Chestnut Grove vs Bolingbroke - opinions Post Reply

[Elderflower]

Hello

We are trying to decide whether to put Chestnut Grove or Bolingbroke as first choice in the secondary school application for our son.

For Chestnut Grove - our son is in Band B and we would be borderline in terms of distance - we would likely not get offered on first round of offers but could potentially get offered by August depending on waitlist. We are closer to Bolingbroke and are at a feeder school.

Any opinions / thoughts of current pupils would be very welcome. Thank you.

[Alicia Dias]

I wouldn't recommend CGA. I just recently removed my child off there as it was getting to much for her with the amount of bullying she was getting from other girls, so much so she couldn't even make friends because of it.

Good luck!!

[Marcinek]

Good Morning Elderflower,

Definitely Bolingbroke!  I'm a Maths tutor and each year I see students from many schools in the area. During my  lessons, I learn how well the students have been taught. I can strongly recommend Bolingbroke.

best regards

[KatherineHepburn]

I'm afraid that I have no experience of Chestnut Grove School but do have a daughter at Bolingbroke Academy and can confirm that it is a great school with brilliant results and excellent teachers.

[November]

I’d go for Bolingbroke for loads of reasons but mainly because;
1) If you live close and your child goes to a feeder school you’ll appreciate the community which you are already a part of. State secondary school can be daunting but knowing people and being known has proven to be really helpful and supportive for my children at Bolingbroke.
2) Many of the teachers are truly amazing; they see the potential in your child and don’t let them get away with anything less. As Bolingbroke is relatively small each student is well known to the teachers and from our experiences social/wellbeing issues have been dealt with really well.
3) Not the #1 priority for me …but the GCSE results were the best in the borough (even though it’s not selective) - so that’s a bonus.

I think CG boasts more facilities and various ‘scholarships’ but in my opinion this is only the icing and it’s the substance that you really need to be looking at.
Plus if your kid already does loads of activities outside of school (we aren’t at a loss for clubs round here) you already have this stuff covered.

[Teacher mum]

Both my sons went to Chestnut Grove and I couldn’t have been happier! The teachers work incredibly hard to support the children! Bullying happens! My youngest son told me that he was being bullied by one child when he was in year eight. Eventually, (after telling me) he reported this to his form tutor and by the end of the day I got a call from the school apologising for what had happened and they dealt with it swiftly. The bullying stopped and my son’s time at Chestnut Grove grew with confidence!

[grumpyfrumpy]

My child just started at Chestnut Grove and we are very happy so far.
Enthusiastic teachers, an incredible range of lunchtime and after school clubs.
Every time I ask him what they are learning on a certain subject I get a very articulate explanation. As a scientist I am always interested in how they learn science and maths, and the provision seems to be very strong.
Great music provision: lots of options for extracurricular lessons, plus a jazz band, a rock band and a choir, and children of all abilities are encouraged to join.
No direct experience of Bolingbroke, but I cannot fault CG.