Jump to content

Recommended Posts

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.

Hi Monkey,

Applying for secondary is a stressful time. I just wanted to mention a few points...


1. You say Deptford Green is too far to travel. But depending on where you are in ED it's actually nearer or equidistant to Kingsdale. It's also surprising how quickly kids adapt to their journey. They grow up fast! I know Year 7s who 'commuted' to Sutton for the grammars and the journey became second nature.


2. Re Kingsdale admissions. They've already increased their intake. I'm not sure they could increase any further or prioritise Southwark kids - that would be putting Lambeth or Lewisham kids at a disadvantage. The lottery system at least stops people renting close to the school to get in or ridiculously overpriced housing.


3. Southwark Council's hands are tied. Why they decided to allow all their secondaries to become academies is up for discussion. But it's done. Academies can set their own admission policies for better or worse.


4. Finally I don't know of any children who have hated their school wherever they have ended up. Parents I know were distraught when they were offered Forest Hill Boys, Lewisham Vale, Deptford Green etc (each to their own) and have been surprised by how well their kids have adapted and how happy they are. Obviously there are the usual things that can happen in any school. Likewise don't hold up Kingsdale or Charter as 'perfect' options. They're not. Each school has its own issues. In the end as long as our kids are being taught well, feel safe at school, are relatively engaged and have a few mates they can hang out with that's all any of us can hope for.


Good luck

hoonaloona Wrote:

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

> Hi Monkey,

> Applying for secondary is a stressful time. I just

> wanted to mention a few points...

>

> 1. You say Deptford Green is too far to travel.

> But depending on where you are in ED it's actually

> nearer or equidistant to Kingsdale. It's also

> surprising how quickly kids adapt to their

> journey. They grow up fast! I know Year 7s who

> 'commuted' to Sutton for the grammars and the

> journey became second nature.

>

> 2. Re Kingsdale admissions. They've already

> increased their intake. I'm not sure they could

> increase any further or prioritise Southwark kids

> - that would be putting Lambeth or Lewisham kids

> at a disadvantage. The lottery system at least

> stops people renting close to the school to get in

> or ridiculously overpriced housing.

>

> 3. Southwark Council's hands are tied. Why they

> decided to allow all their secondaries to become

> academies is up for discussion. But it's done.

> Academies can set their own admission policies for

> better or worse.

>

> 4. Finally I don't know of any children who have

> hated their school wherever they have ended up.

> Parents I know were distraught when they were

> offered Forest Hill Boys, Lewisham Vale, Deptford

> Green etc (each to their own) and have been

> surprised by how well their kids have adapted and

> how happy they are. Obviously there are the usual

> things that can happen in any school. Likewise

> don't hold up Kingsdale or Charter as 'perfect'

> options. They're not. Each school has its own

> issues. In the end as long as our kids are being

> taught well, feel safe at school, are relatively

> engaged and have a few mates they can hang out

> with that's all any of us can hope for.

>

> Good luck



The voice of reason. Thank you. Especially the fourth point!

  • 4 weeks later...

Honor Oakey Wrote:

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

> Not sure what the stats are, but I don?t really

> think of school places as a boarder issue. Take

> Sydenham girls with its 800metre catchment area.

> Likewise we are Lewisham but my kids went to a

> Southwark school only 200 metres away. Kingsdale

> straddles loads of boarders. The whole system is

> tough but it?s not straightforward.


Hi there Honor Oakley,


I thought the Sydenham School catchment area was bigger than this? I know it was 1.7km or so for 2018 entry. Did it shrink for 2019 entry? Thanks.

  • 1 month later...

motorbird83 Wrote:

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

> Discipline issues and poor results of a school are

> a reason to raise standards not for changing

> admission arrangements, surely.

>

Agree that both of clauses are highly important in changing standards and our children are part of it. I'm sure that discipline is a criteria we can influence. But what about poor results? I had some issues with my daughter when she was 10 years old, bad writings and marks as well. And then I found out a great source https://edubirdie.org/. They not only helped us when we needed an essay but also taught the best way to write it.

Hope it will help someone too.

  • 1 month later...

Hi Peachpie, none of the secondary schools in Southwark are under local authority control and so the have their own admission criteria. You can look on the websites of the schools, contact them or ask at an open day/evening. These are happening at the moment. Some secondaries in Lewisham are under local authority control. You can find information on some lewisham schools on the Lewisham website. Single sex schools tend to have larger last placed distance that mixed. All last placed distances given are those on offer day and don't include children offered places under different criteria eg siblings, scholarships, under social or medical need etc and for those schools that do a banding assessment, can vary between bands.


Renata

Just to point out that Southwark can't open new schools, the current funding system only allows academies/free schools to open. They can expand existing schools as was done eg with Ivydale and Bessemer Grange or they can work with school providers to help and support them to provide a school eg Charter ED and Haberdasher's Askes Borough.

Renata

Hi Renata,


It's actually very hard to get this information from schools and it's something that we really need to be made as easy to find out and transparent as possible.

We would really like to know what furthest distance offer made is for the local secondary schools on official offer day and then how much further the catchment distance stretched during the shakedown now that term has started.

