Chalfont Independent Grammar School

[KZED]

We are looking into applying to Chalfont Independent Gramma for our son. He will be starting Grade 6 (MYP)
For the parents who's children are in the school could you kindly give me the feedback please.
My son has been in the IB program for the last seven years (KG1 to Grade 5)
Your comments will be extremely helpful 😀

The pupils are kept safe on site with doors controlled by members of staff. All classes are within one building and staff accompany children to the lunch hall. Outside play is also fully supervised by staff. This site is no different to many schools where there is the potential to access school playing fields from the outside.

Hi Catkin. The pupils at CIG are very much kept secure on the school site which is the building to the left and you can only access the school through the main doors. They do use the catering facilities on the right which they walk to at lunch time. You may have seen various other school groups (I have seen many European school groups) that use the vast site facilities for school trips and away days as there are sleeping quarters from when it was being used by the Bucks University, but they don't use the school facilities. Hope that helps.

I don’t think there is any cheating going on here, I don’t believe you could confuse a fee paying school with a state grammar school
But calling it a grammar schools gives the impression, rightly or wrongly, of being highly selective & high achieving. No axe to grind here I just think it's odd to call it a grammar school & cynical as it is a new school.

I agree with Furry and Bubbles regarding it calling itself a grammar, especially when it’s bang slap in the middle of a state grammar/upper school area. Wasn’t it originally called Newlands College?

Thanks to the PPs who’ve replied above regarding my question about pupil safety.

Like other PPs, I have no axe to grind, but used to live very locally so have some knowledge of the schools in the area and am genuinely curious.

Yes, Newland College, I believe. I think it opened about 3 years ago. Can't imagine why it changed its name so quickly (actually Newland College is confusing too as there's Newlands School in Maidenhead).

I do get that, people could get confused in a 'grammar' school area/county. I know that there are a number of independent schools up and down the country that call themselves grammars which is because of a historical link to Latin being taught in the curriculum. But modern grammars are about higher level academia. However, I wasn't fully aware of the IB system until I looked at this school, and when you look at the outcomes of IB schools and pupils, they fair very well compared to the grammar school results in terms of pupils getting to top uni's etc. But for us it's more about the holistic, creative and well-rounded approach to education that the MYP and IB programme delivers, compared to the GCSE / A level system that I feel don't suit my son as well.

In case anyone wants any extra reading! :)
www.ibo.org
The MYP is Year 7-11

There are several difficulties with CIG and some positives.

Using the title 'Grammar' in Bucks with its selective state system is very misleading and that alone would make many suspicious. For a school to change its name so quickly after foundation is also unusual. Its financial situation has been chequered - its first iteration went bankrupt.

Equally, comparing other IB schools to this one which hasn't yet completed the fully certified course with any of its students, cannot give a true picture of the quality of its teaching. It has no track record. There is a long-standing IB course offered at the ACS Hillingdon school which achieves very good results and has done for many years.

Whatever is said about the location, the reality is that it's an adopted site from the old Bucks New Uni. Staff have to keep a close watch on students because it isn't secure. The old accommodation blocks on the edge of the site are rented out, Newland Hall itself is used as a wedding venue and the rest of the park can be rented for conferences.

That said, children who don't fit the local grammar mould can be very happy here. From what I have been told, it is not one for high-flyers, but quirky children have space and time to develop in a different way to the linear NC. Being outside the NC also makes it more accessible for children with SEN.

Go into this school with your eyes open. It isn't necessarily what it claims to be, but equally it can work for children who need something outside the typical Bucks experience.

Goodness me. Are people to assume that their children will therefore only be ‘high flyers’ if they go to a grammar or elite independent school? I guess it depends what ones perception is of success... unfortunately that comment highlights the problem with the snobby judgement in society and the area of Bucks.

Is there not a huge worry that the very low numbers will make it financially unviable? It seems inconceivable to me that less than £5000 a term is enough to provide all the facilities and curricular requirements for senior children. Most prep schools in the area charge this (and more). This school has around £700,000 income, (50 children?) although obviously far less if Ofsted’s 31 on roll is correct. No doubt a few more have joined the school since then. I bet the Head gets a good whack of that as most grammar Heads get around £100,000 in Bucks. I just don’t see how the finances work. The fees are also significantly less than specialist SEN schools charge. So if it suits SEN children, are they truly catered for?

