Chetham’s School of Music vs Altrincham Grammar School for Girls

[user1456269629]

My daughter has been with Chetham’s for a year but got offered a place in Alty Girls for Year 7 coming Sept. We really struggle to decide which school we should proceed with. Daughter loves Chetham’s but we have an impression that it is due to the freedom she gets as she is a boarder there, rather than her passion in music. Hope to hear other parents who have experiences with both schools. Thanks!

It's a very difficult decision.

I had a DD at Chet's and two others at different grammars. The musical DD would probably have gone to AGSG if she hadn't stayed at Chetham's and I feel now (at 18) that I probably made the wrong decision for her but she was my eldest and you don't know what you don't know! Also she was there from age 9 so very hard to leave. I think it depends how self motivated your child is. My DD does the bare minimum and at Chet's nobody cares about your academics or fulfilling your potential in that area if your music is going well. A lot of children get great results (medical school etc) but they tend to be self starters or have very conscientious families I think, whereas my other children have been tracked and expected to provide the results for their schools that they're capable of. Having been at music school so long, DD1 ended up phoned in it academically and musically to some level by age 16 and left for sixth form college but misses the extremely high level music (she didn't think she would but didn't realise how she was spoon fed the most amazing musical experiences). If you have a bright motivated child I think school plus Junior RNCM or Halle youth etc is ideal.

Thanks for sharing your experiences @AdmissionsTimeline. Did your DD leave Chetham’s voluntarily, or Chetham’s has a entry requirement that also applies to existing students? What plus points like soft skills you could see from your DD after the time spent in Chetham’s? Thanks!

She left after GCSEs mainly because we couldn't afford it any more (she was on free school meals when she started!) but also because she gets terrible stage fright and wouldn't have been able to dodge big solo pieces any longer (Covid had already helped avoid this for longer that would normally have been possible). Not sure about soft skills - she can communicate with anyone, any age/ status and despite the stage fright, if she's taken on a role/ piece, she is reliable and challenges herself. I assume she would have got all the same skills from high level extra curricular though and possibly not had such bad stage fright! I forgot to say as well that she gets reasonably bad muscular-skeletal problems when playing intensively so probably would have struggled with the extra practice required for sixth form study there too. It's a lovely environment though, amazing for a quirky child and the wrap round element is brilliant, a real weight off your mind at an awkward age for childcare.

There is an informal audition for sixth form, but would be extremely rare not to pass, she didn't put any extra work in for it beyond GCSE performance preparations.

AGS, no contest. If you want more info send me a message :)

I think I basically agree