The schools are very vague and unhelpful when you ring them and this is crucial info. I'm very tired of hearing that someone's friend of a friend of a friend's neighbour says their niece got in from so and so road and trying to work it out with snippets of information and hearsay when it would just be SO helpful to have the data.

Could you please compile this data for us? It would be greatly appreciated. I'm currently potentially going to spend a fortune on stamp duty to move house a few roads away in time for my children's secondary school applications without even knowing the data which would tell me if this was our only option. Perhaps you would have more clout in terms of getting this information for us than it appears that we as local parents do...

worth noting that you also need to check that the distance is measured as the crow flies for each school you are looking at. Charter N used to be 'safe walking route' - I think its changed now but definitely worth checking where the 'nodal point' they measure to is. For Charter N I think its the driveway opposite Ardbeg Road, for Charter ED its Jarvis road.
Hi, I am having a mini panic about a secondary school place for my son next year and just about to fill in the application. But so confused by Kingsdale- we are not doing the scholarship ( as he is not sporty or musical but we live very close to the school. SO do I just apply via Southwark and keep my fingers tightly crossed? Do I have to book the banding test or does the school get in touch ?
May I ask if anyone who has a child who lives far end of crystal palace road/lordship lane end I.e near the little sainsburys/library got in to either East Dulwich or North Dulwich charter? If not where did you get and will you wait it out on the wait list? Thanks

Katiesa Wrote:

--------------------------------------- and will you wait it out on

> the wait list?

Just to emphasise you automatically go onto the waiting list for any school on your list of preferences above that which you were allocated. You should accept the one you've been allocated, you can always accept a waiting list place if one is offered but if you don't accept your allocated place and you're then not offered a waiting list place you effectively have no school and the local authority has no responsibility to place you.

  • 2 weeks later...

Have Kingsdale released the banding dates yet? I can't find that information on their web site but I don't want to miss out on doing that. Is it before or after 31 October that the tests usually take place?


http://kingsdalefoundationschool.org.uk/News-and-Events/Calendar/event/Admissions-Banding-Tests

Monkey Wrote:

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

> Welcome to the Forum Abi1.

>

> I don?t want Southwark schools for Southwark

> children.


I don't really see what's wrong with having children attend their local / neighbourhood school. The illusion of choice and the complicated system that surrounds it, doesn't really help anyone. There's a lot to be said for simply offering kids a place at the school that is closest to them. The neighbourhood could then work together / focus their efforts on supporting that school to be the best it can be, rather than on navigating the system.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • Here is another article from the excellent Special Needs Jungle with tips for responses to the SEND conversation survey. Including shoe horning in EHCPs which they "forget" to ask a question about in the conversation. And living as we do in Southwark with the huge misfortune of 100% academy secondary schools, some thoughts on this and how unlikely inclusion in mainstream is within the current education landscape. In my view the government could save money by creating some smaller mainstream secondary schools for kids who can cope in primary school but not  with the scale of secondary, and need a calmer less busy setting. The funding would have to be different - it is currently on a per pupil basis which favours larger schools. But it would undoubtedly be cheaper than specialist provision, and the huge cost to individual children and families (emotional and financial) and to society. https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/tips-help-complete-governments-send-conversation-survey-law/ If anyone wants to take a radical step to help their struggling child, my tip is to move far away: these are the best two schools I have ever visited and in a beautiful part of the country. I only wish we'd moved there before it was too late for my son who had to suffer multiple failings at Charter North and then at the hands of Southwark SEND, out of education from February to October in year 10-11, having already suffered the enduring trauma of a very difficult early life, which in combination with ADHD made his time at schools which just don't care so very unbearable for all of us. https://www.cartmelprioryschool.co.uk/ https://settlebeck.org/ As an add on, I would say to anybody considering adoption, please take into account the education battles that you are very much more likely to face than the average parent. First you have schools to deal with, already terrible; then being passed from pillar to post within Southwark Education, SEND, Education Inclusion Team, round and round as they all do their best to explain why they are not responsible and you need someone different, let's hold another multi-agency meeting, never for one minute considering that if they put the child at the centre and used common sense they would achieve a lot more in much less time without loads of Southwark employees sitting in endless meetings with long suffering parents. It is hard to fully imagine this at the start of your adoption journey, full of hope as you are, but truly education is not for the faint hearted, and should be factored into your decision. You'll never hear from people who are really struggling and continue to do so, only from those who've had challenges but overcome them and it's all lovely. And education, the very people who should be there to help, are the ones who make your lives the most hellish out of everything your child and you face.
    • It’s a big problem all over London. I’ve seen it happen in Kennington and Bloomsbury in the last year. I think there has been some progress recently with some key arrests, but you do need to be very careful when walking around with your phone out, especially, as you say, if wearing noise cancelling headphones. Sorry you experienced this 
    • Luke Johnson (prominent director and co-owner), supported Brexit and backed the Vote Leave campaign. He also described the response to Covid as ‘a campaign of fear’ and 2020 funded a media consultant for the ‘Covid-recovery group’ of anti-lockdown MPs.
    • I'm a bit of an architecture geek and I must confess I find it one of the most gimmicky ugly redesigns I've seen in a while. I'm always open to quirky but this is just not nice in any way shape or form.
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...