25th Apr, 2024
25th Apr, 2024
When choosing a new school for your child, whether it’s their first primary school, you’ve just moved into the area or you want to change schools, you will first want to contact your local council to find all the school options available to your child in your catchment area.
Then you will need to look at the admission criteria for the schools you’re interested in. If there are special circumstances you can sometimes apply for places in schools in other areas but a good place to start is looking is on their excellent website at www.gov.uk.
It’s a good idea to look at each school’s inspection and performance reports. To teach and accommodate pupils, all UK schools must meet strict quality standards set by the UK government and other education bodies. These standards cover the quality of teaching, accommodation, pupil welfare, facilities and more.
To check that schools are meeting these standards, they are inspected at least every three years for boarding, and every six for teaching quality. Between scheduled visits, inspection bodies will respond to complaints if necessary.
After the inspection, the school receives a report which shows how they performed. You can see the reports on the schools’ websites, or by contacting Ofsted at www.gov.uk.
Once you’ve narrowed down your favourite schools, it’s a good idea to set up a visit or find out when their next Open Day is. This will give you a chance to see the facilities and meet some of the staff and pupils.
Bromsgrove School has been judged to be one of the best schools in the country to offer the International Baccalaureate.
The school has been ranked number nine in the UK in the list of Top IB Schools (Large Cohort).
This follows the School’s IB results this summer, with an average score of 39.1 points.
Speaking about Bromsgrove School’s International Baccalaureate results, the Director of the IB Programme Dr Michael Thompson said: “We are absolutely delighted by the average of 39.1 which places us among the very top IB schools in the country. “This is a demanding course and students and teachers have once again excelled”.
The Diploma is scored from a maximum of 45 points, with all pupils required to study a variety of subjects including maths, English, a language, a humanities subject, an arts subject and a science, as well as undertaking independent in-depth research for an extended essay.
There is also a Theory of Knowledge course and a non-academic element of Creativity, Activity or Service.
Every student entered gained their Diploma and half of them received formal recognition of their bilingualism. More than two-fifths of our pupils scored 40 points or more with the ‘average’ candidate scoring the equivalent of more than four A* grades at A level.
The overwhelming majority of this year’s cohort will begin their undergraduate studies at prestigious Russell Group universities such as St Andrews, UCL, Imperial and KCL, but a number are looking forward to studying abroad at Chicago, NYU, Abu Dhabi and the University of British Colombia. Visit https://www.best-schools.co.uk/uk-school-league-tables/ib-schools-large-cohort/ for more on Bromsgrove School’s performance.
The A Level and GCSE results from our 2017 cohort at Arnold Lodge Sixth Form were outstanding. At A-level a quarter of all grades were at A*-A, 96% at A*-C and a 100% pass rate. Whilst at GCSE every pupil gained at least 5 A*-C grades with 100% A*-C in Mathematics and English. We are very proud of the achievement of all our pupils.
Throughout the school we have a maximum class size of 14 pupils as we believe in the real academic and personal value that can be added to a pupil’s development from small classes. Our teachers know their pupils extremely well and differentiate the classwork to ensure each child is challenged, supported and happy in their learning. Our excellent GCSE and A-level results are a testament to the inherent value of small class sizes.
It’s not just the phenomenal examination performance that makes Arnold Lodge outstanding; the confidence and wider skills that our pupils develop over their secondary education– skills such as communication, creativity, critical thinking and collaboration – provide a wonderful foundation for study at university and the world of work beyond school. Our enrichment programme – which covers everything from sports, yoga & mindfulness classes, cookery skills and cultural visits– provides a breadth of opportunity and experience for every one of our pupils. The broad extra-curricular offer at Arnold Lodge School enables every individual pupil to foster their interests, flourish and grow into confident well-rounded young men and women.
Arnold Lodge sets out to support pupils to be happy and confident while developing their skills and knowledge so they can be successful in their aspirations. Our core values – honesty, hard work and kindness – are central to the success of our school. As much as we place emphasis on excellent teaching, we also emphasise a character focused education and stress the importance of the wellbeing of all our pupils. This, we think, gives the best chance for success in the modern world.
Did you know? Arnold Lodge School runs two school bus routes covering:
Nestled in the heart of rural Warwickshire, Henley-in-Arden School is one of the education world’s hidden gems. With pressure on school places in Solihull and Birmingham and a growing desire for a smaller, friendlier school experience, more and more parents are discovering this 600 pupil secondary school. Academic results are above the national average and being smaller school doesn’t stop them providing a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including many very successful sports cubs and even an equestrian team! Particularly noteworthy is the school’s emphasis on the Performing Arts. A quick glance at the school website’s alumni page reveals its strengths in drama and music with star of the Vamps, Connor Ball, and Poldark actor Alex Morris numbered amongst its ex-pupils.
