Best Secondary Modern in Sutton

Secondary Modern school went out with the ark in the 1970's...we are in the 21st century now...comprehensives took over, many of which now have Academy status
My son is thriving at Overton Grange school in Sutton....doing his A'levels.
I can't get over how all these mums are so fixed on the grammars.

I know this doesn't quite answer your question, but the website www.how-to-choose-a-school.org/ is really helpful if you are considering choosing a secondary school; impartial, not for profit.

Good luck

What does Trinity, and what do other private schools 'give back' to 'the community'?

Private schools use their tax breaks to cream off the brightest and most successful students, offering bursaries ONLY to those students who actually tend to achieve highly in any half-decent state school, basically because they are clever, hard working and have very supportive families. The absence of these students is a huge loss to the state sector - for the teaching staff and the other children.

What they don't do is use their charitable status to benefit the children who really need the benefits of small class sizes and strong pastoral support, children who have no support at home and are struggling in the state sector to achieve.

My Ds goes to a state primary in a poor area. He went to a sports event at Whitgift - part of their work with the community is to allow the peasants the local poor kids, a brief glimpse of their spectacular facilities, facilities which the children soon understand are of little relevance to them as they only get to use them at most for a couple of hours in their entire school career. Big fucking deal. I think there's something pitiful about it.

I don't think that those schools would take kindly to being called secondary moderns because they're not!

PWB as someone who didn't get their boy into Fisher I can tell you I don't want a return to selective Catholic schools like Fisher and their independent school admission policies!

I hope your sister gets home safely, scary weather out there. I've had kids in the Catholic sector for 18 years and the independent sector for 3 months so I'm definitely more familiar with the former.
I just don't like the way MN gets personal about choices without any background knowledge. I'll draw a line as this has really shocked me and I don't want to be drawn any further. Merry Christmas x

suz not you. I think it's a bit rich of a poster who sends her sons to independent school to complain about the existence of catholic schools. But maybe I'm just in a particularly grouchy mood right now because my sister has been abandoned in the middle of nowhere by SW trains and I'm worried sick about what is going to happen to her tonight. :(

you mean in Sutton/Croydon area as West London has plenty of mix sex Catholic schools

pure luck whee one end up living

However I couldn't bring myself to even contemplate Catholic schooling even though dd was christened by the time she was 4 months old

What???? I'm not allowed an opinion on schools I have sent my children to and attended myself? The OP asked for info on St Phils and I gave it as I've had girls there.
As I've said all along the girls in Catholic schools have great options but boys don't. Being a single parent on a low income I've been able to access the independent sector through a charity. Yes, shoot me down in flames for that why don't you?

I don't think anyone who sends their kids to Trinity should be complaining about girls having a choice of St Mary's or Coloma (or Thomas Moore).

Sorry, I meant Catholic girls are so fortunate. The church system may not seem the fairest if that is not your upbringing and life choices, however, for those of us who have been brought up in this system we generally carry on the tradition.
I have been heavily involved in children's church groups, even when I knew I wouldn't send my last child to a Catholic school so feel I personally contributed to keeping the faith going.
School systems are not fair, the grammars certainly not being so, particularly for local Sutton children but its the system we work within.

But more girls than have a choice of the posh schools though.

Girls are so fortunate to have the choice of both.

Only a minority of girls have the choice of either.

Well, like I said, we never had scouts, guides, whatever at St Dominic's. the folk group was good though. :) I certainly miss the proper Croydon hymns and carols where I live now.

I went to St Mary's, from infants through to senior. I had an interview for Coloma, when questioned I said that my dad wasn't Catholic, unfortunately my mum lied in her interview and said he was! I didn't get a place. Think I've had a bit of a downer on Coloma ever since!
Girls are so fortunate to have the choice of both.
My church St Gertrude's has suffered so much from change in criteria. Lack of input in boys uniformed groups is prime example, they've been in place for 50 years and now all gone. It reflects parents wish for their children to be involved but lack of commitment to give their time.

suz in my day you couldn't go to St Phils unless you lived a lot closer than Waddon. I suspect your DCs south Croydon primary is the same one I attended, given that there aren't a whole load of catholic primaries in south Croydon, then or now. In my year group 2 girls went to st Phils, they lived on the purley Sutton boundary. Everyone else went to Coloma st Mary's or Thomas Moore but most went to Coloma. St Ann's had closed its doors by then - but in previous years it was st Ann's which was the snob choice, not sure why. Well - perhaps the fact that it was direct grant? We had a formal interview for Coloma too when I and my sister went there but it was all about involvement in the church that got you in, not social factors (like I said, all the Catholics on the Waddon estate got in year after year, if they wanted to go there). None of my contempararies ever went to JF though - it was all St Joes or Thomas Moore.

We never had beavers cubs or scouts at St Dominic's, at least, not in my day. There was folk group....and that's that. Well, we tried a youth club for a while but it never really took off. I think they had brownies and guides at St Gerts though. And St Mary's.

The selection process of the Catholic schools has changed a couple of times in my experience. DD1 had a formal interview at St Phils before this was abolished. The criteria is now on mass attendance and Priest's reference, there is no great obligation to be part of parish life. At JF there used to be points for certain activities, e.g cubs, altar boys etc. after this was abolished the involvement in these activities by parents and children decreased. Our church now has no Beavers, Cubs or Scouts which is very sad.

There has always been a snobbery around sending your girl to Coloma rather than St Phils at my children's South Croydon primary. However, my girls have better stats than their old classmates who went to Coloma from what I've seen.

All 3 of these schools take from a wide catchment with a good social and racial mix, by no means from just the Webb estate at JF!

St Phils did not have the most academic year group last year, it happens, this year will be different. Plenty have had Medicine and Oxbridge interviews so far.

I can't compare St Phils and Coloma but St Phils and JF are chalk and cheese. I declined to send DS2 there as expectations and communication are just so poor.

penelope I went to Coloma and some of my school friends now have daughters there (incidentally, we grew up on the Waddon estate. Very few people who lived in Shirley went there, actually. Look where the Catholic Churches in Croydon actually are - not the posh bits). I also knew people who went to St Phils (just a few though - they lived more towards Purley). One of them actually chose to leave St Phils and go to Coloma for 6th form but I think that was more to do with the difference in music provision rather than anything else.

I lookes at St Philomena's leavers destinations:
www.stphils.org.uk/images/6thform_2013/Open_Evening_2013/Leavers_Destinations_2013.pdf

there were no Medicine or Oxbridge listed for 2013

I don't know where you get the idea that Coloma ever had the 'feel of an indie'. It didn't and it doesn't. St Phils was much posher back in the day, like St Anne's - but I don't think it is any more (no current knowledge though).

I don't think Sutton has any Secondary Modern schools, with the restricted range of subjects implied (no MFL etc).

Why would you want one?