Kingsdale Foundation School

[Alec John Moore]

Hi

Please get in touch if you are having problems with your application to Kingsdale for September 2010 entry.

[CaroSwannie]

Hi - have you got this sorted? Have you contacted the Admissions Office - the school is very helpful in my experience.

[Alec John Moore]

Hi, I think it has been sorted in a way but it's difficult to tell from Kingsdale's communications. Alec

[minder]

Isn't it usually Southwark that have the say about admissions - they are the ones that allocate places and then Kingsdale are probably informed nearer the time and they send out letters welcoming your child etc.

[Alec John Moore]

As a foundation school they have some autonomy on the selection criteria. Kingsdale's two main oversubscription criteria as far as we were concerned are the scholarship and random selection ones. I have to say that they haven't been clear about how they apply the scholarship criterion. I think this is an issue for a smallish number of families but I don't know how many. The uncertainty has certainly increased the stress for us in what is a particularly stressful process. I understand that initial places have been allocated in the pan-London process and this week the files went out to other boroughs. Still, only three weeks and four days before we get our offer of a place, somewhere.

[Debi]

My understanding as a parent of 2 children at the school is that Kingsdale can indeed set their own selection criteria as a foundation school. It is the borough who then select the children who fit the criteria according to where the school was placed on their list. The admissions criteria can be found here

http://www.kingsdale.southwark.sch.uk/PDF/Admissions%20Policy.pdf

As you can see, 15% of places are for children with scholarships. However, the total number of scholarships granted is greater than 15% of the total intake, so being granted a scholarship does not guarantee a place at the school.

When it comes to appeals, this is the part where the schools themselves can look at individual applications and obviously having a scholarship would come into play at that point (though still without guarantees).

I know it's a stressful time and hope all ends well for you. The process is not perfect but I can't think of one that is fairer, particularly now that distance from the school has been dropped as part of the criteria.

Good luck!

[Alec John Moore]

I'm fairly confident I understand the procedure. So, if, as a parent, you deem Kingsdale to be an appropriate school for your child and s/he was offered a scholarship before the deadline for the pan London admissions scheme, you might well put Kingsdale high on your list of preferred schools. This would make sense since, in most cases, the only other relevant over subscription criterion is random selection, which really is a lottery. That's when you need good luck.

[Debi]

It is indeed, Alec. As a result of the school being so popular there will almost definitely be more people putting it top of their list than there are places. Not long to wait now and I hope you have the school of your choice at the end.

[Alec John Moore]

It's interesting to read the other thread on EDF comparing Kingsdale and Charter. They seem to be roughly equally successful and popular. My point is that you'd only put popular schools in your top three if you thought you had something of a chance of your child being offered a place. Being in the east of East Dulwich we're not close enough to feel comfortable about being in Charter's inclusion zone, but it's popular with us. So, for Kingsdale, being offered a scholarship would seem to be key to where you place it on the list of preferences. Interestingly a Harris academy for boys is opening its new building a few streets from us for a September 2010 intake. However, our son doesn't want to go to a boys' school and their criteria are quite exclusive anyway in that they can only admit boys from certain primary schools in Peckham if I remember correctly. I'd be interested to hear others' thoughts on this if you'd like to share your dilemma.

[tallgirl]

We didn't apply to Harris Boys as it's a large school on a site that used to house 300? pupils. There will be no outside space. Photos of the School incorporate Peckham Rye Park! Yes I agree with you its tough with Secondary Schools. HAberdasher's Aske, Bacon's College and Charter all have small catchment areas. If all the local secondary schools had similar admissions criteria, at east it would make the system more just.-3 weeks to go! Kingsdale seems to have become extremely popular this year.

[Mark Dodds]

Just resurrecting this thread as a cheerful anecdote really. For 2011 entry my eldest son had listed in order of priority:

Kingsdale

Haberdashers

London Nautical

City of London Academy

Charter

Walworth Academy

Pimlico was in there somewhere as an ambition but we were told categorically that NO ONE from SE5 would get in. Not like two years ago. He also made a particular request that he would not consider any faith school.

Naturally he has been offered a place at St Thomas the Apostle, an all boys' Catholic school.

Parental, or child, choice. Stupid.