Tommies v. Pates

[Chelt_Dad]

bombdabah - our DS1 is now coming up to his first half term at STRS and absolutely loves the school. He comes home before my wife and I get home with DS2 and he has his homework done or is finishing it which amazes the pair of us. He he really enjoys the lessons, German especially, and the banter of an all boys school. He has made the 1st XV at rugby and if anything has drifted away from the boys he knew at his old school which went to STRS with him, still pays rugby with them, and has made a bunch of new friends in class and on the bus.

The teachers are very sharp on what the boys are doing and he was picked up on his spelling not being his strongest suite, he admits this freely as he is too quick to spell, and they them have put him along with a bunch of other boys in a spelling focus group for this term to help them and to get their confidence up and he has done so well he will not be dong this after half term.

We had a great informal parents evening where we met other parents and chatted with all of the teachers we wanted which helped greatly as there are so many boys from different primaries feeding into STRS.

To be honest if someone gave me a free grammar pass for DS2 we would take it now for STRS!

Does that help?

[Tolstoy]

bombadah, the problem is that people can be pretty defensive about their schools and it is very rare that they will say anything negative especially as it is an open forum. Possibly Pates because it is only the top scores that get a place there has to be defended more than most. I also think that people can't help getting a little competitive once they start down this route. Okay I know very few children who do this test but a fair few have got a Pates score and none of them have chosen it. Why? Because the Gloucester Grammars, with their lower pass rates, are closer pure and simple.

We have DSs at STRS and I will be honest and say the school is very good but not perfect. What school is? Many of the teachers are excellent one or two perhaps not as good as I'd like, the same as any school I should imagine. One of the problems with choosing a school for a 10 year old is that they can often be a very different child to a 13 year old. I think in your shoes my decision would be the same as yours purely because the buses are often where the problems arise and this can have a knock on effect at school. Also having friends in walking distance is important, teenage children need that sort of support or are liable to turn into bedroom hermits. That is my experience anyway if someone can dissabuse me of it please do

[Amber]

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[Amber]

Completely agree with Tolstoy there. Because the scores needed for Pates are so high and most DC don't get them, any negative comments by 'unsuccessful' people are likely to be seen as sour grapes; and indeed there may be quite a bit of that. It is much easier to criticise a school no-one wants to go to but everyone could, than one many aspire to but only few succeed in getting into.

I think that any child whose parents have got as far as this forum is likely to do very well indeed at school, whichever school it is. The choice between one GS and another in our county is likely to lead to academic success whichever route one chooses, and probably a very happy and enriching school career too. A lot of it comes down to logistics, including balancing the needs of other family members (especially Mum and/or Dad - often overlooked); as well as that all-important feel you get for whether you actually like the atmosphere of a school or not.

[stroudydad]

Strs is an excellent school, but as has just been said no school is perfect.. Being and richian myself (and indeed seeing Mr Kellie arrive as a deputy head and Chem teacher.) the school did some things excellently. The sense of belonging to something was instilled from the very start, the history of the school.. Of course academically then it was second to none.. The only thing it really lacked for me was the lack of girls in the lower school. (thought that obviously is good for some boys).
Thing will have obviously changed since my time but when I visited I can honestly say I didn't remember a single bad thing. And I did remember very many good things!! (including the looks on said deputy's face when we threw a boy in the moat after our last A level). Our son will be going to Marling though, because it works for our WHOLE family.. He will have the female interaction with SHS, and he won't have to spend two hours per day travelling.
It would be unfair of me to comment on Pates as we never even visited.

Please excuse spelling and grammar.. Iphone

[bombdabah]

Thank you guys
That was very helpful feedback indeed

I shouldve pointed out that I dont live in the Glos county, but my DS does with DxW (have i invented a new acronym here for ex wife). So this level of feedback is absolute golddust to me.

[cairo]

I shouldve pointed out that I dont live in the Glos county, but my DS does with DxW (have i invented a new acronym here for ex wife).

Am very impressed that you refer to your ex-wife as DxW!! Sorry, but I'd have to refer to mine as VXH (vile ex-husband)

Have been on a tour of Tommies today with DS2 and the atmosphere, on a normal school day, was just wonderful. A sense of calm and order, but the boys looking like they were enjoying themselves and engaged in the lessons. On the way back I asked DS2 to score how much he felt the school would suit him. He gave his current primary school 0% and Tommies 100%. I think Pates will have to do a lot on Thursday to top that.

[Milla]

Yup, Cairo, the atmosphere is what I've always liked - even if I've had to run the gauntlet of an upstairs corridor at lesson change I've never felt intimidated or anything, no pushing or shoving. Vastly reassuring!
Thanks to those who've asked for my Wise Thoughts (ahem) on the 2 schools, both on here and on PM/DM whatever it is. Just getting a friend to check it! Then will do mad copy and paste job. V much a ramble as started it as a forum thread and then had cold feet about appearing too specific. Not that it's contentious, but.
(basically they're both great schools with pros and cons, one shiny one shabby, one girls one not, etc)

Interestingly, we had the German exchange last week at Tommy's (GREAT success if anyone anxious about the idea when the time comes, y10 - I was, all that cleaning, pretending to be nice, etc, but it was FANTASTIC) and the German teachers said that the Glos girls and boys seemed more immature than the German ones (German school a mixed one and the age range appeared much wider than ours but basically around 15) because of the single gender thing. This was exemplified in the boys at least by pratting about at the barn dance, but they are so controlled and well-behaved so much of the time, of course they're going to prat around when get together; and they will grow up. Won't they? Don't know how it showed in the girls as no floor slides detected.

[Glos_Mum]

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[Bridget]

I have a DS at Tommies. It took him a while to settle in but is happy now. At one of the parents evenings, I got chatting to a female teacher about what she felt the benefit of an all boys education are compared to mixed. Her comment was that an all boys environment allows the boys to stay younger for longer, to mature at their own pace. I would have preferred a mixed grammar for DS but that wasn't to be and the overwhelming conclusion that I have come to is that STRS really knows what makes boys tick. if you are unsure, go and look around the schools in the daytime, STRS in particular feels very different on a working day compared to the overcrowded open evenings. And talk to as many of the boys as possible, they are the best ambassadors for the school.