How does a grammar school education differ from an ordinary comprehensive?

[Haziedoll]

Lots of my friends are starting to talk about applying for grammar school in the next few years. I'm still undecided because it is too early to tell if that type of school is right for my child. We don't live in a grammar school area but the neighbouring county has grammar schools that are usually undersubscribed and lots of children from our primary school get places at grammar schools.

I have seen lots of threads on Mumsnet saying that if the child isn't exceptionally bright they will struggle at grammar school.

How exactly does the curriculum in a grammar school differ from a bog-standard comprehensive in a non-grammar school county? Given that both schools are following the national curriculum, why is it often said that children who just scrape through the 11 plus will struggle to keep up?

mumzy
please name a comp that does not set or stream
the information will be clear on their ofsted reports so its not a secret

DH goes to over 100 schools a year and all the ones he goes to have setting of some sort

Our local comp stream on maths, science and english but not history, geography and I don't think MFL either.

I don't wish to out myself so will not name the school in question but it is one of our local comps. The school in question is low achieving and uses its most able students like fertiliser ie. sprinkles them in all classes to help the other students grow academically. I went on an open day in September and was told by the HT the school is taught in totally mixed ability classes. Some of the comps in our area set for some subjects but MA classes for the rest and some set/ stream for all subjects.

Actually Thornden are fully mixed ability throughout
but their intake is not average
neither are their results!!

Our local comps in Brighton do not have setting (actually I fib, one does set for maths and the other sets for pe) No idea how my very average ds will do.

Just because it's a grammar doesn't mean there won't be disruptive pupils. Probably fewer but there are always some. The local highly-acclaimed ss boys' has any number

Looking at the local grammars the top two have no one entering at below L5 at KS2, 100% A-C at GCSE with majority A*/A/B. V few take exams early except Maths where they then take Further Maths in Y11.

Upper schools obviously far more mixed, although still relatively low on FSM. Pupils still achieve well according to their entry levels. All however seem to want to do early entry GCSEs in the key subjects, something I personally disagree with.

From our point of view the local grammars allow our dcs to do the subjects they want at an appropriate level. The uppers don't do MFL to the same degree, the majority do double rather than triple science.

I grew up in an area of Yorkshire with fantastic comps, our Oxbridge figures were certainly up with what the grammars round me now achieve.