Before all else, I will say the boys seem to have utmost respect for the head of years 10 and 11 and the head of sixth form and look to them for leadership. Therefore, if your daughter is a self starter, I’m sure she will do well. Your best bet is for her to talk to any who have just finished the A levels she’s looking to take.
Personally, I believe the school has been riding on its historic reputation for a long time. Anyone who had children at the school while Dr Fenton was head say there is a gaping difference in the school, the teaching, behaviour and attainment.
He left 6/7 years ago, so the school has now turned over a “generation of boys” under the new head. He was promoted from within, had not previously been a head or taught in a school other than DCGS. Is this significant? Possibly.
Running a school, like any organisation, requires strong people and organisational management skills. It requires experience of different organisational cultures and demographics so best practices can be pooled and built on. As is often the case, being excellent in a specialist role doesn’t make a person a great manager or leader. In the case of a school, this is the pupils and teachers and loosely parents. I’m not convinced he’s the most inspiring head. Certainly not as a parent.
I’m of the opinion that Covid “saved” the school from the inevitable grade drops, but not the boys from significant holes in their critical learning. Maths and the sciences stand out for me as subjects that were hit hard and nothing has been done subsequently to build these back up.
My own son and his year group were just left to rot by the school through lockdown. We do jobs that mean we couldn’t be on hand to support his learning. Yes, we can beat ourselves up about this, but I’m sure we weren’t alone.
According to the boys I know, subject outcomes can vary greatly depending on the teacher allocated. This shouldn’t be the so. It would be interesting to see grade analysis by subjects and teachers over the past 6/7 years.
However, it’s the lack of pastoral care in the school that concerns me most. This really showed up through and after lockdown. The attitudes of some of the teachers has shocked me too. Respect is gained. If you don’t gain the respect of teenagers, there is going to be trouble. I don’t know if all I hear from kids about goings on in the school are true, but if they are, I’m bemused as to why the adults don’t stamp these behaviours out. If the children don’t listen, call the parents in. If the parents don’t listen….
I’m still distraught from hearing that a sixth former took his life earlier this year. This is an absolute tragedy. How could no adult in the school see any red flags? He was a popular boy.
My younger son said to me he doubts any of the teachers know who he is. He’s your classic “average.” Causes no problems and creates no excitement in terms of potential PR opportunities for the school. He says if he passes any GCSEs it will be down to him and not the school! It worries me that he feels so anonymous. Let’s hope things change before he gets to take his GCSEs.
It will be interesting to see the GCSE results this week. Maybe I will be eating my words or maybe the cracks will really now start to show. 🤷♀️
Of course it’s not a bad school. There are no bad schools in this area. My point is I wouldn’t move to Amersham if DCGS was my driver. I was over the moon when my son got a place. I “failed” so was excited to see what a grammar school offered that a secondary modern didn’t. To say I’ve been underwhelmed is an understatement.
Personally, I know two Amersham School pupils who achieved all As in GCSEs and A levels. One has graduated from Oxford and the other is at Imperial. I know in my heart of hearts my children would have thrived at Amersham School more than at Challoners and likely would leave school with better grades. Nurture and nature are needed in education. Has DCGS lost its way? I think it has. This is not to say it can’t be put right.