Advice on Secondary schools in Ripon, North Yorshire

[isomald]

We are looking at moving within North Yorkshire and Ripon stands out because of its Grammar School. However, I've read that it takes the top 30% of an LEA exam into it's 11+ so my question is what are the other secondary school options in and around Ripon and are they any good?

Also would be grateful for any information on which are good primary schools in the area to feed into Ripon Grammar.

Any advice appreciated as we're just starting to learn about this.

You have to live within the defined catchment and then sit the 11 plus. No direct feeder schools. Think still some boarders from further afield. Ripon college is non selective. Some children go to pateley bridge if they don't pass 11 plus.

Harrogate has excellent non selective schools and skipton 2 selective.

Re primary. If you live in a village you tend to go to that school. Within ripon itself a few primaries- they have different strengths and weaknesses. Depends where live and what you want. None really stand out.

that's a polite way of describing ripon college!

Thank you. Useful information here. I take it Loshad that you wouldn't recommend Ripon College! I've heard mixed reviews.

Thanks again

Just to back up what Change said, Ripon Grammar does take boarders from further afield, and Harrogate does have excellent non-selective schools. Slightly further afield, Easingwold school is also a brilliant non-selective Comp, as is Rydale, though Rydale doesn't have a sixth form. (Residence in the catchment area of either of these two schools entitles you to try for Ripon Grammar) York, however has a fantastic sixth form college.

HTH

I have to say that you really should have a look at Ripon College. It's a great school and is much maligned usually by those who remember it from their childhood days or from it's reputation four or five years ago. My children were at the school during it's recent transformation, one is now at University, the other is in the schools 6th form. The Grammar school offers a particular type of education which works for some. My children did not sit the selection test for the Grammar, we chose the College. It was 100% the right choice. Go and have a look.

Just to say thank you so much for this information. Really helpful.

Ripon College avoid like the plague.
Ripon Grammar -the pass mark is actually quite low for a gs
most kids who don't passed are bussed to boroughbridge high ,or Thirsk or Nidderdale
I would try and get your kids into one of the village primaries rather than a Ripon town school.

I went to RGS, DH went to Ripon College.

Ripon College is OK for some people but, at the time (a fair while ago), no good if you needed an extra push - like DH. Him, his brother and most of his A-level class failed their A-Levels. I would strongly recommend not sending your child here from our experience.

RGS was fantastic. Everything from the teaching to the extra curricular activities. I, and many of my friends, got all As at A-Level and I went on to study medicine at university (However this was not the case for everyone).

I did not live in the catchment area. Anyone could apply to sit the exam and most of my friends were from out of catchment areas, although not borders. However, I believe the 11+ pass mark for those out of catchment is slightly higher than for those in catchment.

I would recommend moving somewhere between Ripon and Harrogate like Burton Leonard or Wormald Green, or even Ripon itself as then you've the best of both worlds - RGS if your DCs pass the exam or some of the great schools in Harrogate like St. Aidens. St. Aidens is also a fantastic school, although I think they only take a few, non-faith pupils. I have many friends who went here and did very well.

My brother went to Upper Nidderdale (in Pateley Bridge) and my DH did work experience there. They have some fantastic teachers.

I can't recommend RGS enough - I had seven happy years there.

Oh, and I've heard good things about The Cathedral Primary School in Ripon, as quite a lot of my RGS form came from that Primary.

Although, I don't know a great deal about the Primaries in Ripon. I lived out of catchment.

Absolute nonsense the posts about Ripon College, written by people that do not have children there and by their own admission based on reputation from years gone by. Ring the College up and go and visit. It's well worth asking the Local authority about their academic performance too. This predjudice against a non Grammar school really makes me angry. As for most pupils from Ripon going to other schools if they don't get into RGS, that's nonsense too, otherwise Ripon College would have been forced to close years ago or heaven forbid the two Ripon schools merge, then again that is probably the common sense thing to do!!!

I was talking to a parent of a child from cathedral primary who told me only 2 children out of teh Y6 class passed the 11+

The pass mark for Ripon Grammar is not 'low for a grammar school'. Admittedley it is slightly lower (about 5 points or so) than the Skipton pass mark, but it's still high enough to take only the top 27% or so of the applicants, which is in line with most other (non super selectives) grammar schools nationally.

There isn't a different pass mark for in-catchment and out-of-catchment applicants. It's all one pass mark. If you live within catchment and pass then you have a place. For out-of-catchment applicants they then allocate places on distance.

A lot of the boarders also live quite close by (say within about an hour and a half - two hours away) and there's only 14 of them for each year - but they love it!

Ripon College still has a bad reputation with many local parents trying to avoid it like the plague.

I am just applying now for Ripon Grammar for my son to board in the 6th form CC. Do you know much about that? (very pleased to have found such up to date advice BTW! ) How old is your child who goes there?

My child doesn't board, but is a day pupil.

From my understanding (reading the website :)) entry to the sixth form is by results of GCSE's, of which they must acheive at least a 'B' in the subjects which they wish to study. They also need a letter of recommendation from their current school.

RGS has a fabulous sixth form centre, your son will love his time there, good luck with it all.