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Original poster

boy's school places

50 replies

sikorsky · 30/01/2013 19:51

Can't see DS2 getting into school of choice. Maths homework particularly traumatic this evening! Trouble is, there aren't enough places for boys in the independent schools in cambs. Don't want him boarding just down the road, and not keen on traipsing to Ely every day. Is St Mary's EVER going to start taking boys? His Godmother's daughter loves it there.

OP posts:
kinvorbud · 30/01/2013 20:03

Yes, seems very unfair that all the girls seem to be getting 2 or 3 offers to pick and choose from and any boy who isn't A* GCSE material already by Year 8 has to go 15 miles out of Cambridge. St Mary's would be a wonderful co-ed school, I reckon. Never heard anything but positive things about its pastoral care and homely feel.

chintonroad · 01/02/2013 13:01

Kinvorbud, the whole USP of St Mary's is that it is the only school in Cam to be girls only right through to 6th form... Perse used to be boys only until they started taking girls throughout in 2012 - so if anything it's a case of asking them why they added girls to a boys' school and meant fewer places for the lads Wink

kinvorbud · 01/02/2013 21:49

I take your point, chintonroad, but I do think that the future for Cambridge is co-ed. Having a gender imbalance of this magnitude in the schools within one area can only mean problems for the girls' schools, which are now competing with the Perse, so in the long run they will probably have to cast the net wider to fill their quotas.
Rumour has it that St John's pupils have just nabbed half of the Y9 places available at the Perse next year. Sought-after co-ed feeding into sought-after co-ed. Says it all, if you ask me...

chintonroad · 03/02/2013 18:03

Not sure I see your point? Unless you're expecting the girls in yr8 at St Mary's or Stephen Perse to transfer out in order to get co-ed education? If that was the case surely they would do it at yr7 when Perse begins rather than disrupt halway through. I'd say the best thing your rumour says is that St John's is a very good springboard, Not sure it says much more though.

St Mary's will always appeal to families who want single sex education for girls for religious reasons, and Stephen Perse gets such outstanding results it will always have a market.

besty27 · 06/02/2013 19:01

Not sure how far you are prepared to travel, but there is a small co-ed Prep school in Willingham (3 to 8 years and rising), run by the teaching team that used to be at St Colette's. My DS loves it there in Year 3 (smallest class sizes ever so almost 1:1 teaching and he has excelled as a result) and we have a number of our children (mainly boys!) coming out of Cambridge City every day using our teacher escorted bus journey. Some of our parents have moved their DS's from other schools to come to The Phoenix School Cambridge, so there must be something special going on. If you need to know more, see their website or come along to their Open Days, 8th, 22nd & 23rd Feb.

MarronGlace · 06/02/2013 20:31

Why is the Phoenix School always promoted on this sort of thread? I'm sure it's a lovely school but I'm a bit sick of reading the same post by the same person saying the same things.
And it's in Willingham, not in Cambridge!
Anyway, rant over. OP I agree with you. I'm worried already about my DSs in case they're not good enough for the Perse. The Leys would be too expensive and just as hard to get in anyway I'm told. There aren't many other options for boys unless you are prepared to travel out of Cambridge. Getting in the Perse at 13 y is going to be very tough.Sad

JennyWren1234 · 06/02/2013 20:51

I'm interested to hear any views on Sancton Wood or Heritage School. With a son who really wouldn't be suited to The Perse (and probably wouldn't get in), and again The Leys too expensive, I'm wondering about these smaller schools?

mynameisnt · 07/02/2013 13:35

It used to be the other way around though. Perse was two schools, st faiths was boys only, as was the Leys. Wasn't St Johns boys only as well??

rhinospanner · 07/02/2013 18:43

Sancton Wood has an Open Morning on Feb 22nd. It is a lovely school, very nurturing and has a real family feel.

JennyWren1234 · 07/02/2013 19:06

Thanks rhino! I'll go along to that. I drove past Heritage yesterday and realised that they had an open morning last week which I missed which is a bit annoying.

rhinospanner · 07/02/2013 19:38

I'm sure if you ring you could go along for a visit. That will be a different sort of visit though. My understanding is that Heritage is very Christian in its teachings and ethos which Sancton Wood isn't.

JennyWren1234 · 07/02/2013 20:15

Yes, I would prefer to go along to an open morning first though, as you say it will be a different type of visit. I think the Heritage also limits it use of technology (no interactive whiteboards for instance) in favour of a more traditional teaching style, which I'm not sure about. I think I need to go and see them both. Thanks again for your thoughts.

