If you were me, which of these schools would you put as your first choice?

Autism and grammar school can be an appalling mix. I know that's not the situation here but I wonder if School B has overtones of that.

I would be talking to Sencos. Find out where anxious children go at lunch and break and how autistic children are supported to develop social skills. Also find out how much they set and stream, because that could have a massive impact on how she experiences School 1.

Like a previous poster my autistic DD went to the equivalent of school B and it was a complete disaster, she left at the beginning of year 8.

It is universally acknowledged that the teenage years and secondary school are particularly difficult for autistic girls and I would prioritise inclusion, mental health, friendships over everything else.

There is no point sending her to an academic pressure cooker type school if she becomes so anxious she can no longer attend ANY school, and ends up with no GCSEs at all.

I will also add that girls schools seem to be less experienced with autistic children, as fewer girls are diagnosed, at least not until later teen years. Mixed schools seem to do better on this front.

Also I would check how strict the schools are. My DDs high achieving girls school was very strict (think detentions for very minor infringements) and she became so terrified of getting something wrong that her anxiety spiralled. Not all schools are great at reasonable adjustments 😔

Same. N Herts by any chance?

Just wanted to say I could have written your message word for word! I am actually wondering if we live in the same town... will be watching your replies with interest.

Have you spoken to the SENCOs at the two schools? I would speak to them both and ask them how they would support your daughter both pastorally and academically. It doesn't sound from what you've said that School B has a bad reputation pastorally. So I think I'd want to delve a bit deeper into what they do offer and whether that's going to suit you.

It is possible for a school to be both academically good and offer the pastoral side. If School B balances them well I'd probably go for that.

I'm wondering if you live near my sister who is trying to make the same decision right now! Her DD really doesn't want to go the girls school though.

I work in an area like you describe. I work in school A. A good question to ask is about setting and streaming. At my school they set the classes which means the A classes are lovely (7A, 8A, 9A). Students in these classes are cushioned from distractions and are able to be stretched. A child in my school in these classes have great opportunities.

The issue comes with the limitations that arise because of the lower aspirations overall eg less choice of GCSE subjects.

And that is why I would choose option B, if I was in your position.

School A's are low across the board, but worst for high achievers

I was going to say B anyway but for me this is really important. It suggests to me that the school are spending a lot of time trying to support lower achievers, which is course commendable, but that and the brighter kids are left to get on with it and not reaching their potential.

Actually - a thought. Progress 8, for the last year's cohort (those who sat GCSEs this summer) generally does get posted (at least provisionally) before secondary applications have to go in. So that's something to look out for. Particularly as a point of comparison with 2019.

I would be tending towards School A, except for the lower progress 8.

However, this hasn't been reported in the last 2 years, so I would be speaking to the school and specifically asking what they are doing to improve their academic attainment. If they don't give a satisfactory answer, I'd swap to School B :)

Are you comparing like with like? In your OP you mention exam results in school A from 2019 but compare them with those from school B from 2021. CAGs in 2021 were awarded generously (I am a secondary school teacher) so it is not a fair comparison.

I'm in the school A camp as a survivor of an all-girls school, I vowed I would never subject my DDs to that sort of atmosphere. Whilst school A promotes pastoral welfare above exam results, your DD has the potential to be one of their stars, so should be well looked-after. I agree with the poster above commenting that constantly pushing exam grades may well be at the expense of good mental health.

I would go with A all day, every day.

My dd1 attended a school like school B (ours was a grammar rather than comp though) She is autistic and it was an unmitigated disaster. The school appeared to prioritise their results over well-being. (She ended up getting GCSEs at college - which was a supportive environment - and got 7-9’s in everything she did after leaving school with nothing).

dd2 also autistic and amazingly bright like her sister goes to a school where pastoral care is beyond amazing - from the amazing headteacher downwards) I am going to be gutted when she leaves (it is primary). The school manages to still achieve well in results tables etc but I think that comes from the children being encouraged and supported always. I am not going to encourage the grammar for her but find a school that matches in pastoral care to her primary as I believe that will still mean she can achieve all she is capable of as she will be happy.

I used to think academics was the be all and end all but from my families experience I would pick a school with amazing pastoral care, a school that gives that good feeling as a child truly can achieve in the environment that is right for them.

B then, probably. If it goes wrong, transfer to A. Probably going to be easier that way around.

Yes sure! I can imagine. I suppose the academics become more important as time goes on. It’s a decision I’m dreading to be honest. For her primary school we went with the School A equivalent which is working well so far.

B, the pastoral care is decent and your daughter will get stimulation and an environment that is probably more balanced between academic and social, which will be easier than her.

Plus she will need a career with structure so doing well and having choices at university will be important.

People get too caught up in single sex IMO, what matters is it’s a decent school.

Roughly speaking the Progress 8 score is how well the school does compared with those with similar cohorts on their GCSEs.
So -0.4 means that on average a child who should have averaged say 6s averages 5.6 instead, so instead of 6,6,6,6,6,6,6,6 They have~ 6,6,6,6,6,5,5,5.
Whereas your +0.8 will have more like 7,7,7,7,7,7,6,6
It is a bit more complicated than that due to double counting maths and criteria for 'buckets'.

If you look you can find Progress 8 for prior higher, average and lower attainers. Some schools do well by one type of child, but not the others.

I'd go for school B. There's no reason to suppose she'll be miserable there, is there?!