Colchester Royal Grammar School

[CrazyArrow]

Hi all, I am preparing my DS for CRGS, but then suddenly I read a bad news in 2021 and 2022. May I know whether this is a fair report and whether this concern is still existing?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-58645658
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-60243191

Hmm, if that headmaster is still there, I would give it a miss myself. He shows no interest in addressing some pretty serious issues around a "rape culture" at the school that was raised by multiple ex pupils (250 online with accounts of sexually inappropriate experiences at best) and the by Ofsted themselves when they did a surprise inspection. He tries to minimise the issue. I would be shocked if the culture has changed under his leadership for that reason, his attitude seems to be part of the problem.

Not sure why my post has been hidden? Possibly because I included a link to a blog including current student’s experiences?

Anyway OP this is very much still an issue there.

My son has been there for six years, he has had the most amazing experience, so many opportunities, a lovely group of friends, that report has not been his experience at all.

Was the teacher suspended for using a mug which a student objected to reinstated? Or quietly got rid of?

I don't get that involved in school politics and neither does DS so I am vaguely aware of the incident you refer to. All I can tell the OP is I believe all schools have issues, my son had a wonderful time there, I am very happy with the school, he has a great circle of friends both male and female, all of whom seem pretty sorted to me and don't appear to have had any issues, he has had amazing opportunities for travel and extra curricular, one teacher in particular has been inspirational, I would absolutely send him there again.

My other child does not attend CRGS and has also had a good experience at their non grammar school, I wouldn't say it is culturally any better or worse than CRGS, he has also had good opportunities, all of the above comments also apply to his school including "all schools have issues" and "i would send him there again".

It seems that this happens in a group of pupils or event teachers which posed risks to the whole school, but the school did not take it seriously and managed.

If the pupils are not involving them, probably never feels about it.

There was a followup Ofsted report in 2022 where they acknowledged the school has made great strides in improving its safeguarding and pastoral care (https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50180061). They haven’t yet had another full inspection - I think due to the shakeup that’s happened with Ofsted recently. FWIW I've only known parents (of boys and girls) to be very happy with the school.

Hello,

ex member of staff here, I have name changed..

I would say that when the time around when this incident was in the media there was some resistance to acknowledge that there was an issue. However after some time the school moved towards addressing these issues and invested a lot of time and resources into staff training, working with U.K. Feminista, providing education to students both in house and with outside agencies.

They implemented an app system for students to report any concerns that worked well.

I would say that before I left that there were vast improvements made and I would send my own daughter there in a heartbeat as I and happy with the progress made and systems in place and the new open attitude of senior staff.

in regards to the staff with the mug, they were suspended and ultimately dismissed through the school procedures

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-60915405

I didn't understand the discussion 'staff with a mug' 😁, and I had to search. Then I found this news (same as what you explained)

Correction: the mug-gate teacher was not dismissed - he took voluntary retirement. You can find his story on the Freethinker website, under 'Storm over a tea-cup? The ‘Mug-Gate’ teacher speaks out' (this contains a picture of the mug, with a cartoon of 'Jesus and Mo' from the comic strip, so if this offends you, don't read it).

Yes, I came across that a couple of days ago - and whereas I can sort of understand that the school may prefer to let folk believe that he was dismissed (is that what the staff and parents were actually told?), given the rest of what he says about the school in that piece, I find it hard to believe that he would have let them off the hook by saying he retired if that wasn't the case.

Can we assume that there was some kind of sanction against the pupil concerned, though? Our DC attended grammar schools in the same Consortium (but not in Colchester) and although I can't remember the exact section of the behaviour policy at DD's, at DS1 and DS2's, there was definitely a prohibition on using mobile phones to make any kind of recording of another person on school premises without their permission.

I don’t know what was happening a few years ago, but at the moment the pastoral team at CRGS is absolutely outstanding. I wouldn’t trust Ofsted reports — they often see a school from only one perspective and can’t gain a full understanding of it in just two days.
The school I previously attended recently received a “Good” rating. There, I experienced bullying, name-calling, racism, sexism, and complete ignorance from both students and staff. CRGS is nothing like that, and I highly recommend it to anyone aiming for high grades.
I think what happened with the Ofsted report is that they received a lot of messages from former students who had negative experiences that could have influenced the Inspectors. I’ve also seen some of them posting quite offensive things on Instagram about the Head of Sixth Form and the Headmaster — but, of course, the articles wouldn’t mention that.
Bad situations occur in all schools. In my previous school, there were many — a lot more — and they were far more serious than anything I’ve read about CRGS. Guess how many articles were written about my previous school? Zero. Because no one cares about comprehensive schools filled with chaos; the media wants to create a scandal involving a well-known school — all to attract attention.
That’s how I see it. Don’t forget: everyone can have very different experiences in the same school, so consider taking my post with a pinch of salt.

Correction: The idea that Ofsted received messages from former students is an assumption. I’ve re-read my post, and it may come across as though I know this for a fact — which I don’t. My point was simply that angry ex-students might have had an influence on the report.

A good example of this is the website containing anonymous testimonies, which the inspectors almost certainly saw while researching the school. You can also check it if you wish to know more details on what was happening.

But how is that possible that they have not resolved it after 3 years and almost a change of cohort?

I think what happened with the Ofsted report is that they received a lot of messages from former students who had negative experiences that could have influenced the Inspectors

And why shouldn't they listen to parents @ThePinkQuail ? I understand one comment but uf there is a lot about the same nature of problem then there is an issue.

The fact that in other schools even worse problems did not emerge doesn't mean the Inspectors weren't right here