Colyton or Torquay Girls?

[Trambuctious]

If all goes very very well on the exam day this will be the choice we need to make. Has anyone had to decide between these 2 schools, and how did you do so? We've been to the 2 open days, and they came across very differently, but were both tempting!

nameshifter this is remarkably dull :) and way off topic (not my fault) but for the sake of completeness it was me, last autumn, in response to a question on a medical thread, who mentioned that my DS was in his final year at Oxford. As indeed he was, because the third year is the final year of the academic pre-clinical training. Now how that can confuse anyone when it's been spelt out so clearly, especially a parent of an Etonian, God alone knows but it's evidently caused much grief in the peteneras household. I'm now rather thrilled (since I'm three years late to the one-upmanship party but happy to join for one post at least) to read in the bumph from the Medical School which arrived last week that Oxford 'was ranked as the best in the world once again this year'. I hope that's not provocative :). Obviously I don't know if Oxford is cheating too. Probably it is if my DS is associated with it but peteneras will no doubt enlighten us by way of a long set of links and very many italics indeed. They do do six years after all, rather than five....

If I could just bring things back to the original Torquay or Colyton question - Does anyone know if it is possible to sit for both the Colyton and the Torquay exam? They're on the same day.

Petunia perhaps you missed my post above where I said it has certainly been done by many kids in previous years. And someone else suggested you just, you know, ask them. It's what we did when we were in your position.

Yes of course. Just phone the schools and they'll tell you what to do.

League tables can be manipulated. Sensible parents look beyond the tables and consider if the school is a good fit for, and will benefit, their child. There are quite a few grammar schools that don't do the AQA bacc and dont make students do GS and CT (although they may do the EPQ) and appear lower in league tabes.

In my view it says a lot for the values of the school, and therefore the care for students, if it puts the interests of students over the fight for the top place in the tables.

Torquay doesnt insist on General Studies, it does do critical thinking and EPQ. So its points total (and league table position) is always likely to be below Colyton's. It also doesnt have a lot of students doing Maths A level although that is often lower in a girls school than in a mixed school. Choice of subjects at A level seems similar in both schools. Torquay offers specific medicine, law and leadership courses.

OP you are fortunate to have such a good choice of schools. I wonder if you have other (male) children as if you do you may need to consider the advantages of possibly being able to send all your children to one school.

peteneras I've tolerated your personal attacks with great patience since you started them after your son failed to get his place at Trinity for 2011, only occasionally posting a boasty post when you got too ludicrous for anything more sensible. Since then you've waged a ridiculous anti Oxbridge war, specifically in relation to medicine (or medical sciences - the name is besides the point). It really is time to move on - no-one cares, least of all me. And I'm fine with Eton. The children have plenty of Eton friends, and I know plenty of OEs too. It's not a deal.

Hopefully other people can now return to the thread but at least they'll understand what your issue is, since I've not mentioned it directly before on any other thread. I'm getting pretty tired of the attacks though, so from now on I'll completely ignore.

Nameshifter TGGS does insist on GS according to both its website and friends of my DC who are in the 6th form right now. TGGS is a great school, very strong in the arts. To be fair to CGS the school does out the needs of the pupils in the 6th form (and down the school) first IME, they have been very flexible with my DCs, when they really didn't have to be. Honestly - both schools are great. Most people would be happy with either.

I commend you on your restraint, MolioFor the record, peteneras, I've reported that last post as it's way beyond the pale. In my view you are making yourself look ridiculous pursuing this vendetta from thread to thread.

That is not my recent experience. My DC saw a Yr12 student in tears last week after a meeting with a senior member of staff when they were told in no uncertain terms that Colyton follows a 4 A level curriculum (5 including general studies) and they would not be allowed to drop from 4 subjects to 3 subjects for A2/ Yr 13. They had already taken 4AS levels plus Gen Studies full A level plus AS critical thinking so not exactly a slacker!
There are a number of students in this position.
Some doing Further Maths as a 5th A level have been allowed to drop a different subject, but that means they will still do 4 A levels plus GS, CT and EPQ.
We obviously have differing experiences Broadchurch.

But it is my recent experience. I know of several students who have been allowed to drop an A2. In this and previous years. With no trouble at all. Including my own DC.

And my DC is not doing any Maths at all.

Differing experiences then, your DC must have had more success with the member of staff concerned.

They couldn't have been more helpful. And my Y12 DC knows other kids who have also dropped subjects (some are waiting to see their AS grades before they finally decide). So it's not just my DC. The difference may have been when asked 'why' and 'are you sure' my DC had an answer to each question. Things might have gone the other way had my DC just said 'I don't like it' (in fact my DC very much likes the subject that has been dropped).

Broadchurch, my DC knows more DCs who've had problems than your DC knows who've had a incredibly helpful experience......Only joking! I've no idea if that's the case or not.

