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Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Secondary education

tower hamlets secondary schools

47 replies

phase · 21/02/2008 10:12

Hi im wondering if anyone could give me some advice regarding tower hamlets state secondary schools. Im thinking of moving into the area. What are the schools like and any recommendations for a particular school. I know nothing about the area or the secondary schools and any personal experience would be really helpful.

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mumblechum · 21/02/2008 12:46

Sorry, no personal experience, but suggest you go to the Ofsted website and look at the reports for the various schools there.

phase · 21/02/2008 16:29

yes i have read the ofsted reports, but i dont want to go on just that info. Im interested to know about the schools from a parents point of view. So i can gain a more overall view. IFYSWIM.

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frogs · 21/02/2008 16:44

Raines Foundation is meant to be one of the better schools. But Tower Hamlets is not an area people move into because of the secondary schools. It just isn't. I think it's also quite polarised ethnically -- eg. Mulberry school is a very good girls' school, but is almost entirely Bangladeshi. There are a couple of Catholic schools that have reasonably good reputations, and catholic schools are generally a bit more ethnically diverse. But I don't know anyone who's sent their kids there.

Any particular reason why you want Tower Hamlets? Redbridge, further east, has a well-regarded secondary system. Otherwise people tend to go further north, to Enfield. Hackney is nearby and has a couple of secondary schools that are considered desirable, particularly Mossbourne and Stoke Newington School. But very tight catchment areas, so watch out.

JodieG1 · 21/02/2008 16:44

I went to a secondary school in tower hamlets, will post later as about to get dinner out the oven for the kids.

phase · 21/02/2008 16:51

my partner lives there, and we are in the process of deciding where to live permanently. his job is in london, so would be more sensible for me to live there.

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frogs · 21/02/2008 16:53

Ah, fair enough. But be aware that it's not an area that people target for its schools. Which is not to say that there aren't okay schools, but you probably won't just fall into one.

NKF · 21/02/2008 16:57

Are your children currently at good schools?

phase · 21/02/2008 17:25

my dd school is fine. ive not lived in the city, so im worried about some of the horror stories of inner city schools. i would like a school that gets the best out of the kids, has good behaviour in school (well most of the time) and that it cares for the pupils well being.

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NKF · 21/02/2008 17:32

Inner city schools are tough. Sorry, but they are. I don't know where you live right now but I can't imagine a place where a Tower Hamlets school would be an improvement.

bran · 21/02/2008 17:36

I live in Tower Hamlets and IME anyone who has a choice either leaves for a better area or goes private. We will be leaving before ds is secondary school age.

phase · 21/02/2008 17:53

i would like my dd to go to the local school, so that she can make friends nd not have to travel to far. Does anyone have any personal experience at all? Ive found one on the net Morpeth school it got an outstanding for ofsted and results seem fairly good another one is called oaklands. Anyone?

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JodieG1 · 21/02/2008 18:46

When I lived there and went to school Morpeth didn't have a good reputation. I went to Bishop Challoner which is a catholic school and was pretty good. My cousin went there and then went on to Cambridge University so it can't be that bad! Most of the teachers were good, some not so nice but mostly helpful ime.

We moved to Cambridge before the children started school to get better schools and also because we wanted to bring them up somewhere quieter. We live 9 miles out of Cambridge now.

twinsetandpearls · 21/02/2008 18:55

I have taught in some Inner City schools when I did my teaching practice. I would say my choice would be Sir John Cass.

phase · 21/02/2008 18:58

why sir john cass? Im not catholic, so bishop challoner couldnt be an option.

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NKF · 21/02/2008 19:00

I know a bit about Sir John Cass. It once topped some league for being the "most improved school" in the country. Only...they had put a lot of children in for GNVQs which are supposed to be "worth" 5 A - Cs. It's a bit too cynical for my liking.

phase · 21/02/2008 19:01

sorry NKF what does that mean.

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NKF · 21/02/2008 19:03

It means they boosted their A - C figures but didn't necessarily give the children a better education.

Nobody really belives GNVQS are "worth" five GCSEs.

twinsetandpearls · 21/02/2008 19:05

I was there when it was in special measures but even then I could see that it had ouststanding staff who were just working in very difficult circumstances. There was a new head appointed around 1999 who was supposed to have transformed the school and it is now recognised as one of the most improved schools in the country. I would rather send my dd to Sir John Cass than the school I currently teach in and if a teaching job came up there I would be there in a flash. In fact one of my biggest career regrets is not taking a post there.

The excellent relationships between staff and pupils I have never seen replicated elsewhere. It does have problems, girls tend to disapear when they are married off and there is a lot of mobility in the student population. There are a high number of second language speakers but you will find that whereever you go in tower Hamlets.

phase · 21/02/2008 19:07

oh i see, il have to have a look at the 5 A/C table including maths and english. is that right?

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mrsruffallo · 21/02/2008 19:08

Raines has agood reputation. It depends where in Tower Hamlets you are moving too. There are schools just outside of the borough that many parents send their children to

phase · 21/02/2008 19:09

do you teach in towerhamlets twinsetpearls. are there schools i should completely avoid?

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phase · 21/02/2008 19:11

bethnal green we are possible moving to.

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twinsetandpearls · 21/02/2008 19:11

I am under no illusions that it has played the system, any school that makes huge leaps in its figures has played the NVQ card.

But i thought it has the makings of a great school before the boosted figures. Phase asked for a caring school with good behaviour, I think Sir John Cass fits that bill.

I also know mulberry which has a lot of positives and some very good teaching, but that comes down to your personal feelings about your child in a school with very few white students.

I don;t know anything about Morpeth sorry.

NKF · 21/02/2008 19:12

A very quick way of finding out a school's local reputation is to ask estate agents which one buyers ask about.

twinsetandpearls · 21/02/2008 19:12

I don't teach there now, it was quite a few years ago but still have contacts that teach there.

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