Gloucestershire Grammar

[DrMummyTutor]

Hi, ds has recently been qualified for 3 grammar schools in gloucestershire (Sir Thomas Rich's, Marling & The Crypt). Looking for opinion/reviews about the environment, values, care, study pressure/expectation, sports, clubs & facilities from the parents who have children there. Mine is a jolly & bright lad, a quick learner but doesn't like spending long time in studies, plays piano & loves reading. Interested in sports as well. Please share your experience. What kind of difference does an all boys school & a mixed school can make? Any guideline/suggestion to follow before putting our choice?

My DD knows some Marling boys and the older ones are known for being quite lively and quite naughty at parties! I have a friend who had two boys there and one loves it and stayed and one found it a bit ‘macho’ and move to Co-Ed for year 9 and was much happier there. I think if he isn’t that keen on studying maybe grammar isn’t the best route as the schools have to live or die on their exam results so the DC are under pressure to do well which some thrive on but some don’t - year 7 is a more fun year but things ramp up by year 8 so you see some DC leaving then if it doesn’t suit.

Many thanks Placido.

By moving from Marling to a co-ed at yr 9, was it to a local comp? Want to know more about the learning; subject wise & also extra curricular.

I know what you meant by exam oriented study pressure, certainly higher than any comp. But I found my ds to be sharp & absorbing things quickly if properly guided & motivated. He hasn't even gone through any tough tutoring for 11 plus, only preparing at home. And he has done really well. That made me think he might cope well. Obviousely the pressure will be higher at later stages & that's why I want to make sure the school choice isn't wrong for him. But surely we can't foresee too many things which may appear in the long run.

I have a friend with 2 boys in the Crypt. They have loved it so far. They have very good science/computer facilities and the school nip poor behaviour in the bud super quickly. It has recently become a co Ed school whereas Tommy's and Malling are still boys schools.There is pressure on the pupils though as there is in most grammars.

Marling I always thought was old fashioned and behind the times.Some parents have said the curriculum choices there are not as good as the other two.

All three are really good schools but I think are quite different to each other, so really it comes down to the one which is the best fit for your son. I have a DS at Crypt and it's a perfect fit for him, but my DD chose to go to one of the girl's schools which suited her better. I would definitely go along to the open days or arrange a visit, you'll get a good feel for the schools and see which suits your son best. I would definitely look at travel arrangements (having spent many a time driving to the school for pick ups when ill, extra-curricular activities etc.). We really liked Marling but the travel arrangements were trickier than Crypt which helped our decision.
If your son passed for the three schools he will do brilliantly at either one, the students are bright (but I don't think scarily so) and very motivated, which has definitely helped my DS who has a tendency to be lazy!

Go for the one with the quickest/easiest transport links. Will enable them to have a richer experience with extra curricular stuff.

Marling sixth form is Co-ed, by the way.

I think Marling has ok subject choice and they do a small amount of Latin but not as a full time subject. I get the feeling it has old fashioned discipline and slightly fusty teaching but I don’t have first hand info that is very anecdotal. But I do know first hand from DD that the older Marling boys she knows are big drinkers and take the most drugs to the local festivals - but I think the Stroud schools are known for that maybe as Stroud is pretty druggy.

gonnabeok
The4Seasons
Clarrylove
Placido
Thank you all so much for the info. Knowing these from your experience will help. Easy everyday transport is also our key point to ensure. We've visited one school already & will try others soon if possible. Open visits have been limited this year due to Covid. Hence want to hear more from the local parents.
My best to all your DC.

Hi all, reading this thread with much interest, as we are seriously looking at a house move and looking at Marling for 2023 for our son. My cousin's son went there (just left the sixth form) and she raves about it. Her older two went to local comps in Ciren, but her son loved Marling. She said the difference was the attitude towards learning in general and she is adamant that there were just 'really nice' boys and families there and tons of extra curricular stuff. We are currently in Bucks which also has 11+ and is absolutely cut throat with parents sending their children for 11+ tutoring from Year 4. If anyone knows if this is the case with Glos? Or has any other insights into Marling and the Crypt for boys?

I don't think it's cutthroat @funnyfoursome at least not amongst the families I know. Most that I know that have gone to the Stroud grammars didn't have any tutoring, just w h Smith books. This is what we're doing with our son, although I'd rather he went to local comp in many ways.

Thanks @PutYourBackIntoIt - that's really helpful. We are a bit done with the over competitive culture in Bucks, it's bonkers and not really inline with our values! Is Thomas Keble school the best bet for a comp near Stroud. I know the Ciren ones are v good, but I'm guessing Stroud is not in catchment for those - so tricky!

My DS went to The Crypt for years 7-11. He really enjoyed it. My DD went for 12 and 13 after having been at Ribston. She found it a bit anti- girls but that was when it was a boys school.

My son in law went to Marling. He loved it. Lots and lots of sport.

Comp wise, it really depends what you're looking for. I have friend with a child at Thomas Keeble and she loves it for her dd who needs lots of support and no pressure. She told me it's 'stroudy' in its intake...Read into that what you will

KLB has a good reputation also in Wotton, great for sport snd languages.

There's Rednock in Dursley, which has an incredible building and facilities, fab for music and engineering.

Sir William Romney, in Tetbury is small, nurturing good for added value.

My kids go to a primary where families choose between all these schools.

Thank you all that's really helpful! Love 'Stroudy' ;)

Can I try to resurrect this thread. I'm in the same position with my son having just qualified for these 3 schools. Everyone suggests that you go see the schools and see what is the right "fit" for your son but I just didn't feel that I got to know the schools that well from one tour and listening to the headteachers speak. Can anyone shed any light on what the main differences between these schools are? If you have a son at one of these schools, what are the pros/cons?

@Blankets85 a key factor for me would be where you live and how you intend to transport your son. If you live in gloucester or that direction probably not worth choosing Marling for practical reasons.
I am local with friends with children in all of the schools and they are all good. Tommys is boys only, and they have more lessons a day but the lessons are shorter to cater for the shorter attention span they find boys have. Crypt is now fully co-ed. Marling has a girls school next door and they seem to mix a fair bit so possibly you get the best of both worlds.

I take a little exception to "stroud is druggy" comment but for all i know perhaps the statistics do bear that out i don't know!

Thank you for your reply. Marling is the closest for us so that's where we were thinking of sending him. This thread implies that maybe more drugs are used there 😬 and maybe the teaching/approach is old fashioned so not great but that's obviously just the impression froma few. Im thinking you might be from Stroud- do you (or does anyone) know whether Marling is thought of as the least good of the 3? I don't know anyone else with children at any of these schools so any information on sport, academics, examresults or extracurricular options at Marling any of these 3 schools would be amazing. I've read the websites and they all seem great. If there is genuinely not much difference between them we'll go on distance. Many thanks!

I think Marling is the easiest of those three to get into - read into that what you will!
I have a DS at STRS and a DD at Crypt. Both are really good. I think both cater to a range interests and I'm not sure there's much in it.

I can help with this please pm me, don't want to be outing on here!