Comparison of Grammar Schools

[Beeptoot]

WRT the comparison , the local paper ( The Messsenger ?) Just produced a league table of Trafford Schools , and broadly the differences between any of the Traford Grammar Schools is minimal ....eg the figure quoted is a 5 GCSE pass rate , which varies between 100% down to 98% for the lowest ranked GS .....minimal difference

[PerpetualStudent]

Most Grammar Schools will give an able child a decent education, and many differences making one school more suitable than another will be things like commuting distance, extra curricular activities, the balance of subjects etc.
Nevertheless I am not at all comforted by the statistics quoted in the Trafford schools league table when applied to selective schools: 5 GCSE passes for academically inclined students is a low bar. The two percent who didn’t get 5 GCSE passes represent a handful of students the school completely failed. Never mind that parents send their children to grammar schools anticipating at least twice that many GCSEs ideally with some top grades in there.

[Mandy21]

WRT the comparison , the local paper ( The Messsenger ?) Just produced a league table of Trafford Schools , and broadly the differences between any of the Traford Grammar Schools is minimal ....eg the figure quoted is a 5 GCSE pass rate , which varies between 100% down to 98% for the lowest ranked GS .....minimal difference

To be frank, you wouldn't expect grammar schools to be much different if all you are judging them on is pupils getting 5 GCSE passes. As PerpetalStudent says, that's a really low bar. The real difference comes from the % of children getting the top grades, not just a pass.

You have to look at the detail of the results to see differences - e.g. Altrincham Grammar School for Girls had 91% of pupils getting A*-B at A level last summer, Urmston Grammar had 58.48% at the same level. That's just an example, and it's one snap shot / statistic. I haven't read the article, and choosing a school is about more than results, but its lazy reporting to use the pass rate for 5 GCSEs and say there isn't much difference between the schools on that basis.

[poppety]

From what I know about the Trafford Grammars they are all excellent schools and most children who attend them will leave with a decent set of exam results. However, for me it wasn't just about the academic side of things - there were lots of other things to consider; the pastoral care, the extra curricular stuff, the journey to school etc. And most of all, which school would suit my daughter. We like all the Grammars (Sale Grammar probably the least as it felt a little less friendly - but that was based purely on the Open evening) but in the end we ended up going with Stretford - our closest school. My daughter is doing well academically and has also made some lovely new friends who live locally. It seems like a very nurturing school and the Head is a really nice chap who genuinely seems to care for the children and their wellbeing.

[Catseye]

It is pointless comparing Altrincham Grammar School for Girls with any other Trafford grammar including Alty boys (which has a different admissions policy)...it has a huge catchment area and is to all intend and purpose is a super-selective school and their results simply reflect this. There is nothing special about it . Input=output.