Good state school v indy

[BarnetDad]

What school is that (if you don't mind me asking?!)

[checker]

There is a lot of mention of QE and HBS as good selective states. What about Latymer! Any thoughts?

[Loopyloulou]

...
4) Some academically selective indy schools make it compulsory to sit General Studies AS

Well I must say that is news to me. I wasn't aware of a single indie which teaches General Studies, nor of a single superselective grammar which doesn't.

Clearly I'm mistaken. But to satisfy my curiosity, please can people post the identities of indies wherein General Studies is compulsory, and of superselectives where it isn't?

[Caroline1852]

...
4) Some academically selective indy schools make it compulsory to sit General Studies AS

Well I must say that is news to me. I wasn't aware of a single indie which teaches General Studies, nor of a single superselective grammar which doesn't.

Clearly I'm mistaken. But to satisfy my curiosity, please can people post the identities of indies wherein General Studies is compulsory, and of superselectives where it isn't?

Gen Studies at St Albans School is compulsory to AS and optional thereafter. http://www.st-albans.herts.sch.uk/sascm ... iculum.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; see p15 It gets on everyone's nerves as it's very clearly a cynical garnering of cheap points for the A level tarriff in order to look good in the league tables. It's of no benefit to most students, my son didn't even put his A grade AS general studies on his UCAS form.

[Guest55]

You must declare every qualification now, even grade Us ... there could be an issue with not stating it.

[scary mum]

Many (most? all?) of the Bucks GSs don't have general studies. Mind you at least one has introduced critical Thinking which is almost as bad.

It may not be correct or fair but the name of the selective Indy does carry weight on a CV. The old boy/girl network does exist and in certain careers the interviewers take notice.

Absolutely agree - I didn't do very well academically at my Public School (very long time ago) but I know being able to put it on my CV has played an enormous part in every job I've applied for and got - there's an expectation from Employers about the type of person they are dealing with.

I agree, I did OK at mine (most of us did, with results which would be considered awful now) but people still notice on my CV that I went to a well known girls' school. Having said that I;m hoping the words "grammar school" will have a similar effect when seen on my DCs' CVs

[Loopyloulou]

Goodness me, St Albans do Critical Thinking too! That really is very naughty!
(Ref Bucks, I'm only interested in superselectives-v-indies).

[Caroline1852]

You must declare every qualification now, even grade Us ... there could be an issue with not stating it.

Will some jobsworth come and remove my son from his med school because he didn't declare an A grade at AS in a subject which the med schools had declared unsuitable/inadmissable?

[Caroline1852]

Goodness me, St Albans do Critical Thinking too! That really is very naughty!
(Ref Bucks, I'm only interested in superselectives-v-indies).

Ah yes, I'd forgotten crit thinking. That's another load of hopeless nonsense they make compulsory at St Albans School. Again it's so obviously for the benefit of the school, for the cheap points for the league tables; it's of no use whasoever to the vast majority of its students.

When you're looking into a prospective school for your child, you only tend to look at the headline GCSE and A level scores (and compare them A* versus A*, A v A or A level points score versus A level points score, you don't tend to look at the sixth form prospectus to see what compulsory nonsense they might subject your child to.

[hermanmunster]

You must declare every qualification now, even grade Us ... there could be an issue with not stating it.

Will some jobsworth come and remove my son from his med school because he didn't declare an A grade at AS in a subject which the med schools had declared unsuitable/inadmissable?

NO please - we need him!!! The NHS need people with grade A in tea making , woodwork and critical thinking. In fact this evening I could have done with someone with a GCSE in retuning the TV, sorting out the SatNav and trying to be polite to the district nurses