Recent opinions on Shenley Academy

@OP how is she getting on now? I hope she's settled in OK at Selly Park.

Are you too far out for Ormiston Forge Academy in Old Hill? I work there and it's a decent school. We have lots of new starters throughout the year and they seem to settle well. It's a friendly school.

How about bournville?

Honestly do not worry that there are a lot of Muslims at the school... over all I'd say that's a good thing. Our general experience is that their families are hard working and driven and their children are usually the same.

Your DD will find the majority of them come from families that really value education and that will instil a culture throughout the school. For goodness sake don't let her go in with the idea that lots of Muslim learners is a bad thing - far from it in our experience.

Sounds like Selly Park is the one.

Don’t worry about the cultural and ethnic make up of the school, your DDs education is much more important than worrying about, what I would consider, such trivial matters. Plus think of all the experiences and learning she will get from another culture she wouldn’t have had otherwise. Win win really.

Hope the testing goes well and hope your DD enjoys her first day tomorrow. I’m really glad it’s worked out for you.

Sorry I mean Selly Park not Selly Oak

Good luck with Selly Oak it sounds as if it would be a far better option in almost every respect.

You must feel very relieved to have an option.

It's sad there are kids stuck in schools like this with such an appalling reputation. So much for state education offering everyone the same opportunities

I’m fairly local to there and I hear nothing good about Shenley. To be fair there isn’t any massively good senior schools in this area IMO. We have the choice of Colmers, Waseley and Balaam Wood….all of which are fucking dire….but my DCs attend one of them. It’s about time we had some improvement on the state senior schools this far south of Birmingham.

Shenley doesn't offer music?

That is sad, my husband used to work in the music department and it was thriving back then.

I was coming along to say that I'm really happy that things at Shenley aren't as bad as anticipated. That's really good news!

In answer to the Selly Park question, last week I would have said take it, however, this week, knowing your DD has started recently at Shenley I would say to have a think (very quickly) about the following:

• GCSE options - Can Selly Park offer the preferred GCSE options? If they can then take it, if they cant, what are the options available. This all comes down to can they offer a better choices than your DD is doing at Shenley? If they can't then factor in....
• Transport - Which is easier to get to?
• Extra-Curricular - Which offers more opportunities and activities?
• Childs preference - Which would your DD like to go to, would she like an all girls school or prefer a co-ed?
• Are you able to go and view the school to get a feel of it?
• How likely are you to get a higher preference - possibly this is a low likihood - check with LA where you are on waiting lists.
• Lastly, which ethos fits better for your family life/which would you feel more comfortable with - think also about communication with home and the support your DD might need.

that's good. i expect that the worst stories are down to a minority of students and the vast majority will be fine... it's just discerning which are which

@MercifollowMi how is.she getting on?

I hope that now she jas started it's turning out a bit than you anticipated. i'm sure it will take a while to settle down.

Is bournville school accepting?

No way would I put my child in that school. Over my dead body. Too much not right there. I don’t know how it’s last OFSTED is what it is. It’s a big no from me. Drugs, bullying, other social problems. No way and we live on the edge of the estate where all these problems come from.

We opted out and went for further away undersubscribed schools which are so much better.

You don’t say where else you have applied. But can I suggest somewhere like Hillcrest girls, Turves green girls (although it’s not called that now - it’s northfield girls I think), even Bourneville or Five Dwellings. They aren’t the best, likely to be undersubscribed. Lordswood Girls might even have spaces now after the recent downgrading to RI.
Like I say, not the best selection but they are all better than Shenley. There is a reason a lot of schools in the immediate area are massively oversubscribed (UoB, DECS, Bartley, KNGS ect) it’s because there’s a serious problem with Shenley.

I can only offer a limited insight but my friend's child has just started in y7. Friend is not happy about the choice of school (not their choice) because their child is going to struggle to find similar kids to him there.

BUT I know df said it was a lovely new building, thought the head was excellent and had no concerns about the actual school itself. They went for a parents evening in y6, and we're impressed.
Hope it works out for you and your daughter.

As it’s a critical Y11, unless you have another plan, I would just accept the place and go for it. Not many school offer Y11 places and lots of schools are very oversubscribed. - which other schools did you apply for?

We went through secondary admissions last year (DS just started Y7 but not at Shenley). Shenley is our closest school but, due to our own reasons dating back a few years, we didn’t name the school on the form in the end.

The school has had a massive turn around. The kids seem nice mannered and pleasant. A few parents I know have taken a chance on it in the last couple of years and I’ve heard their kids are enjoying it. Yes, there are a few drugs problems, that’s not necessarily something the schools is going to sort out overnight and it’s not the schools fault. They are trying to deal with it though. I not sure about the quality of teaching, apparently it’s ok.

Other than our own reasons from years ago which is nothing to do with how the school is run but a family decision, I was put off Shenley by the lack of options at GCSE (they don’t do triple science, which isn’t the end of the world, and they have very few GCSE subjects on offer - it’s mainly BTEC etc after the core subjects). I also didn’t like the head. These are, in the grand scheme of everything that has happened there and the improvements which have been brought about, is nothing and me being picky. The teachers seemed very encouraging of the kids and I think, if nothing else comes your way, you should give it a chance.

What are the other 5 schools that you are on the waiting list for?