Stockport Grammar School

The Good Schools Guide Review of Stockport Grammar School, Stockport, SK2 7AF

Our View

Solid northern grammar with excellent all-round education, great facilities and bags of opportunity for all. Yes independent, but not la-di-da.

Headmaster

Since 2005, Mr Andrew Chicken BA (London) MEd FRSA (early fifties), came from head of Colfes (qv), temporary headship of Stockport’s closest rival Cheadle Hulme (qv) and, before that, teaching at Manchester Grammar. A passionate historian, teaching, leading history trips and waxing lyrical about the school’s heritage and founder. Married to a former Withington Girls’ (qv) languages teacher, no children, loves walking and the Derbyshire hills. He’s a straight-talking northerner with transient traces of a Geordie accent, a ‘nice guy’ say staff, ‘he’s really nice’ echo pupils. Beyond academic education, he describes the ‘real guts of this school’ as being ‘in the children’s personal development, encouraging children to think for themselves and of other people’.

Academic Matters

Ambitious for results and consistently strong. In 2011, 70 per cent of GCSEs were A*s and As, 89 per cent A*-B grades. At A level over half score A* and A, 57 per cent in 2011. February 2011’s ISI inspection described the overall achievement of pupils as excellent. Five one hour periods a day over a two week timetable leading to ten GCSEs. Lots of Challenge and Olympiad successes. Latin and PE taken right through to A level and the food tech room is gleaming stainless steel. Only the art department feels under-loved up a dank stairwell on the far reaches of the campus, although one 2010 leaver went on to take fine art, and art trips feature in the glossy school newsletter, Taking Stock. Maximum form size 25 but many senior classes are half that. All subjects offer additional teaching for Oxbridge candidates and in sixth form. Three or four hours weekly homework per subject is expected. Thirty or so children with extra needs, one statement in 2011, and a SENCo organises a variety of extra learning support; little mention of gifted and talented; perhaps because most here are. Pupils can run a bookshop account or bring cash and the bright library has periodicals and foreign language dvds. Pupils speak of enjoying outside visiting speakers.

Games, Options, the Arts

Sport taken seriously and Stockport make formidable opponents. County, regional and a few national players, but the house system aims to make sure all play, not just the first XI. Sports hall to rival any with super 25m pool, cafe mezzanine level with table tennis, multi-gym, squash courts and permanent climbing wall. Apart from acres of grass there’s an all weather pitch as well.

‘The music here is second to none with the philosophy to get as many involved as possible,’ one parent told us, and indeed the music department boasts three professional musicians and 20 visiting instrument teachers including organ and singing. Lots of choirs, orchestras, bands, performances at The Royal Northern College of Music. Three school drama productions a year.

The long list of extra-curricular happenings includes Model United Nations, Mock Trial, French Cine Club, Young Enterprise and most notably DofE. School is a DofE centre itself with a 21 year history and over 1,000 awards gained. Dozens of clubs and societies including a stage lighting group, creative cuisine and mountain activities – one teacher told us ‘there’s extra-curricular for all tastes, it’s amazing if a child’s not involved’ and pupils agree, ‘there’s something for everyone here; well, except cross-country’. Plenty of leadership opportunities with prefect system, house captains and community service including running maths competitions for local junior schools. Links with India and Sierra Leone.

Background and Atmosphere

Founded in 1487, admitted girls in 1980 and with recent new library and physics labs there’s no stagnation here. An arts block for English and drama is under construction and head believes in a balance between top notch facilities and altruistic bursary provision. The founder Sir Edmond Shaa left the Pennine foothills to become Lord Mayor of London and remain Court Jeweller to three kings of England, attracting the current head’s admiration for his spirit and wits. To this day close links are maintained with patrons The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.

