Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Local

Find conversations happening in your area in our local chat rooms.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

SECONDARY SCHOOLS - HELP

49 replies

RadfordAJ · 22/09/2015 12:01

As I'm sure everyone who is looking at Secondary Schools is, I'm totally confused as all the Head Talks are so convincing and obviously they only let their most well behaved children take the tours.

So I'm after opinions of current parents on the following:
Harris Beckenham
Kingsdale
Harris Crystal Palace
Bonus Pastor
Thank you

OP posts:

Mar3u5 · 22/09/2015 23:21

Please see advice from Bromley High head teacher on open days in another thread.

You can view exam results and a range of data over 3 years by searching for the school here dashboard.ofsted.gov.uk/index.php. However this is not yet updated with summer 2015 data. With the most recent data how open have heads been? Strong, improving, best yet could mean anything. Did they focus on individual successes rather than over all? How have results been reported on the website? Something to shout about or hide?

What is the word on the grapevine? Are parents happy with the school?

Good luck

Millicakes · 23/09/2015 04:36

I know the last three schools are hard to get into especially Harris crystal Palace as it is heavily over subscribed and pulls children in from Croydon, Bromley, Lambeth borough as well as a small part of Lewisham n Southwark borough.

All schools on your list are highly spoken off minus Harris Beckenham although I have heard it is improving.

YogaPants2441 · 30/09/2015 10:45

Same problem here. Which are the options for boys in Chislehurst? I don't like Ravensbourne and Coopers. If you apply outside the catchment what is your chance to get a place in Langley, Harris or Hayes? They are so far! On another note, there are no enough state options for boys in the local area.

hornetgirl · 30/09/2015 22:10

Harris Beckenham open evening tomorrow evening.

Patry · 02/10/2015 17:01

VanillaLatte13, how about Ravens Wood? How far are you from that? The best behaved and best achieving boys around here go there.
I agree about Ravensbourne. I see very few children that I'd like my own to go with.
But I have heard very good things of how Coopers is developing. have you been to visit them?

justturned40 · 05/10/2015 11:32

Following this with interest!

YogaPants2441 · 07/10/2015 12:57

Patry, thanks for the advice. Not very close to us, but I will list Coopers and Ravens Wood, hopefully Bullers will get planning permission:-) I have a friend whose DS goes to Coopers and she is very excited, although I usually trust my judgement only and my 'gut'.

Harris Beckenham too far from us:-(

Original poster

RadfordAJ · 12/10/2015 13:57

I have now visited many schools, too far from Ravens Wood and Coopers so haven't looked there.

I liked Harris Beckenham, can see a big improvement and think it will be the school everyone wants in a couple of years. I also like Ravensbourne.

But would still like views from existing parents of children that attend these schools.

OP posts:

YogaPants2441 · 15/10/2015 15:18

Ravenswood vs. Ravensbourne?
Any opinions please?

PettsWoodMum · 15/10/2015 20:40

One is co-ed, one is all boys. The Ravensbourne school is run by a consortium that is also setting up the new free school in Beckenham. I have a friend whose DS joined Ravenswood shortly before it got a bad report from Ofsted and she was worried but says the school has been excellent for her DS who is a combination of sporty and needs encouragement in learning - they get the best out of her DS. If anything the Ofsted report had provided a good impetus in the upward direction for the school. Note all my knowledge of this is via friends and is not first-hand.

YogaPants2441 · 15/10/2015 22:26

DC didn't pass 11+ and now need to select potential options. Considering Coopers Technology now, Ravenswood, Hayes ... Harris Beckenham.

Scotts park primary has 'requires improvement' school, however the difference is massive from the 'good' ofstead primary we came from Lewisham.

nancy75 · 15/10/2015 22:34

Langley and Hayes are massively oversubscribed, if you are more than a mile there is very little chance of getting in to either of those schools I'm afraid. Friends child just started at ravensbourne and he loves it

YogaPants2441 · 16/10/2015 14:18

that is the problem. we are not in the catchment of any of these schools. I heard football is very popular in Ravenswood.
DC is very much into IT and football, so big dilemma between the above and Coopers ...

Addictedtoflapjacks · 19/10/2015 02:04

I liked both ravenswood and ravensbourne when visiting and my dc goes ravenswood. Despite the ofsted report the school is very good and as said above they pride themselves on sports. The catchment has got much wider now think 3 miles which I think is due to the ofsted report and there is also quite a high child turnover with the majority of the spaces being taken up by those coming from ravensbourne.

Hayes and langley pointless putting it down if you don't live less than a mile as the catchment never really changes each year.

There is also the new bullers wood boys which if they get the go ahead I believe will be very popular and oversubscribed as with the girl. I'm assuming catchment will be under 2 miles and will pull those in from central Bromley, Bickley, Chislehurst and Sundridge.

There is also the new beckenham academy run by ravensbourne which I believe will be on the same site as ravensbourne until they have a permanent site so there are a couple more options providing they get the go ahead

YogaPants2441 · 19/10/2015 14:54

Bullers Wood for Boys will be the best and closest for us, however planning permission is not secure and you cannot select it on the Bromley secondary application form, so I will have to put Coopers or RWood I guess as our first choice.

Addictedtoflapjacks · 21/10/2015 18:36

Oh really. So does that mean that there is no guarantee bullers wood boys will open this year

YogaPants2441 · 21/10/2015 19:12

I know they arw doing everything possible.

Cozyhome · 21/10/2015 19:15

Hi has anyone got good and /or bad experience of Newstead Wood please

PettsWoodMum · 21/10/2015 20:02

Hi cozy, I know we were on the same thread that highheel gave a helpful reply to so it sounds like you and I are in a similar position! I too am interested in any more information. I tend to hear mostly good, but some things of concern too, but I am hopeful a new Head will be good, but it is all a worry! It is our nearest school so it makes sense for us to outweigh any concerns by having the benefits of being nearby and being in a cohort of similar drive.

Cozyhome · 21/10/2015 20:38

Is there a way of pm you ?

PettsWoodMum · 21/10/2015 20:52

Hi Cozy, I have PM'd you. You can PM someone by clicking on the three dots at the bottom of a post and choosing PM, or at least that is the way it is on the web version on my mobile.

hornetgirl · 22/10/2015 17:03

I've gone for Harris CP, Langley, Ravensbourne and then Harris Beckenham for my DS. He passed Bexley 11+ but we are way too far away and he didn't get into the top 180. He didn't make it through to part 2 of the Olave's test.

We live in the Penge end of Beckenham. So traditionally our catchment school would be Harris Beckenham, but we were really impressed with the Beckenham Academy open evening, it might be just the thing we were looking for. I've applied for that separately and we'll wait and see.

YogaPants2441 · 04/12/2015 09:20

DS has to sit a banding test next Friday at Harris Beck. I am wondering if there is a point for us going as it is an hour bus journey and not straight forward from us. It is a NVR test. Is it worth to stress my boy out if catchment is tiny?

PettsWoodMum · 04/12/2015 21:57

Looking at the distances a couple of the bandings came out 2.5 miles last year and the smallest was 1.6 miles which isn't small compared to some schools. It depends on what your other options are. Also take into account the new Beckenham Free school which might make other Beckenham school catchments larger. Also you know your DC best.

YogaPants2441 · 08/12/2015 15:25

Thanks Pettswoodmum. I am afraid I didn't list the new Beckenham school on the application form.

Flip

1 2