Watford Grammar Girls (Admission Vs Academic Performance)

[roselyn]

Hi All
Could anyone whose DD goes to WGGS or knows about WGGS performance please enlighten me about the following -

I could see WGGS has 117 community places & 63 specialist places (academic/music ability) , my understanding is all these community places are allocated based on catchment, siblings, staff kids etc., (i.e, Not through academic ability), and some for Music aptitude test, probably only around 45 places based on academic ?

How come they are able to produce good academic result similar to fully selective school. eg., A levels 2014 result - %A*AB in WGGS is 82.18% (Partially Selective), whereas it is 80.21% in Dr Challoners and Wallington Girls - 80.08% (fully selective ones) , this makes me think probably my understanding is not correct. Please correct me.
I didnt get a chance to see their GCSE performance yet.

Is there any cull happening after GCSE ?

[Guest55]

Bucks GS have lots of new entrants at sixth form so they are not fully selective at that stage.

[loopylou]

Students who take A Levels at a selective or partially selective school are not always the same students who entered that school in Year 7.
All schools, even non selective schools, have entry requirements for their 6th form and the vast majority also accept new pupils (of the right calibre) at that stage. There is some degree of culling at all schools in the sense that a pupil will not be allowed to sit A Levels in subjects they did badly in at GCSE.

[roselyn]

Thanks Guest55, loopylou,
That really helps to understand about the league tables.

[Daogroupie]

If you look at the league tables you will see that other partially selective school such as Parmiters, DAO and Watford boys also do the same and do better than some fully selective schools. DG

[Guest55]

DG - but that is the point - they are not fully selective in the sixth form. Some Bucks GS only ask for grade Bs at GCSE which is the same as the non-selective Upper (Secondary Modern) schools.

[Mgnmum]

although there is a cull at A level it is only those who get <5 GCSE A-C, and those numbers are small at WGSG. Yes it is partially selective but having met some of the dd in my daughter's class the academic standard of the majority who get 'community' places is as high as those who get in on academic criteria. My dd is about to enter year 8, of her close group of 5 friends she is the only one who got a place via the academic route, however the other 5 all sat the test, all scored higher than she did, 1 got in via music, 1 on distance and the other 3 had siblings in the school but took the test anyway.
It is made very clear at the open evenings that girls are expected to work very hard to maintain academic standards however they entered the school and I expect any child not meeting the work ethic ( as long as they work hard they are very supported, whatever their ability) is questioned as to whether it is the correct school for them.