Class Sizes

[boris]

Yes it is infuriating to be told that Ribston is inferior to the other grammar schools. I assume those people who believe this are only referring to academic achievement. Our dd is truly happy there and announced recently that she wouldnt leave there under any circumstances! We chose it over HSFG for which she would have been offered a place. Several of her primary school friends went to HSFG and hated it enough to leave. A couple of girls in her form have left Ribston due to relocation and have been replaced by girls transferring from HSFG. That says a lot in my opinion - and it is only that! I am sure many girls are quite happy there. For us we prefer the ethos of Ribstop - and this is a quote from the now ex-head -"all the girls here are bright and as long as they feel secure and happy they will achieve. There is no need to pressure them". I only hope the new head will share this view.

[DC17C]

Yes it is infuriating to be told that Ribston is inferior to the other grammar schools. I assume those people who believe this are only referring to academic achievement. Our dd is truly happy there and announced recently that she wouldnt leave there under any circumstances! We chose it over HSFG for which she would have been offered a place. Several of her primary school friends went to HSFG and hated it enough to leave. A couple of girls in her form have left Ribston due to relocation and have been replaced by girls transferring from HSFG. That says a lot in my opinion - and it is only that! I am sure many girls are quite happy there. For us we prefer the ethos of Ribstop - and this is a quote from the now ex-head -"all the girls here are bright and as long as they feel secure and happy they will achieve. There is no need to pressure them". I only hope the new head will share this view.

Another happy parent with children at Ribston and Crypt ...I have been so impressed with many aspects of both schools. I suspect the biggest issues both schools have is their location.....they are the least accessible from Cheltenham, the Cotswolds the train station etc

[Watermelon8]

Yes it is infuriating to be told that Ribston is inferior to the other grammar schools. I assume those people who believe this are only referring to academic achievement. Our dd is truly happy there and announced recently that she wouldnt leave there under any circumstances! We chose it over HSFG for which she would have been offered a place. Several of her primary school friends went to HSFG and hated it enough to leave. A couple of girls in her form have left Ribston due to relocation and have been replaced by girls transferring from HSFG. That says a lot in my opinion - and it is only that! I am sure many girls are quite happy there. For us we prefer the ethos of Ribstop - and this is a quote from the now ex-head -"all the girls here are bright and as long as they feel secure and happy they will achieve. There is no need to pressure them". I only hope the new head will share this view.

I have a dd who is thriving & very happy at hsfg but my point is that the grammars are all very different schools. Pates gets the best results but then it would as it takes the highest passers...but it wasn’t for us. Take a high flying Pates child & put them in a different gs, no doubt they’d end up with similar results. Crypt is great for nurturing the whole child & is less stressy than some others but that’s my opinion & I appreciate others prefer Tommies - that’s fine, would be boring if we all thought the same but there is no need for negativity! We love both hsfg & Crypt & they are perfect for our dc, even tho we still have to justify not picking the so say ‘superior’ schs - sigh. Imo the feel you get when you visit a school is far more important than league tables. & whichever school you get that nice, welcoming feeling at then it’s probably the one for you. For us hsfg & Crypt were the ones we loved straight from the off....but that’s looking at what’s right for my dc. I’m not right & someone else wrong but it’s what’s right for my dc & that’s all that matters for me. Should always go with your gut feeling

[stroudydad]

So...
I don't think I ever said that the students there weren't happy, it that is is inferior.. but I maintain that the perception is that it is the least desirable of the girls schools.. it's not a perception I instigated but it is certainly one...
You will also note that I said it traditionally WAS undersubscribed... and I believe (though I'm not so sure) that Crypt also went through a period similar to this.
I would never say that any school I have no personal experience of is bad... though I do believe the Crypt situation this year has been bad for many many reasons and affected many children and their families unfairly.
Personally I believe if you look at the stats regarding both results of test, but more interestingly preferences as published by the Council, (and linked to in an earlier post) it is clear that both Ribston and Crypt receive more preferences than those considered to be more desirable and regularly give places to the lower ranked students.. therefore it is a fact, albeit not particularly nice, that they are less selective, and seen as less desirable. That is irrefutable..
However, I fully agree that this is not how any school should be judged, and that the most important thing for any student is that they are in the school that best fits them, regardless of anything else..
For those that think I may just be school bashing, I would like to point out that DS1 attends Marling - which at the time of his start was rated 'only' Good despite securing scores which would have got him into any of the grammars (not in top 120 for Pates but would have got a place come allocation day) This despite me being a Tommies boy (and would have loved him to go there). The simple fact is that Marling was best for him and our family.
DD could have also gone to any grammar school but Stroud High was good for her and a good fit for our family. She was in the top 120 so we were quite confident in her place, however second on her CAF was Ribston..

