Bucks Grammar Schools - Challoners Girls or Chesham?

[BuffyTy]

Should DD pass the 11+, we'll be choosing between these two schools. I've been round both and was impressed by each of them. Rumour has it that the new Head at Challoners has really improved things there and that pastoral care is going to be invested in. The grapevine suggests that Chesham is currently better at pastoral care but that as it's co-ed, the boyfriend / girlfriend thing happens there earlier, which could be a distraction. Any thoughts from parents who have girls at either school? Many, many thanks.

Bump - anyone?

They are both great schools and honestly your only real choice should be whether you want single sex or co-ed.

Girls at both roll the tops of their skirts over and have boyfriends. I have friends with girls at both and they are all extremely happy. The girls at Challoners do seem a bit more pressurised though but this comes from the girls themselves though not the school.

Honestly, not that much to choose between them although Challoners has a slight edge academically. Go with your gut reaction on this one if you are having trouble deciding.

Having had children at both, you really have to go on where your dd feels most comfortable. Spend time at the Open Evenings, ultimately she needs to work out where she would be happiest - there really isn't that much difference in the academic results.

Dd didn't have the happiest time at DCHS, however most of her time was under the previous head - she moved to DCGS for Sixth Form. However we've heard that the current head, ex-Chesham, has created a much better ethos. The vast majority of her friends who have just finished A Levels had great experiences. I would agree that the pressure comes from the girls rather than the school.

Chesham does have a different feel, the co-ed aspect seems to make it less pressured although academically still very rigorous. Ds2 loves it and is happier than we've ever known him during his time in school. FWIW, they get the boyfriend/girlfriend thing out of the way in Yrs 7 and 8 so actually far less of a distraction than you'd expect. The curriculum is wider with food tech, DT and engineering still available. Pastoral care is excellent, in our case it's been better than both DCHS and DCGS.

It really is the luxury of choice - they are both excellent schools.

Should add that Challoners recently cut dance from their curriculum due to funding cuts (although I believe you can do it as an extracurricular activity which you need to pay for). Rumours that some other non EBAC subjects might be going the same way or become a shared thing with the boys school.

If your daughter is creative you might want to dig a little further.

Really appreciate your comments - thanks so much. Am starting to think that a less pressurised environment might be better for her as she can get anxious at times. I definitely need to find somewhere strong at pastoral care too. Open days, here we come again!

My dd has just started yr 7 at Chesham Grammar and so far I've found the support and emphasis on wanting to ensure the yr 7s are feeling settled, happy and comfortable has been brilliant. When choosing schools, the first thing everyone I spoke to with children at Chesham said about it was that its a 'friendly' school, whereas I heard so many stories about the pressure and attitudes at DCHS that I didn't like, which made me certain that it wasn't the school for my dd. Personally I would prioritise good pastoral support and a happy environment over somewhere that may have a reputation for being slightly stronger academically, especially given that Chesham's results are also actually excellent.

Theliverpoolone - has your dad continued to settle in week? Anything more to add after a few more weeks? My dd has passed so it's decision time soon. Thanks mala and Zodle too....still totally onfised as I like them both after further visits. Kind of wishing we didn't have a choice!

Yes, still very happy so far. The volume of homework is taking some getting used to, but that seems to be the same across all the schools, grammar and non-grammar. There's been an informal drop-in session for parents, where the Head and other staff were genuinely keen to find out how the children are settling. My dd is a quiet, socially anxious girl who has amazed me with how well she appears to have settled there. I would highly recommend.