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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

Queen Ethelburga's - opinions please

130 replies

MichelleC69 · 24/09/2018 10:20

Hello everyone, I'm new here. My daughter is 15 and in her GCSE year, studying at Leeds Grammar School. She is unhappy there because of the pressure she's under and is desperate to move for A levels. And that's where my problems began....top of her list is Queen Ethelburga's (as a boarder) and I am against it for so many reasons. I think if she feels under pressure now this will only make things worse, in a strange environment and having to make new friends. Plus I don't want my 16 year old away from home all week. Am interested in hearing the opinions of others who may have kids there or have looked at it.

Thanks in advance,
Michelle

OP posts:

VanillaSugary · 24/09/2018 22:20

Look at Bootham. I thoroughly recommend the York schools.

BroomstickOfLove · 24/09/2018 22:30

I live local put and wouldn't send my daughter there. I know one person whose child went there (forces family) and she said she wouldn't choose it for another child. Bootham and Queen Margaret's both have a much better reputation locally.

LoniceraJaponica · 24/09/2018 22:41

"however my ex isn't keen as it's not private."

Why is he so anti state education for A levels? One of the best 6th form colleges in the country is Greenhead College in Huddersfield. Students from miles around travel to go there. Oh, and it is state not private.

Original poster

MichelleC69 · 25/09/2018 06:18

Why is he so against state schools? Because he's a social-climbing knob. This is what I've had to deal with since she was of school age!

OP posts:

AnotherNewt · 25/09/2018 06:37

She needs to look at more flexi-boarding schools - and I would certainly recommend Boothams. If your XH really is a social climbing knob, he'll probably want you to add more schools to the list as well (has he expressed an opinion on QE from that pov?) Has he expressed any opinion on which school?

scaevola · 25/09/2018 06:43

Some pupils commute from Leeds to Harrogate - is that possible? Because state sixth form there could be a good option (bragging rights for both St Aidan's and Harrogate Grammar are IME ahead of QE, John Fisher perfectly good too). Plus there's the Ladies College if your XH really cannot be ignored, and Ashville College too (very good pastorally a few years ago with a boy I knew who had been moved from pillar to post, for reasons beyond the family's control)

errorofjudgement · 25/09/2018 06:59

To add another perspective, my academic DD hated Y11. The pressure from the school, and that she put on herself to get the best grades was intense. To the point she was having panic attacks. However 6th form has been totally different, only studying 3 subjects (that she loves) rather than 11 has made a huge difference.

WhatHaveIFound · 25/09/2018 08:10

errorofjudgement I second that. DD struggled her way through Y11 and it's associated stresses. She's loving the change of school and is enjoying being more independent at sixth form.

Original poster

MichelleC69 · 25/09/2018 08:48

@scaevola we actually live between Leeds & Harrogate so that's entirely possible - thank you. Had a very emotional conversation with her last night where she basically said she feels QE is her only option as her dad won't consider state and there are no other private options which are commutable. Clearly there are lots. She's also paranoid that if she goes state she will get bullied because of her accent. I don't believe this for one minute.

OP posts:

AlexanderHamilton · 25/09/2018 09:03

she basically said she feels QE is her only option as her dad won't consider state

AlexanderHamilton · 25/09/2018 09:03

she basically said she feels QE is her only option as her dad won't consider state

AlexanderHamilton · 25/09/2018 09:05

Does she realise that he doesn't have any choice in the matter for 6th Form? Unless she needs him to pay fees somewhere, she is or will be 16. She applies for schools and colleges, not him (or you). It's not like applying for secondary school where parents choose and sign the form.

AlexanderHamilton · 25/09/2018 09:06

If she goes to a good 6th Form college the students there will come from a wide range of background. Its very common for young people from private schools to transfer to state 6th Form. Often they get more choice of subjects for one thing.

Hoppinggreen · 25/09/2018 09:15

Lonicera Agree that Greenhead is excellent. Dd is at Private School currently but wants to go there for 6th form.

mostlysinging · 25/09/2018 09:24

If you are between Leeds and Harrogate, Ashville would work as commutable and could to Woodhouse but would be further. Harrogate Ladies College is an option too - think smaller than Ashville (?) but saw they have got some fab new facilities recently all focused around wellbeing and pastoral care. I know various people who have gone Queen Margaret's and loved it there - the place is amazing and stunning grounds. And as others have said there is the sixth form at Harrogate Grammar, St Aiden's or John Fisher (the last two share some facilities for sixth form) and I know that some years there can be quite a few that move from GSAL there.

IvyFluids · 25/09/2018 10:24

I worked there.
I wouldn't send my dying dog there.
I have ex colleagues who say that nothing has changed.
You know it is bad when the owner throws a pot noodle at a year four student and causes a black eye and you are made to delete the photo you took.

Floottoot · 25/09/2018 10:32

mostlysinging, I was going to say the same about Queen Margaret's grounds - we visit relatives in the village and walk our dog to the temple, past the horse fields and cricket club and it's idyllic. My own 14 year old daughter says she's love to be a boarder there. My cousin's daughter was a boarder from 11 to 18 and loved it - she's at Durham Uni now.

Hoppinggreen · 25/09/2018 10:37

Careful ivy they have taken legal action against people on here before

IvyFluids · 25/09/2018 11:06

Meh, they are going to drag me from another country?

VanillaSugary · 25/09/2018 11:07

Kids go to Bootham on the train from Leeds. She doesn't need to board.

VanillaSugary · 25/09/2018 11:09

Ditto Asheville which is also a very good school.

oakthorn · 25/09/2018 11:39

I live local to Queen Margaret's and it has an excellent reputation. Seems to produce very well rounded happy pupils. Friends daughter moved there for 6th form after another private school and then messing about for a year at the local college. She loved it and thrived achieving excellent results.

Toadsrevisited · 25/09/2018 11:45

Key questions to ask of any of the boarding schools mentioned here.

How many new pupils at sixth form?
How many are EAL?
How many are termly boarders?
Who are house parents?
What qualifications and experience do they have?
Ask a pupil what pastoral care is really like....

You will find a very wide variety of answers....

anotherangel2 · 25/09/2018 12:15

I had a student move there at the start of year 11. I offered to send the student revision materials as I produced etc. Her teacher rang wanting me to send me all my teaching materials for year 11. I said it was not possible but I would happily dicuss the students strengths, weaknesses etc (yr 10 reports go out half way through the year) but she was not interested.

Pythonesque · 25/09/2018 13:58

Does she have much idea what she wants to do after 6th form yet? I would have thought that 6th forms vary quite a lot and some may be more focussed than others in preparing children to be young adults heading off to university.

Local to us, www.doverbroecks.com/sixth-form/ has a much more independent ethos in 6th form as I understand it. Too far away from you I'd say, but perhaps gives a taste of something that might be relevant to your daughter. If you were to find somewhere similar but closer to home, it might provide a positive reason towards boarding. I agree that "I want to move schools and this seems to be the only way to do it" isn't likely to work well.

Good luck broadening the options to consider and I hope you find something useful. (coi have just sent youngest to boarding school age 13; but we were also a "of course our children won't board" family until the eldest went for a specific opportunity age 10)

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