co-ed sixth form and felt it was really healthy.

I am so sad they are doing this, and pretty fed up to be honest. Ds is in year 10, so his year will be the first.
And I think the poster who said that loads of girls will want to hop over to Marling, and very few boys to SHS is right, and that doesn't look great for either.