The Trinity-Whitgift thread of 2013 continued

hi whitgift newbies! another travel option if you need it is to go to waddon rail and then a 119 up the hill. my ds and friends use this a lot!

morange lovely to hear you have had such a positive experience, yes the musical instrument will definitely be a new challenge to be embraced in this camp! The "single ticket" possibility would be incredibly helpful for days when I need to be at work a little later. Looks like it is all do-able with a bit of knowledge and trial and error - exciting times.

SUZ742 Thanks for responding, yes maybe if there are a few others on same bus it will seem less daunting. Maybe school will give us some info regarding others travelling in same direction later on. Somelikeithot I had a bit of a look at the train routes but not very straightforward from us but actually it might work that he could get off the bus near EC station and walk down with others. I will probably do the after school pick ups in the beginning - especially as it gets dark. Not ready for my redundancy yet!

Congratulations Clanger - my DS started year 7 in September and we were really worried about the transport. Opted for the school bus and have been very happy with it as they do have heavy bags and kit sometimes and it has taken the worry and hassle factor away, although as you say it is expensive. Loads of boys take public transport though and seem to manage fine. The first term is a shock to the system and very tiring - well it was for us going from short walk and short day at primary school - we all got used to it though pretty quickly. Public transport is doable but not so easy for us so decided to do first term on bus and take it from there and we will definitely continue with the bus for rest of this year and review later. My DS goes to the library and does homework after school before bus leaves if he doesn't have an activity. You can opt for just mornings (or evenings) though as some prefer not to wait til 5.15pm when the buses leave after school. There is also the option of getting ad hoc bus trips and you buy a single ticket - some do this for example when there is a training session after school, usually hockey or rugby on a Thursday in Year 7 and they know they will have more kit that day and finish later. On another note, we are delighted with W. Our DS loves it, has made a lot of nice friends (we have made some too with other parents). He has tried many things he loves, been made to do things he wasn't so keen on but a good experience (eg viola lessons, sing in the choir at a concert). He was top group at primary and seems very average at W academically and is definitely being pushed on that front and the teachers are on his case in a good way. Alot is expected of him and he has had to learn quickly to be organised (this does not come naturally!) and take responsibility. A very positive experience thus far!

Somelikeithot oh really weren't you quick to point out I didn't comment !!! iMO CHILDISH I don't need to clarify myself to you or anybody else you made your decision not me I don't want a pm or response from YOU

Here is the correct information of my ds current school.

Pass rate for 10+ w is higher than t
Pass rate for 11+ T is higher than w
And unfortunately, either pass rate is nowhere near 100% although boys did very well this year. So a big well done to those who passed these exams

I believe no schools are perfect. But, both schools( t&w) are fabulous and not much difference to me. It's their choice.

Good luck to everybody.

That's good news CAC, nice to have some normality back on here.

My son, 10+T will get a few lifts to start with but will then be on the local bus. This will go through East Croydon but as he's already on the bus I don't see it as a problem. The minibuses are pretty pricey vs the free oyster card.

Did a quick trip to Hewitts for research today. Main uniform seems reasonably priced but there is so much sports wise and he will want to be in every team I'm sure. So helpful at Hewitts and got lots of congratulations from the staff, wondered if they said that about every school! Am used to the wonderfully quirky Claddish in Wallington so was pleasantly surprised

Deep breath. Ok. Have accepted an 11+ place at Whitgift from the waiting list (!) ... Happy! Am considering school bus for first term or so. Or could do local bus (both about 40min journey). Slightly hesitant about local bus as goes via East Croydon and I know it does get extremely busy after school/early evenings. Anyone with any experience? Can't really afford school bus but not sure he'd cope too well with big busy bus straight away.

Amazingly the veterans are silent !!! They were quick to have a dig at me at a few others

Any interest in having a Whitgift thread for current parents? Not that I wouldn't be curious about T parents too but perhaps a thread specifcally for sharing news and thoughts about W could be a huge help. Of course for all I know it already exists. My DS will be easily identified as the boy with the black hole locker that swallows all books and homework if any are curious! I better sign off in order to actually do some work...

I guess those boys not listed would likely be in the same position which ever school they went

Actually it is more worrying as to where all the other boys not listed end up?! Unless post cull W ends up with 130 odd boys?

Can I suggest W parents go to the school web site, have a look at leavers destinations and subject they are going to study at uni, majority of the leavers off to a Russell Group uni ok so they are
not all going to Oxbridge but not all Eton boys are off to Oxbridge either.

I'll add my thoughts here. Wow, you don't look at a thread for a few days and you never know what interesting exchanges emerge! We're sending DS1 to W at 11+ and still happy to do so after all the comments (many interesting and honest.) There is a lot of buyer's remorse with any decision. I was just talking with a current W parent (two DS's) who has nothing to hide and sons are very similar to mine. There still isn't another school that offers a better combination of being demanding on sports and academics while having the type of support my DS needs. For everyone else's DS that might not be true so just a personal opinion. I've heard almost identical comments to pinelodge on Dulwich, KCS, St Paul's (you name it and I've probably heard it) which just proves that not every school is right for everyone. To those starting to regret their decisions I'd say stop beating yourselves up since no matter which program you chose there will be unhappy current parents and DSs (and some very happy ones.) I imagine in two years I'll be on the happy side but the proof will be if in two years you see me on this thread again doing the same with DS2. Forking out another 16k+ does tend to focus the mind...

wow you guys are an amazing bunch, talk about love/hate relationship. I think you thread veterans are being a bit unfair to Cinder55 and Shazoom, they are merely expressing their opinion. Having a dig at BOD is unceccasry but in fairness Shazoom only did this after a thread veteran had a dig at Kylep. All a bit silly really.

