Watford Grammar School for Boys

[schoolmum11]

Hi everyone. Does anyone have experience of Watford Grammar for boys please? I'm considering it for my son.

How is the pastoral care? Are the boys happy?

I'm also considering Merchant Taylor's but the increase in VAT and NI thus increasing costs for the school has made it unaffordable.

Thanks.

My ds is very happy there. No issues at all.

Thanks @Frostycottagegarden.

Did he have to do the 11 plus to get in?

Yes, he got a music place. DM me if you need more info.

Thanks so much. Do you know how to DM? Sorry I've never done it before and can't see a DM button/tab! Thank you!

1 or 2 boys from my sons' prep school went there at 11+. My oldest son went to Merchant T. Watford G is partially selective only which is a bit unusual. I am sure lots of boys do well there.

Thanks @Xenia what did you think of Merchant T?

It is very good but obviously a lot more expensive. My son got a music scholarship there but that was only a small discount on the fees. He is beyond school / university stage now so I am not particularly up to date. I think both schools are good and if MTS is out of reach due to costs then Watford Grammar would be a good choice. I always think destination of leavers is a good marker of a school - https://www.watfordboys.org/1210/destinations-of-our-students (2023). MTS I could just find 2021 https://www.mtsn.org.uk/fileadmin/Careers/Leavers_Destinations_2021.pdf

As Xenia points out, it is part selective, like a number of the schools in South West Herts. I was always going to send my dcs to state school, so didn't look at MTs, but I have friends with dcs there.

You can't really go wrong with most schools locally. Friends sent their dcs to MTs and Berko because they didn't score high enough to get into Watford Boys, so they are often used as backup schools. Other friends were always going down the private route.

My other dc went to a different local state secondary and is now at oxbridge. As I say, most local schools are fine, tbh. Just depends whether you want to pay, and whether the extras (facilities etc) are worth the money for you.

Thank you so much, really helpful.

It's such a tough decision. We can afford private but will mean less holidays and having to stay in pressurised jobs until we are 60! So it's not like paying school fees would be a walk in the park.....hence now considering state schools and in particular Watford grammar.

I'm sure merchant T has more to offer but does it really have 30k a year more to offer?!!!

I don't think anyone can really answer that for you. I went to fee paying schools from age 4 as did all my children and their cousins and we have all felt we want to pay as a priority - we may of course be deluded but it just feels right for this family. However particularly around this area of outer London there is a very wide choice of schools in all sectors (whereas where I am from in NE England we abolished grammars in about 1970 and it is a very different picture).

Usually most parents need to put the children in to quite a few schools in whatever sector and the school is choosing not vice versa if it is a good and academic school