Kingsdale Foundation School

there's definitely a correlation btw aptitude and high skill level... but not all children have had the chance to learn several instruments from young age.

So there will be children with high aptitude and low/no skill level. It annoys me when these tests claim to be testing aptitude when they only choose children who have achieved certain grades on multiple instruments.

They should be more honest about it.

Yes you get the results of the music scholarship before you complete the CAF.
It indicates if your score is high enough to be pretty much guaranteed a place on offer day.

Having sat a lot of music scholarships, KFS has the most comprehensive one of any state school.

There is an MAT test, aural tests, opportunity to play 2 pieces on one or more instruments, mini-interview and option to do an additional sight-reading test.

To compare with a few other schools:
WLFS - 5 minute aural test.

Haberdashers - a long MAT test from which the top 80 are invited back for an interview, performance of 2 pieces and an aural test.

Camden Girls - a very long MAT test from which the top 50 are invited back. Top 2 MAT scores get automatic scholarship, another 8 (?) are awarded based on scores from performance and interview.

KFS give all applicants the chance to do everything. There is also likely to be a high correlation between aptitude and high skill level. DD was already G6/7 level in her first study and G3 in her second in Y6. She's now added another 3 instruments and was performing in public with one within 3 months of even picking it up for the first time. KFS is also one of the few that doesn't have an obvious preference for only classical or orchestral (unlike quite a few of the others).

My daughter did the climbing one, and when she turned up, all the other kids had climbing gear. Definitely expecting them to have been to climbing lessons on a regular basis. She's an excellent climber and came out disheartened.

Her friend is a fantastic footballer and did the football trial but said they mixed in boys and girls... the coaches watching allowed 4 boys to dominate the game and the other players just ran around not doing much.

The school is too far away from us anyway, so we put it far down on our list.

I think, if I were local, the size would put me off. It's twice the size of other large comprehensives.

@WhatILoved Norwood seems a nicer school (in my personal opinion......)

I think this is a problem with all secondaries... at my daughter's school, the catchment isn't massive- everyone could walk but there's still loads of traffic and bad parking around the school. She walks btw.

It's massively overhyped IMO. It's sought after because it's not easy to get into, and they have "scholarships" available which make it competative.

The scholarships claim to test aptitude but in fact test skill and experience.

My friend's son goes there and, whilst he has settled now, found the transition from primary really difficult because it is such a massive school.

DD is in Y11 there and it's been fantastic for her.

She's on a music scholarship and we had a range of options, state and private, through those. It was top of both DD and DH's lists after we'd viewed all the options.

She's been very happy there, the music is superb and the setting and staff mean that her very spiky profile has been supported. The extra curricular offer is also incredible.

It's not a school that would suit every child, I would say it's best for a confident child who is particularly good at something. The art, maths, sport and music is incredible, and the language offer also great (Spanish, French, German and Latin). The staff are also warm and friendly and in my experience very fast to respond. It's liberal leaning compared with many schools - no detentions for talking in the corridors etc.

It is huge - 435 in DD's year - but year groups don't mix and everything is staggered so it feels smaller. Staff definitely all know who my child is.

ETA: Homework is actually pretty minimal. DD seems to get it all done on the train home. Far less than any of my siblings' kids at other schools.

Omfg that school and the hype around it. My kids are nearly finished at neighbouring secondary schools now and I know loads of families who have been through it. It is absolutely massive, if they are adding 40 kids then they must be up to a 12 form or so entry? Some families seem to like it, but I have never heard anyone love it.

Saying that I know lots of parents who put it as first choice. None of them got in though. The only ones I know who got in did so due to older siblings already there. I know a parent who raves about it and his kids have both done well. As with all schools it’s very personal!

I really didn’t like it, I went to two open days two years running and I also thought it was shabby and unimpressive! Plus it’s fairly impossible to get in due to lottery system.

Also it’s so massive, my concern is that non scholars would get lost/ignored.

One thing I do prefer about them is they don't seem overly strict about the uniform (at least going by the hords I see going to and from the school).

I think with Kingsdale - if you like it put it top but you also have to accept its a remote chance for anyone. Its not a choice you could bet everything on getting, but lots of people clearly do like it as they fill over 200 places a year.

They're very hot on what is written about them on social media, yes.

After I typed i realised that yes, lots do actually. But they're all just banding - not like indi schools looking for ability.

I don't think they care about their reputation with the local community. Didn't they get the lawyers onto MN to get critical posts taken down? looks around.

From memory when I went to the open evening part of the sell is that it's a school for parents who don't like Harris and won't get into Charter or Haberdashers (this was explicitly said by a parent who made a speech on the platform). I assume that also goes for parents who live further away and don't like their local options for whatever reason but like the sound of Kingsdale. They market themselves as a very middle class option, and some of the other (excellent) secondaries in the local area do not.

40 is nothing though, Dulwich Wood has 2 form entry so at least 60 kids just there.

They have 'scholarship' tests as well as banding tests but those don't seem to guarantee entry either, just bump you up a bit.

@northerngoldilocks as far as I know all the boroughs do banding tests for the LA run schools. All the academies like Harris etc do their own as well.
(I don't understand the appeal of the Harris schools either)

They've expanded again this year though so the 40 places are probably the 'extra ones' . They add hugely to the traffic issues locally though as lots of pupils don't walk to school, its compounded by being really close to DPL and DC which are non catchment based. One of the considerations for us in looking at it was that our children's friends were less likely to live within walking distance to us too rather than at the other distance based options.