Tonbridge Grammer School vs Newstead Wood School

[DISHPARI]

Hi parents,

My DD got very high marks in Tonbridge Grammer School(TGS) and Newstead wood school. She can get easily one of it.

We have to give our preference and I am wondering if the parents of both the school can tell us which one is better school, that would be great.

Also, would you prefer IB or A levels for the sixth form? I do not wish my DD to change the school after GCSEs.

Any comment any help is appreciated.

Thank you all!

Where do you live, what is the commute to to each like? Newstead has a terrible parietal reputation.

Thank you for your reply.

Commute wise both are 40 mins from our place and happy to relocate as well.

I am little worried about IB. does it mean DD need to study more for no additional benefits?

We visited both the school and DD liked both really.

I can’t tell you about the schools but teach IB and A levels. IB is more subjects so great for all rounders who don’t want to narrow their choices too early. There is less free time and students will need to be independent learners. It’s a great course but quite different to A levels.

IB is for very organised all rounders! There is some evidence that those with IB do better at university as they develop good self study skills (although EPQ also does that).

It's very hard to say what kind of 6th form would suit a 10/11 year old tbh.

Why don't you want them to change for sixth form? And, kindly, shouldn't that be rather more of a discussion than you unilaterally ruling out the possibility five years earlier?

These are both good schools so I would choose based on your lives now and which is going to be best for your daughter in the next few years . Ease of commute and access to a social life and independence are very important. When she is approaching sixth form you and she will be able to make the right choice for that stage of her education.

I know you may want your DD to stay on at the same school but please bear in mind she will change over time, may be interested in subjects not available at one school but are at another, schools can change too. Keep an open mind about sixth form. Both are great schools.

Which did your daughter like most when she visited? My daughter chose her secondary school (NW) baded on closeness to home and that she found the girls showing her round on open day ones she wanted to emulate. She is now at Uni and loved her time at NW. it isn’t perfect but did suit her.

I have friends with children at both schools. They all seem happy. Newstead I think sets more homework and offers a wider range of languages to choose from (if that is your DD’s thing). Latin used to be an after school paid for club.
TOGs may offer more sporting opportunities - again one would need to check out exact sports a child is interest in.

There is movement between all these schools at Sixth Form including to Judd and Olave’s and vice versa. Kids follow their subject interests at that stage and top performers choose the school they perceive to be best for the subjects they have chosen.

My daughter was at tgs. She loved it. The IB gave her a really broad education. She went on to study stem at Oxford. She says the Ib gave her a better ability to write, which she needs in her career. If she'd just had A levels that may not have been the case. The IB is a big workload,
but she feels it held her in good sted for uni.

I'd second the opinion that IB suits better if DC is good across all subjects: humanities, STEM and languages, rather than one of these specifically.

Although true that IB offers a wider range of subjects, you still choose three to do at higher level and three at standard. What is chosen to be studied at higher level does play a part in entry requirements for various courses. E.g. medicine would require higher in Chem, Bio and one other approved subject (similar to what A level entry requirements would be). So that may be a limiting factor.

Choosing either way before yr 7 is too early though. It may well turn out that DC is better suited to IB or A levels at a later stage. You will have a better idea once GCSEs happen. Many move to a different school for this reason.

My DC did A-levels but did 2 STEM subjects and 1 humanity subjects - not a clearcut orientation in one or the other direction. IB would have probably suited all right, in hindsight. Now studying a STEM subject at Oxbridge. Started in Newstead Wood and moved to St. Olave's for Sixth Form.