[Skip]

I have a DC at Pates and regularly have to put up with criticism from people with IMO a false perception of the school. I hope my younger DC will get into Ribston (doing test this sept) as unless something changes in the meantime we think it’s the best ‘fit’ for her (with SHS a very close second to Ribston at the mo) . If she scores well enough to pick Pates I will still choose Ribston. Different school are best for different kids. All have pro’s and con’s. None of really know what would have happened if a different school was chosen. Assuming she goes to Ribston I’ll have to hear criticism of that school. Whatevs!!

[Amber]

And as a Tommies Mum I have to keep hearing how it is all about rugby and 'boy' culture. Neither of mine has ever had the slightest interest in rugby, computer games, football or being a 'lad' and both have been super happy there. Stereotypes are very rarely accurate. Everyone ought to remember that any kind of choice puts us in a much luckier place than almost all parents in this country.

If we think choice is a good thing, that is.

[can'tthinkofone]

I have become adept at smiling politely....when hearing peoples opinions on schools.

When my DD1 got into HSFG (she is year 11 now) a really good friend said to me "all the HSFG girls are really naughty!!" (The implication was drink, drugs and rock n roll or something along those lines )

She hadn't attended the school and probably left school in the late 80s, so god knows what her opinion was based on. (They aren't naughty by the way).

Then there are the camp that shudder about girls schools and declare them "bitchy".

I just think each to their own and smile politely as I know that it was the right school for my DDs and we are all happy with the decision. Just as I'm sure parents who choose to send their children to different schools are too.

P.S She's still a good friend if you are wondering

[Watermelon8]

I have become adept at smiling politely....when hearing peoples opinions on schools.

When my DD1 got into HSFG (she is year 11 now) a really good friend said to me "all the HSFG girls are really naughty!!" (The implication was drink, drugs and rock n roll or something along those lines )

She hadn't attended the school and probably left school in the late 80s, so god knows what her opinion was based on. (They aren't naughty by the way).

Then there are the camp that shudder about girls schools and declare them "bitchy".

I just think each to their own and smile politely as I know that it was the right school for my DDs and we are all happy with the decision. Just as I'm sure parents who choose to send their children to different schools are too.

P.S She's still a good friend if you are wondering

That made me laugh. Yeah, they’re really naughty. Couldn’t be further from the truth
So true tho. Often predujices are based on experiences from yrs ago or playground hearsay lol Pates was never on anyone’s radar in my day yet now if you don’t take a place there it’s as if you’ve been given a golden ticket then ripped it up

[stroudydad]

I have become adept at smiling politely....when hearing peoples opinions on schools.

When my DD1 got into HSFG (she is year 11 now) a really good friend said to me "all the HSFG girls are really naughty!!" (The implication was drink, drugs and rock n roll or something along those lines )

She hadn't attended the school and probably left school in the late 80s, so god knows what her opinion was based on. (They aren't naughty by the way).

Then there are the camp that shudder about girls schools and declare them "bitchy".

I just think each to their own and smile politely as I know that it was the right school for my DDs and we are all happy with the decision. Just as I'm sure parents who choose to send their children to different schools are too.

P.S She's still a good friend if you are wondering

That made me laugh. Yeah, they’re really naughty. Couldn’t be further from the truth
So true tho. Often predujices are based on experiences from yrs ago or playground hearsay lol Pates was never on anyone’s radar in my day yet now if you don’t take a place there it’s as if you’ve been given a golden ticket then ripped it up

We don't seem to agree on much, but this is definitely true.. I mentioned the rise and rise of Pates only this morning in a PM. It does make you wonder how things it changed so drastically...

[jearund]

As I've posted elsewhere on the forums, my DD did well enough that she would have got a place at any GS except Pates. We had been to see Pates, HSFG, Crypt and Ribston. She liked Crypt but really didn't like HSFG and nor did we for her (although ironically her younger brother did!). I can't put my finger on it as it was really just a gut feeling that we couldn't see her there. We were also put off by the Head's speech, which came across to us as "if your daughter gets a place at this school you'll be very lucky". Of course, that's not what she said but we got that vibe.
Ribston was the last school we visited and it couldn't have been more different. Both she and we knew this was the school for her. She loved the Head Girl's speech about how it wasn't just about academic achievements. And we got a really positive vibe. So that was her first choice and that's what she has got.
It wasn't until after this that I discovered this forum and the perceived hierarchy of grammar schools. Going by that, should we be taking the place at Crypt? Should she have gone to HSFG regardless? When I read that Ribston is the "least desirable" school I worry. But what are these comments really based on? Is there genuinely something wrong with Ribston? Or is it simply that many parents want their children to be pushed to achieve the best possible results, and so don't choose a school that openly states it doesn't do this?
I'm hoping it's the latter. I really wanted DD to go to a GS and I want her to do well - but I also want her to be happy at school and be able to take up other opportunities. I don't want her feeling under pressure. She's already proved she's willing to work hard. That's enough.
So those people who have children at Ribston and are happy there - let's hear more from you!