In case you are brining an academically able child, ML is not streaming anymore children from Y6 and below, so your child will not be allocated in the academic scholarship group, as this group no longer exists.
It is definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but without streaming children, you are a bit at loss as to what this school has to offer that is different to others, other than its reputation.
They are now advertising that they offer ESOL support, which they never did before. This implies that having a good understanding of the English language is not as imperative as it used to be.
I drove by the school the other day and I was surprised to see a banner advertising for placements. In the past, ML used to have a waiting list and places were rather coveted, another indication that things are not what they used to be.
Sadly the reputation of having serious issues with bullying has been there for years.
As a parent, you will have to get involved in the PTA if you want your child to be taken into account. It has been rumoured that monetary gifts to the school will also be an assurance that your child is well taken care at Speech Day. In terms of nurturing and pastoral care, that is an area that has always be in need of improvement.
We left just a couple of years ago, and we were already started to see the decline all around. I very much doubt things are changing for the better after some of the rumours in the community about the school. A true shame as my boys were very happy there and we have a lot of fun memories and we got to know some of the wonderful staff, but things are definitely changing and not for the better.