Monkey

Wow - Super impressed with Bromley. I think the schools around here are badly behaved and refusing to help the Council. Perhaps what?s needed is action from us in terms of lobbying the heads. But frankly, between the visits, reading of admission policies, banding tests, making sure attendance at banding tests has been recorded properly (long story), general and specialist sports assessments etc... I don't have time for anything else. Indeed I could do with a quiet weekend not monopolised by secondary schools.

I?m not stressed, just annoyed at how complicated and time-consuming the system has got, including for teachers (open days, banding tests). Agree Kingsdale is far. For this reason it?s bottom of my list.

Monkey Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Welcome to the Forum Abi1. > > I don?t want Southwark schools for Southwark > children, i?m merely asking the council about its > plans to use Kingsdale to provide extra places > locally. These are the words of the council, not > mines. Kingsdale recruits far and wide using a > Byzantine system, while Sydenham School recruits > by distance. > > I don?t want special treatment for my child, > never have, never will. Indeed my favourite school > is a local school which a lot of people don?t put > on their list.

Welcome to the Forum Abi1. I don?t want Southwark schools for Southwark children, i?m merely asking the council about its plans to use Kingsdale to provide extra places locally. These are the words of the council, not mines. Kingsdale recruits far and wide using a Byzantine system, while Sydenham School recruits by distance. I don?t want special treatment for my child, never have, never will. Indeed my favourite school is a local school which a lot of people don?t put on their

Deptford Green I consider too far for an 11-year-old girl to travel to on her own every day. I?ve had a few incidents - let?s call them that - as a teenager, so very aware of safety issues. Peckham Academy not too far but I know of the issues they are facing from hubby who was a teacher and a friend whose son attended. Not an option. Completely agree with you on the need to raise standards. Unfortunately I don?t have the luxury of time and when I see schools where the brightest end up with negative progress 8 scores, this is just not somewhere where I want to send my daughter. But yes we need to raise standards in all schools. I volunteer at a primary school so well aware of the issue.

Thank you, Renata. As always you are the one engaging with us. I can't speak for Jamma but I'd consider a school inappropriate if it's far away and outside my immediate area, has really poor results or severe discipline problems. This definition will be different from the council's. - How come Southwark ended up with only academies when Lewisham managed to hang onto their secondary schools? -Also has Kingsdale been approached to expand their intake to the benefit of Southwark children as floated in the School Places Strategy Meeting dated October 2017? - In the same meeting, the need for a secondary on the Old Kent Road was highlighted with a certain sense of urgency. I don't think this is being built. What effect is that going to have on other schools?

I contacted H. Hayes and H. Harman yesterday and encourage everyone to do the same. There is actually quite a bit Southwark can try and do. Like planning for example. But try and get hold of the minutes of the school places strategy meeting for 2018 and you feel like you?re being rude. Also got news from Sydenham School yesterday that their radius hasn?t budged since offer day on 1st March. Go figure. Also now hearing that Charter ED won?t expand as quickly as planned. Southwark is sleep walking into a disaster.

Completely agree KateFord. Maternity unit at King?s is chaos.

I tried to contact you but message not going through. Thank you.

Hi Oscar and everyone I'm getting mightily irritated with our councillors, who refuse to engage on the issue and answer my emails. Like you, Oscar, I think I'm not going to get into Harris Girls ED now that the school might be changing their nodal point. The Council is asleep at the wheel. I'm all for taking action, gathering a big group of parents and writing a group letter to our MP(s). Anybody interested, please PM.

I?ve lost trust completely and utterly. Even considering moving.

Been trying to engage councillors on the issue by email and no answer. Dunno why I voted for them now...

I think the furthest place allocated on distance for Charter ED last year was 1.3km. To see how far you are, use Google Maps. On another note, i?d be interested to hear of people getting places at Sydenham School from the waiting list and how far they are from the school, just for anecdotal information.

Southwark makes this information available in its primary school application booklet. Data for the 2018 intake is now online and data for the 2019-2020 intake will be available from around September, I should think. I don?t find Southwark to be terribly forthcoming with information.

Tell me about it, Sporthuntor. Trying to get councillors to answer my very simple questions on secondary school places. Impossible to get any of them to answer.

We boycott it and go to PeckhamPlex. ?4.99 a ticket, I believe.

Sorry to hear this, Cinders.

When it comes to Kingsdale, it's not just a "border" issue. I know families from Beckenham who have two/three kids at the school. And a lot of the kids who showed me around on my visit were from quite far away. I wouldn't mind if I had access to Langley Park School in Beckenham for example but the school applies a distance criteria so it's closed to me. Kingsdale is a drain on school places for people in Southwark as per the report in the Southwark School Places Strategy meeting http://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/documents/s71640/Report%202017%20Primary%20and%20Secondary%20School%20Place%20Planning%20Strategy%20Update.pdf

In its 2017 school places strstegy meeting minutes, Southwark Council said of Kingsdale: ?The Council welcomes the interest and will continue to explore whether an expansion of benefit to Southwark pupils could be secured through alternative admissions arrangements.? Not seen an update since. I don?t think this would be an unreasonable ask given how many out-of-borough kids Kingsdale takes.

I wish it were true, NunheadMum, but if you look at progress 8 scores for some of the schools that people in ?black holes? are being sent to, you?ll see that they?re negative. This means these schools are taking high prior attainers and not progressing them. On a positive note, Harris Girls should be going back to a simple distance criterion and we?ll hopefully be offered a place next year. Looking at their website every day...

Not contacted MP yet. She?s never had anything useful to say to me. Problem is that most of the schools in the area are academies so they do what the hell they want... and there appears to be enough school places at the moment. But still i?ll be in touch the councillor in charge of education tonight and copy in the councillor in charge of Dulwich Hill.

I?m with you, Oscar. I?ve been in touch with councillors but was told to send my daughter on a 1h30 round trip to a school which Ofsted says requires improvements. One of the solutions would be for Kingsdsle, which recruits heavily from outside Southwark, to have a band for Southwark residents in black holes. And also for schools to stop the sibling priority criteria. Or move everything to lottery. Frankly when I heard the head of Charter North saying he improves the life chances of his students - who are all recruited from a tiny radius in a very privileged part of town - it really grated with me.

There are lots of clubs (Dulwich college, jags but also nimble arts etc...) during all holidays except perhaps Christmas(when there are some but not as many) . These clubs don?t cover inset days so make sure you keep holidays for those.

But selecting the right kids/parents is not even always paying off in terms of progress 8 score... which goes back to my point: waste of time, energy and money.