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Original poster

Thornden School Chandlers Ford. Is it really 'outstanding'?

31 replies

miljee · 23/02/2008 15:06

Sigh, we've reached that battle for secondary school places stage- almost. DS1 is in Yr 4 but decisions have to be made. We rent thus can possibly move into a 'better' catchment. I'd 'discounted' Thornden though it is only 3 miles away (there are seven closer schools, most of which I wouldn't grace with a bargepole!). My thoughts are that it's hyper academic (its catchment is VERY middle class!) but DS1, whilst capable of the golden mean of the 5 GCSEs, I believe, may not be about to devise space programs in his spare time... DOES anyone out there have experience of Thornden, or the Winchester Comps? We're catchmented to Mountbatten, Romsey which is 'ok' but has- how can I put this?- recently had a sizeable influx of DCs from the rougher end of Southampton. Thanks

OP posts:
Blandmum · 06/06/2008 10:14

Dh went there in the 70s! But I don't think his information will be that relevant to you!

The area is very middle class.

It wasn't 'hyper accademic' when dh went there, but dh did get to Oxford

Original poster
miljee · 06/06/2008 10:09

I am bumping this now- 3 months down the track to see if anyone else is around with an opinion?

I will be looking at 5 (FIVE!!) schools:

Mountbatten (our catchment school)
Romsey Community (DS's school's catchment)
-both of which we could get into whilst living here.

Thornden, Chandlers Ford
Westgate, Winchester
-just about no chance if out of catchment

Kings, Winchester
-a reasonable chance at it has a rural catchment and the admissions officer told me recently they're offering a DC from our village a place in second round offers who 'possibly didn't put Kings down as her first preference'

Right now my first choice in Westgate but sadly I'm not sure I should subject the family to the tiny little house we could afford to rent in that catchment for 950 quid a month, and whether our DS would be seriously financially 'outclassed' by his classmates there...

OP posts:
fircone · 26/02/2008 16:32

My dcs are set for Thornden. I don't think it's mega-academic by any means - it is a comprehensive after all. What I think is good is that the children who go there seem to be quite decent and well-behaved (from what I have seen of them coming out of school, anyway!).

We lived in Southampton before and I couldn't believe that large numbers of the secondary school kids were all smoking, spitting and snogging right outside the school gate.

I would say about Thornden, though, that they are quite tough on catchment. Last year several people just one road outside the official boundary failed to get their dcs a place.

happykatie · 25/02/2008 21:17

Thornden's a nice school but I wouldn't call it 'hyper academic' by any means. It is miles better than most of the other Soton comps but probably no better than kings, westgate or henry b's in Winchester. I'd go for Thornden above them anyway. Plus lots go on from Thornden to Peter Symonds in Winchester for A levels which is an excellent 6th form college whether you are academic or not. Then again, if it came down to moving, I think I wouldn't bother - Mountbatten's not bad, I know good teachers in Soton who send their kids there.

Original poster
miljee · 23/02/2008 20:21

I was going to add to my first post (but didn't due to space and waffle restraints!) that I guess the fact that parents had chosen to remove children (esp boys) from the failing schools in So'ton showed commendable concern in NOT sending DCs to those schools (bearing in mind that the level of concern in one instance only went as far as a headteacher of one So'ton primary telling yr 6 parents "DO NOT send your child to the local comp under any circumstances, put down M'b instead!")- BUT a very good friend of mine is a teacher at M'B and tells somewhat hair raising tales about the place. I mean, it's all relative- we're talking nice, small market town Romsey here and what is considered shocking in Romsey might not rate a mention in other schools.

OP posts:
Lilymaid · 23/02/2008 19:13

Gosh I think the "sizeable influx of DCs from the rougher end of Southampton" may include my DN whose parents took her out of a school in Southampton and sent her to Mountbatten. They were trying to send her somewhere where she wouldn't be bullied and where she would have a good education.