Richmond Borough Schools Chat 8

[muminlondon2]

This thread follows on from Richmond Borough Schools Chat 7.

News and opinions on all the changes to schools in Richmond borough.

MrsSalvoMontabalo Teddington has now posted it's Progress 8 score which was 0.35.

That's interesting. I wonder why they delayed with a perfectly respectable score. That's great actually. I've been sad at the number of Teddington patents moaning at me recently about it being "a mess". It obviously isn't all that bad!

Thanks LProsser!
So we now have:

Waldegrave +0.77
Teddington +0.35
Orleans +0.26

I wonder if the others will come clean before the cut-off for Y7 applications 31 Oct?

The official Progress 8 data has only just been released - those schools that posted early were doing from their own in-house data.

I thought the actual published data weren't to be available till towards the end of the year or into the New Year. Are they actually published officially somewhere already Jam?

Sorry - I meant the official data has just been released to schools, not to the public. It is still up to the individual school to publish if they wish, at least for the time being. You're right that the final performance data won't be released until the c. New Year.

It is still up to the individual school to publish if they wish
If they choose not to - people may draw their own conclusions.
Would be better for them to come clean, and explain the reasons for lower scores, rather than claiming eg ' the school did not opt in'

On a rather different subject we have just heard that my dd didn't get into Esher College for A-levels but has scraped onto the waiting list rather low down. Has anyone got any experience of how many of the 200 people on the waiting list have eventually got in in recent years? Am now going to have to undertake a frantic round of open evenings for every other state educational establishment that does A levels for miles around so at least I may become a source of anecdotes and information!

Lottie I am not sure about actual numbers but Esher may well be just one of several options for those offered a firm place. The postcodes that get priority are prime LEH /Hampton /KGS catchment and some pupils with places will be weighing up whether to stay on, plus the latter in particular takes on around 40 new pupils for sixth form. There is a lot of swapping around as people firm up their decisions, both in the coming months and after results. As I remember the first round of indecision didn't resolve itself until Spring (some private sixth forms are still doing open days and interviews / exams will carry on until Christmas.) Also IME quite a few of those applying to Esher will also apply to Strode's and possibly Richmond College. I don't think they would have such a large waiting list if there were not quite a bit of churn.

I wonder if they are unofficially operating a policy of prioritising pupils from schools without sixth forms? In the past I knew many pupils who lived in Teddington and surrounding suburbs who seemed to have no trouble accessing Esher. I suppose it might be sensitive if they continued to accept pupils from Teddington in those numbers and affected the new sixth form?

Whilst lining up other options as insurance I would be optimistic a place will come up even if it is in August.

I would be interested to know what the state schools are going to do about the demise of AS as a stage in the A level course. At the moment most private schools seem to be opting for shunning the new stand alone AS exams in favour of their pupils embarking on four or five A level courses and then dropping one after first year sixth with the schools providing the results of their internal exams in the UCAS application form as evidence of their attainment / potential.

Thanks. This is going to be a long year! I wish people wouldn't sit on several places - do private schools require an A at GCSE for the subjects chosen at A level rather than a B which is the Esher requirement? We were told that most sixth forms are just going to tell them to pick 3 subjects for A level and ignore AS from 2017. Esher still taking loads from Teddington and most are leaving at 16 is still so ingrained. My dd doesnt want to stay because it will be too upsetting without any of her friends. I think Esher now prioritises schools with no 6rh forms which is fair enough. A bit more annoying that they proritise those whose siblings went there even though they have long since left!

It varies, most private schools will be flexible for the right pupil and allow for on the day pupil, or indeed the more likely examiner, mess ups if they think a pupil is making the right choices / has the potential to achieve at the higher level. At the same time if they think a pupil is making poor choices, not going to pull their weight or will struggle they will have had that conversation by now and reached a negotiated settlement. The girls' schools in particular tend to lose a larger proportion of their cohort at sixth form and so are prepared to stand by pupils that might be asked to leave the boys/coed schools. I certainly know of pupils who have gone on to study A levels with a B in the subject at GCSE and then gone on to A/A* at Alevel. I think all schools are aware some pupils come into their own studying a subject at the higher level as opposed to regurgitating as required at GCSE.

Generally what happens is that at the beginning of Year 11 a proportion (quite large in girls's schools) declares their intention of leaving and then gradually that number reduces as they can't be bothered to apply elsewhere or come up against the reality of a decision to move. In the end the majority will stay (though up to a third leave the girls' schools) and the majority of those who leave will head for co ed private sixth forms which all expand by quite a few at sixth form. The ones who end up leaving for state sixth forms generally do so because of options available, for financial reasons or because parents are no longer prepared to finance the rebellious / demotivated. I am quite sure places will be held by pupils as insurance who will end up staying on / go to other private sixth forms. Then of course you will get those who really muck up their GCSEs or pull a rabbit out of the hat (Latymer say ring back if you get A*s in their rejection letter) so there is another reshuffle on results day.

