kestevens grammar school vs nottingham girsl high school

[themumguru]

My daughter has got excellent results in her entrance exams for both Kestevens grammar school (11+) and nottingham girls high school. We need to decide fairly quickly which school we want to send her to. There are pros and cos to both. Choosing Kestevens will mean (split) relocation and choosing girls high will mean extra expenses and heavy financial commitment. I am just not sure whats worth it. If your child goes to anyone of these schools we would love to know your experience please. It will massively help with our decision. We would also like to know your thoughts on comparison, if any of your friends' or acquaintance's child has been going to any of these secondary schools. Thanks in advance!

(p.s. sorry for the typo in the tile, can't amend it)

I don’t understand. These schools are nowhere near one another. Are you going to arrange your whole lives around a school place? Highly unlikely anyone can give you a view on both since you couldn’t have a child at each school.

NGHS is a selective fairly well performing all girls school. It gets decent enough results (nowhere near as good as Nottingham High School next door). Vast majority of girls live in Nottingham or the surrounding villages and are of above average wealth. Most parents are medics (as with Nottingham high school) rather than super wealthy. In DDs year about 60% were medics. A lot of the girls switch to Nottingham High school for sixth form

Thank you, appreciate taking time to respond.

Thank you appreciate taking time to respond.

I knew of people who lived east / south east side of Nottingham who could go either direction for schools - both involved significant journeys. Also heard of people who had good experiences of both schools. Knew some who went to Loughborough too.

Much comes down to how you feel about the relocating and the impact it has on the family

Hi there,
Sorry for a late reply!
I appreciate that I have a brand new account, and that looks a bit bizarre but I currently go to NGHS (in Y13) and would definitely vouch for it.
I have been there since year 7, got into both NHS and NGHS with an older brother as a student at NHS and a family member teaching there. I chose NGHS because I felt that it was a safer and kinder environment for me to learn and I preferred the feel of the school: I found NGHS a lot friendlier, in regards to the pupils and the staff.
Throughout my years at NGHS I have been challenged academically, while also taken care of with my interests supported whilst not being overwhelming.
In relation to moving at sixth form, I was accepted into NHS again, but chose not to go. About 10 people in my year moved to the high school (definitely not the majority). Also, the reason NHS performs better in their A Level results is when pupils are predicted to not do well, they ask them to sit the exams as external, private candidates, so their results are not affected by pupils, who have often been at the school for years. (Although from my understanding GCSE results tend to be similar every year)
All in all, I would say that NGHS was the best decision for me, and other bright young girls in my year. It has supported me and set me up for years to come.

Which school do you mean by Kestevens Grammar, OP? Have you made your choice now?

Also, the reason NHS performs better in their A Level results is when pupils are predicted to not do well, they ask them to sit the exams as external, private candidates, so their results are not affected by pupils, who have often been at the school for years. (Although from my understanding GCSE results tend to be similar every year)

This is absolutely not true. It’s a rumour that’s been circulating for years but if it were true my own DS would have been asked to sit his exams elsewhere. It’s just made up.

How else do you think everyone passed last year? The High School teaches higher level students very well, but often fails to lift up lower grade students, which was the case for my brother.
With all the poor behaviour going on there and the blatant lack of care for students (especially the lower performing ones), does it shock you?

You’re just believing gossip and this thread isn’t even about the boys school. But I can confirm having had probably the lowest performing child in the year group at sixth form level that they absolutely do not do this. The grades are high because it’s a selective and highly academic school. I have children who have been to both the girls and the boys school (appreciate it’s mixed sex but it’s easier to refer to them in this way). The boys school outperforms the girls school because they are more selective and you cannot progress from junior to senior if you do not score highly in the exam or stay on at sixth form if your grades are not high enough at gcse. They also ask people to leave in the lower school if they are not coping. But they do not ask people to sit as external candidates to impact the grades. It’s simply not true.

Id also disagree that there is a “blatant lack of care” for the lower performing children. As I said above my eldest was probably the lowest performing child at sixth form in his year group. He received a lot of support. I wanted him to move for sixth form because I thought he might do better at a less academic school. This happens a lot so there are a lot of new kids in year 12. However he refused because he loves the school and his friends.

I’ve been on MN for over 20 years and would most definitely have been on here shouting if he’d been asked to sit his exams elsewhere to massage the grades.

Hi, sorry for jumping on. Looking at NHSG also. Can I ask about the entrance exam, what sort of questions it asks? Looking at trying to get her to do some practice but I can't find anything online. Thanks