West London secondaries - I really can't see any good options

chaos I think you are best of starting your own thread, as I doubt any of the original posters will be following this thread now.

Too late to the thread I know, but I was just about to post the same question 4 years on..
Identical situation. Reasonably academic daughter who also loves art etc. No religion, Can't afford to go private.
If this isn't just a zombie threas, I would love to know if anyone has found the happy answer to which school works best or where your DS went ThreaderickDorrit!

Hmmm, sounds a bit like what has happened to Holland Park School - but much as I dislike our council (Kensington) the plans were relatively clear from the beginning and tbh it will be a better environment for DD when the building is ready in September; even though I have to grit my teeth at land in public use being sold for rich peoples' housing.

I feel this is somewhat different. What is the council's agenda? To get rid of the school altogether? To force it to become an academy? DH works for Wandsworth Council which are a pretty nasty employer and somehow I don't think they have the best interests of the families that use the school at heart and want to basically privatise everything. A local library has basically been turned over to a private school. Are you a parent Ed?

Hi ThreaderickDorrit , Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but unless you or your partner and child were immersed in Catholicism from birth, you wouldn't stand a chance of getting a place at either Cardinal Vaughn or Oratory. You can not 'become' catholic to get a place there and so I hope you are not being misled. My son has just been offered a place at Cardinal so I know the criteria quite well. Note also that even those who meet the criteria are still unable to get places (I know of two) as both schools are incredibly oversubscribed. You would have to meet the following criteria to be amongst the priority group of allocations:

• At least one parent has to be a baptised Catholic (proof of baptism will be required)

• Child needs to be baptised before 6months of age unless VERY special circumstances prevented you from doing so (proof required)

• Child needs to be confirmed (proof required)

• Weekly attendance of Mass (proof required)

For the Oratory:
All of the above plus active member of the church community, ie: son an alter boy or you or hubby do flowers, offerings etc.

It's best to know so at least you can give more thought to your options:)

Hope that helps.

Thanks IndieSkies for seeing my point. Of course I know such a school doesn't exist, but I agree with you that it's useful to imagine a situation in which it did. The furore would be immense.

To clarify, I do attend church weekly, so I am not lying but to my church/parish commitment would need to increase significantly in order to get full marks from the priest as the catholic primary in our parish has many people who are more visible. I like the analogy to earning an instrument to increase the chances of acceptance- that is us.

IndieSkies I would feel upset and think the system unfair. It doesn't mean I would lie and cheat though. I am in fact upset that desirable schools in London most often than not select on the basis of distance (and would rather they select on the basis of something my DC children are good at), but I will not rent and lie about where I truly live to increase my chances.

CecilyP marjoumouri used the word "hypocritical" and wrote "While not religious I am becoming one with our priest to increase the chances of an Oratory or Cardinal Vaughn entrance. So hypocritical but necessary".

Your reading is benign, and if what she is really saying is the equivalent of "I attend church once a week, but really I also need to meet some addional hurdle (eg 'becoming one with our priest' (what's that then?))" that is different I perfectly accept. (Analagous I suppose to learning an instrument (when a DC hates music) to get in on music aptitude).

However, to me the word hypocritical does to me make it sound as if she is lying about something. I don't know these schools but I bet being "not religious" takes you outside the criteria - and that she was plannign to lie. If not, then I take it back not disgusting at all. If lying however ..... its quite not alright to lie to get into a school thus depriving someone else who honestly meets the criteria.

But, hey, we are hijacking the thread here ..... this lying debate has been had on many others...

I got the impression that marjoumouri was a Catholic, just not a very religious one. She has read the oversubscription criteria of her chosen schools and will work on achieving them. The parents of truly Catholic children also have the opportunity of attempting to fulfill those criteria. Though for the truly Catholic, there a plenty of less oversubscibed Catholic schools to apply to.

I think Chiswick is a good school and is becoming an academy (along with most Hounslow schools) for financial reasons I would have thought. Many teachers will stay I would imagine as fewer non-academy alternatives. You can apply from out of borough and would have a reasonable chance of getting into Chiswick.

PollyP was being hypothetical - she knows that what the reality is, all too well.

It is worth asking yourself how you would feel if you were excluded from meeting the entry requirements of a local state-funded school purely because of your engagement with religion.

