QE Barnet or Reading Boys??

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11nuts
Posts: 129
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2012 11:07 am

Re: QE Barnet or Reading Boys??

Post by 11nuts »

Do people seriously consider up routing for the sake of a school?

What about you and your partner's families?
What about work?
How do you know the move will not disturb or disappoint?

..and then the questions no-one likes:
What happens if your son does not like QE?
What if can not cope with the work, there is a lot!
Siblings, what if they pass the reading test are you moving back?

My son is at QE, 6th form. We currently have 3 private tutors for him which each cost £50ph because that is the level of help he requires. He passed the original test comfortably but in order not to be in the lower 25% for the A level cull.
anotherdad
Posts: 1763
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:33 pm

Re: QE Barnet or Reading Boys??

Post by anotherdad »

That’s terrible. I’m sorry you have to do that. I would run a mile from QE, knowing that. "A level cull" is just not something that any decent school should have. What are they afraid of?
thisisnuts
Posts: 797
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:23 am

Re: QE Barnet or Reading Boys??

Post by thisisnuts »

My understanding is that many schools set minimum "requirements" before allowing a subject to be taken at A' Level. Its just that these are usually based on GCSE scores rather than internal testing.
mitasol
Posts: 2756
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:59 am

Re: QE Barnet or Reading Boys??

Post by mitasol »

anotherdad wrote:That’s terrible. I’m sorry you have to do that. I would run a mile from QE, knowing that. "A level cull" is just not something that any decent school should have. What are they afraid of?
Please try not to use inflammatory language. The QE sixth form has less places than the main school so not all pupils can proceed to A levels.
streathammum
Posts: 1252
Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2016 6:02 pm

Re: QE Barnet or Reading Boys??

Post by streathammum »

You say "without a doubt QE" but unless you have children in both, and also know the OP personally, I think that's quite a bold statement. What suits one child won't suit them all and Reading Boys has an excellent reputation.

OP, consider the following:

* Your score is borderline for QE so if you put it top of your form you might or might not get an offer on offer day
* It would therefore be risky to move to Barnet now in the hope of getting a place - you might end up being offered a school near your current home in Reading
* But if you are offered QE on offer day or from the waiting list you will only have a couple of months to move home - is that feasible?

It looks to me as though you should ditch the idea of QE and focus on Reading Boys and have a back-up school in Reading for the bottom of your CAF.
anotherdad
Posts: 1763
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:33 pm

Re: QE Barnet or Reading Boys??

Post by anotherdad »

mitasol wrote:
anotherdad wrote:That’s terrible. I’m sorry you have to do that. I would run a mile from QE, knowing that. "A level cull" is just not something that any decent school should have. What are they afraid of?
Please try not to use inflammatory language. The QE sixth form has less places than the main school so not all pupils can proceed to A levels.
I’m sorry, you misunderstood me. 11nuts’ son is already in the sixth form and still has tutors, fearing “the cull”. I inferred from their post that there is a cull during sixth form as well. I thought that was worthy of comment but will refrain from anything that might been seen as criticism of QE, which seems to have some sort of protected status.

I shall duck out.
nyr
Posts: 1166
Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:39 am

Re: QE Barnet or Reading Boys??

Post by nyr »

11nuts, your recent comments about QE have been rather obviously negative and I note that you started a thread with very scathing comments shortly before the CAF submission deadline a few years ago. That thread in particular attracted a lot of attention. I am aware that your son has a very borderline 11+ score, his place being dependent on others rejecting the school, and this may be why you are taking a dim view of the school. Despite this, would it be possible for you to reflect on why, with your wealth of experience, you still have QE as your first choice?
Jean.Brodie
Posts: 451
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2012 6:55 pm

Re: QE Barnet or Reading Boys??

Post by Jean.Brodie »

anotherdad wrote:
mitasol wrote:
anotherdad wrote:That’s terrible. I’m sorry you have to do that. I would run a mile from QE, knowing that. "A level cull" is just not something that any decent school should have. What are they afraid of?
Please try not to use inflammatory language. The QE sixth form has less places than the main school so not all pupils can proceed to A levels.
I’m sorry, you misunderstood me. 11nuts’ son is already in the sixth form and still has tutors, fearing “the cull”. I inferred from their post that there is a cull during sixth form as well. I thought that was worthy of comment but will refrain from anything that might been seen as criticism of QE, which seems to have some sort of protected status.

I shall duck out.
mitasol, your reason for your admonition is strange: the smaller size of Sixth Form is no accident - it's an intended consequence of the 'culling' policy!
Jean.Brodie
Posts: 451
Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2012 6:55 pm

Re: QE Barnet or Reading Boys??

Post by Jean.Brodie »

wasabi1 wrote:I am in the same position this year, my ds got 229 in QE and 111.67 in Reading boys, not very great scores and not clear which one he will get. I am currently in reading and am willing to move to Barnet if I get convinced that QE is better than Reading, however I am hearing arguments from both sides and they all seem very persuasive.

How does QE compare to Reading in the current year and last few years ?
Hi wasabi1! What is your feeling now, after all these comments?

Why did you put your son forward for the QE Boys' exam in the first place? Has anything changed?

I know it's a hard decision so good luck with it! I'm sure that, whatever you decide, you'll want the best for your son.
mitasol
Posts: 2756
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:59 am

Re: QE Barnet or Reading Boys??

Post by mitasol »

mitasol, your reason for your admonition is strange: the smaller size of Sixth Form is no accident - it's an intended consequence of the 'culling' policy!
I’m not disputing facts just requesting temperate language when discussing QE. The fact that QE do not have a formal entry point for external applicants to sixth form is also relevant.
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