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Rainham Mark Grammar School Open Evening

Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 1:58 pm
by Benoit
Did anyone go to this yesterday? I was very surprised. It has made our difficult decision even harder! Very, very impressed. The passion and pride of the pupils and also their logic reasons for wanting to attend a mixed school. Not anything I really considered.

Not sure but this may have leapfrogged CGSG.

Re: Rainham Mark Grammar School Open Evening

Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 3:30 pm
by tiredmum
Benoit wrote:Not sure but this may have leapfrogged CGSG.
:lol:
I wonder how well the medway grammar that holds the last open day before the CAF needs to be returend, does? :lol:

I have two dd's

both chose two different medway grammars - different ones suit different children.
dd1 chose FP - i thought this would be great as she wasnt really into boys at all - however she has really missed the company of boys - stright away she did, and i feel she may have been socially happier at RMGS, though she has done accademically well at FP. We liked RMGS lots when we saw it back in 2006 but along with cgsg it was just a complicated journey.

dd2 has always loved boys and when she chose RGS i was concerned she would miss them but she said to me the other day that now in class she speaks up more as the boys arnt there to comment! So she is happy to be at an all girls school, she gets the village bus with the boys from the maths school anyhow.

So if you can get to all the grammars easily i would really be led by your child, i know its a big decision for them to make but i feel its important to their happiness at their chosen school.

are you going to RGS tomorow? :)

Re: Rainham Mark Grammar School Open Evening

Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 4:13 pm
by SoGladitsover
Benoit wrote:....and also their logic reasons for wanting to attend a mixed school.
What were their reasons for wanting to attend a mixed school Benoit?
I'm trying to steer my DD towards an all girls school as she is already quite 'into' boys. I went to Invicta and felt the absence of boys in the classes was a bonus. However I'd be interested to hear the other side as it may not be something I had considered.

Re: Rainham Mark Grammar School Open Evening

Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 4:20 pm
by Benoit
Yes. I shall be there. That'll be all 4 but I think I'll do some visits during school time like I did with FP this week.

Looking forward to it tomorrow. Couldn't see much on the Taster day as they farm you out very quick! Daughter enjoyed it though.

We are having a long weekend to celebrate the 11+ and have delayed our ferry especially! That's dedication!

Re: Rainham Mark Grammar School Open Evening

Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 4:40 pm
by Benoit
[/quote] What were their reasons for wanting to attend a mixed school Benoit?[/quote]

I am (was?) exactly the same. I went to an all boys school and am a firm believer that boys respond better if they are mixed with girls. Boys have potential to behave/learn at a lower level because 'boys things' become a priority ie bravado, fighting, football etc.

On the other hand, I felt that girls would benefit from concentrated learning without the boys. They were a distraction.

I must ashamedly admit, I went to RMGS yesterday as a paper exercise to tick the box and disregard it. "No way my girls are going to a mixed...."

However, I was so impressed with the school, I asked a few of the girls why they wanted to attend a mixed instead of one of the other 3 girls grammars. The school is a 70/30 split in favour of boys and the girls say the boys remove/reduce the potential of girl bickering and bitchiness. One stated that her friend went to a single sex grammar and is itching to transfer because she cannot compete at a social level and is not enjoying her time.

I truly did not consider this. The 2 girls that showed us around were year 8 girls. They were proud and enthusiastic. They had a fantastic sense of humour and as I watched them interact with the boys it was apparent that the girls seem to rule the roost there. I don't mean this in a bossy, intimidating way.
Boys are less mature and 'find their feet' growing up as men. They are a bit uncomfortable with themselves and things take a bit longer. Girls get to this stage earlier and are mentally and socially more able to cope from the early years.

Whether or not this will be enough to turn all the plans I had on their head, I don't know, but it has put us in a wonderful dilemma!

Re: Rainham Mark Grammar School Open Evening

Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 4:45 pm
by tiredmum
Benoit wrote: The school is a 70/30 split in favour of boys and the girls say the boys remove/reduce the potential of girl bickering and bitchiness. One stated that her friend went to a single gender grammar and is itching to transfer because she cannot compete at a social level and is not enjoying her time.
This is exactly what dd1 has found - like i said earlier she has never been into boys very much but has soo missed the way boys difuse that bitchy element that all girls schools generally have.

Re: Rainham Mark Grammar School Open Evening

Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 5:01 pm
by paulap
Benoit wrote:Yes. I shall be there. That'll be all 4 but I think I'll do some visits during school time like I did with FP this week.

Looking forward to it tomorrow. Couldn't see much on the Taster day as they farm you out very quick! Daughter enjoyed it though.

We are having a long weekend to celebrate the 11+ and have delayed our ferry especially! That's dedication!
Hope you enjoy the RGS visit tomorrow. DD is doing one of the tours and she is very nervous - so if you get a very small girl from Fitzgerald House (dark blue flash), with blonde hair - be gentle on her :D

Re: Rainham Mark Grammar School Open Evening

Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 6:24 pm
by Benoit
paulap wrote: Hope you enjoy the RGS visit tomorrow. DD is doing one of the tours and she is very nervous - so if you get a very small girl from Fitzgerald House (dark blue flash), with blonde hair - be gentle on her :D
Will do! I'm sure she'll be fine.

Re: Rainham Mark Grammar School Open Evening

Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 9:42 pm
by Frustratedmum
My ds currently attends RMGS in year 7 so this is just a personal input/opinion. My ds has always had girls as best friends previously in school & I think this was mainly due to his more mature attitude to learning that many of the boys he went to school with didn't have. So to choose a mixed school was, to be honest, a very obvious thing for us.
That aside I'd just like to add that my take on the school so far has been excellent and the night before last, on the way home from school in the car, ds said "I'm so glad I go to RMGS, I really love it there, so much more than I ever thought I would". I was absolutely thrilled as you never know if you've made the right choice until you know that your dc is happy, I reckon :wink: .
Anyway good luck to all with your choices & wish you every success with the selection process!!!! :D

Re: Rainham Mark Grammar School Open Evening

Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 11:29 am
by testbuster
My ds is at RMGS too and loving it. He's also mainly had girls as friends all the way through and I think he would have found an all-boy school less suited to him. The girls tend to calm down the boisterous element and the boys dilute the bithchiness. It depends on the child to some extent as to whether this suits them.

The standard of work at RMGS is very high and ds is thrilled with it so we're very happy and I'd recommend it.

FWIW, I went to a girls' school, found it a bit cliquey and would have liked a few boys around who might have been more interested in the outside world and less into fashion and make-up! I now work in a mainly male environment and find it more no-nonsense! Most of us will have to work with the opposite gender one day and can do that without being constantly 'distracted'. Strangely most sixth forms are mixed and this must be a 'danger' time.