Moving to Brighton in Year 8/9 - nil chance of getting into Dorothy Stringer or Varndean?

[LindsayWagner]

Hello
We want to move to Brighton from E London, but won't be able to do up the house before Oct this year when DS should be transferring to secondary. Does any kind person know what the chances are of getting into DS or Varndean at a later point, if we move into the catchment? Do people move on from there, or once in do they cling on for dear life?

Do you have the house already? If you do surely you can apply from there? If it is only a difference of a month I would move down to a b and b with him if you really love the school. My ds went to stringer and I really recommend it

Hello noddy I was hoping you were still around (namechangy oldtimer)
Sorry I wasn't clear at ALL. The house I referred to is in London. Needs a lot of work, will take at least a year and a half to do up and we can't afford to run two houses from Oct of this year till potentially December of 2013.
Does that make sense?

I really don't know in that scenario! I know when ds was there they did have people come and go and in fact one of his closest friends now came into the school at xmas in the last year!

eenteresting.. good to know that people do get in late (although obv not if he'd been on waiting list since yr 7 or summat!)
Of the less good schools, which are the Under No Circumstances ones iyo? And do you know anything about Blatchington Mill?

Blatchington mill is good, The schools are so large I assume that there must be movement.

One I would 'avoid at all costs' is Bacca (formally known as Falmer high school)

Hello PH, hadn't thought about size = movement, good point. WTF is all this about Blatchington Mill being a G&T specialist school? Is that even a thing?

Never heard of that!

My DD got into Varndean in Year 9 a few years back, when we moved here. We were originally told all newcomers would be allocated Falmer regardless of location but when pushed we were offered Patcham and then told that if we could get here quickly that Varndean had a place that had just become vacant. Problem is you can't offically apply and be allocated a place unless you have an address and a copy of the rental contract or exchange documents on a bought house to back up your application. Our exchange to completion after many delays was a week - so it made planning very difficult and we lost out on school vacancies because of it - although we would have been prepared to wait a bit after we moved for a decent school.

We were told there was no hope of Dorothy Stringer as they has already taken 12 students over their offical year quota. It is the more popular school. However, there is a lot of movement at Varndean -after my DD started at least 2 new people started during the year and others in year 11. Some of her classmates had transferred from Patcham etc too since year 7. My younger DD's who are now at the school have had newcomers throughout their years, especially Latvians recently. The school is large and people do move.

I think the LA try to allocate places in schools that are very undersubscribed first and then when you say you are unhappy they see what else is around - it may not be policy but seemed to be our experience.

General opinion seems to be that Stringer and Blatchington Mill are fantastic and Varndean good - Hove park a bit less so and Patcham and Falmer (now Bacca) not so good - some people I know who were recently allocated Bacca for year 7 have sent their dc to Lewes Priory instead.

Good luck - hope you make it here - it's a great place for teens.

Thanks so much javo - that's brilliant info. I think we're going to have to move first and take what they offer and wait to transfer. Not good for stability, but worth it for the DCs to have their teens there. I'm so excited, it's excruciating not to be able to just pack up and go!

Hello
About to move to Brighton from London. My daughter will be going into Year 8 in September 2012 and has been offered Varndean but would have preferred Stringer. Stringer seemed such a friendly environment when we went on the tour but Varndean seemed a bit bleak! Is Varndean School a good place to go?!

Varndean is fine, I know many children who are very happy with it

Everyone I know whose kids go to Varndean seem really really happy with it.