Loughborough Grammar school

[Mumofboysandgirl]

Hi,
Can people let me know the good, the bad and the ugly about the school? We are commutable but not local so don’t have family or friends there. Went to a scaled down open day because of covid and liked but would still like some views please. Eldest has a place but awaiting state places soon also and then will decide.

Also, any thoughts on SEND provision there for neurodiverse as we may have one of those in the mix and finally other kids bright but may not in the same brainiac camp as first- how bright do they have to be to get a place here? Eldest sails through everything but have to think about the others!...
thanks

[Lboro]

No personal experience, but I know a little about this school, as I know quite a lot of parents who send/have sent their kids there. My dd also knows quite a few kids there. Have name changed, as I don't wish to out myself.

Some parents seem very happy with the school, and their kids have done well. Others have been much less happy, and have chosen to send younger siblings to local state schools instead.

I don't think it's hard to get in at all. Quite a few kids from dd's state primary did the test, and all of them were admitted, including some who were average at best. I have no idea how well they deal with SEN or neurodiversity, I'm afraid.

Teenage dd tells me that there are lots of rumours among young people locally about the school having a bad drug culture. I don't know if this is true. If it is, it doesn't appear to have affected any of the kids I know personally, but we do know of one boy who went badly off the rails after moving to the school - total personality change, and not in the way that his parents were hoping for. That might have happened anyway, of course. I don't think the drug thing (if true) would necessarily affect a quiet, studious type, but perhaps more of a concern to investigate if your child is on the more outgoing "cool" end of the spectrum.

Another thing to be aware of is that there have been allegations of racist bullying at the school, and about such issues being very poorly handled. Again, I don't know the full facts, but that would definitely be a concern for me. You can find out more about this if you Google it, as it was featured in the local press.

As for the kids I know who are actually at the school, most of them seem to be doing well academically, but a lot of them are the type who would have done well anywhere. They don't come across as particularly confident, articulate or cultured - no different from lots of other teenage boys tbh. Personally, I don't really understand what it is that parents are paying for, but as I said, some of them seem happy enough.

I have heard slightly more positive things about the girls high school (or at least, fewer negative things!), though a lot of the girls that dd knows there seem very keen to transfer to the local college in the sixth form. We could have sent dd to the high school, but after researching all the options and visiting the school, talking to other parents etc, we didn't really think it was worth the investment.

[Mumofboysandgirl]

Thank you. Interesting to hear.

[Mumofboysandgirl]

Bump

[SimonJT]

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-leicestershire-53064061

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-england-leicestershire-52980586

[Mumofboysandgirl]

Horrific. Thank you for highlighting these

[Tausret]

I think the fact that you have 'no personal experience' should be the only comment you can make - all you are doing is passing in rumour and hearsay. I have children at both the Grammar and the High school, and from my position of actual knowledge, I would like to say that both schools are excellent. We believe the schools provide a great environment, both academically and pastorally

[Daisy1812]

High School is a truly awful place, couldn’t care less about the individual. The promotional video is laughable.

Weak leadership and pastoral care are nasty bullies who don’t know the meaning of their job title.

Avoid like the plague!

[Daisy1812]

Bump

[ExLGS]

A long time ago now (I left Loughborough Grammar School in 1983) but a number of fellow boarding pupils and I were "examined" by this man a number of times under the guise of it being nothing more than a checkup.

I'm absolutely convinced that at least some of his "procedures" were pure self-gratification and had nothing to do with medical necessity.

Of course no one actually checked what he was doing and no one from the school has ever mentioned it since. It's all been brushed under the carpet.

https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1516667.stm