What tests do children take to get in? Is it a grammar in any normal sense of the word? Yes, there are Private Grammars elsewhere but not in grammar counties. Lots of former direct grant grammar schools went Private years ago. Grammar is used as a marketing tool and is misleading.

Err??? Grammar equals highish flyers! That’s the point of Grammars isn’t it? They select the highish flyers! Bucks Grammars are not super selective but none the less, parents do know what a grammar school aspires to be. It is not a word that suggests average.

I have loads of friends whose children have attended secondary modern schools. I would say it’s snobby to attend a pretend grammar school! The children I know from the secondary moderns have been well taught, have had wonderful opportunities to develop as young people and have mostly gone to university. Those that haven’t have good careers and have grasped their training opportunities to do well in employment.

Bucks parents are no snobbier then anyone else but those who pay and rubbish the secondary moderns and the other Grammars are the snobby ones. Money talks and it pays for exclusivity. CIG is definitely exclusive - it has a small, elite, band of customers who are paying to escape from everyone else!

Bubbles, have you actually been to the school? - No. Do you have any experience of IB schools - No. And someone who with over a supposed 30 years of school governance experience, I would expect you to a bit more educated on the matter and not be so judgemental.
And what does 'high-ish' mean???!! Geez, some of the most successful business people in the world didn't go to grammar school or university, so I'm by no means rubbishing secondary state education.
Good on these CIG parents who are taking a risk from the norm and boring, I've no doubt their kids will flyer higher than most.

BubblesBuddy. I’ve just logged in from rural France and you’re STILL going on with your negativity about OUR school!!!!! 😂😂 I wouldn’t dream of writing about your children’s school like you have written about ours. Especially on a public forum.
You wasted quite a bit of your BH weekend commenting on OUR school and now you’re there again whilst you could be enjoying H/T with your family. Those ACTUAL parents that have commented are happy with the school so why can’t you just leave it at that. You clearly don’t know the phrase “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say it at all”

The same applies to all of you! It’s not just me commenting. The fact it is on a public forum is neither here nor there. In fact it’s probably important that grammar schools such as this are discussed and people have differing views. I don’t see anything wrong in that. For what it’s worth, I’ve seen the school my DD attended as being for the rich and thick. Of course the poster hadn’t been to it, but they have an opinion. That’s fine.

Where in this thread did I say I had 30 years experience of being a governor? Are you stalking me? How very sad!

Bubbles, it's not difficult to see what you're about, just put your name into the search, and up you come.... pages and pages of your opinions. Clearly nothing better to do with your time...how very sad. Perhaps you should get yourself a 'high-ish flying' job! or talk to the many 'friends' you have, instead of spending so much time on here spreading your negative opinions on things you know nothing about... how very sad!

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Fakenewsfinder

Thank you to the current parents posting here, we really liked this school when we visited, so it’s great to hear such positive feedback. We also know other parents who were equally impressed, and can assure you that the name of school, is not something that needs clarification in terms of our understanding of the word ‘grammar’. It really has no relevance whatsoever.
For those parents who have children there, can you add any insight into how well the school caters for very academically able children, and where GS has also been an option, what has been your experience?
Also, with regards to maths, and the Ofsted comments, is this something that has been addressed? Would love to hear from you...thank you

Hi Schoolquery1. It's good to hear some positive feedback from prospective parents.
My son is in MYP1 (year 7) and previously didn't really enjoy Maths in his primary school. He has just done his end of year assessment, and having gone through his revision with him, he has been learning topics that my daughter did in Year 8 in Grammar school. He enjoys the subject now as his teacher explains the topics well, putting them into real world scenarios, homework will regularly include going out and finding an example to back up the work.
The school caters for both the academically able and SEN, there is such a broad range of pupils with different strengths, and the school encourages pupils to think positively about all aspects of the curriculum regardless of whether they think it is their strength or not. My son didn't like Maths, Drama or languages previously, now he's loving all of it! :)

As someone who has a young child attending this splendid school, I must say that you are wrong miss bubbles. Very wrong. Sorry. #Not sorry.

It's been a while since I looked at this thread! It would be interesting to hear how things have progressed in the past year. We are in the process of lining up senior school options for next September, yr 7 entry.
We visited the school at the old site, so it would be good to hear if the new build is still on track, and how many pupils are now on roll for MYP.
We know parents who are interested in joining next year also, and am still hearing positive vibes on the grapevine; so it's still on the peripheral radar :)