PollyParanoia you are missing (I think) my point. Your reverse example can't exist as the Code does not allow a school to admit on the basis of "non-faith". I don't agree with faith schools (I am not a believer in either the big G or the existence of such schools). However, the system is what it is, "we" allow faith schools to set their own criteria for entry - if a school requires a certain element of faith then it is utterly cheating and hypocritical for a school set up for children of catholics to then be used by children of lying non-catholics - depriving people for whom their child being in a catholic school really matters to them.

Sure - fix the system. But until then, live within it and don't disadavantage others by defrauding others - I do think that that is disgusting (as is lying as to where you permanetly live). And - perhaps worst - teaching your children that its ok to lie - very catholic that!

We are happy with the West London Free school and our son is fully enjoying the experience both academically and socially. Considering the fact that the school is barely six months old it is remarkable what the head and his staff and governors have already achieved in terms of enthusiasm,dedication and positive energy the school exudes. Yes there are still teething problems, homework loads need to be better calibrated, and it will take a couple of years before they will move into the more appealing Palingswick house site. But overall it has given us and our child the choice - which was non existent in Hammersmith before - of going to a good school that is open to all children and that has the ambition and drive to compete with the best state and independent secondary schools in the area.

Saulaboutme - why not CV or TLOS?

Sorry OhDearConfused, but why should Catholic children (or more accurately the children of Catholic parents) have a choice of schools denied to those without faith? I don't think it's absolutely disgusting behaviour, I think it's the system that is wrong.
How would you feel if there was an excellent over-subscribed non-faith school that rejected children if either of their parents had been baptised or attended church? That sought proof that nobody in the immediate family went to church?

Sympathies, OP (we are in Richmond, but not far from Hammersmith as the crow flies). Secondaries are a worry, though hopefully heading in the right direction.

I know several kids, and their families, at Chiswick Community School - via our primary - and they are very happy there. I met one young lad last night at dd's KS2 show: he is about 13 or 14, relaxed, happy, into drama and art, bright and personable. Its only one child, but the fact that he's happy there is good.

Sorry not to know more about H&F schools - how old is your dc?

EssentialFattyAcid "I am fascinated by this discussion because it all implies that you actually do have a choice of state schools. Is this really the case? I live in a small city ...... Is it really different in London?"

Not really unless you are willing to move or be hypocritical as marjoumouri did when she says "While not religious I am becoming one with our priest to increase the chances of an Oratory or Cardinal Vaughn entrance. So hypocritical but necessary". Actually, I wouldn't use the word "hypocritical" - I'd use the words "Absolutely Disgusting Behaviour" depriving another (truly) catholic child of a place.... apart from what you are teaching your DC.

I really wish you all the best with this, some schools do select on distance door to door and the only advice I would give you is to really think if the school will suit your DD. Where you live I would try Holland Park, St Thomas More (Chelsea and not not strict Catholic intake) Sion Manning (Same, Ladbroke Grove and I went there) Hammersmith Academy(Gamble but hey) WLFS(another gamble) Vaghn and Oritory are boys schools so say no more. If your primary HT is any good they shoould help and support you with this. It's daunting and not an easy choice to make. Been there done that blah blah

OMG forget Cardinal Vaughn, and the London Oritary! I'm Catholic and I won't even send my kids there! There is alot of choice and don't rule out Hammersmith Academy. A gamble yes.

Your welcome to azure although I'm not sure it works quite like that!

I hope your DS is happy at Hammersmith Academy or wherever he eventually goes.

DS didn't get WLFS either. Can I have your place then BanditQueen? DS did get Hammersmith Academy. Really bad luck to those getting low preference places.

Ahem. As a teacher in West London, I would recommend Hammersmith Academy as a place to watch. I've been round, met the management team and have been extremely impressed. They are not actually untested as they've come from St Pauls (I think).

If my children were at the right age, that is the one which would be top of my list.

DS got WLFS but will be rejecting the place - hope it will make someone on the waiting list happy.

Anyone know whether it's easy to find out what criteria your DC have been offered a place under (at whichever school allocated)? I'm curious to know if it was a musical aptitude place...

Well we didn't get WLFS
We got our 5th choice which isn't even in h&f, shocked that our own borough didn't even offer us a place in any of the schools we picked.

Thank you Azure - Good luck too.
I have found the whole looking, choosing and wait for a school quite stressful.
Keep worrying about him getting into a decent school.
We put down 6 options although we didn't really like all of them.
We were told that one child from my sons school didn't get offered a place last year in any of their choosen schools.
Just praying he gets one of them, really don't want him ending up in Henry Compton (no offence to anyone with a child there)
Fingers crossed we both get WLFS :)