South Bromsgrove or Henley in Arden school

[Hetty33]

Does anybody have any experience of either South Bromsgrove or Henley in Arden high schools? We're currently in catchment for South Bromsgrove but it's a massive school so have concerns about how my daughter will get on there. We're close to catchment for Henley so considering that as an option.

I know of both although no direct experience I gather both schools are very good from friends. What year is your daughter in? As of course Bromsgrove is three tier system but Henley is Warwickshire two tier.

My gut is telling me that Henley would be oversubscribed so might be worth making that enquiry before getting too set on it as if you're not in catchment that might make it quite hard.

As I say I don't know for sure but it would be my first question. Guessing roughly where you must be do any of the Redditch schools take your fancy? Some of them are also very good.

Thanks for your reply. My daughter is in yr 5 so if we are going to move we would need to asap! I spoke to Henley school and they did say it would be worth applying as they do accept Worcestershire admissions. As I've got no experience of either school I'm trying to work out whether it would be worth moving.

I've heard mixed reports of South Bromsgrove. My dd's best friend went there and wasn't really happy. She's much happier at Alcester Grammar sixth form. Is taking the grammar test an option for your dd?

Dd's friend's mum is also a friend of mine and she's had four go through the school so far. I don't think she's massively impressed with the Maths or English departments. There's lots going on though and D of E is strong.

Thanks @crazycrofter that's really interesting. We have considered Alcester grammar but I don't think dd's maths is strong enough.

It might be worth a try with a bit of practice over the summer. The Alcester cut off score isn't particularly high; when ours did it it was around the same level as the lowest of the Birmingham grammars. We started preparing ds after the June half term and that was enough time. His English wasn't great, but he still got into AGS (although he went to a Birmingham grammar). Maths is only 1/3 of the paper.

That's interesting to know @crazycrofter . Perhaps we need to give a bit more consideration to the 11+ then. I guess we've got nothing to lose by giving it a go.

Alcester and all the S Warks grammars had the highest entry scores ever this year. Was 217 last year for AGS and kids on 217 didn't get places due to distance, it was that competitive. The year before my DS would have got a place, last year nope. This year the AQS was 220. Highest it's ever been.

Henley is a lovely school, but it is oversubscribed. We had a place offered last year in August (DS in yr7) and we are 1 mile out of catchment. We turned it down as we already settled on the school we were offered.

But 217 isn’t that high, given that pre-catchment areas, some of the Birmingham grammars needed 230 or 240 plus.

It’s always worth giving it a go. I suppose the other thing to remember is she won’t go to South til she’s 13 and she might change a lot before then. That’s the benefit of the 3 tier system, they get to stay in a smaller, cosier environment for longer.

No it was 220. Its relatively low compared with KES (240) and the Birmingham grammars but there's definitely a distance element unless your kid is way over the score.

I know of some people who went to Alcester (admittedly a couple of years back) and frankly I was surprised that they passed for the grammar school. They certainly wouldn’t have passed the test for other local grammar schools or even some of the less selective independents such as Solihull. Alcester also becomes non-selective for seniors.

I have only ever heard good things about Henley but it is oversubscribed now so I would suggest moving into catchment if that is your preference. House prices around there aren’t cheap so if you are moving consider other areas nearby in the catchment of good schools. Some like Tudor Grange used to have a really bizarre catchment area that takes from some areas on the edge of Solihull and Worcestershire skipping areas closer to the school, so do check carefully.

Alcester very much is selective for seniors (by which I assume you mean 6th form?)

There's no such thing as "passing" the 11+ in Warwickshire. They simply select the top 84 boys who apply for KES and 130 or so for SGGS then 150 for AGS. Bearing in mind over 3000 kids sit the 11+ it's not a huge number who get places.

Interestingly I know plenty of girls and boys way off the 11+ score (so scoring 195 or so) who got places at Warwick, Kings High and Solihull. This is significantly below the 217 for AGS and way below the 230 for SGGS and 240 for KES.

Henley is a very good secondary. There's lots of good schools in the area though, so although grammar might be preferred, anyone living in S Warks is usually OK with their local comp too.

@GuyFawkesDay

Alcester very much is selective for seniors (by which I assume you mean 6th form?)

There's no such thing as "passing" the 11+ in Warwickshire. They simply select the top 84 boys who apply for KES and 130 or so for SGGS then 150 for AGS. Bearing in mind over 3000 kids sit the 11+ it's not a huge number who get places.

Interestingly I know plenty of girls and boys way off the 11+ score (so scoring 195 or so) who got places at Warwick, Kings High and Solihull. This is significantly below the 217 for AGS and way below the 230 for SGGS and 240 for KES.

Henley is a very good secondary. There's lots of good schools in the area though, so although grammar might be preferred, anyone living in S Warks is usually OK with their local comp too.

It’s so interesting to hear that GuyFawkes. Alcester is definitely the 6th form school of choice locally for those that are struggling at GCSE in some of the independents. I know of a few DCs who were “advised to find another school” and have gone there. That’s not to say that Alcester is not a great school, just noting that’s what happened in my experience.

As regards comparable entry to Warwick, Kings, Solihull, I wonder as the economy has struggled in the last few years if these schools are having to lower their entrance requirements as more people want a good free education at one of the grammar schools? These schools will also often take students with lower academics because they have a talent for sport or music or drama. Again I certainly know of one or two less academic DC who were accepted to these schools on these grounds.

I also thought Alcester was less selective for sixth form. My daughter’s friend who’s in year 12 didn’t get into the Birmingham grammar my daughter is at. The entry criteria at Alcester are quite low comparatively and they have a lot of external applicants. That’s not to say it’s not a really good sixth form though. At my daughter’s grammar school, all the external applicants got straight 8s and 9s.

My DD had to sit entrance exams for Stratford Grammar 6th form and could have got straight into Alcester with nothing other than an application and making the grades for her subject. That’s the same as all the local comprehensives and 6th form colleges.

Presumably the increase in required score for AGS is down to KEVI grammars introducing a catchment area, and thus excluding all those from Solihull, Warwickshire, Worcestershire that previously would have attained places in Birmingham grammars.
Solihull school has also hugely increased the academic requirement for entry in last 4 or 5 years.

Its also because of the mini baby boom so big increase in numbers taking it.

I suspect that the Warwickshire grammars will do like Birmingham and introduce smaller catchment zones soon.

@kingsheathen that’s such a good point. I hadn’t considered that. The Warwickshire grammars have quite a tight catchment area already whereas the Birmingham grammars had none previously. It will be interesting to see what happens now all the Solihull schoolchildren are excluded from the Birmingham grammars. I am also not surprised that Solihull is supposed to have increased its academic requirements at 6th form. From my experience, they had the lowest entry requirements of the 3 comparable schools in the area i.e. Warwick, Bromsgrove and Solihull for A levels - asking for 5s where others ask for 6s. It is also quite difficult to find any breakdown of results for Solihull School at GCSE and A levels. But now that have absorbed St Martin’s, they have less local competition so may be able to squeeze their entry requirements.

Sorry- I meant Solihull entry at 11+, rather than 6th form... my family aren't quite at that stage yet

@KingsHeathen sorry I think it was me! My DC are older so automatically think about 6th form now rather then 11+. Solihull is interesting as it is traditionally a hard school to get into at 11 (because there is a big cohort progressing from their junior school. The back up has traditionally been Bromsgrove School who have a gentler entry at 11 as their pupils don’t move to seniors until 13. Interestingly however despite the higher entrance, the results of the two schools don’t differ drastically at GCSE.

And OP, Bromsgrove School do often get DC transferring from the two local state schools at 13.