Trafford or Chester for schools?

[Cartrucktractor]

Please help! We live and work in the north west, but our local secondary is a bit rubbish and want to look ahead for schools (eldest is in y1).

We're looking between a move to Trafford (Altrincham,.Timperly) or down to east Chester. Jobs are partly WFH so commute isnt too much of a consideration, the move is mainly about schooling (and don't want to be completely out in the countryside)

Does anyone have thoughts on either? I don't know much about the grammar school system, though it looks like a bit of a headache depending on your child. Thanks!

You can also access the grammar schools in Wirral from Chester. Calday Grange (boys) and West Kirby (girls) have their own bus service from multiple stops around Chester. They are nothing like as competitive as Trafford grammars.

The primary school results in Trafford are massively inflated by the equally massive tutoring industry. It's brutal as yr4 & yr5 becomes all about 11+
Tutors at £50 an hour. Endless hours exam practice. Paying £50 to sit mock exams in exam conditions. I know plenty who did it and plenty who opted out and go to the comps.
Trafford is largely middle class an affluent albeit not all which helps to.
Interestingly loads of spaces in reception classes this year tho

@Cartrucktractor no it's no all straight As and medicine. It's DC who at 10/11 managed to score high in 11+, pushed by parents. Those same children turn into teens who may or may not work hard and may or may not revise for exams and may decide Uni is not for them.

There are 5 Grammar Schools if you live in Altrincham / Timperley, single sex and coed. Altrincham Boy's and Altrincham Girl's Grammars are probably more pressured than Sale or the Catholic Grammars.

DD left Alti Girls 3 years ago; most of her friends are either at Oxbridge/Durham or Medical school.

Depends on the school. 97% of Alty Girls go to Oxbridge or RG universities, the average grade is A- at A Level. That’s the second highest in the whole of the NW. Urmston less so but the results are still bloody good.

@Moglet4 yes Alty Girls picks the highest scorers within about 8 miles radius but that's just one of the grammars. It has a certain culture. A lot of the girls still have tutors in top for exams top etc GCSE choices offered are narrower than other schools. I know one who wants to leave but parents won't allow.
The point is that across all the grammars a lot of children may choose different routes as they find their own interests and career aspirations.

Haha I know - I tutor a fair few of them! TBH though the girls would still get a top grade without it - they are very bright kids - just maybe not the very top grade. I just think OP shouldn’t be under any allusions, particularly as she said she’s looking at Altrincham specifically that yes, these are kids mostly achieving AAA or AAB at AL and are mostly going on to academic routes

If you have the time, and if they are willing, it's not that hard to tutor them through it and not pay £50 an hour. Both of mine only had me helping them through the practise papers and only in year 5. But I think before you embark on that journey they need to be good in at least 2/3 of the paper, NVR/VR and maths.

Upton used to have a bad reputation but since the head changed it's thriving. They had the biggest year 7 cohort this year taking extra spaces from the other years to create new forms.

Christleton used to have an amazing reputation but for some reason it's having a lot of police interventions at the moment. DD has friends that go there.

I loved Bishops, uniforms are disgusting 😅but the school is smaller and I got a good vibes from going around.

Things might change by the time your child goes to high school, as it did with my child so just be aware. DD's in Upton.