rubbish local secondary school choices - London - did you end up moving?

I do not understand this kind of comment. London is a big place with a vast array of different neighbourhoods and schools. But let's write them all off because of someone's "mate".

Unless it was grammar there are very few areas in London I would let my kids go to school in
Mate of mine is a teacher in a deprived London borough has kids in her class who really cannot understand English which affects the other kids teaching

My one goes to Sydenham school. She's done very well there, but they put an awful lot of pressure on the girls. Forest Hill boys is ok, I suppose, FH and Sydenham join up in 6th Form.

I found all Harris secondary schools to be a bit meh, iyswim. Some charge a fortune for uniform.

Have you looked at Prendergast?

I have the same dilemma OP - I really don't want to move, but the options for boys are poor around here.

I don't want a fiercely academic school, that wouldn't suit DS at all. I just want a safe friendly school with good teaching, good discipline, and a genuine mix of ability. Easy to achieve at primary level, very difficult at secondary level.

Knowing some of the boys who went to FHB I think it’ll be reflected over time, really smart boys included

We're close to you too.

I have 1 of each so not keen on single sex as I'd like them to go to the same school.

I'm not keen on Harris but will be ok with it for the technology one in Crystal Palace which would suit DS down to the ground.

Most likely though we will go private as paternal grandparents have been saving for that since they were born. Very very kind of them.

Even if not, we'd not move as we love our house and our area.

Yes FHB were pleased with this year’s GCSE results, and are making a big effort to implement the Ofsted recommendations.
A lot of parents weren’t happy with the Ofsted rating as they felt it didn’t reflect the school properly.

The thing with the Harris schools some do have a good reputation and seem decent yet others are absolutely awful.
Unfortunately by being a 'brand' the bad ones can give the decent ones a bad rep.

I thought I would hate our local school (rated inadequate, poor Ofsted etc) but on going to see it the new head has really turned it around so don't rule yours out yet unless the concerns are truly something the school can't fix. For example, my friend in another borough won't even look at her local school as they have a real problem with drug use and gang violence including one child murdered as they left school.

I know FHB had a bad Ofsted, but I still think it’s an improving school and I know people who’ve chosen it and they all really like it. They were upset the Ofsted didn’t reflect their views of the school.

Sedgehill would currently take from SE23. Historically unpopular, but they had a good progress 8 score in this year’s reports, they have an incredible music and drama programme that other schools would kill for. It’ll be interesting to see what their Ofsted comes out as.

I don’t know if schools like Deptford Green or St Matthews are an option with bus journeys. And I’d visit the Harrises, don’t just assume you won’t like them.

I'm SE London too - near to Kingsdale and all those Harris schools.
I know quite a few children who went to Charter in Dulwich (the original one) and seem fairly pleased with it. Langley Park is also considered pretty good (all boys but I think it has links with the girls school next door).

Something to bear in mind for Kingsdale is it has a huge intake (450 for Y7 in 2022) so depends if your DCs are ok with a school that size, and also their 6th form is small so no guarantee of a place for Y12.

But what do YOU think about the Harris approach to education? Rather than what everyone else thinks? They do have a specific style of education, we felt it wasn’t for us but I know some parents who really like it, hard to know until you visit the school yourself.

Single sex schools - I didn’t think I would like them, but in fact it’s not been such a big deal, and does have advantages.
By the time they get to Y12 they go mixed anyway once they are more mature and better able to deal with the hormones.

Oh I thought you might be in SE23. We’re in exactly the same boat. We’re interested in Kingsdale but also considering Dulwich and Alleyn’s but probably can’t afford them. People do seem to like FH boys but I’m with you, feels like a strange choice and current not great Ofsted, though I know those aren’t everything. We really don’t want to move though.

There's also Kingsdale. That's outstanding and co-ed. But has a lottery entry system.

We didn’t bother with the grammars. Just too far and the travel so onerous

You live near me!

I agree with this post. I'm in SE London too and there's a lot of movement in years 4/5.

Some people tutor for grammars and then their kids have to travel quite far, with fewer local friends. Some tutor to get their kids into the private schools.

My son is in year 5 and I've been to see the local single sex state school with a poor ofsted. I was so impressed with it and every friend I have with a boy there is very happy. So I'd recommend visiting schools before writing them off/moving (unless you want to move for other reasons!)

When you say all the local secondary schools are ‘quite rubbish’ - what are you basing this on? Have you visited them?

We decided to stay, because we really like living in London, and when we looked at possible towns to move to in Kent, Surrey etc to be honest, I just didn’t feel at home there. Also we didn’t want to face the grammar school stress / lottery. DH didn’t want a long commute to work.

The local secondary schools near us in SE London aren’t terrible, but they can’t compare to grammars or private schools. However, they do have benefits - some very good teachers (often young, enthusiastic teachers, rather than someone who’s hanging on for their pension). Intake is much wider, so exam results are never as good as grammars, but if your child is motivated, they can do very well.

We also decided we’d spend the money we save on not going private on Tutors where necessary.

However, I’m not a Tiger mum. You’ll find plenty of mums on here who would do absolutely anything rather than send their child to the local LA secondary school. Personally, I like to look at the bigger picture of what’s best for the family overall.

My DD did well in her GCSEs, now doing A Levels. She’s happy, enjoys the freedom and culture of living in London, and she’s mixing with people from a wide variety of backgrounds which can only be beneficial to her.

But hard to say what’s best for your family!

We have a single sex boys secondary near us in SE London, we don’t use it but many of Ds friends do and I find an area brings families in, people stay and the schools change over time. They are happy with it

Is it the case if you are top 180 you are guaranteed a place? I lost track because we decided grammar wasn't for us.

It certainly used to be in Bexley, which iirc I think equated to the top 4%, but I don't know if this is still the case. St Olave's just takes the top scorers and at one stage Dartford Grammar in Kent also took some top scorers (again, I'm not sure if this is still what happens).