Visiting HSFG

[cheltenhammum]

I have just had a rather surprising phone conversation with HSFG, and just wanted to check whether it tallied with the experience of others.

I have a daughter in Year 5. She will take the grammar school test - because we previously visited Pates when her older brother was at the same stage, and know that if she were to get in there, it would be a fabulous school for her.

However, we are undecided whether to share results with any Gloucester grammars. For DS, we visited them (I visited on a normal school day, DS and his dad on open days) and based our decision to share with 1 but not another on our opinion following those visits.

I am a very strong believer in the value of seeing a school on a normal school day, rather than an open day. As a teacher, the days that I can visit a school are very limited - since this week I have half term offset from most Gloucestershire schools, i thought it would be an ideal time to ring and make an appointment.

So I rang, and they said 'no, we don't do visits. You can come on 1 day in July'. I can't go that day - I'm teaching, and anyway I want to see the school in session, not on a 'show' open day. I have never had this experience before - I saw all the schools I was interested in for DS on normal school days with no issue or question whatever, in fact 1 school did me a special 'solo' tour because I could only make a particular day.

Is this new? Is it normal? Am I being unreasonable???

[Stressed?Moi?]

I too think the mass meets and show arounds by pupils are a waste of time. My DD did a show around when she had just joined her school as a year 7 and got hopelessly lost. She also wasn't able to answer many questions as she had only been there a matter of days herself. However I think individual show arounds would be a logistical nightmare for a school, especially when the decision on what school the parents will be selecting is a year away. Also, a year in a school life is a long time (head could leave for example) and I think waiting until closer to the decision time is a good idea. Hope you get things sorted.

I have just had a rather surprising phone conversation with HSFG, and just wanted to check whether it tallied with the experience of others.

I have a daughter in Year 5. She will take the grammar school test - because we previously visited Pates when her older brother was at the same stage, and know that if she were to get in there, it would be a fabulous school for her.

However, we are undecided whether to share results with any Gloucester grammars. For DS, we visited them (I visited on a normal school day, DS and his dad on open days) and based our decision to share with 1 but not another on our opinion following those visits.

I am a very strong believer in the value of seeing a school on a normal school day, rather than an open day. As a teacher, the days that I can visit a school are very limited - since this week I have half term offset from most Gloucestershire schools, i thought it would be an ideal time to ring and make an appointment.

So I rang, and they said 'no, we don't do visits. You can come on 1 day in July'. I can't go that day - I'm teaching, and anyway I want to see the school in session, not on a 'show' open day. I have never had this experience before - I saw all the schools I was interested in for DS on normal school days with no issue or question whatever, in fact 1 school did me a special 'solo' tour because I could only make a particular day.

Is this new? Is it normal? Am I being unreasonable???

[cheltenhammum]

Stressed,

I understand that this is a long way in advance - but this school year there are 5 days on which I can visit a school during a school day, and 4 of them are this week. So it really is a choice of 'see it now - or not at all'.

Every other school - primary, senior, grammar, comprehensive - that I have ever visited has run regular visits throughout the school year. I was expecting a conversation along the lines of 'oh, Wednesdays are our visit days, can you be here for 10?' [as I have had with other similar schools in the past], not 'well it's 2nd July or nothing'...

[EmeraldE]

Perhaps an e-mail to the head explaining this situation would help?

[dr.watson]

I too think the mass meets and show arounds by pupils are a waste of time.

If all prospective parents are given a chance and start coming to school for an hours private tour, then do the teachers and students have bandwidth to show them around from their classroom hours? Highly unlikely.

But I do agree that they sounded bit rude to me.

[Stressed?Moi?]

If all prospective parents are given a chance and start coming to school for an hours private tour, then do the teachers and students have bandwidth to show them around from their classroom hours? Highly unlikely.

The rest of my post agrees with what you are saying.

But I do agree that they sounded bit rude to me.[/quote]

I remember someone on here last time saying they had met with a bit of an attitude there. I guess it's a good school and they can afford to be it a bit take-it-or-leave it attitude. I personally found them OKish when we looked around there. DD didn't qualify so wasn't an issue - may have been though if we had to make the choice.

[DC17C]

This sort of stuffy, unwelcoming attitude was the reason my DD decided on Ribston instead of HSFG - having passed for both schools.

[Olliecat]

Apologies upfront if this response sounds defensive ....but I have a DD in Year 8 and another DD who (fingers crossed) will be joining next September so I do have a favourable bias towards the school....

I think that is is worth highlighting that the school does have a number of open days 'during normal working day's' and open evenings during the year which should make it accessible for the majority of potential parents and students ...and they certainly make a big effort to show the school at it's best. I know you have probably looked into those but thought it was worth flagging to the wider audience. Yes, they can be glossy events but I would rather have the option of seeing the whole school, talking to the teachers and having access to coursework, as well as openly questioning current students rather than creeping in and out of lessons on a solo tour.

I can see that you are restricted in terms of the days you can visit, but maybe if you attend one of the evening visits and then follow it up with a request to see the school again during the day, they may be more receptive. They are a very popular school, so probably don't feel the need to be too accommodating given they have just had a run of open days and evenings in the last few weeks. I think even Pates discourage one off visits

I also think a key issue is that you are a year early.....I have just confirmed with my DD that the school has being doing ad hoc visits recently in between the communication of scores and the deadline for the CAF completion so maybe they would be more welcoming when you are in a better position to decide.

That said, the school can come across as quite formal, but the girls know where they stand .....which I think works, but others will not like...

[bananabrain]

I agree Olliecat! I have been to both an open evening and day visit to HSFG, plus attended some of their school concerts/plays and have always found the school to be very welcoming and warm; hence hoping that my DD gets it as her first choice!
I also work with at least 15 students from that school and feel that they stand out in their manners and tendency to stay young for longer rather than grow up too quickly.
Each to their own!