LSS Opinion and insider knowledge please.....

[toodledo]

So......for people in the know who current attend LSS. Can you
a. convince me its not funding deprived, scruffy and lacking a great community feel??
b. highlight best bits for me?

I know this may sound odd request but....whilst we loved the place on paper and in theory........ on the visit it just didn't seem to be the exclusive, community led, hard working, great ethos kind of place I had imagined and was left underwhelmed. We know we must have missed something (shown around by wrong kids, wrong time of day, time of year????)

[guest201]

If that was your impression then maybe it is not the right school for your DS.

[toodledo]

???????

that's why I am asking for counter opinion......not being closed to the fact i could be wrong......so do you know the school?

[gemgem]

So......for people in the know who current attend LSS. Can you
a. convince me its not funding deprived, scruffy and lacking a great community feel??
b. highlight best bits for me?

I know this may sound odd request but....whilst we loved the place on paper and in theory........ on the visit it just didn't seem to be the exclusive, community led, hard working, great ethos kind of place I had imagined and was left underwhelmed. We know we must have missed something (shown around by wrong kids, wrong time of day, time of year????)

Only you can decide what is best for your son.
Some people go with LSS simply because they think that was a school being there for a long time...or the Grammar school branding...

But these days, many parents prefer Ashlawn Grammar stream over LSS because of several other aspects and the Ashlawn AQS is higher compared to LSS.

You must send your son to place where he enjoys. Grammar schools are simply another school. They won't do miracles. It is the parents enthusiasm and fighting spirit push many students through the qualification marks. Those who score few marks less are not inferior.
Coming back to your case, compare the different available options ... merit each other and then take a decision that is suitable for your child. Don't go simply after a branding.

[guest201]

Ashlawn AQS is higher compared to LSS.

Maybe that is simply because Ashlawn only offers 31 places compared to 120 offered at LSS. I am sure if you looked at the 31st score admitted at LSS it would be considerably higher than Ashlawn.

Toodledo my son is at LSS, if you went to Open evening and it didn't convince you, the headmaster's speech didn't convince you, you found the beautiful old building scruffy, then as I said before maybe it is not the right school for you.

[gemgem]

Ashlawn AQS is higher compared to LSS.

Maybe that is simply because Ashlawn only offers 31 places compared to 120 offered at LSS. I am sure if you looked at the 31st score admitted at LSS it would be considerably higher than Ashlawn.

Toodledo my son is at LSS, if you went to Open evening and it didn't convince you, the headmaster's speech didn't convince you, you found the beautiful old building scruffy, then as I said before maybe it is not the right school for you.

We are here to support 'toodledo' for a genuine question raised.We are not starting an argument or trying to prove a point. Like I mentioned, many students prefer Ashlawn over LSS for different reasons. There are many high scores and talented students going to Ashlwan. There were some very high score at Ashlwan last year and they could have got in to LSS, Rugby Girls,Stratford upon avon or even Birmingham Camphill schools. These are the parents who did a better home work and decided Ashlawn will be best suited for their children.
Vast majority goes to a grammar school just for the branding. Though I appreciate the honesty of 'toodledo' in raising a genuine question, it is another example of parents fascinated by the branding and get into a panic state on the deal line date. They should have done better home work before.
I am not here to support a school. Let parents select the school best suited for them..

[Vicksteroo]

So......for people in the know who current attend LSS. Can you
a. convince me its not funding deprived, scruffy and lacking a great community feel??
b. highlight best bits for me?

I know this may sound odd request but....whilst we loved the place on paper and in theory........ on the visit it just didn't seem to be the exclusive, community led, hard working, great ethos kind of place I had imagined and was left underwhelmed. We know we must have missed something (shown around by wrong kids, wrong time of day, time of year????)

I'm in a similar quandary, and I've done a lot of research into both schools, have visited both several times, and have quizzed parents of children at both. I've come away with a mixed view of both schools and am still struggling to decide which suits us best.

Ashlawn is a very large school - they have good results, they support the under achievers to do their best, they offer a huge range of vocational subjects as well as trips and visits, they have good facilities. On the other hand, as a huge school they do struggle with space, some of the classrooms are cramped, there is always a risk of getting "lost" in such a large crowd, they are also experiencing some upheaval at the moment with the loss of their head. I've heard that their pastoral care can sometimes fail to meet needs.

LSS is a smaller school with a long history - there is reputation there, networking, people ship their kids in from surrounding counties to attend that school. They are academically driven, they push the kids hard to achieve, they are quick to act in the case of any bad behaviour. The subjects on offer are less vocational, they are supported financially by Rugby School, they have good facilities and seem to have more space per child. However, there is less in the way of extra-curricular activities (except sport), they have a very old-school feel, and their academic drive could be considered too intense and may be too much for some children. They are single sex - off putting for many.

So do we choose a glorified comprehensive with a huge range of opportunity, or a public school-type boys' school with academic drive? I still haven't made up my mind!

Good luck with your choice, I hope this is in some way helpful. Let us know what you decide!

[guest201]

Ashlawn AQS is higher compared to LSS.

Maybe that is simply because Ashlawn only offers 31 places compared to 120 offered at LSS. I am sure if you looked at the 31st score admitted at LSS it would be considerably higher than Ashlawn.

Toodledo my son is at LSS, if you went to Open evening and it didn't convince you, the headmaster's speech didn't convince you, you found the beautiful old building scruffy, then as I said before maybe it is not the right school for you.

We are here to support 'toodledo' for a genuine question raised.We are not starting an argument or trying to prove a point. Like I mentioned, many students prefer Ashlawn over LSS for different reasons. There are many high scores and talented students going to Ashlwan. There were some very high score at Ashlwan last year and they could have got in to LSS, Rugby Girls,Stratford upon avon or even Birmingham Camphill schools. These are the parents who did a better home work and decided Ashlawn will be best suited for their children.
Vast majority goes to a grammar school just for the branding. Though I appreciate the honesty of 'toodledo' in raising a genuine question, it is another example of parents fascinated by the branding and get into a panic state on the deal line date. They should have done better home work before.
I am not here to support a school. Let parents select the school best suited for them..

I am not trying to start an argument I was merely pointing out that the numbers can be misleading unless you are comparing like for like. As I have pointed out in previous threads on this topic I have only ever heard good things about Ashlawn Grammar. There are many threads in this section on the subject of Ashlawn and LSS (in fact there is one titled Lawrence Sheriff or Ashlawn just below this one) and anyone who needs convincing of the relative merits of each would do well to look through them as part of their "homework"

[skipsmash]

My ds got into the grammar stream at Ashlawn in 2017, having failed the 11+ by miles.

There are four grammar classes - 120 children - dc who passed the 11+ are in classes with dc who passed the MFL and dc who did well in their SATS. None of these classes is only for dc who passed the 11+.

Where as of course, all boys at LSS passed the 11+. We would have sent our ds there if he had passed - but he's flying high and happy.

I've heard mixed reports about LSS - but nowhere is perfect ... not even Ashlawn.

Good luck!

[Centralperk]

Now i’m confused. I was led to believe that the MFL test is NOT for the grammar stream?

If they have 120 places then why does it say that there are only 35 places available?