KES or CHB

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TNG
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 10:21 pm

KES or CHB

Post by TNG »

As no one else has posted this yet and it's a personal dilemma I will do it

Son no1 is at KES, at the time of admission we lived too far from CHB to consider it
Son no 2 now has a CHB offer and a KES offer and we've moved in the meantime

I'm not convinced about IB in preference to A levels and the fees aren't cheap so in a quandary and have a week to decide
Son asked and as most friends going to KES that's his comment

What to do?
Natalie74
Posts: 175
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:10 pm

Re: KES or CHB

Post by Natalie74 »

Lucky you having the best of both worlds hey, think most would love to have your dilemma lol. Many congratulations to you. I have a feeling this may have been bought up in previous posts - you could try doing a search. Also other people have advised other parents in similar situations to revisit both schools. Your son also could choose to go to 6th form elsewhere so he can have an education at KES but do A levels somewhere else. HTH. X
Okanagan
Posts: 1706
Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:20 pm
Location: Warwickshire

Re: KES or CHB

Post by Okanagan »

A few previous threads on similar topics:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 11&t=31273" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 11&t=28672" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 11&t=24659" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
WindowGlass
Posts: 163
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 12:59 pm
Location: West Midlands

Re: KES or CHB

Post by WindowGlass »

Hi
For me it's got to depend on the child. Not that I think the child should decide, but as adults, parents, considering all our experience over that of our DS and his lack of, the characteristocsr we observe in him... I think we're in a good place to weigh up his viewpoint, our insight into his abilities and the schools' attributes.

We were fortunate to have diarised some of why we were seeking places in the schools we did, and what we thought of them. In recent weeks it's been good to reflect on those notes and remind ourselves why we are in this game at all. It puts some sense and perspective into the whole matter.

I'd say, ask yourself why you chose these two schools above any other, and which seems most suitable for him.

None of us can see the future clearly, but you probably have an inkling of where this could be going, given the past. You also probably know what you want for him - is this just, fair, realistic, and does the school support that dream?


This isn't advice though, just sharing my thoughts and recent experiences. It might just be of help, which is what this forum is: a meeting place of people similarly thrown into this helterskelter of a thing called education.
HappyRobot
Posts: 227
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 12:02 am

Re: KES or CHB

Post by HappyRobot »

If you have the offer, go and look at the schools in the day with your DS. We did that last year and it made our minds up.
um
Posts: 2378
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 1:06 pm
Location: Birmingham

Re: KES or CHB

Post by um »

Many parents have had the KES/CHB decision over the years but this has an added dimension in that you already have a ds at KES.

Presumably, when you sent him, you may have planned/thought that the second ds may go too?

I am not sure how close they are in age, or how they both feel about being separated. For me, my boys are almost exactly 2 years apart, share a room, and are very close (despite that not always being apparent :roll: ) so I am so very grateful that they are at school (CHB) together and have the same teachers for many subjects, same experiences, syllabus, trips, are in the same school house, etc.

I'm not sure how it would feel to have had one in Indie and one in Grammar....or how they would have felt about it, both immediately and in the future when they are grown up. When it comes to mine, I am afraid to say there would have been a few chips on one or the other's shoulder as clearly one school is £10K and the other is free!
But then it really does depend on their ages as if there's quite an age difference it will be less of an issue than if they are close in age.
Being fair and just - and being seen to be fair and just - with children, is an incredibly important thing to do.
However, I am thinking of sending ds4 to Indie and that has not had the same impact - both older boys are encouraging me to do this - as he's a more sensitive child, they are both quite protective of him, and there is a bigger age difference so the relationship is different.
Thegodfather
Posts: 178
Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2013 2:26 pm

Re: KES or CHB

Post by Thegodfather »

We have a similar dilemma. DS1 is in a state school (not CH) and DS2 has the choice KES/CH. From what you suggest the fees are an issue and you are not keen on IB- might it be the case that your older boy could join a grammar school sixth form to do A levels? Then taking up the CH place for your youngest is a sensible move.

Really depends on the child and also family income. We are extremely lucky and can take the money issues out of our equation and simply look at what the schools could offer our son. For our oldest the best school for him, his skills and abilities just happened to be free. We did have lots of discussions about the bigger class sizes etc. but at the end of the day he really wanted to go there and it is perfect for him. If fees are an issue then you really have to consider what you are signing up for. Two boys in a private school is 24K a year. Is the experience of the school worth 12K a year for your son or could the extras be supplied outside of school for less cost.

We have decided on KES because we think it is best suited for our son. We are not that keen on the IB but we think 5 years at KES is a fantastic prospect and if the IB is still being offered in sixth form we will reconsider then. We don’t actually think doing the IB would be an issue for him its just whether he would want to specialise more than the IB could offer. We decided against CH because DS2 is lazy and we are concerned that he may not do well in such a competitive environment. He is a do little in lessons and pull it out of the bag for exams type of boy. This really irritates his teachers and I think this might be worse at CH. I also think this approach would have him at the bottom of the year at CH. I know that KES is also very academic but I think all the extras there will help raise his general enthusiasm for school work. I am really trying to drum into him that he must work harder in lessons and I have high hopes that the experience of joining secondary school should help develop his maturity.
Bubbles44
Posts: 110
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2012 12:45 am

Re: KES or CHB

Post by Bubbles44 »

Good advice Thegodfather!!! :D I'm glad you've finally decided which school to send your son to. We visited KEHS on Monday and both myself and my daughter loved it, but we have decided not to make our final decision until after our visit to CHG on Monday. We were hoping to visit CHG this week to help speed up the decision-making, which is stressing me out, but unfortunately they were unable to fit us in. :(

TNG - I agree with HappyRobot. I think you should try and visit both schools again, with your son, and then go with your gut feeling. That is what we have decided to do. Good luck!!!
moseleymum
Posts: 659
Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2008 8:59 pm

Re: KES or CHB

Post by moseleymum »

Bubbles44 wrote:Good advice Thegodfather!!! :D I'm glad you've finally decided which school to send your son to. We visited KEHS on Monday and both myself and my daughter loved it, but we have decided not to make our final decision until after our visit to CHG on Monday. We were hoping to visit CHG this week to help speed up the decision-making, which is stressing me out, but unfortunately they were unable to fit us in. :(

TNG - I agree with HappyRobot. I think you should try and visit both schools again, with your son, and then go with your gut feeling. That is what we have decided to do. Good luck!!!
From what I remember (from last year) CHG didn't arrange individual appointments after results, but they did have a "group" meeting for all those given places to help them decide. This included a speech, q and a session and another tour around the school. It was this meeting that made our decision firm.
80's girl
Posts: 112
Joined: Mon May 26, 2008 9:53 pm

Re: KES or CHB

Post by 80's girl »

Seems they are this year, as my ds's letter states they are offering appointments with Mr Rodden for half an hour per family on specified dates on a first come first served basis.
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