Alty Girls worried.

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ToadMum
Posts: 11946
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: Alty Girls worried.

Post by ToadMum »

I would ask, how small is 'smaller'? The one and only private school locally we had a proper look at here for one of ours had an average class size of about 12 (and yes, it did go bust two years later) and both DD and I immediately thought, Fall out with the wrong person in the group and there is literally nowhere to hide :shock: . Smaller isn't always better. However, if it's a question of e.g. 20/24 vs 30/32, then although the difference in class size isn't likely to make much difference academically, the proximity to home vs ?an hour and a half each way to the grammar school would nudge me towards Withington. 
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Mandy21
Posts: 302
Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:27 pm

Re: Alty Girls worried.

Post by Mandy21 »

I don't think there's any chance of Withington going bust, and I don't think class sizes are so small that it makes friendship groups hard. It's a brilliant school and if its a 15 min walk, you can afford it with the bursary, I wouldn't hesitate.
Homebird
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2013 11:05 pm

Re: Alty Girls worried.

Post by Homebird »

I am an ex Withington girl (I went on a bursary) and had I been able to get a bursary for my girls and lived 15 mins walk away from the school, I would have bitten their hand off! No brainer - go for it!
Having said that, we live half way between Stretford and Urmston and have a daughter at each of these Grammar schools and are very happy to have had this amazing state education for our daughters. We chose a different grammar school for each of our two because the two schools offered different things that met our girls' needs more closely. So go for where you think will suit your daughter best! Good Luck!
Taz1981
Posts: 63
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2019 12:57 am

Re: Alty Girls worried.

Post by Taz1981 »

Hi All,

Thanks for your reply. We decided to go for Alty in the end. Withington was such a great option but even with a bursary we were being stretched as the fees were the same price as our mortgage and it was also dependant on a yearly finical review by an independent body. It could have easily been reduced next year if our financial situation changed which we expect to a little but that would mean, we wouldn’t have any money to put away for a rainy day such as a boiler breakdown down or any other big purchases that do sometimes occur as we all know. We were absolutely gutted to turn it down however in the grand scheme of things it does allow us that option to save if we can without feeling guilty about it. Alty seems lovely we drove there today and hoping we’ve made the right choice.
hermanmunster
Posts: 12817
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: Alty Girls worried.

Post by hermanmunster »

Taz1981 I am sure it will all work out fine and she will have a lovely time-

it is really not worth having to worry about the funds for private schools, 7 years is a long time and there are other things to save for - I spent more than school fees in supporting my DCs when they were both at Uni ! Some schools can give generous bursaries but I think people still find the finances get quite tight
Taz1981
Posts: 63
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2019 12:57 am

Re: Alty Girls worried.

Post by Taz1981 »

hermanmunster wrote:Taz1981 I am sure it will all work out fine and she will have a lovely time-

it is really not worth having to worry about the funds for private schools, 7 years is a long time and there are other things to save for - I spent more than school fees in supporting my DCs when they were both at Uni ! Some schools can give generous bursaries but I think people still find the finances get quite tight
Exactly and then we have thoughts like, what happens if we get a pay rise, would the bursary reduce? What happens if something happens to our car and we have no savings etc etc. And if they review your yearly finances and see if you have managed to save, would they then decrease the bursary. So many factors and your right hopefully it will all work out. The yellow school bus is just a short walk from our house and she can have that 40 mins on the bus to read or listen to music or hopefully even make friends.
mad?
Posts: 5621
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 6:27 pm
Location: london

Re: Alty Girls worried.

Post by mad? »

Taz1981 wrote: So many factors and your right hopefully it will all work out. The yellow school bus is just a short walk from our house and she can have that 40 mins on the bus to read or listen to music or hopefully even make friends.
I'm sure it will work out Taz1981 and that she will make friends. Glad you have made a decision, now you and she can just sit back and look forward to it :)
mad?
kasin
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Oct 09, 2019 10:24 am

Re: Alty Girls worried.

Post by kasin »

Random question..I assume its something like they have different sets in high schools to cater to children of different ability. Is that same with Alty Girls too, do they have girls classified into sets or its all mixed and everyone taught similarly.
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