More of a WWYD

[ThunderR0ad78]

Just posting here for opinions and traffic!!

DD is heading in to year 6 so we are on the verge of applying for her secondary school place this October.

She currently goes to a Catholic Primary school in Surrey and due to this qualifies for a place at our Catchment Catholic secondary school. The secondary school feeds 7 Catholic primary schools across Surrey - as a result it is not in our local area, it's about 10 miles away from where we live.

Lots of the children attending my DD's school go on to this secondary school, along with the children from 2 other neighbouring schools. The children are all required to catch 2 trains followed by a 10 min walk to school. The is no school bus despite lots of attempts to reinstate the service. However, like I said the station is packed with children all travelling together.

This school is incredibly high achieving, in the most recent published stats 97% of students received 5 A-C GCSE's - is ranked in top 100 across the UK.

On the flip side she also qualifies to go to our local secondary school based on our address. In contrast this school is ranked about 1500 nationally and approx 60% of students achieve 5 A-C grades. However, this school is a 15 minute cycle away and would obviously significantly reduce the amount of travelling and of course our safety concerns.

In terms of her friends, they will be split between the two schools possibly slightly more going to the local school - am not majorly bothered by this!

DD is my most academic child, a real grafter
and really tries her best - the Catholic school is renowned for its strictness but much of this will not apply to DD as she doesn't pose much challenge to any teachers, unlike her mother when she was at school!!!!

Another thing to consider is that my DS (two years younger) does not go to same catholic school, did not feel it was the right environment for him so unless I move him to a Catholic school in the next couple of years he will go to the local school....... so if I choose this school for DD then they will be together!

However, I am very happy to keep them at separate schools as I've definitely seen the benefit of choosing the right school for the child.....

So WWYD, which school would you opt for?

We had to make that decision and it happens all our daughters are now travelling to higher achieving secondary.

They all love it and its definitely the right decision. Are both schools mixed?

Thank you all for the comments. Surprised that the train journey does not seem so scary to others.

You are right despite being two trains and a short walk I am told it takes about an hour. Haven't actually done the route myself as yet. I am told that teachers meet the yr 7 pupils at the station for this first few months and do the walk to the school with them.

Hadn't considered the behaviour of other kids affecting her tbh! Very good point.......

Although hate to think like that......

Ohh yes, both schools are mixed! I really wanted a mixed school - that was important for us.

What do the Ofsteds say about behaviour? Or are you assuming that the school with lower results will have less good behaviour? Bright kids can be disruptive too. Also ask the pupils at open days / evenings about behaviour, they can be surprisingly candid.

You need to look at the progress 8.

I work full time but flexibly enough to accommodate any unusual drop offs etc. Lots of others travelling from same area though so plenty of opportunity to lift share too i imagine.

My nephews went to the Catholic school, and to those that asked their friends were from all over the place! Lots of travelling at the weekends to see friends etc, parents always dropping here there and everywhere! Not very independent, at least initially!

I would let your DD make the choice - have you been to open days at both?

I really wouldn't be worried by the train journey but the two sound really very, very different environments and I would be surprised if your DD didn't have a preference. I also think it's good for young people to start getting used to making decisions that have a real impact on their futures. I am sure neither is a drastically awful option: if she is bright, she will succeed at either!

In a similar situation we chose the 10 mile commute (there was a school bus though with early start but home by 4.15) & it turned out very well for my bright but lazy DC who had coasted at primary as teacher was focussed on kids wgi needed more help. The Catholic high school genuinely tried to get students to work to their potential.

question is does the higher academic performance justify the commute?
For me - yes!
If she is a high achiever then I would be sending her to the higher performing school.
This will shape her whole future.
Always go for the best.

My daughters both travel about an hour to get to their school as we chose to send them to a single sex school. They are fine. We felt that the extra travelling time was worth it to send them to the school we thought was right for them. I wouldn't worry about the length of time she will be travelling. Also, she will be with lots of other students on the train so she will be fine.

My children both travel to further away schools that suited them better. Both travel an hour to school in opposite directions. But the schools suited them so much better and therefore it is worth it. She needs to decide though not you so just make her choose which school she wants.

When I was a kid I went to the Catholic secondary in another town (same point - large catchment) and commute wasn't too bad. Someone made point about what if they make a friend who lives further away - how would you facilitate the friendship, but it really wasn't an issue (and this was in the olden days before mobile phones etc).

Difference between my school and yours is that mine wasn't known for its academics! lol....

That train journey with all her mates will be fine, way less dangerous than cycling would be.

I would send her to the more academically able school, particularly as they're quite strict and she's quite good - she won't have an issue with that approach, but she might get irritated and unmotivated in a school that's more lax and has low level disruption stuff.

Personally I dislike religious schools as I'm not, but as you are (I guess?) Catholic that's neither here nor there (and it's not like they teach mad creationist stuff or anything either).

