Should we move house to be near the Royal Latin Grammar School?

[freckleface75]

Agonising over the difficult decision of whether to move house to be near the Royal Latin or stay put in central Northampton. My DD (yr 3) is bright, but no idea how she will compare with the other entrants. She is currently at a state primary. Alternatives are Northampton School for Girls and Malcom Arnold. But you only get 25% chance on your first choice in Northampton.

Pros: Academic focus, like-minded families? But is the teaching actually any better than a Northampton mixed ability academy? Thinking of starting early with 11+ tuturing so not a last minute stress.

Cons: You need to move before taking the test (in year 6) in order to be in catchmet for the allocations, but what if she doesn't get in?. I have three kids - what if the others don't get in? Are all the other kids coming from private prep schools so we will be unfairly disadvantaged? We would double our house price (but we could afford it, just). We would double our commutes to work. We would have to buy another car.

Hello Notquite. I know quite a few parents who have found their DCs struggle at first at any type of school due to the higher organisational skills needed to succeed. I do not know if RLS is different from the others, but I doubt it. Eventually though, children do realise they need the right books, full PE kit on a Monday, the guitar on a Thursday, the need to be in class on time, homework completed etc. My DD forgot her violin umpteen times at primary school. It was just down the road, so no problem. However, I had to drum into her that this just could not happen at senior school. I think the children are reminded about what they need and have diaries but they do have to manage their own school day and be organised. I don't think this just applies to the grammars either. Clearly it is a skill that needs to be mastered or work may be equally problematic.

freckleface - it would be interesting to hear, what you have decided in the end. We are looking to move near Northampton for a job, hence we are thinking many similar thoughts even if our DC are much younger than yours. Hope it worked out whatever you've decided!

I have two children at the RLS. We moved up from Hertfordshire hoping they would both pass and get in, renting until we knew for sure, then buying in catchment. I have the impression that while it is by far the highest achieving school in our neighbourhood, it is very much coasting on the ability of the high achieving pupils it takes in. The standard of teaching seems very mixed at best. Some departments are fabulous (history) and some a disaster (English) in our experience. Both girls seem to have a large number of cover or supply teachers. We couldn't afford to go privately but I AM disappointed with the standard of teaching they receive. As for primary schools, both ours went to Bourton Meadow which was marvellous. They now have a new head, who seems well liked and about whom I have a very good impression.

I would say don't move. If you're child is bright she will do well wherever.

Where we lived when we were looking at secondary for our eldest we had a choice of 3 grammars. One within a reasonable travelling distance, the other two requiring catching a bus at 7am.

We applied for the nearest one only, knowing we had little chance of getting a place. He didn't get a place and so went to the local comp. It was not a good school, not the worst, but not brilliant.

But he did well, in fact he got the best results in the school, and the main thing he was happy among friends, only had a short walk to school, could easily attend after school activities.

Had he gone to the grammar I honestly believe he would not have done so well. He would not have stood the pressure.

In his school he was one of the brightest and that built his self esteem and confidence.

In grammar he would no where near be the brightest and he would not have liked that and may well have stopped giving his education his all.

He did move to the 6th form of a very good school (when you are not bound by catchment area) which he got a place at due to his excellent GCSE results.

He got brilliant A level results and is now at a Russell Group University.

One final point, he did not have a private tutor to help him pass the 11+. I think if your child can not pass the 11+ without extra tuition then they will struggle to keep up in a grammar.

well I'm flabbergasted!
Have you asked DD what she wants? Do she and her siblings want to leave all their school friends that they have known, probably since nursery school to move to an area where they do not know anyone, to be pushed into a school that they are not familiar with? Has she said that anyone is making her life difficult because of her "genius"? Has she said she does not want to go to your local school with her friends?

For those boasting of their familial academic credentials - my father was an obstetrician. I and my 3 siblings were bright. My oldest sibling was considered a "genius" because of her amazing results, voracious reading and her ability to absorb encyclopaedic knowledge from the age of 7 onwards. She passed the 11+ but did not get into the school of her choice. She went to the local comp, where she was treated as the next Einstein and went on to get very poor A levels. Turned out that the "genius" was in fact Aspergers syndrome.

My brother did get into a very prestigious grammar school, to much fanfare and parental boasting. He had a thoroughly miserable time, being small and un sporty. He was the only pupil from his primary school there, so had difficulty breaking into new friendship groups. He was exceptionally bright, but got "eaten alive" because he was not one of the "lads" and the school was an all boys school.

My younger sister and I were the family "thickies". We got sent to the C of E Secondary Modern so as not to be an embarrassment to the other members of our family. It had no academic record whatsoever. We both agree that our time at school was the happiest time of our lives. We are the only 2 that went on to university. I am now a lawyer at a very prestigious law firm.

It does not matter how impressive the school is, how great their results, how fashionable the school is ( or the Kudos it attracts for the parents if the child gets in), children only thrive and achieve their full potential if they are happy. They may be bullied into getting good exam results by ambitious schools, only interested in their position in the league tables and equally ambitious parents, wanting to trump their associates at dinner parties, but at some point, the child becomes an adult and will have to succeed on their own merits and motivation.

My son is 11. I agree with the comments made by others regarding Milton Keynes schools. We came here 5 years ago when he was failing at his local, fashionable primary school. His new primary school has brought him right up from complete failure to at least level 5 and most importantly of all, he is very happy. He is going to one of the very well regarded comprehensives, with his friends and he can't wait to start (oh - did I mention, his dad and Grandfather went to Cambridge, his mother went to a top red brick, his grandmother was a solicitor, his granddad a prominent politician and of course his other grandfather was an obstetrician?)

Put the child first, parental ambition second and the rest will all fall into place.

Oh yes, forgot to mention - there are even some intelligent, middle class parents in Milton Keynes! I suspect they too might have gone to university at some point. I should not be embarrassed to ask them to dinner.

You might consider a place in Finmere. Nice village and an interesting anomaly: it's in Oxon but so close to Buckingham, historically everyone who passes gets in as RLS is undersubscribed within catchment and it's calculated on miles gate-to-gate and so you get easily come in closer compared to all those kids in MK. If child doesn't pass, you are actually catchment for The Cooper, guaranteeing you a place at an Outstanding school.

ZOMBIE

OP's child will be at some secondary or other by now!