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Original poster

Secondary schools in Newark (Notts, not NJ, alas)

31 replies

Nonicknamesleft · 13/01/2011 21:22

Does anyone have any experience of schools in Newark? We are contemplating a move there in the next year, but have been alarmed to see the apparent quality of secondary state education there. There are lots of good primaries but absolutely all the secondaries do really badly with Ofsted, which is weirdly inconsistent, but offputting nevertheless.

At the moment we live in Surrey, so have no anecdotal experience or local knowledge we can access. What are Newark parents doing for a decent state education? Are things not as bad as they seem or are kids somehow being winkled in to better schools in neighbouring towns and villages?

Any advice/info gratefully received.

OP posts:
virgiltracey · 14/01/2011 20:52

Definitely Minster but you need to be in the catchment area and house prices are therefore higher. Southwell is lovely though.

Original poster
Nonicknamesleft · 14/01/2011 20:52

Thanks for the post. You are clearly very clever indeed if you got into medical school, so that's a recommendation in itself.

We found Tuxford school through our-long distance research and it appears to be brilliant, but - paradoxically - the primary there looks dismal. Can I ask, did you live in Newark or Tuxford? Did other pupils there come from as far as Newark? And do you know if people can get into the Minster from as far away as Newark? There doesn't seem much for sale in Southwell, and what there is is out of our price range.

It's a difficult one. We are leaving Surrey for family and financial reasons, but our limited experience of schools here has made things easy so far - our eldest is in reception and all the schools locally are good. There's just one ropey but fast improving comp, and plenty of good alternatives, so we're been ruined somewhat.

OP posts:
thirtysomething · 14/01/2011 20:48

Comprehensives in Newark are pretty dire to be honest - results and discipline poor; there generally seems to be a low level of aspiration though of course there will always be exceptions.

As others have said, Southwell Minster school is very highly regarded (but v. oversubscribed). Lincolnshire schools are good and there are two grammar schools (one boys' one girls') in Grantham for which you need to pass the 11+ - however it seems far less competitive than elsewhere in the UK and few children are tutored to pass it.

onimolap · 14/01/2011 20:43

Do you have to be in Nottimghamshire?

Newark is near the Lincolnshire border, and that county's grammar schools.

SpannerPants · 14/01/2011 20:40

I went to a comprehensive near Newark called Tuxford - I left about 10yrs ago but it was pretty good then (and I wasn't anything special but got into medical school).

There's also the Minster school in Southwell which isn't too far away from Newark.

I don't know much about the secondary schools in Newark itself but they never had a great reputation when I was living in the area.

Talkinpeace · 13/01/2011 22:10

Notts probably has better schools than NJ

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