Super Comp/Leafy Comp - what are they?

[Kirari]

I often hear those words on the net. I understand they are not academically selective like grammar. What exactly are they? Comps with good results? Full of middle class families? Location? I recognise some like that but not quite sure if they are those so-called 'super comps'. Are Lady Margaret, Holland Park, Twyford etc considered to be one of them?? Can you name any of them as an example?

Many leafy COmps are Church Schools - the faith criteria makes them selective. More middle class people attend Church, plus those who don't might be more aware of admissions criteria and start attending in time to get in on the faith criteria.

A good example of a non Church leafy Comp is Balcarras in Cheltenham. There is a super selective Grammar in the town, plus others outside the town that many aspire to - but this Comp has very impressive results and some choose to live near it rather than go through the the 11+ stress. It has a small, leafy catchment area - affluent parents who are interested in education, plus it seems to do a very good job and delivers excellent results.

Re the super-sized schools which are increasingly run by Heads who aren't even there every day (parts of big academy chains sometimes) and where it is all data, data, data (and all schools are like this to some extent these days) they can feel very very impersonal and I agree with a PP who said their child was a number and statistic, rather than really known.

What would people consider to be the ideal size for Secondary? I know schools of around 1000 are small these days, but I think it's a good number.

A true comp has no selection criteria at all

• no tests
• no church
• no gender

examples include Bohunt, Kings Winchester, The Petersfield School, Romsey School, Wyvern School
those ones are all deemed leafy because they are not inner city
then again Everest in Basingstoke is equally leafy but does not get good results

the Hampshire Comps average 300 per year group