To ask about the Jeremy Corbyn controversy with his choice of son’s school?

[HeronO]

Hello all. Considering secondary schools for DD in Camden/Islington after move to be near DP’s family for support. I’ve got no family on my side apart from DP and DD!

Have chosen a school, thanks in part to some constructive advice on Mumsnet! It was the school DP went to when it was an old boys school but is now mixed and changed name.

DP’s talked a bit about his school over the years and DD very much wants to go to her Dad’s old school but I was literally yesterday years old when I learned that Jeremy Corbyn apparently split with his wife over sending his son there!

i don’t remember this news story at all but then again I don’t take much interest in politics!

Does anyone remember this? Don’t worry - it won’t influence our decision as it’s convenient for everyone in DP’s extended family, DD wants to go there and it’s currently top of our list.

… and me and DP definitely won’t be splitting up over it !

I worked in Islington and I don’t think BH should be anyone’s first choice. Sorry OP.

ah that’s ok - I definitely welcome all opinions ! 😊

This happened 25 years ago - a quarter of a century. Whatever the reasons, circumstances are almost certainly different now.

Try for Camden School for Girls, op. It’s a great school. But you will need to register for the banding test as pp have said above.

Ah, thank you.

My OH went to the earlier incarnation - Holloway Boys - in the 80s - even though he’s a Camden not Islington lad! I suppose it’s the ‘known quantity’ thing (even though it’s now not the same school) - but if you’ve worked in the area and idk - possibly the education sector? - then you’d have first hand experience - so thank you.

I worked in the early help sector and BH was one of my worst schools for communication. If I’m honest I think they are overwhelmed by the additional needs. Lots of children in need, sen, refugees and quite a bit of bullying. I know these things are common in other schools in Islington but always felt like BH was chasing its tail all the time. Their academic results are quite low compared to t other schools in the area.

Your first hand experience of and insight on this is very helpful - thank you 😊

Look at Camden School for Girls or Parliament Hill School - both fantastic schools. If you want mixed, look at Acland Burghley

This

It was a looong time ago. Make your decisions today on today's info !

Ah thank you - this is helpful.

Whenever someone mentions ‘Parliament Hill’ the first thing I think of is the lovely Lido !

Yes that's exactly where it is. The back of the school is next to the lido.

Maybe the fact that it was more than 25 years ago?

Wouldn't a parent with a child starting year 7 in September 2025 have completed their application by 31st October 2024?

Beacon High? You are seriously thinking of choosing that for your DD????

What are your hopes and aspirations for your DD?

YES!!! Her Dad went to its previous incarnation - Holloway Boys’ School - and his extended family live in the area - just over the border on the Camden side. Also, DD wants to go to Beacon - and I think it’s nice she’s walking the same route as her Dad did to school and having possibly a similar school experience ..

and YES I’m the first to admit this :

I am, and I suppose I always will be,

A SENTIMENTAL OLD FOOL!!

To answer your question about hopes and aspirations, all I want for my DD is for her to be her own person. If she comes to us and says -

“look I HATE Beacon High. I don’t want to go to school” - then I’d whisk her out, ask her what she’d like from her school experience and consider other options. I’d even seriously consider home schooling if that was the best option.

Although she wants to go to Beacon at the moment - she may change her mind once she gets there, and has spent some time there, and I fully accept, she’s not her Dad. Both me and him, for example, are nothing like either of our parents. Also, my DP and I were in school way before social media and mobile phones were a thing, so it’s NOT the same as her experience, even if it’s a new incarnation of the same school.

You see, I HATED my school. When I said I wanted to move to a different school of my choice, my mum just dismissed me with - but Terrible School is YOUR school or “there’ll be more bullying there in school I wanted to go to, without any objective evidence. I was a passive teenager then and didn’t challenge her, but now I’d say - what do you mean ?? “I” haven’t got a school, as such!!!

I went on to get disappointing exam results. But why were my parents surprised? They were put on notice that I didn’t like the school.

So my hopes and aspirations for my DD is for her to be her own person. ‘Cos I certainly wasn’t allowed to be.

My pleasure, good luck ♥️

She wants to go to beacon at the moment? Has she visited it and does she understand how poor the results are? And that it’s likely to be a poor environment for learning? You need to give her the correct information so her wants are based in reality.

There really is no point being sentimental, I would be extremely wary because of the likelihood of disrupted lessons and violence. I went to a school (& have worked in schools) where every single lesson was disrupted by poor behaviour, bullying was rife, and it was absolutely miserable for everyone.

The results & what has been said about it suggest to me that this is not a safe & functioning school.

Althoooough I did just skim the Ofsted report from 2022 and it does say that there is little disruption to learning and it’s caring etc. so maybe if they’ve now sorted out the behaviour the results will follow & I’ll eat my hat 🎩 🤣

https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2024/mar/02/parents-didnt-want-their-kids-to-be-here-inside-the-troubled-london-school-that-stopped-excluding-pupils-and-restored-calm

Have you read this OP?

I wouldn’t send my kids to Holloway, (my dad went there) and I lived in the area my whole life too- I just moved from the area (to Australia) and schools were a big reason if I was still in north Islington I’d probably send my kids to any of the ones in Crouch End, or Mary mags in Highbury, or parliament hill. I know teachers who currently work at Holloway (can’t remember the name of the school now) and they say it’s awful.

Omg your Dad went there??! My DP went there early-mid 80s - when it was still an all boys’ school - so he might’ve been in school with your Dad 😭😭🤣

But one thing about me & DP is that we both completed our schooling way before Smartphones and social media became a thing - so we’re aware that our DD is likely to have a very different school experience from us, regardless.

Blimey, moving to Australia is a bit of a drastic measures to get away from Islington schools 🤣 - but seriously - Australia seems to be a lovely place to live. I wish you all the best with your move ☀️

It’s called Beacon High now - I thought it had improved recently - but if you know people currently working there - realistically, you know best …

No I haven’t - but thanks for the link - I’ll read it now 🙌

Haha my dads a lot older than school in the 80s I went to school in the area in the late 90s myself (I went to school in Kentish Town and then Highgate) I lived near a huge school in north Islington that massively put me off the schools in the area, but wasn’t the only consideration for the move but was a factor!