Chis and Sid or Townley

Hello!

My daughter is in Y9 at Townley, she has lovely friends and we are very happy with the school. There is never any drama with friends, they really look out for and encourage each other. My daughters’ confidence has increased so much since starting at there and she is doing well academically.

Hi I posted upthread a year ago - DD is still doing well there. There were tours for year 6s last week so it may be worth checking if there are any after half term.

TOWNLEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL in Bexley
EXPERIENCE

Looking to read parents experience of Townley girls please - good, bad or neutral? Would you recommend it? We’re considering it for our daughter. I’ve missed the open morning but we did go to the open evening in July.

DD prefers Newstead wood which is a much longer travel (and possibly a better school🤷🏽‍♀️) but she understands a shorter travel to school makes more sense.

my DD has passed the Bexley test and will get into
Townley if we put it as 1st choice.

I’d love to hear from parents in the group who have their DD there or know about the school. How’s your DD finding it?

Hello - I would love to have an update, to hear which school you chose for your daughter in the end, and how she is getting on / what you think of it? Thanks

Hi! I'm currently a Year 13 student at Chis, having joined the school for Year 7 in 2017. From my almost 7 years of first hand experience at the school, I must say it is intense. There is a lot of pressure placed on you from the moment you enter in Year 7, with SLT being very strict with everything from uniform to lates. This does teach you discipline very quickly. Year 8 onwards is a lot better, despite the same sanctions being in place. This is because you are used to the school (as it is obviously a big change from primary!). I found that I made friends very quickly, likely helped by going there with 6 primary school friends, and the year merge together very well. Compared to most schools, the behaviour of students at CSGS is a lot better, helped by the sanctions placed on students from the get-go. Overall this helps with learning, and the teachers are always there to support you. The only downside is that Chis and Sid I feel doesn't produce the same results as other grammars like Townley and Bexley, and academic performance is quite average when compared to these. The facilities are dated (but are being upgraded gradually). I definitely feel the school would benefit from a wider range of extracurricular activities being offered, as those other than the standard rugby and netball are usually arranged by students and fall apart quite quickly. I have enjoyed my time at Chis, but all the same there have been many occasions in which I feel my learning hasn't been supported as well as it could've, or situations have been managed incorrectly.

Love not live* sorry

Right so, I’m a year 7 at Townley and finding it amazing! I have 3 friends that go to Chis’n’Sid they have been stressed about homework and having quite a lot of detentions they didn’t need. Townley was my 1st option and Chis’n’Sid as my 2nd, this is because Chis’n’Sid didn’t have alot of sports to offer. I’m into football right now and Chis’n’Sid didn’t have that-they only have : rugby and netball (and hockey I think) . I also love preforming and visual arts, Townley has a whole block for that. Some people are feeling stressed here but most people are fine and live the lessons. At Townley we have a diverse and supporting community. Have a look on the Townley website and choose for your self.
Thanks for reading , JustATownleyStudent12

@orangeleavesinautumn that's interesting. It was very snobby when I was there but that was a long time ago and the teachers still wore robes etc to assembly. I know none of the same teachers remain so would have thought it might have changed. I always felt that the sporty students got on very well with the school.

Same with BGS, friends my age who attended all said it was a lovely, caring school and want their kids to go there and parents of kids attending now say the same thing.

@PettsWoodParadise that's a good point. One of the BBC clips talks about it and shows Townley using a leaver to teach year 7 to plug the gap.

neither - there are other grammars around, much less snobby than chis and Sid. Townley is better, I would say, but go for a mixed grammar with a smaller proportion of intake from private schools, for a more normal, down to earth school experience and greater diversity in friendship groups

*funding not finding

@euff i gather it is also to do with finding. However it has also affected staff retention on a small part. So do check staff vacancies at the respective schools. DD’s school was fortunate to have a full complement of teachers throughout her 7 years (paid above average so buildings suffered) and most grammars have fewer recruitment issues than some other schools but I know a friend’s DS who had very random science and maths teaching at his comp.

I do wonder if at least some of the pressure comes from expectations at home? I guess I will see as we progress through. I probably should have mentioned earlier that DD says her friends have tutors and have had them since the beginning.

It's a shame the BBC documentary isn't still available as the grammar was Townley though there are a couple of clips still on the site.

I didn't say earlier that my school was not a good fit for me and I still remember begging to move and I think my mum just couldn't deal with it. Your support is going to mean everything. Best of luck whatever you both decide to do.

@PettsWoodParadise another parent told me the larger classes are due to the council asking the grammar schools to take a bulge year going from 192 to 224 places. I know BGS agreed to do it a few years ago and maybe Townley has agreed to do it going forward?

Listen to your dd. If she starts with a heavy heart and Townley doesn't go well, it will be forever your fault. Take the C&S offer. If your dd starts on a +ve note, it is likely to work out better.

I know nothing of either school.

I hear the opposite to a pp that it is townley that has immense pressure on the girls. This is via a friend who works in both schools. The chis and sid children seem overall happier and well adjusted, the townley girls are more anxious and lots of girls self harming and eating disorders are rife.

My brother and also brother in law went to chis and sid - both did well. And yes it is a very sporty school so if your dd is sporty go for chis and Sid!

.Class sizes at Townley in the lower years are larger than most (32) which doesn’t help with the sense of being overwhelmed. Bear in mind that although someone mentioned someone moving between grammars that isn’t very usual so don’t rely on that before sixth form.

At Sixth form there is a lot of movement between schools as a natural point of switching based on subjects available, journey times, friendship groups, teaching staff. DD is at a grammar in a neighbouring borough but just completed sixth form so not as current as some but has had the insight of those who moved from both schools into her sixth form and neither seems to stand out as hated.,

Townley is a bit more pressured as they typically do 11 GCSEs Chis n Sid is a bit more flexible on number chosen including you can choose between separate sciences or combined science but separate sciences are compulsory at Townley..

I'm dropping her at the moment as Townley is only down the road from DS's primary in Bexleyheath where we used to live. We are now in Sidcup and have a direct bus. Fingers crossed that what your DD experienced was just an overwhelm blip and she settles in well.

DD had a summer school at Townley before starting. I think this was good for DD but not sure if that was offered again. I think DD was one of 2/3 that came from her primary school. There are girls coming from quite a distance to Townley and from lots of different primary schools so there will likely be others in her position. There does seem to be fewer issues between the girls than some of DD's friends have experienced at other schools in the area.

DD has a girl join her class this year who apparently wasn't happy at Chis n Sid but according to DD she left and may have gone back.

I did tell DD that if she wasn't happy or fitting in that we would try to move. Fortunately she's been good there.

Perhaps it might be worth contacting student services?

Based on DD's experience this side of her would be fine at Townley.

DD is in year 8 at Townley, she's happy enough, she had been on the fence between that and BGS and we let her choose. We are only a few minutes walk away from Chis n Sid but it was always third choice for her. I went to Chis n Sid a very long time ago and I think it's always supposed to have been good for sporty kids. If your DD is really into sports I'm not sure Townley would come anywhere near it on that side.

We never got to see the schools when we applied because of covid. I would definitely pay heed to gut feelings after visits or see if you can visit again.

I think year 7 was a shock to all DD's friends whether they were at grammar or not. As a pp said expectations were being set. DD also came from a smaller primary but got used to the size, noise and crowds quickly.

Well if she’s slightly geeky she may be reassured that the gaming club is oversubscribed! Good luck deciding the right option for your DD.