We did sit for W&T this year and also sat for Dulwich and KCS. KCS we did not even get an interview but offered places at all the others. We chose Dulwich, for alot of the reasons outlined. Not sure why all the fuss about not knowing, the issues with Whitgift are and have been well known for years, too big, class sizes, too much emphasis on SPort, not academic enough, flexible pass marks etc etc. If you had asked around or spoken to your DS current Headmaster he would have told you pretty much all of this. He told us Whitgift is very different to Trinity and Dulwich (told us no hope for KCS!) and that he felt DS would do better at Dulwich or Trinity. We live in SW16 so travel not an issue to any of them. We sat them all to have back ups and would have been happy to send DS there if he had not any of the others as state option was not great for us, but it was our back up.

GIven the amount of effort you have put into this process, surely you have all reasearched the schools beyond going to Open Days and know what the real day to day issues are of each school are?

I think that the thread veterans have got caught up in the emotions of admissions, and the comings months will realise that reality of secondary schooling is not easy and paying for it raises the emotions and expectations. I for one am under no illusion that there will be issues for DS at Dulwich and there will be areas that the school does not meet my expectations and hopefully some areas where it will surpass them.

I wish you all the best of luck

Information - yes.
But rumour, gossip, suspicion? And AFTER we've all made our decisions?

I am really saddened that current W parents with grievances did not share them earlier. We may have made the same decisions, but we would have known what questions to ask at interview, or what to take into account. Or we might even have chosen another school.

Now it's too late.

Well, thank you to all the wonderful and supportive people who have shared their information, angst and humour on here. Good luck to all.

Been following this thread for a while and thought as its a OPEN FORUM i am entitled to give my opinion as current W parent

Having gone thorough this process last year as a 10+ parent , i have to admit i too was sucked into the school and the (peacocks and capes) !!!!
Ds has had a lot of issues which are still being resolved, the boys arent pushed academically if hes good at sport then the right school but in my opinion its not good enough. at £17k a year i expect more
I have to commend cinders, shaz and kylep for the input given, guys you got sucked up into open evening and speeches. W has let in more than usually as the entrance pass mark has been dropped. YOU made the choice just like us and stop this bullying towards other members who are only giving you information on a OPEN FORUM

The thread got hijacked after the event - if they felt this would help to give current parent info then in a constructive way they could've done so BEFORE everyone made their decisions. To do so afterwards was bordering on malicious! There have been many threads started about W (and T) and they've never felt the need to offer this info before - therefore a drop in the ocean amongst the hundreds of W parents - take with a huge dose of salt. Casting aspersions about people who'd been posting in angst over the process was also more than a little unfair (def angst as had PMs from a few including BoD!). No school is perfect and you will all have had issues in the ones from which you come and will without doubt have some at your future schools but what great future schools you've picked. move on and leave the naysayers behind!

Well, there we are. A million thanks to all the W/T potential parents who started on this journey with me. And to Soupy as well, natch

It's a great shame this thread went south. It was enormously supportive, kind and fun - the best sort of Mumsnet thread.

I don't know or care who is or isn't 'genuine'. I'm not suggesting that newer posters didn't have some good points to make, though I'm not convinced some posts were made with the best of intentions but really... meh. Whatever.

Am leaving this thread now. The very best of luck to all the lovely people I've 'met' here. You've made a fab choice for your son (W or T!) and I hope you all have fantastic experiences with your chosen school. And thanks again for all the support you gave me on my rather longer journey!

As for the poster who talked about censorship... seriously? It's very clear from the way this thread has gone that anyone is free to post whatever they like, isn't it? Perhaps you need to join a debating club. I hear they're popular at W and T

Wow.... I usually just read threads but after yesterday's posts had to write one of my own. I'm sure many others read threads on mumsnet in order to obtain information so cannot understand why posters who have given an opinion about W (their opinion) are now being asked to stop. (Censorship if you ask me) Yes they must not make it personal as in the case of accusing Burntoutdad but other than that why should they stop.
I for one welcome more current parents of schools giving information about what a particular school is like. Will people be so upset had it been a state school? I wonder. Or is it because the info is coming out too late after decisions/choices have been made.

There are many others who will be looking to send their DC to these schools who will appreciate hearing what the schools are like and no I am not a current parent.

Lets all calm down, at the end of the day if you really believe that W is the school for your DS a few opinions of others should not change your mind or cause any anxiety, think back to why you chose W for your DS in the first place.

thank you, cheammum.

urgh. I never actually get angry, but this is enough. Shaz and Cinder - yes, we accepted advice as "new parents needing information" and going in "with eyes wide open". It has gone beyond that.
If you have gripes with the school, please raise it with the relevant members of staff. We all fully understand it is not Nirvana. We did not expect it to be, but hopefully we can get over it.
This is an embarassment to all the wonderfully supportive T parents out there - can we please get you back in here?

SHAZ...I am saddened and wound up, like many others maybe, because it was so nice to log on to a thread for a bit of light relief and humour, at the end of what has been a very difficult process for all of us...but since the rather late postings from yourself and Cinders ..that seems to have now been spoiled.

So maybe we should all just move on...take note of the advice and opinions given...and use this information constructively to help our Ds's thrive in which ever school we feel is the best fit for them!

Good luck to everyone...hope it all goes well..!