Ranking Open Days

[KKK]

On the basis that all you have to go by when making a decision on GS is the results of schools and the open day (assuming you don't really care too much about travel) I thought it would be good to see how others are ranking these schools just purely on what they thought on the day.

To be clear I'm looking at 2 specific things - the heads speech and the feeling / culture you saw when going around the school...(Btw I only went to the mixed or boys schools, but if you also went to the girls schools please do post your rankings as well).

Heads Speech
1. Pates
2. All the others (STR, Marlings, Crypt)

The head at Pates clearly is a very polished speaker but he also seemed very genuine. I think the other 3 should go and watch his speech and see how he carries himself, they could probably learn a lot, as I thought all the other 3 were just not very good. I couldn't feel any passion or enthusiasm from them. It felt they just were reading from a script.

Feeling / Culture
1. STR & Marlings
3. Pates
4. Crypt

I was blown away by the 2 boys schools in terms of how calm the boys were, they all went about their business with virtually no screaming or shouting or swearing and they all seemed very happy. I left both in the thought I can see my son growing into a young man in these schools.
In Pates the feeling and culture seemed to be about being creative and having fun, whilst that was really good, it did at times slightly become chaotic, a little bit like organised chaos / a mad scientist. But still this was a positive experience.
Now Crypt, what can I say it was the complete opposite of STR & Marlings, I was not impressed at all by the culture, I felt there was a lot of screaming and shouting and a lot of disorganisation. It felt really behind the other 3.

Anyways this my thoughts, I'd being interested in what others thought. As in the end the open day swayed it for us to select STR.

[authormum]

I know you said your two points are culture and results, but I wanted to throw in another consideration too and that’s the curriculum. There are notable differences between what schools teach in Y7 and it’s worthing knowing that too when choosing.

[Brackenboo]

We have a girl and some of this is based on last year..

Crypt: Liked that the head seemed caring, the children talking were very positive and it was kept short. Especially helpful when you have a younger sibling in tow. I liked that 3 of the children that spoke were local to Gloucester and that the school seems committed to the local community and area. I would prefer a school where pupils are more local to enable better friendships, after school opportunities etc.

Ribston: Really liked the head and the feel of the school, the girls and teachers we spoke to were friendly and I liked that younger children showed us round as it was more helpful getting an idea of the settling in etc.

Denmark: Felt like it went on forever, and although the girl who showed us round was very nice, she was a 6th former, so was a bit removed from Y7 and how it felt in the early stages. The talk was very much about results, and although I obviously want my daughter to do well academically it isn't everything.

In terms of curriculum, I've heard of children who have left DR as they want to do Dance and have then joined Ribston instead. My only worry with a co-ed is that my DD enjoys textiles, but I know if she has a passion for this it's something we can equally develop at home.

[Phoenix-Mum]

For me, the Ribston Head wins hands down over the other schools we have visited.
She seems genuine and enthusiastic, the deputy head also gave me this impression.
My daughter took her 11+ test at Ribston, and the Head was at the door, dressed down in jeans/t-shirt, welcoming them in with great care.

We went to the Crypt open evening last night, the speech was very long and he basically read us the entire prospectus, nothing really came from him it felt.

[Brackenboo]

For me, the Ribston Head wins hands down over the other schools we have visited.
She seems genuine and enthusiastic, the deputy head also gave me this impression.
My daughter took her 11+ test at Ribston, and the Head was at the door, dressed down in jeans/t-shirt, welcoming them in with great care.

We went to the Crypt open evening last night, the speech was very long and he basically read us the entire prospectus, nothing really came from him it felt.

She comes across very well and friendly. I'm not basing it so much on the head as at the end of the day they will probably interact little with them, and I don't know how long they tend to stay in jobs. Ribston is definitely our first choice if we go all girls, but I'm swayed by co-ed. Hopefully by this time next week we will have made a decision.

[Phoenix-Mum]

For me, the Ribston Head wins hands down over the other schools we have visited.
She seems genuine and enthusiastic, the deputy head also gave me this impression.
My daughter took her 11+ test at Ribston, and the Head was at the door, dressed down in jeans/t-shirt, welcoming them in with great care.

We went to the Crypt open evening last night, the speech was very long and he basically read us the entire prospectus, nothing really came from him it felt.

She comes across very well and friendly. I'm not basing it so much on the head as at the end of the day they will probably interact little with them, and I don't know how long they tend to stay in jobs. Ribston is definitely our first choice if we go all girls, but I'm swayed by co-ed. Hopefully by this time next week we will have made a decision.

My mum works in a secondary school, and I know that the head can make a huge difference to the rest of the school/teaching.
If the co-ed was guaranteed 50/50 (ish) I think we would be more keen. But less than 40 girls this year, I would worry about my daughter finding 'her group' amongst them.

[jearund]

We've just come back from one of the extra Crypt open days, and visited Tommies this morning. We are now even more confused than ever!
The children who showed us round were in both cases Year 7s and were a credit to the schools.
There wasn't a Head's talk at Tommies but the lady who welcomed us was nice and gave us the chance to ask questions. We went to a Crypt open day last year and it was very busy and chaotic as KKK describes but that was due to the very large volume of visitors. This was much smaller and quieter and we got a better feel for the school. The Head was nice and said he wasn't going to do the long speech he'd done the day before!
I personally preferred Crypt because it seemed a more relaxed atmosphere and I like the fact that there are girls there too. DS (who is very shy) didn't want to visit either of them - he obviously finds these situations stressful. He was ok while we looked round Tommies but came out saying he wanted Crypt. Then at Crypt he got quite upset (I could see he was trying not to cry) because I drew attention to him by asking him a question. When we came out he said he wanted Tommies! We're waiting until he's regrouped because we want a proper reason. Last time he went to Crypt for his taster day he really liked it. But he says he only saw 2 classrooms then and now he's seen the whole school he doesn't like it. He also thought he'd get a better education at Tommies (I think that might be the perceived ranking of schools much discussed on this forum).
I don't really mind which he goes to, as long as he is happy. He is such a sensitive soul!
So right now I have no idea which we're going to pick......