Some glorious buildings, two lovely quads in the old bit but overall campus-like, with an open air walk, or dash in the rain, to some departments past acres of pitches, with signposts pointing the way. All bordered by Bramhall homes with a Derbyshire Peak District backdrop. The only blot on the landscape is a Kwik Fit tyre fitters in the school’s parking area, slap bang in-between two exits onto the A6 out of Stockport. A friendly place from the cheery porter in his lodge at the entrance gate, and all hemmed in by secure fencing. Head’s and caretaker’s houses on site. The character of the pupils here does not conform to their uniform colours in nature’s warning livery of black and yellow.

Pastoral Care and Discipline

School administered in lower, upper and sixth form divisions with form tutors, heads of year and then division, and a full time school nurse. Sixth formers volunteer to be ‘first form friends’ to help little ones settle in and find their way around in the early days. Pupils say any bullying, ‘there’s not much’, is dealt with quickly but that the cardinal sin here is chewing gum, ‘that’s really a detention', says one, ‘but it is unhygienic,’ counters another. Inappropriate use of phones seems the next blacklisted thing.

School open from 8am, the library until 5.30. Three digital screens convey news and messages to pupils and there’s a newspaper clippings board. Colours assemblies with awards for sport, music, drama, clubs and activities. House system for competition in sport, chess and a yearly talent show.

Pupils and Parents

Culturally fairly diverse, mainly from south and east Manchester, east Cheshire and Derbyshire; on bus routes from Glossop, Middleton and Buxton. Well served by other private bus routes, public bus and train services. Broadly Christian, links with two local churches for Founders and carol services, separate Jewish, Hindu and Muslim assemblies. Half intake from own juniors, the rest a mix of prep and state primary children.

‘My child’s here for everything the school offers, the approach, the choices, the extra-curricular, the site and history, it’s a beautiful place,’ one dad, an Old Stopfordian himself, told us. ‘It’s about all the opportunities I had and want to offer my child, about buying ourselves out of behavioural issues in the state system, about the links and university expectations'.

Other Old Stopfordians include NEA and England basketball champion John Amaechi OBE, Professor Sir Freddie Williams (inventor of the first stored programme computer), the controversial Sir Victor Blank (chair of The Mirror Group and Lloyds TSB during the recent banking crisis), Gordon Marsden, Labour MP for Blackpool South, Harvey Locke (President of the British Veterinary Association), Geoffrey Downs (of the band Yes) and Alex Denman, (RHS manager of the Chelsea Flower Show).

Entrance

By full day examination in January with maths, verbal reasoning, English and comprehension papers. Followed by ‘informal’ interviews with pupil and parents. Local state schools stop at 16 with sixth form colleges so Stockport Grammar gains a few more bright ones then.

Exit

One parent told us, ‘The overall product of the school is amazing, young people with fantastic presence and confidence, even those who might initially have been intimidated by their peers’. Most go on to their first choice of university; lots to Nottingham, Leeds and Lancaster, a handful, about five per cent, to Oxbridge.

Money Matters

Pupils keen to point out that overdue library books attract fines of 2p a day, dvds a daily 10p. Parents might be more interested in two 25 per cent music scholarships available each year and a range of bursaries including an Ogden Trust sixth form science scholarship that could yield 100 per cent of fees. Lunches compulsory at c£160 a term.

Special Education Needs Survey

SEN Statement

Stockport Grammar School is a selective school which accepts pupils on the basis of aptitudes and abilities. The School welcomes enquiries from parents of pupils with additional and special educational needs. Reasonable adjustments can be made within the classroom to support such pupils and the school has a Learning Support Department to co-ordinate this.
Nov 2010.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder

	Currently no provision for.	Can provide for but no experience of	Experience of	Now provide for in school	Centre of Excellence for.
Aspergers Syndrome Mild
Aspergers Syndrome Moderate
Aspergers Syndrome Severe
Autism Mild
Autism Moderate
Autism Severe
Semantic Pragmatic Disorder
Other Autistic

