Alderley Edge School for girls

[Cloud144]

I am looking at Alderley Edge school for girls and other Independent schools in South Manchester for my DD who will start in Juniors. I am finding it minefield in deciding where she will flourish both socially and academically.
I have heard that Alderley edge for Girls is not very academic however on my visit seems to have a good working ethos.
Does anybody have any recent experiences of the school they can advice on? I do want my DD to have the choice of moving to a different school at 11 so I am concerned that she may not be academically equipped to make that change. Also is it very Cheshire blingy?
Are there any recommendations on other schools?
Does anybody have any experience of Moor Allerton in didsbury?

[Inkymess]

AESG has that reputation even if people deny it; I've only ever heard that it's lovely but not very pushy academically. MA has had reputation as other extreme. These schools are a big distance from each other - up to 50 mins in rush hour sat in traffic. Most DD at both schools will be pretty local so surely it depends where you live? No one in their right mind in Didsbury would travel to AESG and vice versa. If you live in the middle there are loads of options.

[Cloud144]

We pretty much live in the middle, so we are considering a fair few. Ladybarn house is another school that we have considered however they seem to have no spaces everytime we call.
The prep schools that seem to have a pushy reputation do give the children the option to attend the highly selective schools i.e. which I would want my DD to have that option. I am concerned that the schools that have a secondary school don't have any incentive for the children to pass other school entrance exams. Does anybody have any experience of attending any of these schools and then later moved to either Manchester High at year 7?
Back to AESG it had a lovely nurturing atmosphere for girls and I have been told that the new head is the deputy head from MHSG and she promises to give it the same reputation as MHSG.

[Inkymess]

What age? Ladybarn is the one people really seem to rave about but MA will prep for the selectively - depends which secondary you want. Cheadle Hulme and Stockport Grammar are worth a look, or the preps in Altrincham? What about Withington Girls juniors? They have school buses

[Cloud144]

My DD is age 7 I think she may be too young for a school bus but Thankyou for that Inkmess it is worth knowing. I will go and see the other two you have suggested but did want to send them to one that didn't have a secondary so that the choice of secondary could be made later.
Does anybody have any experience of sending their children to schools where a secondary is attached? Do you have to do your own prep if they want to sit other school exams? Are they all similar tests and standards? Is the 11+ for grammar schools also a very different exam?

[Inkymess]

There are lots of threads about Trafford Grammars that will help you re prep for the likes of Alty girls grammar. I know lots of people who use private preps such as Withy girls, MHSG, SHS and CHS, St Bedes as they prep them for their own secondary schools...in effect choosing the secondary and then gearing child up for it

[Inkymess]

At SGS and Withy etc I don't think it's unusual for primary kids to get the buses

[namechangedtoday15]

This is only 2nd hand experience of Alderley Edge, I don’t know MA at all. I only know girls that have gone there part way through juniors to avoid the whole stress of Year 5 / preparation for the entrance exams (we are in Trafford) perhaps on the basis that the whole tutoring / prep process wasn't right for them, and one girl who will be going in Sept – who didn’t sit any of the entrance exams (and wasn’t prepped) because she was unlikely to pass. I'd guess therefore (given these girls have passed the AE exam) that its very different to the entrance exams for Sale / Altrincham Grammar.

Only my view but if you are aiming for the likes of Manchester High or Withington (or the state grammars), it might not be “pushy” enough.

[Inkymess]

I'd look up old threads on AESG too and also really do consider traffic if driving. I'd start with the secondary school you want and find out where all the girls come from

[Cloud144]

Thankyou for the advice Inkymess and name changed today15.
My preference would be to get my DD into Allty Girls and then MHSG for secondary and like you suggested Inkymess I probably have to work backwards to see where the intake of children is coming from. However for Alty girls the Trafford grammar schools do prep but they are too far from Cheadle and in the opposite direction to where I work.
Namechangedtoday15 - It's interesting to know that girls have gone there part way through juniors to avoid the entrance exams.
What would be interesting to know is what these girls post leaving AESG go onto do in there careers, high pressure exams environment is not for everybody I guess surely these students at an independent school must go on to have great careers. Something you don't get to see from league tables. Sorry I know I have kind off gone on a tangent here.

[namechangedtoday15]

Not sure what you mean when you say "Alty girls then MHGS for secondary" - Alty Girls is secondary?!

Yes, parents do think if their children are unlikely to pass the Trafford entrance exams, they don't want them to feel inferior or less capable so move them to the likes of AE before all the hype starts.

