Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Camp hill girls vs Five ways school in birmingham

3 replies

Rsnyc · 13/05/2025 13:24

Hi,

my daughter has managed to get admission into camp hill girls in first round and got place from waiting list for five ways school. Just wanted to know which school is better as things have changed since introduction of the catchment area. Highly appreciate some feedback.

OP posts:
afaloren · 13/05/2025 13:32

Hi OP. Congrats to your daughter! I went to Camp Hill and loved it. I don’t have any experience of Five Ways but would just say I think CH is in a nicer location. It’s next to a big park and the driving is easier than Five Ways.

LetItGoToRuin · 13/05/2025 14:55

@Rsnyc I don't know either school personally but have friends with girls at each, and have been listening out for reports of changes to all the local grammars since catchment areas were introduced in 2020.

I assume you're in catchment for Camp Hill Girls but put Five Ways higher on the CAF? Was that because of an easier commute, or other reasons? Have you and your DD visited both schools, and what were your views then? Why are you doubting your preference now?

In terms of which school is 'better' at the moment, it depends what you're judging on. In terms of results, they are both so similar and so high achieving that it really doesn't matter - I believe a child capable of 9s will have every opportunity of achieving them in either school (and indeed in all the other local grammars - my DD goes to a different grammar in the region.)

In terms of subject offering and extra-curricular opportunities, the school websites should tell you what you want to know.

The 2020 Y7s (the first since catchment areas were introduced) have just begun sitting their GCSE exams this week and there is an expectation that results will drop slightly in the two Camp Hill schools and Five Ways this year, as these schools previously attracted the top scorers with the other KE grammars (the Handsworth grammars and Aston) taking largely the lower scorers in the 11 plus. This year's results should reflect slightly less disparity in terms of the 'raw' talent between the various KE schools.

I have heard that Camp Hill Girls is allowing girls to drop a GCSE (down from 11 to 10, so still a lot!) if they are struggling (or, being cynical, if the school thinks they won't achieve all 8-9s...) This is new, and surely reflects the slightly different intake they are teaching now. However, there is nothing to suggest that the teaching is any less good at the schools, and I'm sure they will still achieve excellent results this summer.

If I were choosing between these two schools, I'd prioritise the commute, the preference for single sex vs mixed, the gut feeling about each school, and any curriculum differences that mattered to my DD. Not the results, and not the opinions of strangers on the internet, particularly those that left one of the schools some years ago (like the PP) or those that don't know either school personally (like me!)

Whichever school she chooses, your DD is fortunate indeed. Best of luck with the decision.

Cookinfat · 14/05/2025 20:38

My child goes to Five Ways and likes the teachers and the fact that there’s lots of extra-curricular etc. They like it there and are happy there but no school is perfect and there have been issues with homophobic comments from boys about other boys and that seems pretty entrenched in some of the students. Sorry to be vague.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page