Holcombe Grammar School

Please don't do this , make me sad. Department of hearing is bad and they don't let you say hello. they don't listen they just give detention, sad especially when you don't know everything 100% or you just trouble. Ok

Horrible school with teachers who would rather set detentions than help you with a problem you are struggling with. The school shows blatant favouritism with students getting different punishments for the same act. Do not send your children here. Also, may schools offer better opportunities for trips and excursions with French students going to France twice in a year but leaving Spanish students without the same treatment. Teachers lack professionalism and only call/ email home about negative things and do not ever call/ email to discuss positives and improvements

Detentions given out for no reason they don't support you at all and teachers are always rude telling you to shutup and things like that

Was told I was not allowed to say Skibidi.

I'm a year 11 at Holcombe, about to leave the school, so I wrote this review primarily for parents and young people
considering applying here. And don't worry Holcombe, it's not going to be all bad.
I've been at HGS since year 7 (2018), and since then the school has seen multiple leadership changes and varied
levels of improvement.
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Subject Departments:
English:
The English department is one of the best departments at Holcombe, with extremely supportive and helpful teachers
that adapt their teaching style to each student. In Years 7 & 8, my class experienced multiple teacher changes due
to staff illnesses and other reasons. During my GCSE years, my teacher is one of the most upbeat and proactive
teachers in the school, he has unique teaching styles that will overall leave you with more knowledge and a smile
on your face.
Maths:
The maths department consists of around 5 or 6 teachers all coming from different backgrounds in mathematics. With
some being more strict and others tailoring work to each of the student's abilities.
Science:
For KS3 students (Years 7, 8, and 9), you learn all 3 sciences under the same name with the same teacher which
can be a slight issue if a teacher specialises in one specific science, but you will still learn the same content
as you would with any teacher. As you go into GCSE Science, the teachers you have for each of the sciences
have a degree in that specific science which allows a more advanced look into the subject. I find the science
teachers to be some of the more strict teachers in the school, focusing on teaching according to the curriculum,
which can leave some students behind.
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Drawbacks:
Obviously, with all secondary schools, there are some drawbacks, I'm going to go over a few briefly.

Vaping:
Vaping and the use of electronic cigarettes by minors is a growing epidemic in most secondary schools in the Uk.
This is mainly seen from older members of the school, rarely by anyone new entering the school. I do respect HGS
though, as they have been cracking down on this over the last few months, with more being done about this issue

Bullying:
Unfortunately, bullying can still be seen in schools but this is quite rare and is handled well by student
services.

Phones:
Mobile phones are prohibited at any point throughout the school day. A lot of schools in the area allow the use
of phones during break and lunchtime, but Holcombe stays strict with their policy of no phones. I understand this
from a GDPR standpoint, but students should be able to access their phones during break times to contact friends or
play games.
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Student support:

Student Services:
This is a team of 3 who help students across the school with any issues they may have. All 3 come from different
career backgrounds and assist students exceptionally when it comes down to incidents of bullying. I personally
believe that they are not recognised enough for their work.

The Haven:
The Haven is a team that helps students with SEND by providing learning aid, both in lessons and in exams.

Safeguarding:
The school safeguarding team is led by the Designated Safeguarding Lead, who is one of the kindest members of
staff who listens and acts on any problems students have.
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So overall, I would recommend this school, it provides an amazing education with students from sixth form going
straight into high-end universities.

My son has just started at Holcombe Grammar, and I've been blown away by the level of support he's received. The staff are incredibly helpful, and the school's focus on arts and creativity is fantastic. The facilities are also top-notch. I couldn't be happier with our decision to send him here.

We've been at Holcombe Grammar for three years now, and I'm consistently impressed with the school's commitment to high standards. The facilities are excellent, and the staff are supportive and engaging. My son is thriving in this environment, and I'm confident he'll excel in his GCSEs.

My daughter went to Holcombe Grammar for a year, and while the school has a great ethos and values, I felt that the teaching could be more engaging. The facilities are good, but not outstanding. Overall, it's a solid school that could benefit from some tweaks in terms of teaching quality.

Complete lack of support and awareness around mental health. No counsellor at the school. More time is spent reviewing singed planners than is devoted to helping students and teaching them about mental health. More attention needs to be given here some departments are good such as the English and history but the maths is poor with having a higher turnover of staff than McDonald’s.