However, the school is resolutely focused on academic achievement too. Many of its pupils go on to prestigious sixth forms such as Alcester Grammar School, King Edward VI School in Stratford or Shottery Grammar school. Very many pupils, such as the record breaking Isabelle Brennan (12A*s at GCSE), go on to Oxbridge and “Russell Group” universities. In Isabelle’s case, Balliol College, Oxford where she is studying Biomedical Science. In 2017 students have also reached such notable institutions as Warwick, Bristol and York.
Nowadays, parents have a wide range of schools to choose from (not limited to their own local authority) and many families aren’t aware that a school such as Henley-in-Arden School is an option for them. Admissions are open now and anyone wanting to visit the school is welcome to either attend the open evening on Thursday 21st September or contact the school to book a visit during one of the open mornings. Visit the website (www.henleyschool.com) or twitter @henleyschool to find out more about this small school with big ambitions!
We are very proud of our Academy and are privileged to serve our community. Attending the right school will shape your child’s experiences and support their future success.
Tudor Grange Academy Solihull has an excellent reputation for its academic achievement and thoroughly deserves the grading of outstanding at every level by Ofsted. Our Academy has also been awarded the World Class Schools Mark, one of only 41 in the country. Our student outcomes have been consistently outstanding over a number of years and we continue to lead the way as the highest achieving non-selective school in Solihull.
We are also the highest achieving non-selective school in the West Midlands and one of the Top 10 in the country. Our GCSE results again dwarfed other institutions and reinforce our title as a ‘Leading Edge’ provider with 90% English and Maths grade 4+; 75% English and Maths grade 5+; Ebacc 59%; Attainment 8 at 58.83 and 36% of all grades at A* or A. A wonderful achievement, made possible by incredible staff, enthused and dedicated students and fantastic support from home.
Our ambition is to deliver a world class education and allow our students to become highly successful people, with a strong sense of moral purpose. We place a high priority on excellent behaviour, attendance, uniform and standards. In addition to our students’ successes, we were selected as one of the first teaching schools which enables us to be at the cutting edge of educational developments. Our status as a National Support School further allows us to influence education nationally.
We really do believe that we offer a high quality educational experience to every child who chooses to attend the Academy. We care about our students’ development and achievements and endeavour to provide first class support at every opportunity. Tudor Grange Academy Solihull is definitely an Academy where your child will thrive.
Congratulations were in order for the GCSE Class of 2017. Not to be outdone by their Year 13 counterparts, and following the success of the A Level results, Year 11 achieved a spectacular set of examination results despite the changes in course content and grading in GCSE English and Mathematics.
The dedication and commitment of the students were aptly rewarded and included high achievement in a wide variety of subjects.
Despite the more challenging maths and English courses, St. Peter’s has maintained their high performance. 90% of students achieved at least a level 4 (the new ‘standard’ pass – equivalent to grade C) in English and 85% of the students achieved level 4 or above in both English and mathematics.
Grade 5 (the new ‘strong’ pass) was achieved by 81% of students in English and 70% in mathematics. A third of the English and mathematics grades were 7+.
75% of all students taking Biology, Chemistry and Physics were awarded an A/A* grade and one third of students achieved A/A* grades in Art, French, Geography, History, Music and Religious Studies.
Level 9 (said to be higher than the old A*) was achieved by 22 students. Grace Carpenter and Ellen Mills achieved 3 level 9 grades in mathematics, English Language and English Literature, in addition to an A* Distinction in Further Maths. Grace achieved another 8 A*s while Ellen achieved 7 A*s and 1 A, putting them at the very top of GCSE achievement in the country.
In total St. Peter’s achieved 30 level 9 grades (double the National percentage), phenomenal for a comprehensive, non-selective school!
Nearly a third of the students had A* – A / 7 – 9 in 5 or more subjects and indeed a third of the entries were at A* – A / 7 – 9.
The students have worked hard to achieve these results, supported by their families and teachers who have worked together relentlessly to ensure success for everyone. We wish them all well in the next chapter of their lives.
Headteacher Mrs Murphy commented, “All this would not be possible without the constant support of parents and the continued hard work of committed staff who have worked collectively to ensure the differing needs of all our students are catered for. The pastoral care within school has always been highly regarded and we are delighted that our students are prepared well in what is an ever changing environment both in education and the world around us”.
