Spalding Grammar School

[MrsAnneBlythe]

Does anyone have a child who attends Spalding Grammar School? We are trying to choose a school for my son and I would love to hear from anyone with a child there. I've read the Ofsted reports and been for a look round, but in my experience the most valuable information comes from the kids and their parents. Please help!

Oooh my brother went there! Quiiiitte a while ago tho so probs not much use.

Do you live in the Spalding area op? If so, surely SGS is the obvious choice? If not, I've got to be honest and say I have lived there (also a while ago but more recently than DB) and I wouldn't be keen to go back.

Thanks for the reply! I live in one of the surrounding villages, so it's definitely the obvious choice. It just feels like such a huge decision and I don't want to get it wrong! When did your brother go there? Did he like it?

Is it still like it was and everyone takes the 11+? Surely you wouldn't go to George Farmer or Gleed Boys if you passed?

DB left in 1985! I think it was all fine but it wasn't as tho he would have gone anywhere else. I was at SHS and was in lots of plays at the Grammar, that was always fun 😀

Fellow SHS here @clary - no brother at SGS but I did spend quite a bit of time there back in the day for music! Not quite as far back as 1985 but definitely not recently!

Yes it's still 11+ - I don't think Spalding will ever change that - but the Gleed is now (shock horror) mixed sex!

@MrsAnneBlythe Do you live in one of the villages between Spalding and Boston so have the choice of either of your son passes the 11+? Friends have chosen Boston over Spalding as they feel the pastoral care is better, but academic wise I don't think there's much between them.

Now then @Spaldonian good to hear from a fellow yellowbelly 😀

Meant to add that my dad taught at the Gleed Boys 😮 that it is mixed sex!

I do live between Boston and Spalding. I'm not keen on Boston Grammar, but was wondering if I should consider Bourne Grammar. It's further for us, but I've heard good things about it. Spalding Grammar is much more convenient and my son has friends who will be going there, so in many ways it makes sense. I've just heard some rumblings about behaviour and wondered if anyone could tell me what it's really like there.

Ooooh @MrsAnneBlythe which village? I'm from Gosberton myself! Bourne would be a right PITA of a journey surely.

I found that my friends in Spalding lived a long way away, so that situation would be even worse with Bourne.

@clary It's a small world! I live in Gosberton. It's interesting to hear that you felt a long way from your friends even out here, as that's exactly what concerns me about Bourne. Thank you. I probably need someone to tell me to shut up and stop worrying about it - it just feels like such a massive decision!

I'm amazed to meet fellow yellowbellies on MN - I was beginning to think I was the only one!

@MrsAnneBlythe There is now a bus between Spalding and Bourne, but it takes forever considering it's only ten miles. Plus it only runs on Monday-Friday so your DC couldn't use it to see friends at the weekend. The catchment areas for the Spalding schools are huge as it is - I had friends at SHS from Gosberton and nearby, and they found being reliant on parents quite tough as we got older (oh for decent public transport!). I'd only consider Bourne if my DC failed the 11+ as the Gleed is nowhere near as good as Bourne's secondary modern.

Both my sons attended Spalding Grammar ( although they are well into their 20s now!) Both made the most of their time there in their own ways! It's certainly a decent school and much better than Boston Grammar ( I teach in Boston!) in terms of academics- you only have to look at the 11+ pass mark to understand why. Bourne is an excellent grammar too but the logistics of getting there might be too much.
If you are looking at other schools, Bourne Academy is the better school but Spalding Academy( which used to be the Gleed) has made huge progress since it was taken over by the same Trust. The other options are a bit daunting! UAH in Holbeach has a good reputation, Thomas Cowley has just been taken over by the Bourne/Spalding trust so I would give it a couple of years to get sorted out, Thomas Middlecott and Haven High are ( in my opinion) best avoided!

wow small world indeed! Well Donington Cowley then not Gleed (my mum taught at Cowley lol).

Yes I had friends whose houses I never saw bc they lived in Lutton or wherever. Like, 15 miles away. Partly the very rural area and partly the fact that it was a selective school. Only four girls from my primary even went to SHS, and two boys to SGS.

Deffo an issue for my teenage years and beyond in lots of ways. Now it would/will be different I imagine because of WhatsApp and other SM. But still, it would have been nice to drop in on school mates on the way home like my DC did.

Anyway, I would not even consider Bourne if I were you - I presume it would be two buses? It used to take me the best part of 45 mins (walk-bus-walk) to get to school in Spalding (I left the house at 8.15 and got to school just before 9am as a rule), so I imagine if you added a (? 40-min) journey to Bourne as well it would mean a very early start and a very long day.

I really appreciate your thoughts, and it definitely sounds like I'd be creating problems if we went down the Bourne route. I believe it's one bus to school but didn't realise that there isn't one at the weekend. Being able to spend time with friends is really important - I don't want him to miss out on that.

Spalding Grammar is a good school (totally agree about Boston by the way!) so I'm probably worrying about nothing. I'm delighted that my son passed the 11+ so we don't need to consider Spalding Academy or Thomas Cowley. Both have improved but I don't think they're right for him.

I can't believe how many yellow-bellies there are on here!

I'm not at all sure that there is a bus from Gosberton anyway. The bus I can find goes from Pinchbeck to Bourne so your DS would have to get a bus to there first. Would be a bit of a pain. I reckon you would have to get the 7,30am bus to get to Bourne for 8.27. That's a long trip, plus whatever your walk to the bus stop is.

I'm a yellow belly too - Spalding born & bred

Mind you, my eldest son's best friend from school lived in Emmeth, the other side of Wisbech! So there's no guarantees that you won't be running around half of South Lincolnshire at the weekends!