Crypt or Ribston....Help!

[Rachm82]

We have accepted a place at Ribston, starting in September. Our favourite school was Crypt but unfortunately my dd did not qualify. After hearing of the issues going on with the Crypt places at the moment, we did consider appealing, although we were quite happy with Ribston and tbh I didn't want to go through all the hassle that's involved with appealing. Anyway, after a conversation with a parent of a daughter at Ribston, I am now in two minds! He is going to be taking his daughter out of Ribston as he says it is too relaxed, they don't push them enough and most of the teachers are off sick!! I am now really worried that I am not making the right choice. Could anyone offer any advice or provide an opinion on this? Many thanks x

[Watermelon8]

Firstly, a bright child appealing for Crypt is pretty likely to be successful I would’ve thought for September!
I have a ds at Crypt & another starting in September. It is a fantastic school, I cannot praise it enough. We live much closer to Tommies but love the feel of Crypt. Ds had a real lull in y6 but since starting Crypt, he loves school again & is so inspired to do his best. It’s strong for sport, music, drama & there’s a real focus on the whole child rather than simply academics (altho they are expected to behave respectfully, work hard & do well academically!)
Heard mixed reports of Ribston but no personal experience of it.

[Rachm82]

Thank you Watermelon8 for your reply. We did get a really lovely feel about Crypt when we looked round. My dd is very much into art and drama but not sport so much.

[Watermelon8]

2nd ds is more music/drama oriented so we knew Crypt would be a good fit for him as altho sport is strong it’s not the be all & end all. This year they did School Of rock (it was brilliant!), they are currently auditioning for Billy Elliot they also do more classical concerts for their wide variety of singing & instrumental groups.. So nice to see strong arts subjects in what was a boys school

[mcfly]

Hi

I have a DD at Ribston in Y8. As far as we are concerned its a very good school and she has really thrived since joining. I havent seen or heard of issues about lots of teachers being off sick - all schools have some issues and I dont see Ribston being different to any other. If I had the same choice to make I would have no hesitation to send my DD to Ribston.

To be fully transparent my son is currently in Y6 and has won a place at Marling and only just missed out at Crypt but as we live very close to Crypt we are also appealing - there will be a lot of competition for any spare places this year for sure.

McFly

[Eromdap]

I have dd who is part way through year 7 and is loving it. She has had one change in teacher since she started, but that’s it. She has enjoyed the slightly smaller feel of the school and has got to know not only girls in her own class, but also many from the three other forms in her year as well as the year above. It appears to be a very friendly school and she settled in very quickly.

We chose Ribston over HSFG as we felt that it was a much better fit for her. I am very aware of the affect a very driven environment can have on young minds and their mental health and, whilst I want my dd to achieve well it will not be at the expense of her mental well-being. I felt that Ribston were much more aware of that than HSFG.

This year we chose Tommies over Crypt, again, because I felt it would be a better fit for my ds, but for different reasons.

We will decide again in a couple of years’ time after ds2 has completed his 11+.

All I’m saying is that the school should be the best fit for the child - they do have to spend at least the next 5 years there.

[Rachm82]

Thank you all for your reassurance. I do think Ribston is better suited to my dd. I think I just went into a panic after speaking to this person today! I have now come to realise that it's is just one persons opinion and I need to form my own judgement. Thanks again!

[Watermelon8]

I think it’s easy to get sucked into the predujices that surround the gs. Everyone has their own opinion so where 1 person loves 1 sch another disagrees (we specifically chose hsfg over Ribston & Pates as loved the caring feel whereas another commenter here preferred Ribston for the same reason lol). I’ve said many times on here that they are all good schs & if you are lucky enough to have choice then you simply choose which one feeels right fit your dc. Good luck with your decision.

[DC17C]

I guess it depends what is important to you. My dd had a great time at Ribston and left witn great results. We liked the slightly calmer style of Ribston. It won’t suit everyone but not every child needs a lot of pressure on them to do well and it may be counterproductive for many...

[Glosmum3]

I echo the comments here. We are lucky to have such a wide choice of grammar schools in this area, and they are all very good. We had a similar dilemma with Crypt, my daughter is going to SHS but Crypt is much closer. In the end we stuck with SHS as this was a better fit for her. Ultimately Crypt will be the best choice for other girls, or Ribston or HSFG. What does your daughter think?