What secondary school offers for Nunhead?

[emc]

Hello - we were offered our sixth choice school which I'll be declining. As my child is at a school in East D I don't know many Yr 6 parents where I live (Nunhead, just off Peckham Rye) so I just wondered what schools other parents were offered out of interest. Most of my daughter's friends (who live largely in SE22) seem to have been offered their first or second choices.

[Mellors]

Can I be super nosy (or PM me) and ask what schools you are talking about/where you were offered? I'm in your position next year and wondering how the allocations are going this year.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Emc,

I'm sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the outcome of your school application. You can't decline a school unless you have alternative provision, ie you get a place elsewhere. You will be on the waiting list for all your higher ranked schools and there is movement on all waiting lists right up until September, so you may be lucky and your child may be offered a place at a higher ranked school. You can also request that your child be placed on the waiting list for other schools you haven't applied for via CAF.

Renata

[nunheadmum]

Lots of Ivydale kids got Deptford Green. Harris boys too. Some wanted Harris Girls and didn't get it. A smattering at other schools via scholarships or other selective criteria.

Lots of folk waiting to see what happens in the next few weeks and over the summer.

[Carbonara]

EMC, sorry you had such a disappointing outcome.

Did you list schools you thought you had a realistic chance of getting?

DO NOT DECLINE THE PLACE.

Accepting the place is no disadvantage to getting waiting list places, or appeal places. The waiting lists do move, and you may have grounds for appeal.

But if you decline the place you risk ending up with no place at all.

P

[keane]

Quite a few people in Se22 didn't get their first choice this year just like last year & the year before so from Nunhead putting down schools like Charter etc there wouldn't be any chance I would imagine. Don't know what impact the new Charter has had this year? Did you put Kingsdale as at least they don't have a catchment.

[nunheadmum]

A lot of Ivydale kids got Deptford Green - I've heard 80%. (By choice, not random allocation.) Only those with scholarships seemed to get Kingsdale. Some kids didn't even get into Harris Girls. Not sure what would have happened without Deptford Green to mop up so many.

[civilservant]

my daughter was allocated her 6th choice school when we applied two years ago, but about a month before term started, we were offered a place at our 2nd choice school. it was a hard couple of months, but all i can say is, see how it goes.

Do not turn your place down, though, as it means that you're completely out of the running when any vacancies at schools higher up your preference list become available, as will inevitably happen. i think that overall almost all applicants got one of their top 3 choices in the recent past.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi EMC,

from where you live, from previous years, I would expect you to be offered Deptford Green or Harris Girls' on offer day. If you'd had a son, St Thomas the Apostle or Harris Boys' would also be in the mix. Kingsdale as you know it's random allocation, ie low chance! This is the school allocation mix that children living in the area seem to have got this year too. The Lewisham Schools no long have bands with varying last distance offers between bands. Going on what happened last year, some children got waiting list places for Sydenham Girls' , new Charter (and Forest Hill Boys').

I can't find this years' last placed distances for these schools. Haberdashers' have put up their last place distance on their website, it's only 666m. Southwark residents from the part of Borough close to Nunhead station ie a very small area may have secured a space there.

As Nunheadmum mentions, Deptford Green has been very popular among Nunhead parents over the last few years. If it's not one you have applied to you could ask Admissions to be added to it's waiting list. You can also find out your waiting list positions for your top 5 choices.

As I mentioned above in this thread, you can't turn down your current offer unless you have an alternative.

Renata

[emc]

Thanks all. I am very lucky that I do have an alternative as my daughter has been awarded a means tested bursary at a local independent school. It's not a route I would have considered going down a few years back but when I realised (around yr 4) that her choices were going to be limited because of where I live I decided to pursue this route and luckily I'm poor enough (and daughter clever enough!) that this has worked. But it was a bloody long shot. I just feel pretty annoyed that this area of Nunhead/Peckham has such poor options(in my opinion)and as someone else said the new charter was supposed to help with this problem with extending the catchment this way but it hasn't helped at all. Saying that I do think Harris Girls is looking good as a school, the results last year were great, the OFSTED is great and I've heard many reports that the pupils are lovely and hard working.

[buggie]

As a Nunhead parent as well (albeit my eldest is only

Yr 1!) I'm surprised that you feel we have a poor selection - friends kids have had

hugely positive experiences at Deptford Green (the current head boy is ex-Ivydale) and as you say yourself

Harris Girls is seeking to make huge improvements and again know of friends having very happy children there.

Sounds like your (understandably) disappointed not to have got your choice rather than the schools not being very good.

[nunheadmum]

The issue with Harris Girls is that they only offer I think it was 1/3 of places in each band to girls within 1km from the nodal point (which is actually 2 streets away from the school, towards East Dulwich) and the rest are allocated on lottery. I know of someone living not even as far as the church on Merrtins Road who didn't get a place.

So don't be tempted to think of Harris girls as a sure bet unless you're well within the 1km distance (and check where it's measured from!).

