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Ashcroft Academy,thoughts?

8 replies

windmill26 · 05/05/2017 12:25

We have a good chance of getting offered a place at Ashcroft but I keep hearing negative things about it.I am really interested in hearing thoughts of current parents.

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Celeriacacaca · 05/05/2017 22:24

What negative things are you hearing?

I'm a current parent and very happy. It's a big school with a mixed intake but is the highest achieving school in Wandsworth in terms of the progress students make there. It's interaction with parents could be warmer, and it has the world's most miserable receptionists but, other than that, I think it's a very good school. DS has made some lovely friends there, all local, so it's easy for him to socialise.

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windmill26 · 05/05/2017 22:58

Hi,thank you for taking the time to reply.
What I keep hearing is that they are extremely strict and they give kids detention for really minor things.New rules like "walking with purpose" and no interlocking harms and no touching .I also heard that no permission was given to 2 different pupils to attend a funeral and to say the last goodbye to a dying Grandmother .Pupils been told to go to school even if they are very sick.I am aware of the achievements and also great expectations from pupils but seems that there is no nurturing and sometimes no common sense (see funeral example above).

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Celeriacacaca · 06/05/2017 13:37

Hmmm, not aware of the new rules but will ask DS. Yes, detentions are given but mostly fairly I think - DS forgot some basic equipment twice in past week. First time warned, second time 30 min detention. I have no problem with that. I work in a school and I know from calls I take from parents that DCs are sometimes less than forthcoming with real reasons for detentions!!

Most schools have a "keep your hands and feet to yourself" rule.

We had a funeral to attend last year and I felt it was poorly handled by the school in the sense we got the blanket unauthorised letter for a day's absence (it was in the north of England) with no mention of condolences etc (not essential, but a nice touch) and a pretty unempathetic (if that's a word) call from the attendance officer. I spoke to HOY, and they were pretty mortified about it, and very sympathetic to the situation, partic as DS had 100% attendance. For any absence you generally have to make up time after school. When I went to HOY, the time DS had to catch up with was cancelled. For parents who perhaps don't engage and support the school to get the best results for their DCs, I can imagine there might be a different response.

No school wants kids to be absent, particularly now the new curriculum is so much more dense and requires every moment of teaching time, but again, we've never had any issues when DS has been ill, although this hasn't been very often.

I think it's important to have a good relationship with the school and pick battles when you really need too - which I can say has been once in the time DS has been there, and that was re funeral absence.

It has a new head now and he looks promising. No school is perfect but, as mentioned previously, DS is very happy and I am too.

You have to think about your child though. It wouldn't have been the right school for DD, although she would have been perfectly fine there, but she's very different from DS and didn't need the same, more rigid, structure around learning.

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windmill26 · 06/05/2017 14:33

You are putting my mind at ease.Thank you for that! I am not 100% sure it is the right fit for my child ,coming from a smaller and very nurturing primary school...but ...I guess we can give it a go while staying on the waiting list of our first choice .

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chicca74 · 11/09/2017 12:57

Hello Windmill26, I am in exactly the same position.
May I ask which one is your first choice?
We are in Southfields and we are also thinking of St Cecilia.
Thank you.

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Soupoftheday1975 · 11/09/2017 13:23

I am the mum of the student who had troubles with Aschcroft because of the dying grand-mother. I still think the deputy head is a heartless arsehole but I also can tell you that my child has been thriving there. She absolutely loves it. It's not the school I wanted for her but she really wanted to go there and she is doing great there.

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Firefries · 12/09/2017 00:13

I can vouch that St Cecilias is great. I think if your child can work hard and get good grades, then the environment is great. We had a very happy child there until we made a geographical shift. Wish we had stayed.

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Ruby85 · 01/11/2018 18:16

This school is full of heartless teachers...im deeply upset by how she was treated and I'm an emotional wreck from my encounter with the school..I allowed my daughter to stay off school for couple days because she was unable to...I emailed the school, no one got back to me so I told my daughter to tell whoever asks her anything to tell them to contact me but because we went on holiday(which was the first holiday ever since she has started the school and not reason why she missed 2 days) the male teacher i spoke to was condescending and didnt seem to understand other things can happen to a female student in early puberty stages that cant be controled...didnt want to go indebth with him...youre a stranger to me!! Instead to speaking to me first they questioned her...she said the teacher took her out of class, mid lesson..stated to her"bring your stuff!!" and waited for her to exit before saying horrible things to her which seems like a threatening manner..I will go jail apparently...etc etc..my child isn't in controle of herself..she is in my care and I support the school from the day she started there...i give them evidence and write letters concerning anything that affects her attendance and this is how they treat a student they told me they cherish and is very intelligent, just coming out of her shell! Etc.I am truly broken by the way my child was treated..even the receptionist were stand-offish and stood there watching me up and down stating they can't do anything not even book an appointment with a teacher to clarify the problem! I am truly broken by this encounter!
I'm getting more and more upset thinking about it.. I allowed her to go to this school..thinking they would help her growth into a well rounded young adult..really feeling to send her to another one if this is how they belittle and intimidate children!! Still yet to talk to a teacher cause they didn't want to talk about the matter, their decision is final apparently!!

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