Students at both schools were told on Friday about changes to the sixth form. Marling and Stroud High are, it seems, planning on having separate co-ed sixth forms. I was just wondering why? Any ideas? Won't they be in direct competition with each other? Wasn't the system at Downfield working?

It seems a shame doesn’t it...the fully co ed nature of the sixth form was something we liked and my dd has settled in well.
She said they were told the sixth form is so big now it is getting difficult to accommodate in its current form and difficult to find space at times. I think Marling might build a seperate sixth form block...dd spends most of her time at Marling at the moment due to her subject choices...and is really quite happy with that situation....

I think it'll be due to one of two reasons: money or academic results.

Make that one. Same thing these days I fear.

It could be about internal control. For instance, say there's a subject where the modules taught are split between teachers from both schools. On analysis, the management of one school can see that the modules taught by the staff from the other school are not getting as high a result as the ones taught by their own member of staff. It would be quite hard to put measures in place to improve the results - apart from requesting something be done.

It could also be down to general ethos. Both schools want their pupils to excel at A level, but there are different 'house styles' to teaching and behaviour. Take uniform - I always got the feeling that Marling wanted a strict uniform policy for 6th form, but SHS was slightly more relaxed.

It will be interesting to see how less popular subjects are taught - if both schools will share them as they do at the moment, or if one of the schools just doesn't offer that course.

I suspect that there's also an element of efficiency in there from staff planning - it's easier to write a timetable for your own staff than having to fit in with the other school as well.

Do keep us informed!

And is it really that long since your appeal, Monkeymouse!

_________________
Capers

We are very sad about this.. the letters from both schools are almost identical but with a a subtle difference in the paragraph on implementation, I would post pictures of both if I could but don't think it's possible here. As has already been stated various reasons have been given, but in essence we also think it's about money and results. Interestingly Both my DC seemed to think that 5 subjects would be affected from this coming September.
(Think they mentioned sociology, physchology, biology, and a couple of others)

It is a big shame, and we have many reservations

I thought it was a consultation - so parents & pupils need to feedback their views & make them heard...

I do think it's a shame - the truly co-ed nature was very appealing to us - rather than other Glos grammar schools (except Pates) where there are just a few pupils of the opposite sex.

I'm not an expert in the progress 8 measures - but I think when I looked the 6th form results didn't seem to have the same progress as from yr 7 - 11 so I wonder if that has something to do with it....

'Downfield' sixth form is not fully co-ed at the moment. Sixth form girls belong to Stroud High and take part in House activities, and House families, as part of the school. There are no boys involved in these things. If SHS were to have its own sixth-form, boys would be part of Stroud High (they are currently all part of Marling) and surely that would make it more co-ed, not less.

Just asked my son, he's in lower 6th at Tommies. He reckons it's 45% girls 55% boys. Although that might be a perception thing...

I think that is about right; Tommies has a huge influx of girls in Y12 who are largely responsible for doubling the size of the year group. Conversely, however, I think there are very few boys relative to girls in the girls' grammar schools at sixth form.