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Original poster

Views on Manchester Grammar School

28 replies

richie9648 · 20/02/2022 16:13

My DS got into MGS - we are obviously really proud of this given how hard he worked and the pain he went through but now we have to decide if we can afford it especially given the very negative economic outlook - I reckon it will be £20k all in with tuition, lunch and travel and trips etc etc

Any mums in here have their kids at MGS and what are your experiences like?

Thanks

OP posts:
Malteser71 · 20/02/2022 16:16

My nephew went to this school. Great education. Missed a place at Oxford though - parents pretty convinced that it counted against him having attended a private school.

My own children have been through a reasonably good comprehensive and highly rated state sixth form - in the end, I’m not sure the expense of MGS was justified, however doubtless they’ve had a better education overall.

Captainj1 · 20/02/2022 17:26

My DS and a few of his classmates also have offers. One has a sibling there already. I think £20k is a pretty full estimate pa at the moment, but fees will go up a bit each year and you need to be in it for the long haul.

Original poster
richie9648 · 20/02/2022 19:22

@Captainj1 where in Manchester are you from out of interest?

OP posts:
Crimesean · 20/02/2022 19:28

Dunno if it's still the case, but a friend's child got horrifically bullied there, and the headmaster's response was:

  1. There is no bullying at MSG; and
  2. We think your son has Aspergers or something, but he's definitely the problem, not the other kids.

Put me right off.

Crimesean · 20/02/2022 19:31

Missed a place at Oxford though - parents pretty convinced that it counted against him having attended a private school.

Yeah, a family friend actually told me that I got into Oxbridge when her son didn't purely because he was discriminated against having gone to a private school. It's a pretty common excuse amongst certain parents who can't believe little Johnny didn't get a place, and there must be something wrong with the system rather than little Johnny not being bright enough.

Captainj1 · 20/02/2022 20:06

[quote richie9648]@Captainj1 where in Manchester are you from out of interest?[/quote]
Have PMd you

Malteser71 · 21/02/2022 14:55

Little Johnny plenty bright enough, all A*

ChildOfFriday · 21/02/2022 18:05

@Malteser71

Little Johnny plenty bright enough, all A*
I'm not doubting in the slightest that he is bright enough, but unfortunately there will be many more applications from DC who are bright enough than there are places at Oxbridge. Getting all A*s is far from a guarantee of a place, as a considerable percentage of those applying will have these or very similar grades, and Oxbridge is different from most other uni admissions in that they also look at the results of their own admissions tests and the interview, and anyone can have a good/bad day in those. With an interview on a different day or with different people, or a different admissions test paper, he may have been offered a place, but unfortunately it didn't go his way this time. I can see why it gets people's backs up to claim he was discriminated against for going to a private school, especially when (just from a quick Google so maybe not an exact figure) around 42% of Oxbridge acceptances were from private schools in 2018.
Innocenta · 21/02/2022 18:33

@Malteser71 Not how Oxbridge admissions work.

SunnyKlara · 21/02/2022 18:35

@Malteser71

Little Johnny plenty bright enough, all A*
Everyone who applies to Oxbridge is all A*. And it doesn't mean they are bright, just good at passing exams. That's what tge interview is for. And for determining whether there is a genuine interest in the subject
Crimesean · 21/02/2022 19:10

@Malteser71

Little Johnny plenty bright enough, all A*
Yeah, everyone's got all A*s at Oxbridge. Sorry. They're looking for more than an ability to regurgitate information, the interviewers try to ask questions to get kids to think about stuff they couldn't have been prepared for.
Malteser71 · 21/02/2022 22:52

I honestly don’t have any vested interest.

My nephew but my son.

Not bothered either way.

However there was a post earlier suggesting that private school parents feel upset when it turns out their child isn’t bright enough.

That’s not really the problem is it?

puffyisgood · 21/02/2022 23:00

as always gets pointed out on these threads, the private schools' share of Oxbridge places is higher than their share of A, or of AA*A, or of any other rational benchmark. even assuming that private school kids would get just as high grades in the state sector, they still improve their Oxbridge chances by going private. these stats are on Oxford's own website.

Malteser71 · 21/02/2022 23:38

And some of them are genuinely bright.

In my nephew’s case, staggeringly so. Would have liked to have gone to Oxford but was rejected.

Which is a little astonishing when Lizzie from my daughter’s state primary/high school got in, despite being not so staggeringly bright.

He’s happy elsewhere.

But, still one of the brightest and most intellectually curious children I ever met. His parents doubt their decision to send him to MGS

Which is what the thread was about. And the basis on which I responded.

Innocenta · 22/02/2022 11:31

@Malteser71 You don't know how bright the state schools applicant was. The tutors are better at assessing aptitude for Oxbridge courses than someone who just happens to know a child and doesn't think they're that bright!

puffyisgood · 22/02/2022 12:02

The admissions process can't be perfect [unless disproportionately well resourced], in borderlines cases especially, some weak candidates will get in & some strong candidates won't.

