DS grammar school HGS boys , started year 7 in September worried mum as first born so new to it all .
Any tips please? what are expectations?any links to useful resources? Not sure what they do this year guidance will be helpful thanks

If you ask for your post to be moved to the 'Birmingham' section, you will get more answers specific to that school.

Doesn't the school run any 'welcome to year 7' sessions for new parents? Is there anything on the calendar on the website? Also, most schools have a Curriculum tab on Thier website somewhere, which would indicate what your DS will be learning this year.

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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx

Hi

I'm not from your area or school but I thought I'd share:

DD new school has done 2 parent's information evenings - one in July before we started & one the 3rd week in covering houses, tutor, support, expectations and a view of the year to come & more, presentations are on the website too if you weren't able to make it

The school website contains info on all the subjects / topics & links to resources

DD has come home with objectives & expectations all subjects in her text books so might be worth a read.

Hope this helps.

They use websites like Kerboodle, Doddle, MyMaths and Active Learn. Homework is roughly 10-12 pieces a week and your child should have had a few baseline tests by now and a few in the next few weeks. End of topic tests are usually at the end of half term or the beginning of the next week one and the children are expected to revise for them.

The guidance you have had thus far on looking at the schools website is an excellent starting point.There is a gold mine of information.As examples it says on the website pupils arriving at the school in year 7 are placed in five different forms based on information from their school and their performance in the 11 plus exam.This suggests to me they are streamed.If you look on the curriculum section of mathematics as an example it says pupils are taught in year groups in year 7 but are then streamed in year 8 into 5 groups based on their ability in the subject.From year 9 they are placed in three general ability sets.I have not gone onto the curriculums for the other subjects.

There is on the website a copy of a year 7 presentation to parents.If you look at the GCSE options booklet I know it is a bit early but you will see the school enters its pupils for 11 GCSEs unless they do combined science.Both RE and computer studies are compulsory interestingly a foreign language is not.There is an outstanding Ofsted report from January 2017 the only recommendation being to improve on English within the school.The Maths, Sciences and foreign languages were highly commended.

At my dd's school they generally do 10 GCSE's so at HGS they are being generally doing an extra one to them but for them a foreign language is compulsory.

I would suggest you regularly trawl through the website to gain a deeper understanding of the school there is so much information on there.This is something I do in respect of my youngest dd's school as they regularly put information on the site.

There is no need to be anxious your son is in an excellent school with a dedicated headteacher and teachers.

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In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Abraham Lincoln

thank you all for your reply
is any one in this forum whose dd is in yr 8 in HGS

Do you mean someone whose son is in year 8 at HGS? Mine is and there are a number of others on the forum too.

My son is in year 8 at HGS. So tired because he went to the prizegiving event tonight.