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Secondary education

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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:
Ta1kinpeace · 25/09/2018 18:05

I live at the other end of the country from Queen Ethelburgas so know nothing directly about it as a school.
I'd never heard of it till I read about it on MN
I jokingly posted that they were thin skinned about comments online
...... and they threatened me with legal action. Grin

However I can genuinely say that kids moving from even the most prestigious of fee paying schools into state 6th forms cope just fine with it
BECAUSE
By that age there is much more emphasis on what you plan to achieve than what your accent is.

My kids went to the state 6th in Winchester (Peter Symonds) and there were kids there who had been at St Swithuns, Winchester, Eton, Downe, KES, PGS, Godolphin, you name it.
There were also some mind bogglingly rich / posh kids who had been at comps all the way through.

If your DD is really unhappy, then move her
but there are MUCH better schools in Yorkshire - both state and private - than QE

hotdog74 · 25/09/2018 18:52

The Mount school in York is a truly wonderful and nurturing school and offers everything from day to full boarding and everything in-between. You can easily walk from the train station if she wants to move from a boarding to day pupil.

MaisyPops · 25/09/2018 19:20

Just a brief warning to say you probably won't find honest reviews of Queen Ethelburga's here (or probably elsewhere) because they are very keen to threaten legal action at the drop of a hat.
This.

The tales I have heard are not positive.

They have 2 legally separate secondary schools on site. One is college and the other is faculty. It would seem they make their statistics look better by bumping and non high fliers into the faculty school.

VanillaSugary · 25/09/2018 19:49

Except.....I knew someone who sent his DD there and they put both the faculty and the college kids into the same class. Their marketing is interesting. We used to get inundated with their unique style of league table brochures.

We also got a letter saying that if we sent our kids there then what ever happened, for three years after they left school, no questions asked, the school would provide the kids with legal representation.

alphajuliet123 · 25/09/2018 19:50

What about Gateways in Harewood, that must be pretty close?

theboxofdelights · 25/09/2018 19:55

Why don't you look at Gateways on the A61 if you live near GSAL.

alphajuliet123 · 25/09/2018 19:55

And as for Queens Eths - my mum used to threaten to send me there when I was being an 'orrible teenager!

LemonysSnicket · 25/09/2018 20:14

I moved to Notre Dame from a state after bullying in 2013.

It is well made for newcomers because even though people know each other from the filter schools, there are a lot who don't know many people so everyone feels new at once.

It is HUGE. There are a lot of students but the teachers are encouraging and I really liked it.

If she's quite sheltered she may be a little intimidated. There are a lot of different cultures mashing together at ND, although it is a lot of fun if you enjoy mixing.

OVienna · 25/09/2018 20:54

@VanillaSugary what did they mean by the legal representation???

AlexanderHamilton · 25/09/2018 20:56

I remember reading that. It was something along the lines of you are an old QE, whatever trouble you get yourself into we will help get you out of it.

OVienna · 25/09/2018 21:03

Blimey.

Original poster
MichelleC69 · 25/09/2018 21:44

Finding these comments really really helpful, thank you everyone.

To the person who asked what she wants to do after 6th form: definitely university. Although to do what, I don't know.

And why hadn't I thought of Gateways - it's just up the road from me!

OP posts:
Dljlr · 25/09/2018 23:18

If you want to persuade your ex to give up on Etheldoodah then maybe point him to their website and have him count all the typos, as well as learn that, for example, 'house parents' deal with any poor behaviour from a perspective of 'no messing'. Good God. If I were going to pay through the nose for my child's education I'd make sure to choose somewhere that can at least present themselves professionally.

theboxofdelights · 26/09/2018 07:22

One of my nieces did really well at Gateways OP, joined as as primary school student and thrived without the pressure that her siblings at GSAL had. She had a fab time there, very small and nurturing.

Woodman03 · 26/09/2018 08:05

We considered Ethelburga’s for our son who who has just started 6th form this year. We thought the facilities for sport were fantastic, son was offered an 80% scholarship for sport. But we decided against, as we got a far better feeling from another school also on a sports scholarship.
We know one girl again was going on a sports scholarship to 6th form only lasted half a term and went back to the private school she was at as her parents just didn’t think academically it was as good as her previous private school. Where as another girl again from our same sports club left state school to go there for 6 form and her parents were really pleased with how she came on academically and confidence grew but the sports side was disappointing.

OP as has been said Gateways, Ashville or Harrogate Ladies College if you really don’t want to stay at GSAL.

Orlandointhewilderness · 26/09/2018 08:14

God I was desperate to go to QE as a young teenager (equestrian facilities looked ace!) thank goodness my parents said no!

LoniceraJaponica · 26/09/2018 08:34

What is it with this school that has made it so notorious on MN?

senua · 26/09/2018 09:15

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

Good point. For KS3 and KS4, you want the general ambience of a school. For sixth form, you start to specialise so you want the best place for science/languages/whatever. When DD was looking she had to strike some places off the list simply because, no matter how good/bad they were generally, they didn't offer her specific subject!

meditrina · 26/09/2018 09:54

It's notorious in M because it threatened a number of posters with legal action. Other schools, even when there are highly negative comments, have not AFAIK ever done so.

makingtime · 26/09/2018 10:03

I looked at the website. It offers boarding from the age of six in Y1. Age SIX! That alone would 100% put me off it.

helpmum2003 · 26/09/2018 10:21

Another important question is about pastoral staff turnover rate in addition to their experience.

thatmustbenigelwiththebrie · 26/09/2018 11:19

I went to Notre Dame for sixth form after being at GSAL (or Leeds Girls as it was then as they hadn't merged). it was fine - no one mocked me for having gone to private school. it's a big place with students coming from all over.

cathyandclare · 26/09/2018 11:32

My kids have been to GSAL and Gateways, we liked Gateways at primary but had doubts at secondary, that was with the old head though who has gone.

GSAL has a different feel at sixth form, she may like it. The sixth form centre is great and it has more of a college vibe, it's not perfect ( where is?) but DD was pretty happy there.

My other child boarded at sixth form, she's old in her year and was keen to spread her wings. It wasn't local and it was full boarding, so maybe not for you, but she did well and had the time of her life.

I know kids who were happy in Etherburga as day pupils and many do well academically, the only thing I would say is that they sometimes seem quite keen to move people to do Btech or other courses if it doesn't look like they'll make the grade.

Ta1kinpeace · 26/09/2018 12:09

Lonicera
Before the big thread where we were threatened with legal action for defamation, they had forced MN to remove lots and lots of threads about them
so it became almost a game.
Dozens of posts were removed from the big thread after around ten of us were threatened
but the bowlderised thread is still here somewhere.

My post - that was removed - joked about them being thin skinned about criticism online.
They could not see the irony of their actions.

cathyandclare · 26/09/2018 12:12

Eeeek... @Ta1kinpeace am I likely to get into trouble for my very mild post?