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Stratford Grammar School Vs. Alcester Grammar School

Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 4:19 pm
by Spokenhands
Would parents whose children go to either of SGS or AGS in S. Warwickshire, please share your impressions and experience of how to tell these schools apart in terms of teaching quality, facilities, ambience, collegiate atmosphere and particular any known issues and challenges (and consequently help 2013 intake parents decide which may suit their DC n better)?

For each school, Please could you list the key upsides/downsides AND in what way it is better than/worse than in your opinion.
Do you expect any particular issues as these schools now acquire academy status?
Will things change as the Govt. spending cuts in Education intensify 2012-2017?

I appreciate everyone is entitled to their own views, based on their own subjective experiences and observations, so i request others not to challenge or rationalise too deeply. Also we do not require any private or specific details that, in any case, are not relevant to the broader guidance you may be able to provide.

Thank you in advance.

Re: Stratford Grammar School Vs. Alcester Grammar School

Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 5:43 pm
by Qwe
I have two dd's - one dd is at AGS one at SGS my feelings are that they are both great schools although if I had to choose one over the other - then AGS would be my choice, it's ambience is relaxed and informal but the teaching is first class - they get the best out of my dd, her confidence and self esteem have grown over the years, the facilities are great - newish sports block, new biology and chemistry labs last year. The pastoral care is outstanding, focusing on all children settling in identifying those that needed help and aiding those - they understand that happy children and good results go hand in hand.
I know of one issue of repeated disruptive behaviour in the 4 years my dd has been there - this was dealt with swiftly - the pupil was removed from the school.
SGS although being a great school would be my second choice simply because I feel more welcome at AGS, able to speak to a member of staff if I need to. At SGS it's a little harder to speak to someone my dd enjoys it there but had a hard time settling in - the all girls scenario has its obvious pitfalls ( need I say more!). The facilities are a little older but adequate.
Sorry if I have rambled.....but the 'feel' of AGS, to me, is superb.
I gave each of my girls there own choice - knowing in the future they couldn't complain about it :wink:
Good luck with your choice!!

Re: Stratford Grammar School Vs. Alcester Grammar School

Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:29 pm
by magwich2
DD1 left Shottery to read history at Oxford in 2011 - she did not much enjoy her time there but to be fair she has never liked school much anyway.
She found the sixth form much better than the other years because many of the girls had calmed down a little by then and become more mature and she had a really lovely form teacher. The trouble in her and my opinion is that many of the best staff do not always see eye- to- eye with the "senior management team" who are increasingly power crazed and besotted with jargon and oppressing all opposition - IMHO anyway!
The real problem further down the school is that there are a fairly small but vocal and noticeable group of girls in each year who start "going off the rails" from year 7 onwards, presumably aided and abetted by some stunningly stupid parents . For example, they make a mockery of the rules regarding uniform and end up looking like streetwalkers, they are allowed to host dubious parties virtually every weekend where alcohol seems to be supplied freely by said parents ( one of the main miscreants in this respect is either a current or past licensee!!). Boyfriends and frankly slutty behaviour seem to be encouraged from the age of 12 and it was a common feature of lunchtimes endured by DD2 that her fellow pupils would be "s-e- x- ting" each other and their latest boyfriends (year 8 if you please)
Obviously most of this is not the schools fault but they are remarkably poor at dealing with it and prefer to brush it under the carpet.
In the end we got so fed up that we removed DD2 from the school.

Re: Stratford Grammar School Vs. Alcester Grammar School

Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:35 pm
by stevew61
magwich2 wrote:DD1 left Shottery to read history at Oxford in 2011 ...................
In the end we got so fed up that we removed DD2 from the school.
I guess it's all down to how you edit history? :lol:

Re: Stratford Grammar School Vs. Alcester Grammar School

Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:18 pm
by magwich2
DD1 is fond of saying that she got into Oxford despite the school rather than because of it!!

Re: Stratford Grammar School Vs. Alcester Grammar School

Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:40 pm
by Bad Dad
I'm not sure, but I think maybe Magwich just has very high standards. What she is describing sounds very much to me like what is technically known as "being a teenager"! But my daughter is still only 10 and my others are boys so maybe I have all those horrors to come.
One thing that has impressed me about AGS is the way the kids seem to bond as a form group. Prior to starting GCSE course in year 10, they do almost all their lessons in their forms for 3 years (there are no ability sets) and get to know each other really well and become a great group of 30 friends, both boys and girls. It seems very inclusive and friendly and I never seem to hear of anyone falling out with anyone else. Maybe boys are just better like that, but I hope my daughter gets a place and I get to find out. Does anyone know whether Stratford Grammar also has form groups like that?

Re: Stratford Grammar School Vs. Alcester Grammar School

Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 10:31 pm
by magwich2
Well I'm sorry but "being a teenager" in my book does NOT involve texting pictures of yourself in what the police would term "grade 4 or 5" images to the nastier pupils at KES in your lunchtime !!!????????!!

Re: Stratford Grammar School Vs. Alcester Grammar School

Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 9:33 am
by joshie
Magwich2, up to March 2011 you were recommending SGS as the school to go to. From what I understand you then had the option to send your children to an indie. If you take the indie out of the picture, I wonder how SGS compares.

Re: Stratford Grammar School Vs. Alcester Grammar School

Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 10:51 am
by magwich2
Probably , along with AGS, the best of a not great bunch. It would be OK if more of the parents had higher standards for bringing up their children and expected the school to impose higher standards of behaviour during school time. For example banning all phones tablets social networking sites at school.
I have no idea how the school will cope with all the extra pupils it is taking on - there were already too many especially in the sixth form and class sizes were already too large.

Re: Stratford Grammar School Vs. Alcester Grammar School

Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 12:47 pm
by Lah-Di-Dah
Magwich2:
"DD is at Oxford ( at a college which is supposed to be "posh" but isn't ) Most of her fellow students are from state schools with a further number from minor public schools. They are a very varied collection, many with the morals of your average alley cat (but that's another story)."

Seems there are guttersnipes everwhere, or do they just move with Miss M?