Worst set of GCSE results possible at private school (really)?

[Vanguard121]

At DS’s inde boys who are less academically able but good at sports have the option to study for a sports BTEC, on the proviso they achieve Bs and Cs in their GCSEs/iGCSEs.

DS is on course to secure mostly A*s/As (and a few Bs) in his GCSEs. He’ll clear the benchmark for A-level study at the same school with some ease. But as for some of his friends… we’re not so sure.

But it got me thinking: what are the worst set of GCSE/iGCSE results ‘achieved’ at a selective inde or state grammar?

A friend’s DD achieved 4Bs 4Cs at another local inde a couple of years ago. She was distraught on results day but the school made no apologies, explaining that she had achieved far better results than she would have done at a Croydon comprehensive.

Still, I think of her poor parents after having shelled out 75 grand over 5 years…

[PattiStanger]

I can only speak for the private schools in my area but people do send their children there for the results because they are drilled in the subjects, have endless internal exams and are forced to keep up with homework.

I'm not saying there aren't other factors but an almost guarantee of good results is a reason for a lot of people.

I know of one school that has offered free tuition for resits because of parental complaints.

[Racecardriver]

You can’t buy good grades or intellect. Some children simply aren’t academically able. We had quite a few guts who did poorly in their exams. They just weren’t very bright. There really wasn’t anything to be done. The idea that the school should apologise to parents for their intellectually challenged offspring is a bit absurd.

[PattiStanger]

I disagree racecardriver, to quite an extent you can buy GCSE grades as it's a lot about knowing how to approach the questions and practicing exam technique. This is something a private school has the resources to do ime more so than state schools.

You aren't buying intellect but you are buying the wherewithal to get to the next stage

[ImDivingIn]

I always find it bizarre when people say: “I went to a comp but went to Oxbridge, so private schools are not worth the money”.

All that shows is that you are bright. You would have got to Oxbridge from private or state.

Going to the right school (private, state, or grammar) means that a child who might not do as well somewhere else will be pushed up a level.

Where we are there is a state girls school where the girls get better results than the girls at the mixed comp down the road. Therefore that seems to be a better bet.
However their results can’t touch the extremely academic private girls school in the town.

A bright girl would probably be OK at the comp, and be brilliant at the state girls’ school and private school.

A medium-ish girl could sink at the comp, but be good at the state, and be pushed more at the indie.

[WitchesHatRim]

A medium-ish girl could sink at the comp, but be good at the state, and be pushed more at the indie.

Very dependent on the child and school. You make it sound a lot less complicated than it is.

[Petalflowers]

Gary Lineker

This reminds me of Gary Lineker who’s son failed to,get into Uni a few years back and blamed it on the private school.

[silkpyjamasallday]

I was privately educated, my school is in the top 25 for results in the league tables, in my experience girls who weren't going to achieve at least a B grade were forced to drop subjects and have their newly free periods for extra English and maths. Some people didn't leave with many GCSEs at all and weren't allowed to continue to sixth form. I however got a C for Latin, was one of the only C grades in the year as they were good at pruning out those who would 'fail' I slipped through the net . I know this is done at other independent schools too, as it ensures they don't slip down the tables.

[ImDivingIn]

witches

You are absolutely right. It is more complicated.

I always think that you can not compare entire sectors but have to look at a particular child and the realistic options that are open to them.

I went to a rough comp and did well enough to get to a RG uni. However, I am in absolutely no doubt that I would have done better if I had been at the local private school.

[happygardening]

Why in here are children from independent schools always “spoon fed” and those from the state sector are never spoon fed they achieve amazing results with little or no exam preparation?
I have a lot of very recent experience of state ed, the good the bad and the ugly, I don’t wish to go into details so you’re going to have trust me the children were totally spoon fed in fact I was shocked at how spoon fed they were.

[buttybuttybutthole]

Love how you think only state schools manipulate exam figures

The most hilarious thing I've read all day.

Honestly, talk about being on another planet

[buttybuttybutthole]

Sorry - I did agree wit above quote entirely, I meant to quote the original source

[bookmum08]

A lot of the Croydon secondary schools are Harris Academies. I wouldn't call them 'comprehensive' schools. What is so uniquely terrible about Croydon Secondaries? They are no better/worse than any others.