[Monkey]

The latest Ofsted for Deptford Green assessed the school as requiring improvement and mentions low level disruption in class as a problem. It's reassuring to know that some people have a good experience there but not surprising people don't want to put it on their list.

[clux]

I have a daughter at Deptford Green and I have only positive things to say about the school and the teaching. Very pleased.

To be honest Monkey I find your comment about no one wanting to put it on their list incredibly rude. Each year more parents put it as their first choice, and rightly so.

[Norfolkvillas]

I don't understand. EMC, you say of your closest school "the results last year were great, the OFSTED is great and I've heard many reports that the pupils are lovely and hard working". Yet you put it as your last choice, and whilst it doesn't seem like you can technically turn down your place, you sound like you would if you could.

How come?

I'm not trying to be provocative, it's just that I'm a couple of years behind you, just starting to think ahead to secondary school and Harris Girls is not far from us. To my mind, a school that is close, gets great results, and has lovely students, would theoretically be first on my list, not last, let alone a place I would strive to avoid taking up.

Is there something I'm missing? Is it the just the single sex aspect? Or is it some other aspect of the school which I'm just too naive to see (entirely possible)?

[Belle]

Don't want to put words in others' mouths, but as someone also living not far from the area we are discussing (as you know Norfolk V :) my concerns are about a lack of co-ed options, so wonder if EMC it was the same for you? I have two boys and feel very strongly about them going to a co-ed school. Am very interested in Deptford Green but think we could possibly be a bit far from it, especially as there would be lots of Ivydale families closer than us.

I do also feel a bit gutted that Charter ED is unlikely to reach those of us on the Peckham Rye side of East Dulwich. I was involved in the campaign and though I didn't do it for self-motivated reasons as always knew we'd be borderline, I do feel sad my kids are unlikely to benefit. If Charter ED expanded (as was originally the plan but current talk seems to be that it will not go to 6/8 forms? Perhaps Renata can advise) then the reach would obviously be more generous.

[EDmummy]

Hi Belle, I'm the mum of two boys who are already in secondary school. I'm interested in the debate about co-ed vs single sex as we have done both. Our first son is in single sex school and it has suited him. He's focused on his studies without worrying about girlfriends etc and has done incredibly well. He'll go to co-ed for 6th form and we hope he'll enjoy this new environment. We chose mixed for the second one as he has a completely different personality and co-ed was a better fit for him.

Belle Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Don't want to put words in others' mouths, but as

> someone also living not far from the area we are

> discussing (as you know Norfolk V :) my concerns

> are about a lack of co-ed options, so wonder if

> EMC it was the same for you? I have two boys and

> feel very strongly about them going to a co-ed

> school. Am very interested in Deptford Green but

> think we could possibly be a bit far from it,

> especially as there would be lots of Ivydale

> families closer than us.

>

> I do also feel a bit gutted that Charter ED is

> unlikely to reach those of us on the Peckham Rye

> side of East Dulwich. I was involved in the

> campaign and though I didn't do it for

> self-motivated reasons as always knew we'd be

> borderline, I do feel sad my kids are unlikely to

> benefit. If Charter ED expanded (as was originally

> the plan but current talk seems to be that it will

> not go to 6/8 forms? Perhaps Renata can advise)

> then the reach would obviously be more generous.

[Scruffy Mummy]

There are several excellent secondary schools that are within reach of nunhead parents including St Thomas which had impressive results and great premises with a swimming pool - albeit single sex and a religious school. Deotfird Green is also a good school on the way up and Harris Girls has good results and seems popular according to parents who kids go there. New Charter will expand to 240 children which is double the current intake but there are other schools which have a proven track record.

[mrs.lotte]

So you St Thomas Scruffy Mummy?

Think emc has a girl

[Belle]

I understood that Charter ED had made it clear on open days it won't be expanding to that number. Happy to be corrected though if that's wrong. Deptford Green sounds really interesting though where we live we may be just out of catchment. I do appreciate there's often a shake down etc too. It's hard not to worry about it though...

EDMummy - that is very interesting feedback, thank you.

[samstopit]

Scruffy Mummy can I ask where you heard that Charter ED will expand? I was at one of the open days inOctober when the Head said he planned to stay at 4 forms of entry even when they are in the new building which will be big enough for 8 forms. If he has moved on this position it would be a big help to the community. The 2018 intake is projected to be far bigger than previous years.

[Inkmaiden]

This is what it says about numbers on their website, but this might not have been updated recently if it's not what you heard at the open day.

http://www.chartereastdulwich.org.uk/page/?title=Applying+for+a+school+place&pid=22

[Katy Tonbridge]

When we visited Charter ED before Christmas, I think we were told intake would be 120 for the coming year 2017/18, and will expand to 180 in 2018/19 if building etc is on target. Their website is due to be updated in the next month or so, I believe.

[samstopit]

Thanks Katy and Inkmaiden. Let's hope the new building will be ready for the 2018 intake.

Any intel on how likely that is? I went past on the bus this morning and couldn't see any signs of progress!

[cactus]

There's definitely some clearance work going on at the far end of the site, by the Jarvis Road entrance.