So, forms then - is anyone clear on their choices yet?

[tiredmum]

What's the art offering like at RGS? We were very impressed by the textiles etc at Fort Pitt!

I was thinking they would be less 'arty' at RGS?

Well it depends on what art you are after, fort pitt has a great reputation for art and grapic design but their best teacher in these subjects has just left. I cant speak for textiles, though have been impressed with displays.

If you are talking about art as in music and performing then your cant beat RGS.

[medwaymix]

If you have a daughter who has passed the 11+ then you can really only make 4 choices, unless Chatham Boys and the Rochester Maths aren't telling us something
Distance rules out RMGS so now down to 3. Quite which order to put them in is harder to call.
Taking scores into account should mean that examination results are vastly better than those who don't take scores into account, but they are not.
Specialist subjects of the various schools should mean those subjects are better than others, but they are not.
So have given up on that sort of stuff and will decide after visits during the day. Am also discounting evenings and Saturdays since the school gets to pick who is around and who isn't
So we have a few busy days coming up before the form is completed.
mm x
PS Wonder what admissions would make of it if we did put Chatham Boys or Maths as choice 4?

[tiredmum]

. Am also discounting evenings and Saturdays since the school gets to pick who is around and who isn't
So we have a few busy days coming up before the form is completed.
mm x
PS Wonder what admissions would make of it if we did put Chatham Boys or Maths as choice 4?

well i know for a fact that both FP and RGS ask all their year 7 girls in and i think year 8 too. But i agree it is good to see a school on a normal day.

Chatham boys take gitls from year 11

[paulap]

So have given up on that sort of stuff and will decide after visits during the day. Am also discounting evenings and Saturdays since the school gets to pick who is around and who isn't
So we have a few busy days coming up before the form is completed.
mm x
PS Wonder what admissions would make of it if we did put Chatham Boys or Maths as choice 4?

Personally I would do both the "official" visits (evening/Saturday) and then visit again during a normal day. You get to see much more on the "official" visits but you get more of a feel for the staff, children, discipline etc on the normal day IYSWIM.

[tiredmum]

Personally I would do both the "official" visits (evening/Saturday) and then visit again during a normal day. You get to see much more on the "official" visits but you get more of a feel for the staff, children, discipline etc on the normal day IYSWIM.

Totally agree, we did working daytime and open visits with dd's top 4 schools, and even though it took up time we all really enjoyed the open day/sat visits

[Benoit]

I wish I knew where to start to be honest. Visited FP today. Very impressed but I get a feeling that the distance will not make this a valid choice and we would not get it (we live in Rainham). I heard last year cut off was 4 miles.

RGS is as far but hopefully daughter got a high enough score to not be cut off or have distance as an over-subscription factor. Going Saturday and daughter enjoyed the taster day. I think Chatham Girls would be 3rd but we are taking a look tomorrow and probably the open morning next week. This is a fair bit closer.

Even closer is RMGS but for some reason it doesn't appeal to any of us but we are going on Thursday to have our minds changed!

Does anyone know whether there are Open Mornings set at RGS and RMGS before the end of the month. can't see a mention on the sites so assume it is a case of just turning up/calling up??!

FP and RGS definitely favourites but both the furthest. Nothing set in stone yet though.

[sherry_d]

RGS has open morning next Monday to Thursday (18-22) at 9am and 11:15 am only.

Its in the admission booklet and you can check the other schools here too http://www.medway.gov.uk/secondary_book ... sion-2.pdf

[tiredmum]

. I think Chatham Girls would be 3rd but we are taking a look tomorrow and probably the open morning next week. This is a fair bit closer.

Even closer is RMGS but for some reason it doesn't appeal to any of us but we are going on Thursday to have our minds changed!

.

Ruby was saying that chatham girls has a new head that will impact the school in a good way. Its always been known as a nurturing school and when dd1 was going of to grammar in 2006 it had a surge of popularity. I think it was known for good value added what-not thingy!

Again when i was looking at grammars with dd1 - all those years ago - i loved RMGS - it was just too far for us.