I don't want to get into a tit for tat session, but I would only say to prospective parents:

1. Look beyond the league tables and old OFSTED inspections to what the school offers now.

1. Decide whether you think early GCSEs/ 3 year Sixth form will be right for your Dc and their future Uni/ career aspirations (bit early for them I know)

1. Appreciate that SOME students are not allowed to drop a subject, even though they won't need them for Uni offers.

1. Consider the degree of freedom any new headteacher will have to make changes to the structure in the future. Governors have been known to post on internet forums vociferously refuting any whiff of criticism of Colyton as it is ;)

The current Head announced he would be leaving last Summer and the governors are currently on the third round of trying to recruit someone they believe will be suitable.

I am not a governor - like I said if I ruled the world some things would be done very very differently. And there are aspects of the school that I could be (and have been) quite critical about. But disinformation is a different matter. I think it's reasonable to post that the school has been inflexible with your own child but I don't think it's reasonable to generalise from that - nobody knows everyone, it's fairly obvious that your DC doesn't know mine or any of my DCs friends, and it's also clear that my DC doesn't know the people your DC saw 'in tears' (I just checked and they were not aware of anything like that happening).

We can only talk about our own experiences - mine have largely been positive with some (largely niche, I accept that) exceptions. Yours seem to be less positive and that's a shame. It's quite an unusual experience for me though because most of the parents I know have had an even more positive experience than we have because my (niche) concerns haven't impacted their DC. Incidentally none of us are fussed about the league tables. I mentioned them upthread because clearly some people are fussed about this (the people who move across the world to come to the school). But it was never an issue for us, we lived here anyway. Our key thing was actually the size of the school. If I was choosing for my DCs again I'd maybe focus more on the curriculum. But ultimately I'd still chose CGS because the journey to TGGS would not be good.

Where is the disinformation?

You originally stated 'My DC wants to drop a subject after AS and do only 3 A levels but they apparently won't let students do this unless they have a health problem'. My DC does not have a health problem, they had no trouble in dropping one of their AS subjects. They know other Y12s who have also had no problem in dropping an AS. None of them have 'health problems'. My DC is not aware of anyone who has been forbidden from dropping an AS they really want to drop, which is not to say it hasn't happened of course since it has apparently happened to your DC, but it's clearly not a widespread bone of contention among Y12 otherwise my DC would be aware of it.

The disinformation wasn't the bit about your DC wanting to drop a subject and not being allowed to (though I find this bizarre given how many kids over the last few years I have known who have been able to drop subjects) but the bit about them only being allowed to drop an AS if they have a health problem. That is simply untrue. Or at least, it's been untrue up to and including the current Y12. Maybe the Y11s have been informed of a massive clampdown.

Exactly- there is none! I have tried to be scrupulously accurate in everything I've said, including the person in tears because they were not allowed to drop a subject after AS- even though your DC did not see them (there are 110 students in the year!)

Overall though the school is a decent school where my DC have generally been happy. That is not the issue.

My overriding concern and reason for originally posting was to highlight the impact of the 3year Sixth Form on Uni admissions in the post AS level era, incluing on my own DC unfortunately.

I know I am not the only parent at the school to have raised this issue.

It is not a niche concern.

I would be wondering why on earth they cannot recruit a Head! This is one of the best state schools in the country, whichever way you measure it. There must be a reasonable field of candidates, by normal standards, so it would be really interesting to know why the governors are having such a problem. Perhaps they are exploring with candidates what improvements can be made - and are not liking the responses. Many headship interviews would ask candidates for their views on the school and what improvements they would like to see and how these can be achieved. Just musing by the way. I don't know Colyton personally.

You claimed you can only drop a subject for health reasons. That isn't true. That was the disinformation. I realise you are pursuing a particular agenda but this is getting silly.

Milly - my understanding was that there have been plenty of applicants. However the geography doesn't help. Lots of people don't want to move down here. God knows I wouldn't move down here if I had my life over again. If you move down here from London or the SE realistically you can never go back (unless you let your house and rent down here). The potential impact on your partner and your kids also needs to be considered. So that might be a constraint (I don't know, I'm just theorising. I haven't asked every potential head in the country if they'd view a move to the south west as a good life move).

That might be a leap in entirely the wrong direction though Milly. It could simply be that no-one interviewed who was thought sufficiently good or sufficiently experienced to lead the school, since starting from a high base is far more challenging than turning a failing school around. There's a massive shortage of potential head teachers out there, as I understand it. Also it's obviously far easier to recruit for London or urban schools than for others. A lot of top grammars have had difficulties selecting recently - even in London.

Cross post.

Sorry, this is just out of idle curiosity but with this three year A level system do the pupils spend the first 2 years on the AS level syllabus plus add ons (GS A level, CT, EPQ etc) or do they also manage to cover quite a bit of the A2 syllabus before starting Y13?
It does seem a bit of a trap for the sixth formers since more is expected of them since they have three years. To drop to 3 A levels could be regarded as a relative weakness for most in the context of the school. However I could see that an extra year to allow somebody to do 4 A levels who might otherwise not cope has its advantage. Does the early choice of A levels result in more wrong decisions or not?