Advice for secondary school in stevenage

[DidiaB]

Best secondary school in stevenage

[edenzerner]

I have heard about the Greenside School being the best one in this location.

[DidiaB]

It s a part of barnwell school, which it s a good school :) thanks

[Lio]

Hi Didia, are you still there, just spotted your thread

We have looked at Thomas Alleyne, Barclay, Barnwell, Nobel and Marriotts and am happy to exchange thoughts if you are still checking this thread. We are going back to visit them all except Marriotts (actually Nobel don't offer a second visit, but I've arranged to see one of the Dep Heads as I liked the school a lot but didn't have time to ask all of the questions and the children were getting tired and needed to go to home and to bed). We have been very pleasantly surprised at how nice all of the schools are, and I think they are generally improving fast, so our only problem is making a decision as we don't live near any of them.

[fairylightsintheloft]

I'd be wary of any school that doesn't let you go round on a normal day for a look. As a teacher I actually think the open evenings are a colossal waste of time as of course everything is tarted up to the nines and only the shiniest kids used as guides. You can get a vague "feel" but if you really want to see the reality, go round on a normal day, especially if you are genuinely undecided.

[Lio]

Hi fairy. I think I see their point: the school has a lot of open plan teaching and learning spaces and a week's worth of school-day tours is very disruptive, so I'm not wary. As luck would have it I did visit the school this time last year, before they made this decision. Also I'll take the opportunity to talk to the deputy head and parents and pupils currently at the school.

[HibiscusIsland]

Our local schools do morning tours, but I imagine they only take people to visit the brightest, most well behaved groups and avoid any parts of the school where the kids are likely to be running riot!

[DidiaB]

Thanks mums for responding, it is nice to hear your ideas, I did visit barnwell daytime while teachers and students in the classes and end of the lessons where all classes going out to the corridors moving between classes, it seemed ok ??.

We haven't had time for Nobel and Marriott but we did attend evening in Barcley, was ok as well.
I hope we gonna get what we wish in our application, good luck to all and thank u very very much for sharing.????

[DidiaB]

I am so disappointed with my decision, since the term started till this moment my son has been suffering in Barnwell school, lots of bullying, my son has been threatened, attacked, and injured, punched in his stomach.
I wish if one mum could have told me this from beginning I wouldn't sent my son there to suffer.
My son is starting his new school on Monday.
Just wanted to share it with you, if you have any thought of that horrible school and its management.

[Kuppenbender]

Odd that you'd settle on Barnwell as 'the best secondary school in Stevenage.

I know Ofsted reports aren't everything, but Barnwell was rated as 'requires improvement' in December 2013 with that improvement not forthcoming in June and July 2014. It's one thing to take Ofsted with a pinch of salt, but when the quality of leadership and management are so harshly criticised, I don't think you can ignore it altogether.

On the other hand, The Thomas Alleyne School finally appears to be sorting itself out 30 years after it fell apart when I left.

[DidiaB]

Thomas Alleyne seems a good school. My son started today the Nobel school. Hoping he s going to settle in, finger cross.
But he will never forget what happened to him in Barnwell, he s always mentioning the bullying he had there even his dreams are all about the horrible behaviour of some kids on that school, I hope it won't follow him through his life.