Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Education

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

Waiting for Results on 1st March

959 replies

GORGEOUSPSYCHIC · 13/01/2011 20:32

Thought it would be nice to start a support thread on here about the wait for our DC getting into secondary schools. Anyone else glad the tests are all over?

OP posts:
Asinine · 28/02/2011 16:12

I just wanted to say how glad I am not to have to participate in such a nightmarish devisive system. It must be so stressful for kids and parents (who have often made friends too) to be separated out in such random ways. If your child does well, other people resent you, if your child does not get top choice they feel bad about it.

Where we live nobody sends their kids to private school- you would have to board as they are so far away. There are no grammar schools or selective schools, only 2 comps which each regularly send 4 to 5 kids per year to Oxbridge and many, many more to Russell group universities. The only choice to make is the one which is within walking distance or the one a bus ride away. This means most kids and parents get to stick together with primary friends through the teenage years, which I think is good for the community as a whole.
Why can some parts of the country function perfectly well without the grammar school system, and would those of you who are going through all this vote to change it, or is the stress worth it for a chance in a
selective school for free?

Anyway good luck to you all Grin

SPEAKUP10 · 28/02/2011 16:14

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet.

GORGEOUSX · 28/02/2011 16:19

Asinine You make some valid points. Where I live the schools are excellent, so I would be very happy for all DC to go to their local school, but not everyone is happy with their local school.

Regarding the sense of community - yes, I agree that's a good thing, but in my DD1's case it was good for her to go to a school where none of her classmates were going so that she could start afresh; unfortunately not all DC have good experiences of primary school, and sometimes, if they've been bullied, or excluded, or simply just did not fit in, it's a very good thing to start anew at a school where you don't know anyone IMO.

Cornishwitch · 28/02/2011 16:22

DD came home from school today in a real strop, apparently tomorrow was the main topic of conversation in the playground and because of county borders she will be one of the last to hear(after 4pm)some her friends will hear before they come into school as they live in the next county. Why oh why can't all the LAs send out the emails at the same time.!!!

HappyHome · 28/02/2011 16:25

Hi Asinine,

I live in an area that doesn't have grammar schools so even without the selective element it still makes it a stressful situation. The reality here is that our catchment area comprehensive school is classed as poor by OFSTED, where as there are 3 other comprehensive schools within a 4 mile radius of where we live that are rated as good/outstanding - the problem is we don't live in the catchment area.

For some of us it is difficult just to get our DC's into a good comp.

Asinine · 28/02/2011 16:32

Yes, georgousx, all children are different, in DD1s case I felt 'better the devils you know!' It is a large enough school to reinvent yourself in. I agree it's good to have choice between comps but the selective aspect seems to complicate things and cause stress all round. I don't really understand why it surprises people that selective schools get better results, surely it's because they're selective. Confused if all the 'selected' kids went to a good comp wouldn't they do well there? The comps results will be skewed because the 'top stream' has gone to GS....

CupAndSaucer · 28/02/2011 16:37

Hourly countdown coming up Gorgeousx Grin

Someone might have to do the night shift though Wink ....although I doubt I'll sleep a wink!

roisin · 28/02/2011 16:38

Good luck everyone: hope you get what you want!

TobyLerone · 28/02/2011 16:39

There are no good comps where I live, so it's grammar or nothing. My son passed the 11+, but it's just a wait now to see whether he gets a GS place anyway. My daughter will go next year and I don't think she'll pass the 11+, although she wants to take it, so it'll be one of the comps for her.

Asinine · 28/02/2011 16:40

HappyHome I am realising that my thoughts are naive due to our area's system which seems to work. I just think it's crazy how patchy and different it is depending on where you live. Will be listening with interest to radio4 tomorrow, as will politicians, hopefully To sum it all up, lots of people are stressed because the system is not delivering a good enough education around the country. Sad

themildmanneredjanitor · 28/02/2011 16:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

foxinsocks · 28/02/2011 16:44

we hear at 5pm on the admissions website apparently (London)

I finally found my log in details thank fuck

still not sure if we get an email/text etc.

foxinsocks · 28/02/2011 16:45

tomorrow at 5pm

HappyHome · 28/02/2011 16:46

Asinine, I completey agree with you. I find it so odd that there are all of these different systems in place depending on which part of the country you live.
I wish I lived in your area! Grin

HappyHome · 28/02/2011 16:48

Just checked our admissions website we can log on to find out at midnight on the 1stShock

AvengingGerbil · 28/02/2011 16:54

I have to wait for the POST to deliver the letter which is being posted tomorrow. So the gods alone know when that will be.

Asinine · 28/02/2011 16:55

HappyHome education= good
Weather= major drawback Grin

foxinsocks · 28/02/2011 16:59

ours get posted tomorrow too apparently but given what our post is like here, I am glad we have an online option

CupAndSaucer · 28/02/2011 17:00

24 hours......

amidaiwish · 28/02/2011 17:17

foxinsocks, last year for primary admissions the results were online about lunchtime, even though they said 5pm... richmond borough.

foxinsocks · 28/02/2011 17:20

hi amida, thanks for that. It's secondary for us this year (believe it or not - I can't believe how time has gone so quickly!).

bigTillyMint · 28/02/2011 17:21

Yes, I'm in London and we got ours about 8 / 8.30am last year.

LadyWellian · 28/02/2011 17:27

Asinine, I grew up somewhere similar where there was only one school and everyone went to it. Educationally it was fine for me but I think I would have preferred the chance to be with some different people!

But you can only do that in a small place - my school served the town where I lived and some outlying villages. If you have a town big enough to warrant more than one secondary school, then you're going to get the kind of nailbiting we have on this thread as the two schools will never be exactly equal.

And I live in London (my choice) which means we have 'not exactly equal' in spades, with knobs on and what-have-you.

foxinsocks · 28/02/2011 17:27

omg I'll have to check all day!

plonkerr · 28/02/2011 17:43

I've just found out that we will be getting our email at 8am tomorrow!

Just over 14 hours to go ...!

Swipe left for the next trending thread