To think that the Girls Grammar school (Newstead Wood) is soley responsible for the all-round women that both Dina Asher Smith and Emma Raducanu have become.

[peewitsandy]

I suggest that the sole reason, both Emma Raducanu and Dina Asher Smith are such well rounded individuals and of cause brilliant sportswomen, is down to their single sex grammar school educations.

I say this because I notice a number of posters suggestive that single sex grammar schools are highly toxic, thus destroying many girls.
I have noted how over the years that Newstead Wood has been referenced regularly, for being a toxic environment, like Emma and Dina this is my old school. Finally, perhaps controversially I believe that if Emma or Dina had been educated in a mixed Comprehensive school, neither would have ever reached the heights both have or will.

To say that any school is "solely responsible " for how a child turns out is laughable. Are you the head, or something?

You seem a bit over invested in your school Op, as if somehow the success of other people who went there reflects on you. It doesn't.

Attending NWSG is the worst decision my mother ever made for me. The teachers were bullies, the pressure was immense, I felt stupid and worthless all the time. I couldn't tell my mother I wanted to leave (well actually I did once or twice, but she was having none of it) so I was there for 5 awful years until I refused to go back for A Level. Newstead left me with broken self esteem and self harm scars.

And I can't even, like, run fast or whatever.

Newstead Wood is a selective grammar school.

You need the following things to get in there:

Brains
Savvy parents

Your two examples of successful alumni had privilege before they even walked through the gates in year 7.

@Mapletreelane

Just googled my old school and under notable pupils it says "rosemary west, serial killer" 😐. Not sure how that bodes well for all the thousands of students that have passed through the doors since then.

What sort of school was this - we need to know so that we can make some sort of statement about mixed comps turning out serial killers' wives.

@CinnamonJellyBeans

Newstead Wood is a selective grammar school.

You need the following things to get in there:

Brains
Savvy parents

Your two examples of successful alumni had privilege before they even walked through the gates in year 7.

I think this is it in a nutshell - I know girls there now - the affluence and their parental ambition plays no small part in their success.

My daughter is at an all girls grammar school not a million miles from Newstead - there are many girls who are nationally ranked in their sports attending - I can confirm their success has zero to do with the school and 100% to do with the drive and determination of each individual girl - and the sacrifices of their parents to drive them 100s of miles a year to competitions, investing in additional coaching/kit etc.

I've also attended fencing tournaments in the SE which my (all boys superselective grammar school attending eldest son) was competing in - the competitive parenting amongst the independent parents was eye wateringly funny (and a bit sad too).

• the affluence and ambition of their parents plays no small part...grr, PLEASE can we have an edit button!

I’ve nothing against single sex education OP but that’s an offensively sweeping statement. Plenty of kids do really well out of a bog standard comp education.

A couple of very successful boxers went to my comprehensive. Admittedly I have no idea if they are well rounded humans.

Alex Yee went to Kingsdale 😂😂

Not that far away but an awful reputation.

@MsFogi

It was (still is ) a rather lovely mixed comp nestled in a leafy village at the foot of the Cotswolds, just outside Cheltenham. If the OPs statement is true I'm getting a little anxious 😉.

In 1976, at the final school assembly of the year, my bog-standard South London comprehensive annouced that two of its current pupils, a diver and a gymnast, had made the British Olympic team for Montreal.

Highly likely that you didn’t go to Newstead, but have a child there and you are looking to somehow brag to friends using this or whatever. It backfired OP. You seem way too invested in it 🍩
Newstead is one of the most toxic schools ever. Parents there are crazy competitive too ! You need a lot of confidence and mental strength to thrive in NW. Emma Raducanu clearly has that kind of resilience in her.

I don't know the school in question, but I do know that girls perform better in single-sex schools. I think the selective grammar education has had a lot to do with their success, although obviously it is not the only factor.
If I had daughters I would prefer them not to go to school in the toxic environments that are experienced in many co-ed schools these days. I suspect that the "rape culture" in some of those schools could be off-putting to a young woman wanting to focus on her academic career or sporting competitions.

