St Ambrose, Altrincham vs Trafford Grammar

[yoshiblue]

A bit niche, but I think there are a few Trafford based Mumsnetters on here. I posted the following on 11+ Forum but got no response so thought I'd try here:

We’ve just visited the grammars at various open days and are currently weighing up the pros/cons of each option.

St Ambrose is a very impressive school, but wonder how our son will get on with a long bus journey at the end of the day (we can take him by car in the morning). Our closest grammar is Urmston and walkable, but heard very mixed things about a number of aspects.

Would love to hear from any parents that have chosen St Ambrose over other options and how your son find the travel/homework load.

Hopeful bump?

Have you tried Facebook groups? You may be able to get an insight into each school from local pages also.

Thanks! Facebook groups tend to be very focused on the local grammars and also swamming with people kicking off about grammar schools full stop so not very useful!

My child goes to UGS and is very happy, and so are we. What have you heard?

I don't know about the other schools, as we're too far outside of catchment anyway. There may be a bus, have you looked on the TfGM website?

Hi @Stevie77 thanks for your response.

My DS has Autism and ADHD and I've heard very mixed things about SEN childrens' experiences there. I recently went to the open evening and it felt quite old fashioned/formal, and wasn't convinced by the SENCo sadly.

I also know that in 2022 they got Requires Improvement on their Ofsted and spent months appealing until it was overturned to Good.

We've also looked at Stretford and St Ambrose, both feel more nurturing and whole child focused. But either of those options throws bus travel into the mix.

I'm glad to hear your child is having a good experience there.

Be mindful that it's a lot harder to mix with local friends. Add in ASD and ADHD and it'll be even harder. I've seen it. Where will he have friends & be happiest?

@deeprealisation yes you are totally right. There are lots of elements to think about.

Your yr7 will need to be able to navigate buses, trams etc as this is normal too. Most high school kids use public transport

He is already walking home from school and is very high functioning and sensible. I'm not concerned about him navigating eg public buses in a years' time. He's also one of the oldest in the year which helps.

Trafford local here. My youngest are 17 and didn't go to Ambrose but as local feeder school to it we know plenty who did.

I would consider : co-ed vs single sex. Where would your child thrive more (short and medium term - esp with ASD - he might be more comfortable short term in all boys but longer term being around girls could be better for social skills?). Independence of walking and having local friends vs bus journey/ a broader catchment area. Many kids travel from further afield to Trafford schools, esp the Alty ones. This makes weekend socialising harder, but he defo won't be alone in that.

Structure and values in the school. My son went to sale grammar (he preferred co-ed and felt Ambrose /AGSB too 'formal'). My girls chose single sex at Alty. The difference in vibe/ cohort is significant between sale & Alty - from PTA to school trips offered, to accent even. Urmston and sale I would say are more 'normal' schools with a top set ability level.

No idea if that helps, it's so tough. Hopefully your kid has a view after open days of where they can see themselves? I assume you're Y5 and will be sitting exams in September?

@Gobimanchurian apologies for the very delayed response to this. I really appreciate your thoughts, the co-ed vs single sex is an interesting point and agree could be good for ASC son to be around girls rather than not!

Results are due in a couple of weeks and we'll see where we are then. Each of the three schools has pros and cons, as a friend of old kids at AGSB said, they are all shades of good!

@yoshiblue no worries. Hope he does ok - they are all good schools!

@Gobimanchurian reporting back to say my son passed for all three schools.! We have decided to send our son to Urmston. We think on balance he will benefit from being much closer to home and a shorter school day. I agree with your point about mixed sex too. He isn't interested now, but may thank me in a few years time!

Just to say that I've only heard good things about Urmston and we really liked it when we looked for our eldest a few years ago. We opted for Stretford in the end as closer and just easier in terms of journey. We are really happy with our choice as it"s a lovely nurturing school. Good luck to your son - I'm sure he will do just fine!

@peacypops thanks! We really liked Stretford too, we've chosen the nearer of the two, like you!

Thanks for the update @yoshiblue and well done to your son.

Sounds like a solid decision based on combination of practicalities and a bit of gut instinct. I'm sure he'll be grand, best of luck for the next chapter!