Co-ed switch at The Crypt a huge success
THE Crypt School is the best state-funded secondary school in Gloucestershire, according to a comprehensive new guide.
The Real Schools Guide 2020 takes into account 51 different data points – including not just GCSE results and Attainment 8 scores but also factors like Progress 8, pupilteacher ratios and absence rates.
In second place in the region is Balcarras School in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, and third is Denmark Road High School in Kingsholm, Gloucester.
Nicholas Dyer, headmaster at The Crypt School, in Podsmead, Gloucester, said his teachers strive to instil an intrinsic desire for pupils to think for themselves.
He added: “We have a long and distinguished history which enables all pupils to feel a strong sense of pride and belonging to the school.
“Our curriculum focuses around the acquisition of knowledge and the critical application of that knowledge in different and challenging contexts which enables all pupils to think critically and for themselves.
“And we have a strong focus on pupil care and wellbeing and a strong sense of being part of an inclusive community which stretches all the way back to 1539.”
Presently, there are 1,031 pupils enrolled in the school overall, with 296 at the sixth form.
The school is also ranked 44th in the Real Schools Guide national league table.
It wasn’t until 2018 that girls were allowed to attend the lower school, making it co-educational for the first time, and Mr Dyer said: “We have had fantastic response from families who welcome the choice of a co-ed selective grammar school in Gloucester – now approaching our third year we have more than 130 girls in the main school and about 90 in the sixth form
“Most students go to university to study for a degree; others move to higher level apprenticeships with local and national employers.”
The Real Schools Guide is published as a print product but parents can also go online to browse the full data, compare different schools, and find links to contact details and recent Ofsted reports.
The Guide, now in its eighth year, has been praised by ministers and education experts alike. Former schools minister David Laws called it ‘public-service journalism in the best tradition.’