Best schools for A-levels?

[Millette]

Hello All, I'm moving to Cambridge next summer and need to find a school for my son who'll then be 16 and starting A-levels. Have been recommended Hills Rd and The Perse Sixth Form College. I'd love your thoughts on what they're like, other recommendations and, of course, the trials and tribulations of getting a place! Many thanks.

Do you want to pay £15k or so per year for 6th form, as that's a huge difference between the two? And, confusingly, there's both the Perse and the Stephen Perse -- do you know which you were recommended?

If you are in the area and he has the right GCSE grades, Hills Road will (almost certainly) take him -- the 'almost' is because I think local feeder schools do have priority over other in-area applicants. The entry cut-off varies a bit from year to year but is somewhere around the 7Bs minimum 'with most pupil profiles being much higher than this', I think it says somewhere in the prospectus. It has around 2000 students across the two years.

DC1 went to Comberton 6th, which is attached to Comberton Village College and has around 350 students, and did very well there. DC2 is at Hills and finding it a bit sink-or-swim, though with masses of opportunities for extracurriculars.

issue for Hills will be getting a place if you are out of the area at the moment - I think you need As for some subjects

I wrote another reply but despite repeated stabbing of buttons it wouldn't post.

Ah ha -- seems we're back in action!

Yes, sorry, North is right that you would be considered an out-of-area applicant if not living or educated in the area for this academic year. That doesn't make it impossible to go to Hills but it does reduce the chances.

Yes, they definitely require As for some (many!) subjects -- you need a predicted A* in maths to be considered for Further maths, and perhaps more surprisingly, good English predictions/results in order to do sciences, which are very oversubscribed.

I have mixed feelings about the college.

DS was warned (by his previous school) that they have enough very bright kids that they tend to cater to the elite rather than worrying about the stragglers, and that seems to be borne out by his experience.

On the other hand, he was startled and pleased at just how interesting the 'standard' subjects can be when taught by a passionate specialist.

Thank you so much for your advice and I'm v sorry to be so slow replying - been buried in To Do lists for this move!

What you've told me chimes with what I'm hearing elsewhere about Hills. It looks great as a transition between school and uni but it's clearly set up for self starters... My son's v keen on it and we're going to have a go at getting him in. Off to the open day in Nov so fingers crossed.

Failing that, it's Stephen Perse that's been most highly recommended to us as a really good school. My DS is currently at a public school so huge fees are already a gruesome fact of life which I'd be v glad to ditch. Bit worried there won't be many boys in the sixth form though as it's primarily been a girls' school? Do you reckon that'd be the case? We're going to visit in Oct.

Also, I'm hearing some not great stuff about macho attitudes and bullying of girls at the Perse - any thoughts on that??

Thanks again for your advice - it's so helpful!

Well, I don't actually have children at the Perse, so it's harder to advise there, sorry! At least you can ask them fairly easily about expected numbers of boys vs girls. harder to get a straight answer about 'Do you have a high proportion of bullying toads at this school?'

(The only Perse Girl we know well is lovely, but then she was lovely before she started at the school - now she's lovely in a slaightly posher accent.)

Sorry Tingalingle, I wasn't clear. It's The Perse where I heard there was bullying, not Stephen Perse which we like the sound of. Phew, this 2 "Perses" thing is confusing! And I've now asked about the proportion of boys v girls at SP. About 25% this year apparently so not too bad. We know a fab girl there too who has v good things to say about it (in an admittedly posh accent!)

I am not aware that there is any (more) bullying at The Perse than any other school. My son goes there and there doesn't appear to be an issue.