Secondary School Allocations 2019

[Monkey]

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.

[HannahSE23]

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

[Monkey]

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.

[ad2000]

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!

[Lollapa]

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.

[Troodie]

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.

[Peachpie]

Where do you get the information for distances of last place offered in Southwark and Lewisham? I don't seem to be able to easily find it. Thanks

[Renata Hamvas]

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

[Renata Hamvas]

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

[Peachpie]

Thank you Renata.

[hellosailor]

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...

[JEG1]

I went to the ED Charter open evening the other day and they said in 2019 the successful applicant who lived furthest from the school was approximately 954 metres away, but this will vary year on year.

[Katiesa]

Would anyone know an app or website that calculates the 'as the crow flies' distance for you?

Thanks

[JEG1]

You can do it on Google maps

[Katiesa]

How do you get it to do the straight line on google? I can see where we are and the school is but the route isn't a straight line

[JEG1]

Right click on a point, choose option 'measure distance', then drag to other point/destination. You probably have to do it on a computer rather than a phone.

[goldilocks]

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.

[kamath]

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 ?

[Peachpie]

Kamath, I emailed Kingsdale re. banding test and they said if you fill in the application form by 31st October you will be sent a banding test date for November/beginning December. It is a lottery system rather than distance.

[kamath]

Thank you Peachpie.

[Renata Hamvas]

To add to the above, if you apply to any secondary that has a banding assessment, it is important that your child does the assessment. Children who haven't done the banding assessment go to the bottom of the pile!

[Katiesa]

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

[kristymac1]

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.

[barrybrains]

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

[Earl Aelfheah]

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.