Behavioural Difficulties

	Currently no provision for.	Can provide for but no experience of	Experience of	Now provide for in school	Centre of Excellence for.
Attention Deficit Disorder Mild
Attention Deficit Disorder Moderate
Attention Deficit Disorder Severe
Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorders Mild
Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorders Moderate
Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorders Severe
Emotional and behavioural difficulties Mild
Emotional and behavioural difficulties Moderate
Emotional and behavioural difficulties Severe
Conduct Disorders
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders
Oppositional Defiant Disorders
Tourettes and other tic disorders

Genetic and related Disorders

	Currently no provision for.	Can provide for but no experience of	Experience of	Now provide for in school	Centre of Excellence for.
Down's Syndrome Mild
Down's Syndrome Moderate
Down's Syndrome Severe
Fragile X
Other genetic

Learning difficulties

	Currently no provision for.	Can provide for but no experience of	Experience of	Now provide for in school	Centre of Excellence for.
Moderate learning difficulties
Profound and multiple learning difficulties
Severe learning difficulties

Specific learning difficulties

	Currently no provision for.	Can provide for but no experience of	Experience of	Now provide for in school	Centre of Excellence for.
Dyscalculia Mild
Dyscalculia Moderate
Dyscalculia Severe
Dyslexia Mild
Dyslexia Moderate
Dyslexia Severe
Dyspraxia Mild
Dyspraxia Moderate
Dyspraxia Severe
Other Specific Learning Difficulties Mild
Other Specific Learning Difficulties Moderate
Other Specific Learning Difficulties Severe
English as an additional language

Sensory Impairment

	Currently no provision for.	Can provide for but no experience of	Experience of	Now provide for in school	Centre of Excellence for.
Hearing Impairment Mild
Hearing Impairment Moderate
Hearing Impairment Severe
Multi-sensory Impairment
Speech and Language Difficulties
Visual Impairment Mild
Visual Impairment Moderate
Visual Impairment Severe

Medical and Related Needs

	Currently no provision for.	Can provide for but no experience of	Experience of	Now provide for in school	Centre of Excellence for.
Cerebral Palsy Mild
Cerebral Palsy Moderate
Cerebral Palsy Severe
"Delicate" children
Epilepsy
Eating disorders
Physical Difficulties (Not indicated elsewhere.)
Other

General Questions

Are all children tested for SEN on entry to the school?		Lucid Rapid Dyslexia Screening plus standardised reading, comprehension and spelling tests.
Please outline the screening programmes used by the school.
How many children with statements of need or equivalent do you have in the school?		1
Do you make special provision for exceptionally gifted children?
Please outline what is on offer for such children		Differentiation in lessons, special interest clubs, access to national seminars and olympiads
Please indicate if the school has or has available to it any of the following:
Behaviour Support Unit.
Learning Support Unit.
Pupil Referral Unit.
Other withdrawal.		Short term 'booster' numeracy and literacy support
Specialist language centre
Schemes or Initiatives such as SHARE or Playing for Success.
Please indicate if the school has any of the following characteristics:
SEN accreditation, for example by CRESTED?
Centre of excellence for SEN that is Not already outlined?
Good wheelchair access
Provides outreach support?
Receives outreach support?
Do children with SEN participate fully in sport and other extracurricular activities?
Please provide information on staffing. Does the school have:
A SENCO or equivalent?
Staff who will administer prescription medicines to a child
Qualified teaching staff with learning support or SEN commitment(please say how many, in full-time equivalent).		1 fte covering Junior and Senior School. 1 pt numeracy support
Non-teaching staff with learning support or SEN commitment(please say how many, in full-time equivalent).		The Learning Support Co-ordinator is full time and is a specialist literacy teacher. There is one other part time learning support teacher who is a specialist maths teacher.
Please list specialist qualifications held by teaching staff with learning support or SEN commitment.		M Ed Professional Studies (learning support)
Please list specialist qualifications held by non-teaching staff with learning support or SEN commitment.		Cert of Psychometric Testing, Assessment or Access Arrangement

School Features

Curricula

GCSE - standard English curriculum

A level - standard English curriculum

SEN attributes

Has SEN unit or class

Sports

Lacrosse

Fencing

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