I can't believe you are asking this question. Is there any other country in the world where educational achievement is so low down the list of priorities for so many parents? (As an ex-Catholic I wouldn't send my child to a Catholic school but it's not a problem for you.)

I went a catholic school in Surrey which people travelled a long way to get to (I was down the road so didn't experience that). I wonder if it's the same? It was supposed to be brilliant then, as it still is apparently, but they weren't very good with me. I was a high achiever but coasted through school and left with mediocre exam results. So that will cloud my judgement [disclaimer]. I don't think schools would get away with that now though.

But I'll go against the grain and say that if your DD is a high achiever I think she'll do well anywhere. So I'd choose the school that was closest. Especially if you feel that neither stood out of the other in terms of fit for your DD and there's a broad 50/50 split from her primary school of who goes where. My best friend lived a long way from me and we never saw each other at weekends. Social life is important too.

Teentimestwo

Thanks for input. Re behaviour, I have read the Ofsted report but can't recall what was said specifically on this.....

For me I believe all schools will be presented with the same challenges regarding behaviour, kids are kids at the end of the day.

However, I'm led to believe from family and friends and also from my own secondary teaching experience that some schools are less tolerant of certain behaviours and generally have higher expectations.

I certainly think this is the case with this Catholic school in contrast to the non Catholic school but as said much of this is based on hear say and I will definitely look to ascertain this for myself by talking to both schools.

When I was in year 6 I passed the 11 plus meaning I realistically had 2 options. I could go to the local school that was a 10 min cycle from home, or the grammar school that was 15 mins walk followed by an hours bus ride from.

My parents chose the grammar school and I resented them for it. I was getting up early, doing a full day (the grammar school finished at 4) and then the commute home which I found draining. In the winter I barely saw daylight.

I was like your daughter and quite keen to learn. I ended up getting bullied and the school did very little so I ended up skipping school a lot and studying at home. I was able to keep up with the schoolwork and passed all my GCSEs.

Of course its easy for me looking back now, I just see the positives of the local school. I would've been with all my friends, shorter days etc.

I think the main thing is to listen to your daughter. Is there the option of starting at one school and then transferring if it is too much?

But I'll go against the grain and say that if your DD is a high achiever I think she'll do well anywhere.

The above comment is exactly the thoughts of my family....and if I'm honest it's always been my main line of thought hence I am asking this question! I can't tell you the number of people who have said this to me.... my family hope I send her to the local school, parents, grandparents etc.

Just to clarify, my DD is top set across all subjects, particularly talented I'm told at Maths and PE but she is no genius! Just a hardworking kid, really works hard at literacy to stay top set.

The split is 50/50 with her classmates going to each school but this is because half of her class are non Catholics so they do not have the choice.

But I'll go against the grain and say that if your DD is a high achiever I think she'll do well anywhere

^THIS!

My Catholic school was bottom third league tables academically and my classes were often disrupted by some pretty shocking behaviour and discipline but I just stuck my head down and got on with it as I wanted to get the hell out of my little town! If you DD is driven academically she'll get good results wherever you send her.

I really wish we were brave enough to send our kids to the schools we have and work to improve those schools rather than ferry all the "bright" kids into one school (ramping up house prices)/private school but then I get told off for being a communist

Clara......

I know what you mean but it's always easier to take a risk on behalf or yourself than that of your child!

I went to very average schools, didn't achieve very well, went back to education later in life.

I currently do the exact same job as a bloke who went to Eton & Oxford.

I certainly get the sentiment that if you want it, you can get it!

Can I also make a point that I think will be both unfashionable and unpopular on here, but that nonetheless is my belief, which is this: comprehensive schools teach a kind of knowledge that is not often currently valued by middle class employers but that I think will become increasingly so as awareness of identity/class grows. A very academic, high-achieving girl who goes to one will likely emerge with exactly the same results as at any other school, but will also have the capacity to understand, empathise, and interface with a much wider range of people. The downside of this is that she will likely also see a world of class privilege and entitlement that is currently invisible to many people who have remained in an exclusively middle class environment their whole lives. I suspect that this may be a much more highly-valued and regarded skill/perspective in 10-15 years time than it is now.

I used to travel for over an hour by bus to my nearest Catholic school. I think these journeys teach resilience and self reliance, and I really felt the difference in contrast to some friends who had been driven to school daily. I wouldn't be especially worried about the commute. Look at the sixth forms, and the destinations of their pupils. If she is academic she might want the option of uni, and prestigious one at that, this might be more likely for the more academic school?

This is a hard one but if the "good" school is Catholic I wouldn't choose it - what if your daughter (or a friend of your daughters) is gay or has to have a termination? Would she be supported correctly? It's all very well saying that they are academic but if (and hopefully this won't happen obviously) if something happens to her how will they support her on the pastoral side?