[NewStart1967]

I got 10 straight As at O level from my private school, 2 As and a B at A level, but wasn't able to take up my unconditional place at a very good university because my parents refused to fill out the income forms and at 18, I had no money of my own. I had no advice whatsoever on jobs - the only job I knew was a secretary. So that's what I did. 30 years ago. I've been intellectually starved for 30 years, but I type at 80 w.p.m. ;)

I live in the smallest, cheapest house of everyone I know and haven't 'done well' at all. I would absolutely hate to meet anyone from my old school now because I would be so embarrassed although I was among the brightest in my year.

My argument is that it's parental back-up that helps a child, not grades necessarily. It's having parents who actually care.

[A580Hojas]

@happygardening

I think you are looking at "these threads" "in here" in a totally biased way. Those of us who have been knocking around long enough know you only post on state vs private threads and your own child(ren) are educated at Eton or Winchester or somewhere. Your recent experience of "state ed" - it hardly covers the 90+ per cent of schools in the country does it?

[A580Hojas]

Shame you didn't go for an Open University degree newstart :(

[Clavinova]

My child did English language and literature, maths, chemistry, physics, biology, art, RE, history, French, Latin and Citizenship at a fully comprehensive school in Lewisham

Fully comprehensive with girls and boys or fully comprehensive with girls only? I wouldn't send my sons to a state school in Lewisham.

[NewStart1967]

I did do a degree eventually - not in a subject that I had any particular interest in, but in a subject that fitted in with work and which was available at a local FE college in the evenings - got 2:1 - but I'm starting to wonder now about doing something more, but feel a bit too old really. What is the point now?

[sproutsandparsnips]

I have to say - and I can see the logic in many of these posts and I understand that people just want their child to achieve the best they can (because I'm pretty sure that's what the vast majority of parents want), - that where I am there are very few independent schools and no grammars, so ds goes to the local comprehensive (and there is not much between them all, and generally children attend their nearest). He is only in y7 but so far doing ok and has many extra curricular opportunities, and appears to be having the kick up the bottom he requires to achieve what he is capable of.
Having said that, I went to an independent, academically selective secondary and think that my parents' (hard earned) money was well spent.

[happygardening]

A589Hojas my recent experience is 2016/2017 (I’m unwilling to go into details as to how I acquired this experience) and is totally unrelated to my children’s education (who’s both left school by then. It encompasses about 12 schools in four LEA’s from super selective grammars through high achieving comps and those judged to be required improvement. I saw spoon feeding in all.
I’m not saying it doesn’t occur in the independent sector but I’m challenging the idea it only occurs in the independent sector.

[A580Hojas]

I wouldn't send my sons to a state school in Lewisham.

Good. Wouldn't want my sons to be mixing with a child with such prejudiced parents.

[A580Hojas]

But how is that possible happygardening? According to you and the other privateschoolistheonlytypeofschoolacceptableformyparticularly preciouschildren, there is NO opportunity for spoon feeding at state school. State school is all about mangaingtheferallowerclasschildrenandnotdoinganyteaching. Isn't that so?

[HPFA]

However their results can’t touch the extremely academic private girls school in the town.

By "extremely academic" do you mean highly selective? In that case of course they won't!!

[MandalaYogaTapestry]

How did Prince Charles and Prince Andrew got into Cambridge with such poor A-levels??

[AlexanderHamilton]

Ds spent 8 years in the private system where he struggled and was predicted to “only” get Grades 5/6 in most subjects. In maths he had a 1:1 TA as he was deemed to be such a problem. This was supposedly the best school in the county.

We moved him “voluntarily” (before he was asked to leave) at the end of Year 8. Within 3 weeks he was moved into the top set for maths and science & is now on track for a Grade 8 in maths. (And he is much, much happier)

[Melamin]

How did Prince Charles and Prince Andrew got into Cambridge with such poor A-levels??

You only ever needed 2 Es in the old system to get into Cambridge - they ran their own entrance exam system and they considered this superior to the a level system.