[Cloud144]

Yes sorry meant to write Alty or MHSG.

[Cloud144]

Is there anybody who can comment on first hand experience on the following schools, AESG, Wilmslow prep, CHS for the junior section?

[Inkymess]

If you are in Cheadle Alty Grammar would be a fair trek and the distance would effect changes of getting in?? I personally be heading to Stockport Grammar from there. MA or Withy girls are closer

[Cloud144]

Thankyou Inkymess for your advice,going to see more schools hopefully the decision will become easier. It's proving such a difficult decision at the moment.

[namechangedtoday15]

FWIW one of my DS' friends come to Altrincham from Cheadle - I'm not sure whereabouts in Cheadle - the girl is dropped at Altrincham Girls and the boy goes to my DC primary school close by. The Mum says it takes anywhere between 40 minutes and 1.5 hours.

[WoodleyPixie]

My cousin has just left Stockport grammar for university. She did exceptionally well at GCSEs and a levels and judging by her Facebook and Instagram has an amazing social life and network of friends.

[Cloud144]

I am not too concerned about the travel from Cheadle to Altrincham when they are at secondary school, my neice used to catch the school bus that went through Heald Green to Alty Girls but a 40-1.5 commute would be almost impossible at primary age.
Woodleypixie- It's useful getting first had comments about the local independent schools, information you can't get from league tables. I want my DD to experience a great learning environment however social experience are is also a major requirement.

[Inkymess]

The comute is horses for courses. Mine have a ten min walk to school and will do for high school. This means after school activities and meet ups with friends are a doddle. They have a fantastic local network. I can not imagine any child, even at high school, having an hours ave commute each way in traffic, but plenty seem to. If it's Alty grammar you are after, why not move closer - lots do

[Inkymess]

Btw you may get more responses with a broader thread title. Loads of people would know SManc schools like MA, SGS, WGS etc but not AESG specifically so may ignore the thread. Same over on the general education board. You could start a new thread?

[LentilStew]

When we lived in Cheshire my older boys were at CHS. Some girls who were less academic transferred out to AESG. Some parents transferred their girls out to Withington for Y5. Most continued into senior school but again some boys transferred out to MGS for seniors and some girls to MHSG. I think for Withington Y5 is the bigger intake. At Chs juniors most do transfer to seniors but it's not a given, they still must sit the test along with external candidates and it is seen as a new break/fresh start. So your Dd wouldn't be the only one moving. However most people who want WGS or MGS opt for Ladybarn. My dd didn't start at Chs as we moved but she is academically gifted and I think would have done very well there. But then I would not have wanted her to go all girls or to somewhere super academic such as WGS as being super bright I would have worried that she would have dimly been immersed in academic study at the expense of everything else.
I always heard very good things about MHSG. We moved almost 4yrs ago though and schools do change.

[Cloud144]

Inkymess- I think you are right probably will be better to create a new thread on the general board.

Lentilstew-Do you know if the children who moved to MHGS or WGS were all privately tutored? Do most children in juniors get privately tutored in order to past other school entrance exams?
I agree I would much prefer a more rounded education for my DD than just an academic focus. I seem to be getting the impression that children who are less academic end up at AESG.

[LentilStew]

As I say, my info is from a couple of years ago but yes, my impression was always that a few parents moved their less academic girls to AE. That's not to say it's a bad school though but I wouldn't rate it as highly academic either. My overall impression was that some parents were happy with one school throughout esp if they had 3 or 4 children not of the same sex. They tended to choose Chs or Stockport grammar. Other parents knew they wanted single sex at secondary and/or wanted it to be about the academic rigour. They usually opted for Ladybarn for primary. Some Trafford parents also opted for Chs, Ladybarn or sgs at primary then moved on to the Altrincham grammars at secondary. Although neither SGS nor CHS would prep for the Trafford 11+ so it would need a specific tutor.
Chs was great for my boys when they were young, very rounded. The senior school was good and I believe the HT who had just started when we left has really enforced a more academic approach. But as I say, it was 4yrs ago.

[LentilStew]

I'm not sure about tutoring, sorry. Although I do know there are lots of tutors specialising in Withington and MGS entry at 7+ and 9+ So there must be a market for them

[Cloud144]

Lentilstew- Thankyou for the advice that has been very useful.

[Inkymess]

If you search for Trafford grammar threads there is tons of info on the amount of tutoring that goes on