Denmark Road Appeals

[capers123]

I get the impression that every year there is a long waiting list of girls wanting Stroud High, all of whom have reached the pass mark. How do Denmark Road and Ribston Hall end up with spare places? Is it just a location thing, and girls from Stroud are not prepared to travel to Glos? Do some families from Stroud not even look at the Glos. Grammar Schools, assuming their child will get Stroud High,

That is indeed what we did. We ticked the two Gloucester grammars on the common application form, mainly out of curiosity, but didn't look round them. We wanted our DD1 to go to a school she could walk to, and to have friends who live nearby. SHS is our closest school, and Archway only 5 mins further walking. Having looked at Archway, and felt the good vibes & buzz as we looked around, we decided that the benefit from going to a grammar in Gloucester was outweighed by the time travelling. Archway also has a good music department, many of the buildings are new and pleasant, and they mostly cope well with bright children. DD1 would have been well suited to it had she not gone to SHS.

Now DD2, taking the 11+ in the autumn, may be less suited to Archway should she not get into SHS, so we will look at the Gloucester Grammars as well as some of the other Stroud area comps.

and then when they don't it's too late? I confess we nearly didn't look at Denmark Road because of the distance, but having seen it DD has put it top of her list.

You don't have to have ticked the school, or put it on the selection form, to appeal. It's often interesting that childrens ideas of which school is best differs from the parents!

It can't be because fewer children sitting the exams at the Glos. schools reach the pass mark - and in fact because Gloucester is so much bigger I would imagine there would be more girls sitting the exam and reaching the pass mark. Or is it because girls taking the exam in Stroud are ticking the boxes for all the Grammar schools but girls sitting it in Glos are only ticking for the Glos grammars, so all the places are 'taken' by Stroud girls who mostly only want Stroud High?

It's a two way traffic with children from Gloucester going to the Stroud grammars and vice-versa. For instance, putting Ribston as third or fourth choice is (in the last few years) a good safety net should you not mind travelling, as they have taken all who pass, and still had places spare (which only the appeals panel can allocate).

As for requiring enlightenment, I'd strongly recommend a trip to Stroud for that - there are so many practitioners and courses offering some kind of enlightenment. Though I suspect the major result is the enlightenment of your wallet.

Now repeat after me: "om mani padme hum".

Thanks. That'll be £20 please. Cheques payable to C Ash.

[Tolstoy]

This one always intrigues me from a different angle. Last year Pates was boy heavy and yet the DR entry scores went lower than the STR entry scores. I don't know what the ratio of boys to girls is at Pates this year but it is frustrating that once again Tommy's has been unable to allocate places to all the boys that passed whilst Denmark has spares. Even with the increased PAN that will be in place next year this problem could still exist. Does anyone know what the is ratio of boys v girls that sit the 11+ test?

[Amber]

In a moment of mischief last year, brought on no doubt by pre-exam stress, I did wonder what would happen if one applied for one's son to go to DR or Ribston, on much the basis that you state here, Tolstoy. It does seem so much harder for a boy to get a place at Tommy's than a girl to get one at DR. Or is that just perception?

[Tolstoy]

Well perception or not ....... have discussed the issue of DS3 & DS4 starting to wear skirts with DH tonight.

[Amber]

Did someone edit my post? I am sure I put 'my son' not 'one's son', given that I am not a member of the Royal Family.

Cool idea re the skirts though. I mean, could anyone really stop you (from entering a boy)? Scouts and Cubs are mixed now (as I was reminded on Friday when my 11 year old swam in a swimming gala against a strapping lass of apparently the same age): it would be interesting to run a test case. When my youngest was a baby, everyone thought he was a girl (though I did stop short of dresses) so maybe if we can wait a few years I could try it out. Or one could try it out, I should say.

[pixiequeen]

Cool idea re the skirts though. I mean, could anyone really stop you (from entering a boy)? Scouts and Cubs are mixed now

but Rainbows and Brownies are not! How unfair is that?!

[Tolstoy]

When my youngest was a baby, everyone thought he was a girl (

Both middles have been mistook for females. DS3 is very beautiful with his long curls so probably wouldn't need the skirt to get away with it. Will send him in his ballet kit .

We live in a peer pressure world so very much doubt any boy would opt for Rainbows or Brownies We have a long way to go as far as equality for boys goes .

[cairo]

I know that in the press, boys are always reported as underachieving vis-a-vis girls, but that's certainly not been my experience of the classes my children have been in at their state primary. There, the boys come across as brighter, generally.

We personally know 7 boys, but only 2 girls who will be starting at Pates in September, so I expect Pates will be boy-heavy again this year. Perhaps girls have a late flourish once they're at secondary school? I know that they typically get higher GCSE and A-level results - perhaps they are more mature & conscientious by that stage, so just buckle down more?

As far as grammar schools go, my (very unscientific) assessment is that every single one of the girls we know who took the test and who seem bright to me, got a place at one of the GSs. Not every boy in a similar category did - we know several who, surprisingly, failed.

(Cue the outraged indignation from the parents of girls!!!!)

[Amber]

As far as grammar schools go, my (very unscientific) assessment is that every single one of the girls we know who took the test and who seem bright to me, got a place at one of the GSs. Not every boy in a similar category did - we know several who, surprisingly, failed.

Ditto. Though not one of the girls who we know who passed is actually going to take up the place. And yes, without sounding all fond-parent-of-bright-boy, the girls who passed were not considered as able as some of the boys who didn't make it. In fairness though, I think the girls had received more coaching than some of the boys.

There is a feeling that girls do better in GCSEs because of the high course work element - they tend to produce beautifully presented course work; and often to be more diligent in research too. Boys have traditionally tended to do very well in 'one-off' exams like 'O' levels. One of the reasons for the dropping of the coursework element in new GCSEs is to try and help redress the balance - the other being, of course, the tendency to get parents/internet sites to do the work instead of the student.

[Perplexed 2009]

What would Ben Goldacre make of all this?