By community Correspondent: Samuel Hopcroft New year sevens are settling into their schools, children and teachers are getting back into school life and its time to collate and compare exam results. Tiffin Boys School, a selective grammar school on London Road, Kingston, is still going strong with a good set of exam results despite the lack of money and a recent sudden departure of a head teacher; they seem to be back on their feet after a worrying past few months in terms of finance. Kingston Grammar is an independent grammar school located opposite to Tiffin Boys School and Kingston Grammar is also thriving with GCSE results that smashed all school records. These two schools are always compared by parents but different conclusions always arise as the two schools use different teaching styles and techniques and the fees at Kingston Grammar creates a rift between the two schools so they are no longer seen as rivals. However the two schools are very similar; they are two extremely commendable, selective grammar schools, doing well in work and extra curriculum.

Tiffin Boys School had 84% success rate (A/A*) at GCSE but only 60% of exams achieved an A grade at A level. Kingston Grammar, despite smashing all previous GCSE results gained less than Tiffin getting 82% A/A*. Kingston Grammar also achieved slightly less in A level results with 55% of people gaining A grades. Looking at grades one may assume Tiffin is the stronger school but whilst Kingston Grammar’s exam results have been rapidly rising in the recent years, Tiffin Boys’ results are only slowly rising and could, due to a lot of changes such as a new head, a controversial banning of homework and scandalous financial concerns come to a standstill, or even decline in the years to come.

So if the exam results are too close for comparison then the schools should be judged on the extra curricular success. Tiffin Boys School excels in Rugby and Rowing whereas KGS excel in other sports such as Football and Hockey. KGS have a superb drama department supported with a fantastic theatre and Tiffin, with a wonderful choir that has performed across the globe, chooses to be a more musical school. Both schools are successful in extra curricular activities but again they both chose different paths to take. They both have wonderful attributes, and have attributes that would put off parents sending their children there, and their children wanting to go. For Kingston Grammar it could be the astronomical fees and for Tiffin it could be the peeling wallpaper in the classrooms.

Both schools have their ups and down and that is why parents always come to different conclusions about where to send their children. Will Kingston Grammar’s fees ‘buy the children better results’ or will it be Tiffin’s reputation that makes them a better child. Both schools are wonderful in their own ways and so, even if they excel in different areas, they are still both equally excellent.