Original poster
sikorsky · 10/02/2013 14:45

If DS2 were at what used to be Perse Girls junior, would he need to find another school when he left, or would PGs start taking boys? Heard rumours of change, but no guarantees. Maybe just wishful thinking

OP posts:
JennyWren1234 · 10/02/2013 16:17

sikorsky, I'm not sure I understand. Perse Girls Junior hasn't changed and is Girls only. They are changing the name from September to Stephen Perse Foundation Junior School and the uniform is changing. This certainly isn't just rumours though, you can see on the Principal's Newsletter - junior.stephenperse.com/resource.aspx?id=3892 No mention of admitting boys though. What year is your DS2 in currently?

greatauntbulgaria · 12/02/2013 12:21

Stephen Perse currently takes boys in the pre-prep (up to age 7) and then in the sixth form. Is that what you mean silorsky ? The pre prep is absolutely amazing and they all go on to one of the top four private preps.

mynameisnt St John's has always taken girls (at least as far back as when my brothers went there 30 - odd years ago!) but used to teach them separately in Byron House, which is now the pre prep.

kinvorbud · 15/02/2013 14:47

So what happens if you start your DS off in Stephen Perse and have to move him out at 7 in the hope that there will be somewhere for him until he is 16 and can go back to Stephen Perse for Sixth Form? Presumably, he will only get back into the SP for A-Levels with straight A*s at GCSE and, with the best will in the world, that can't be guaranteed anywhere. Can't afford to do 9 years of home schooling! Who's going to step in and offer more boys' places, at least between Y9 and Y11? Cambridge is crying out for it!

MarronGlace · 15/02/2013 19:49

Yep. Bloody right.
I suppose Sancton Wood and Heritage are the only options for y9-11 if you want to give them a private education and they don't get in The Perse. Trouble is, SW and Heritage have long waiting lists and not nearly enough spaces. TBH it kind of annoys me that SW keep advertising and doing Open Days only to be told they're absolutely full. What is the point? Should make it clear from the start that your DSs have no chance of getting in so that you don't waste time visiting. I didn't even like the school very much if I'm honest but I'm so desperate to get them into a private school for GCSEs that I don't care that the rooms are tiny and their facilities non existent.

greatauntbulgaria · 19/02/2013 09:57

kinvorbud I agree it is a problem! I suppose it's been my experience and observation that if you start the boys off at a private pre-prep at 3 or 4 they'll be very well prepared for the 7+ entrance tests. With girls there is obviously more leeway to go state for a bit.

I am not sure why you would want them to go private for GCSE though if you don't particularly like the school MarronGlace Some children that age travel to Ely for King's. Both Comberton and one of the other village colleges (can't remember which) get great write-ups in the GSG and tbh many of the local secondaries are just fine.

But yes, it is a real issue for those of us with boys.

Noyoben · 19/02/2013 23:38

Just putting something back in the mix- sorry MarronGlace....Moving our son to the Phoenix School Cambridge/ Willingham is the best choice that we have made for our son... We love the individual attention our son gets in the small class with good framework for academic and personal development. The Phoenix is very cleverly organised and run that the children are happy, relaxed and excited to learn. There is a strong academic focus with individual achievement targets and a personal touch to learning. We are commuting from the centre of Cambridge, which turned out to be an easy commute even for someone that does not enjoy driving- it is against the traffic all the way.... If you like academic nurturing and individualised- go and have a look. We have another son at the Perse- extremely happy there- it is a very good school for a child who strives to do the very similar thing as 74 other children- in a well thought out curriculum- well taught.... Indeed it is very difficult to find a good school for a lateral thinking BOY. We are just happy parents that speak our mind!

JennyWren1234 · 20/02/2013 08:00

Noyoben IIRC Phoenix School takes children up to end of Primary age. Where do Phoenix DCs go after that?

It's at Secondary age that there's a real lack of places for boys.

Original poster
sikorsky · 20/02/2013 17:46

Precisely JennyWren1234. That's what I'm really concerned about. 11+ or 13+ places for boyd are seriously lacking in the city. Anyone want to set up one of Gove's free schools??!

OP posts:
JennyWren1234 · 20/02/2013 18:10

Interesting that the number of independent school places as a boy+girl total hasn't changed though, even though the split of co-ed and single-sex has. State of the economy not made any impact then?

WilderRose · 20/02/2013 18:39

I am guessing 'State' out of the question for all of you then!!

BikeRider33 · 20/02/2013 21:45

Saw a poster today advertising that St Edmunds outside Ware run a bus service from Cambridge. I have friends who sent their dc and were very pleased with the school. Might be an option for those looking for 11 and 13 places.

JennyWren1234 · 21/02/2013 10:00

WinderRose - State definitely not out of the question for us, but it would be nice to have a choice. State secondary schools in the Cambridge area seem to be very good, would be panicking if not!

BikeRider33 - Just had a look and it's a 45 min drive from Cambridge, coupled with a 15 min journey from house to Cambridge to get the bus. An hour each way is too far for us. Perhaps might be interesting to those south of Cambridge though.