What is clear is that British tennis talent is almost entirely drawn from the comfortable middle-classes, and a disproprtionate majority of our top players; Radacanu, Keothavong, Delgado, Bogdanovic, Rusedski, Baltacha, Konta, Watson, Robson, are the children of immigrants.

The few that aren't, such as Henman and the Murrays, have tennis-playing parents.

Well She has just got through h to the American open semi final, which is a fantastic achievement regardless of where someone goes to school

@Mapletreelane

Just googled my old school and under notable pupils it says "rosemary west, serial killer" 😐. Not sure how that bodes well for all the thousands of students that have passed through the doors since then.

That made me laugh .. oh dear

@Jaysmith71

What is clear is that British tennis talent is almost entirely drawn from the comfortable middle-classes, and a disproprtionate majority of our top players; Radacanu, Keothavong, Delgado, Bogdanovic, Rusedski, Baltacha, Konta, Watson, Robson, are the children of immigrants.

The few that aren't, such as Henman and the Murrays, have tennis-playing parents.

No one else can afford it. DP coaches future Emma Raducanu’s aged 8-18. They will all see him for at least 3 individual lessons per week at £35/40 per hour. Some have two lessons a day, 5 or 6 days a week. They will then do a couple of group sessions each week as well. Add to that tournament fees, travel and equipment costs, it’s completely unaffordable for anyone but the middle classes.

This is such a delightfully nuts thread Thanks OP!

@fluffythedragonslayer

Attending NWSG is the worst decision my mother ever made for me. The teachers were bullies, the pressure was immense, I felt stupid and worthless all the time. I couldn't tell my mother I wanted to leave (well actually I did once or twice, but she was having none of it) so I was there for 5 awful years until I refused to go back for A Level. Newstead left me with broken self esteem and self harm scars.

And I can't even, like, run fast or whatever.

Ditto!

@CinnamonJellyBeans

Newstead Wood is a selective grammar school.

You need the following things to get in there:

Brains
Savvy parents

Your two examples of successful alumni had privilege before they even walked through the gates in year 7.

I can assure you that my parents weren’t savvy!

I know Newstead quite well. I agree, it was a stressful place to be and pupils who didn't achieve as well as hoped tended to be gone before 6th form. A tough environment where girls either swam and loved it or sank. I believe it is a very different place under the current headteacher.

As others have said, it's ridiculous to suggest that any school is soley responsible for how their pupils turn out as adults.

Despite totally disagreeing with the OP, I'm quite sad to see how many people were left scarred by Newstead. What sort of era are you talking? I was there under Elizabeth Allen.

@CatJumperTwat

Despite totally disagreeing with the OP, I'm quite sad to see how many people were left scarred by Newstead. What sort of era are you talking? I was there under Elizabeth Allen.

She was the headteacher whilst I was there. Several girls left because of extreme bullying in year 7. At least 6 people were not so politely asked to leave after year 12 as their grades were not up to par with Newstead's ethos (they had Bs instead of As).

Ok to those who have suggested my use of English grammar is erratic or grossly incorrect !. I will come clean, I was a borderline 11+ pass child thus placing me near the bottom of the 1st year or year 7 cohort 35 years ago.

One of the reasons I have been so supportive of this school, is down to the school's efforts in-enabling me to scrape into the Sixth Form in 1991 with 5 B grades at GCSE. The school despite their great, trepidation also got me to University in Manchester with grades BBC at A level. though some teachers could not help but tell me that I was not like my sister who advanced to Cambridge University.

You say so what, while at University In Manchester it became clear through testing that I suffer from the conditions of Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and Irlens. Despite these disadvantages these conditions create for prose , comprehension and sentence construction I achieved a 2:1 in Politics . This was achieved in the same way I attained my modest GCSE's and A levels grades by my never ending effort.

Fast forward 20 years and no surprises a diagnosis of HFA comes my way with my other related learning difficulties So to those I want to impose their supposed superiority on me. This, by mocking me on for my poor English grammar, how would you have fared academically if you had started 4 -nil down.

Right back to the thread, Emma Raducanu was absolutely brilliant last night and is due back on court at midnight for the semi-final tonight /tomorrow which is watchable on Amazon Prime TV.