Dr Challoner's Grammar school - girls in sixth form

[Tupperwaregoddess]

Hi
We are moving to Chesham in the summer. My DD will be going to the 6th form and is keen to go to Dr Challoners boys. She applied but just missed the cut off by one mark so is hopeful that If she meets her grades there might be some movement in on results day.
does anyone have any experience of girls in the 6th form at the boys school? My husband thinks she might prefer Challoners girls - although she didn’t apply there.
is there a certain sort of girl that does better at the boys? Or anything else we should know.
Thanks!

What A levels does she want to take, @Tupperwaregoddess? As a broad generalisation the girls school is better for humanities and languages and the boys school is stronger at maths (in particular) and sciences.

There's definitely a type of girl who will tend to thrive at the girls school… If your DD doesn't want that sort of environment, she could also look at Chesham Grammar which is very good and because it is mixed all the way through the boys are more used to being around girls than they might be at DCGS.

Thanks for confirming @thing47 . She wants to do dentistry and so will be doing maths further maths , biology and chemistry.
she didn’t get a place at Chesham because we don’t currently live very close.

she’s not really a party girl but is currently at a non selective girls school. Her predicted grades were 9s for everything apart from Spanish and history. Not a languages girl!

Well imo then she would be much better off at the boys school, their maths is excellent. Anecdotally I know of girls who left the girls school for Sixth Form because they didn't feel the science A level teaching would equip them to do medicine. DD2 (scientist) was offered a place in the sixth form at the girls school but declined it (the boys school didn't take girls in those days).

It is, of course, an excellent school all round with lots of other things going for it, but for your DD it sounds a less good fit than the boys school so I think your instinct to hold out for a place there is a good one.

What’s wrong with Chesham Grammar? They have high achieving DC there too. However DCGS is near to Chesham and would suit. She might make local friends at CG and DCGS.

Parents mostly love DCHS. Only the most picky would turn them down. Lots of girls from science type families there. Doctors, dentists, all sorts of families. It’s a very sought after school. Many of their girls are high achievers.

Thanks for your thoughts. She didn’t get an offer for Chesham. Apparently it was very difficult this year unless you lived very close and we currently don’t.
I think she wants to go to the boys school to challenge herself. If she is going to be doing dentistry, or potentially medicine, I think she wants to take herself out of a girls school which is why she didn’t consider challoners girls - although I assume if she gets her expected grades she could maybe also look there if she has second thoughts on the boys school.
I just wondered if there were any parents of girls that had gone to the boys 6th form who could reassure me -or not- that it had worked well for them.

How long have they been accepting girls? Not that long I think. So possibly not many around. I’m surprised CGS is full. You did say you were moving to Chesham in your post.,

Yes I think that they have been accepting girls for about 4/5 years but as you say there’s probably been less than 200 girls there in total. She did apply to Chesham as well but she didn’t get a place. We don’t currently live in Chesham and they were oversubscribed so they went on distance as one of the criteria.

Technically re-accepting girls – they were co-ed many years ago. But more seriously, yes first cohort started in September 2016 so 5 years but including Covid years so there may not be that many families around with the experience you were hoping to hear from, OP.

But anecdotally I haven't heard of any problems. I live locally and if you aren't aware the boys school is right in Amersham so I think word would have got out if there had been major issues.

@thing47
Yes - DCG was co-Ed. My DM went there in the 1930s. DH went there in the 60/70s. It became boys only in Amersham after the new DCHS was built at Little Chalfont (early 60s). DH was taught by an English teacher who taught DM. Bucks expanded lots of schools in the 1950/60s. Aylesbury High split away from Aylesbury Grammar at around this time too.

How did things pan out - what did you choose? Is your DD going this September?

Do they have 45 new places in 6th form and are half for girls or just whatever gender gets the highest grades? Also how many people apply for these 45 places?

@Tupperwaregoddess - sorry I see it is for this term - how did it pan out for your DD? Hope she got what she needed.

Sorry @DFOD we didn’t move to Chesham in the end. My husband relocated elsewhere so it was all change!
my understanding is that they make offers on predicted grades I think they had to get 69 or 70 out of top 8 to include English and maths to be offered a provisional place in January. But then if there are spare places in august they got offered more or less on first come first served as long as you had at least 56 points and 7/8 in the a level subjects

Thanks @dorris44 thats a useful insight.

It would be good to hear from others how girls have done there emotionally and academically.