But the status quo plainly favours private applicants over state. Totally ignoring the strong likelihood that a private school applicant with AAA+ is on average less bright as a state school applicant with AAA+, real world data still shows that the private school applicant with AAA+ has a better chance of getting into Oxbridge than the state one with the same.

In other words, for every verifiable anecdote about "staggering" privately educated talent being turned away, there's more than one verifiable anecdote about the same from the state sector.

Views on Manchester Grammar School
Crimesean · 22/02/2022 20:04

@Malteser71

And some of them are genuinely bright.

In my nephew’s case, staggeringly so. Would have liked to have gone to Oxford but was rejected.

Which is a little astonishing when Lizzie from my daughter’s state primary/high school got in, despite being not so staggeringly bright.

He’s happy elsewhere.

But, still one of the brightest and most intellectually curious children I ever met. His parents doubt their decision to send him to MGS

Which is what the thread was about. And the basis on which I responded.

I guess everyone can have a bad day on interview day, but even so - private school kids are statistically more likely to get into Oxbridge than state school kids.

Given your nephew didn't get in - if he's really that bright, he probably just had a bad day. It's ridiculous to claim he was discriminated against when the statistics demonstrate the contrary.

Cuptowelmat · 01/11/2023 20:55

Resurrecting this thread.

Is the general opinion of MGS that it’s strongly academic focussed? In comparison to eg Stockport? Trying to decide on which school best suits our child’s temperament!

eurotravel · 01/11/2023 23:43

I'd go visit and ask lots questions. I know several people at both. The level of entitlement & arrogance is higher at MGS I'd say but also the level of geekiness. Only my experience but the ones I know are either very arrogant or very quirky.
SGS feels to me more rounded to me and obv mixed. Still a lot of wealthy very tutored kids but more in the real world.
I also know a couple of MGS lads whose good but not great GCSEs have left me wondering what they paid for. (They also had tutors on top)

Capz · 02/11/2023 18:58

eurotravel · 01/11/2023 23:43

I'd go visit and ask lots questions. I know several people at both. The level of entitlement & arrogance is higher at MGS I'd say but also the level of geekiness. Only my experience but the ones I know are either very arrogant or very quirky.
SGS feels to me more rounded to me and obv mixed. Still a lot of wealthy very tutored kids but more in the real world.
I also know a couple of MGS lads whose good but not great GCSEs have left me wondering what they paid for. (They also had tutors on top)

Agree with this based on my experience of it. Lots of sporty boys who are all a bit 'lads lads lads' and lots of quirky boys. A traditional school that's disciplinarian in approach. Quite high numbers of ND boys and they have a special unit that provides support.

SGS we found (based on application process) more rounded, not especially elite at anything in my experience but a nice nurturing environment. Easier to get into academically and less pushy on that front.

eurotravel · 02/11/2023 21:34

@Capz interesting your experience similar. I went thought all the boys I know either well or more vaguely.
Lots just very wealthy & money no object.
Some wealthy & then also very sporty. Do loads outside of school too : high level sportsmen.
Significant number a bit nerdy / loners or indeed ND and just quirky.
Only one I could think of was in the middle lol.
All the SGS kids to me seem more normal!

eurotravel · 02/11/2023 22:03

Actually I don't mean normal, that's a bit insulting. I mean SGS kids just seem more generally rounded and don't stand out to me in the same way.
Hard to explain. Lots are obv middle class with enough money to pay fees and do loads extra curricular etc
MGS boys often tend to me to seem to look down on others or live in a very wealthy bubble as they are the elite (albeit decent bursary programme).

Malbecfan · 04/11/2023 16:13

Just posted this on another thread. My schoolmate sent her DSs to MGS. It has stretched them financially to a ridiculous extent. DS1 is ND and was horrendously bullied. Like @Crimesean said, the High Master and his acolytes did nothing. This kid stayed with me over the summer, a year after leaving MGS with poor A levels and it took almost a week until he opened up to me about how awful it was for him. His younger brother is an excellent sportsman, plays 2 sports at county level and one nationally. MGS wanted the glory of his sporting achievements but complained about him missing school (to represent GB abroad in the sport that they pushed). This young man left after mixed GCSE results and is now in a Co-ed school in a different part of the city and loving the pastoral care and his new friends there.

My own kids went to an excellent state school in a different part of the country so we have paid £0 for their education. My friend feels very bitter about both the financial cost and cost to DS1's wellbeing of attending MGS, especially when MGS's results were no better than those at my DDs' former school. No current experience of SGS but it was always well-regarded when I lived in Manchester.

eurotravel · 05/11/2023 21:04

I haven't examined it other than casual observation but someone I know analysed & scrutinised MGS results and concluded they were no better than the good state schools top 50% when account for tutoring & selection. You do get an impressive range of extra curricular, facilities and school trips. That said you don't get on all trips as some are selected somehow. And don't mix with problem children obviously

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