Tunbridge Wells Grammar for Boys or Bennett Memorial

[Cedd]

Hi all,

we have just found out that our son has passed with 339, just scraped through on English...

This is not enough for Judd (which is sad as we had our hearts set there) but I hope it gives us the choice between TWGSB and Bennett Memorial.

As it happened our son seemed to prefer Bennett but that was only first impressions at an open evening. I wanted if there was much experience on this board between the two schools and how people might compare them?

Many thanks in advance!

[Jannaj]

I have 3 children: daughter at Weald, son at TWGSB, son in yr 6.

I have been very impressed with Weald, and clearly that is the right school for my daughter.

Sadly, I do not feel as overwhelmingly positive about TWGSB, to the extent that, since my other son marginally failed to get a grammar school assessment, I'm not sure I'm that bothered about going through the appeals process for him.

There is a new head at TWGSB so maybe she will change things for the better, and I can't really put my finger on anything specific about the school that is wrong.

I have very little experience of Bennett - I went to an open evening there a couple of weeks ago and thought it felt good. I'm not a religious person so that aspect put me off slightly.

[Npowell999]

Hi we are in a slightly different boat as in ds missed out on English by 3 Marla but he liked Bennett and Skinners but not TWBGS so to be honest we are thinking of going with Bennett. I have a dd there and she passed but wanted to go to Bennett as the class bully from primary school went to TWGGS and they certainly get results

[Moosey69]

As ever this will come down to what you think will suit your child better and let’s face it, it’s a complete stab in the dark! We got allocated Bennett first time round and were very pleased indeed as we were in a very big year group and felt lucky to have got one of our choices. We were offered a place at TWGSB at end of May and after much soul searching and yet another visit chose to send our son to the grammar. So far so good, he loves it. It’s a tough decision. We ultimately went on a gut feeling and it was always his preference. Good luck! The fun really starts in March!

[Npowell999]

As ever this will come down to what you think will suit your child better and let’s face it, it’s a complete stab in the dark! We got allocated Bennett first time round and were very pleased indeed as we were in a very big year group and felt lucky to have got one of our choices. We were offered a place at TWGSB at end of May and after much soul searching and yet another visit chose to send our son to the grammar. So far so good, he loves it. It’s a tough decision. We ultimately went on a gut feeling and it was always his preference. Good luck! The fun really starts in March!

Did you dc, not pass? Did he get in on an appeal? X

[Moosey69]

Hi,

He did pass and very well - would have got Skinners in previous years but don't think that would have been right for him so that worked out for the best for him! He didn't want to go there anyway!
We had lodged the appeal but the place came up before we had to go through with it. In some ways I think an appeal is might be easier if you haven't passed / have just missed the mark or have extenuating circumstances - we had nothing to go on except we thought would be best fit for him. As we also had such a good back up we couldn't use that for a reason in the appeal. I have to say being OOC in East Sussex I always thought we would just try - we played a straight bat (i.e. didn't move or buy a property to get him in) and in the end decided if it was meant to be, he'd get a place. Risky I know but it did come right for him. As I say, seeming like the right decision at the moment, but always keep these things under review! For some reason TWGSB is viewed somewhat as a lesser option than Judd or Skinners and even maybe Bennett - Weald and TWGGS don't suffer from this even though their students also just need a pass. I suffered a bit from this prejudice too and put myself through torture when deciding whether to take the place over Bennett!! Anyway, it's feeling like the right place and the staff have been really helpful and responsive in any dealings I've had with them. On our last tour to help inform the final decision the Head of year showed us around and I was pretty impressed.
It's such a tough one and if you're like me you will probably drive yourself mad!

[chimera-ma]

Hi, sorry not to have posted sooner, but I thought I would add that I have a DS in Year 8 at TWGSB who is thriving and loves going to the school.

We had initial misgivings at SCAF stage, partly to do with the bus commute to TWGSB from Sevenoaks v Trinity Free School nearby and partly because of DS's science orientation given TWGSB's better Humanities results generally. We were also concerned about the poor state of some facilities at TWGSB, wondering how on earth the boys could be expected to change for PE in such sub-standard conditions, and worried about what that might mean about the school's management - how could they have allowed the school to be bypassed for funding for so long?

On the positive side, the atmosphere of the school during 'working' open day visits two years running, discussions with teaching staff (including Science teachers) and boys and (sixth form) girls, and reviewing the school's website, especially newsletters, for tone, culture and enrichment opportunities, encouraged us to choose TWGSB. Comments from other forum users also helped.

In Year 7, DS was well-supported by an excellent form teacher and a committed Head of Year, and was encouraged to join clubs and try new activities. This year, I've had no direct communication from his new form teacher, but DS is much more confident in himself now. Academically, he has continued from Year 6 with As in English and Maths and has done similarly well in several other subjects. Where he has scored Bs, there has been very detailed feedback on where he needs to focus, which has helped with study at home, although it is not clear to me how differentiated classroom teaching is in some subjects.

The ethos of the school is a caring one. I'm not bothered about the school's status v the super-selectives, but as yet the new headteacher is an unknown quantity - and quality - as far as most parents I've spoken to are concerned. It's refreshing to see a female head from a 'school improvement' background and she's an interesting choice, not coming from a 'traditional school' background. It's too soon to tell.

I can't comment on Bennett with any direct experience, but it seems an excellent school from what I've heard.

If anyone has any further questions about TWGSB, I'll look out for posts.

[paula555]

Thanks Chimera-ma for posting that about TWGSB. We passed at 353 and so have missed out on Judd or Skinners, and while we're of course feeling relieved he passed we have still been a *little* disappointed that we're likely to get TWGSB over the other two. So it was great to read something positive from someone with a DS at the school, thank you. DS was very positive about the school when we visited last week.

[chimera-ma]

Good luck to your DS, paula555. I hope he recognises that he did well with his Kent Test - perception can be skewed in areas with super-selectives.

Also, are you sure you have 'missed out' on Judd and Skinners'? There is no harm putting them higher on your SCAF, and going on waiting lists later if you and your DS prefer them, particularly if you're in Judd's inner area. There are threads to look at from the last couple of years with information on waiting list movement.

If TWGSB is the one however, can I just add that after I posted on Friday, my DS came home with three more As in his interim report than at the end of Year 7 - and he was beaming! So more than a year on from his starting at the school, I am far from thinking it was an unfortunate outcome.