I do think it is rather the norm to hold at least two or three sixth form offers. DD was the only one of her friends that wasn't holding on to a place at at least two. Most had Esher or Strodes as an "insurance" incase they didn't make the grades for e.g. Tiffin. I suppose that must have helped with the Esher churn in the post results days. I know many even attended multiple induction days, to help them decide where they really wanted to go.

I know 3 of ds,s friends turned down Esher after results day as it was their insurance place and 1 got in from waiting list rather than going to Strode's.
From the websites it looked like the only state sixth forms that were full were Esher and Waldegrave.

Thanks for your comments all. It's very frustrating to hear that there are probably quite a few people holding offers for Esher for whom it's only their second or third "insurance" choice when it was the first choice for sad students like my daughter that didn't get an offer. Applications to anywhere else like Waldegrave or Orleans Park will not result in an offer til much later in the academic year so it means months with no place in sight. If you come across anyone with an Esher place that's their 3rd choice do try to persuade them to give it up sooner rather than later!

I'm not sure if I should post on here or start a new thread ... does anyone know if any of the Richmond Borough schools offer iGCSEs?

Orleans was offering igcse English language last year

The Guardian has London population growth rate twice that of UK, official figures show:

The population of London grew at twice the rate of the UK as a whole between 2011 and 2015, and could reach almost 10 million by the middle of next decade . . In mid-2011, the population of the city stood at 8.2 million, but over four years it increased . . by 5.7% . . to . . 8.7 million, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The arrival of almost 200,000 people from overseas each year, and an average (natural increase of of 80,000 a year) drove the city’s growth, and offset the high numbers leaving the city for other countries and the rest of the UK . . Over the same period, the cost of housing in the capital has rocketed . .

Neal Hudson, UK housing market analyst at property firm Savills, said . . that the number of people in their late 30s and early 40s who were leaving London was also down on the levels before the recession: “They were staying put as a result of improving schools, the credit crunch limiting moves, etc, and so there were fewer opportunities for younger people to replace them on the housing ladder,” he said.

All of the secondary results data are here;- Hope this works! Includes Progress 8 and Attainment 8.

This week’s print RTT has Very poor form - sixth form shut due to below par performance leaving six pupils in limbo. The school is Twickenham Academy. They plan to reopen in September 2018.

The 2016 provisional data is interesting, thanks sheilafisher. Waldegrave is in the top 50 schools for Progress 8 and top 150 for Attainment 8 (most of the other schools are grammar schools). RPA has a poor score compared to other AET schools or neighbouring schools such as Ark Putney.

Interesting that Twickenham has been singled out but both Hampton and Richmond Park Academy show as well below average but no reporting on those shocking results

It is possibly just easiest to single out Twickenham because it isn't a criticism of the new head. It can be simply brushed away as an issue because the new head can't be held in any way responsible, but rather indicates recognition of previous failure and indication that it is being tackled. I do realise that may be an overly cynical viewpoint though...

Nelson Primary is being Ofsted inspected tomorrow and Thursday. As that is one of the schools under the MAT, it'll be an interesting indicator of progression given that it was in measures last time. Incidentally, a number of my colleagues attended the recent open days at Teddington, and were very impressed. It was noted that the Head was talking very inclusively, and of Teddington being a community comprehensive.
This supports the MAT's given aim to bring a degree of equality, finally, to the area.

RPA also has a new head, will be interesting to see what reason he gives for their appalling score and if there will be a cull of staff and recruitment of new blood.

Just to report that we went to the Orleans Park Sixth Form Open Evening yesterday and were pretty impressed. The results for first year of A-levels were good and the staff seem to be very dedicated with smallish class sizes for most subjects meaning lots of individual attention. The Attenborough Building where the Sixth Form is based is very new and the equipement seems good. They have around 100 per year in the Sixth Form which is presumably sustainable. Does anyone know anybody with children in Sixth Form?

I am afraid the admissions system for applying to the various Borough Sixth Forms appears to be a bit of a shambles however. You can apply to several and get several offers subject to grades, but these won't necessarily translate into a place to study the subjects that you want to do at the school you want to attend. Unless you stick with the Sixth Form of a school that you are already at for GCSEs in which case you get priority it appears to be a mad scramble on the registration day and nothing is guaranteed especially if you want to go to Waldegrave which is pulling ahead as the most popular of the Sixth Forms. I really don't understand how the schools can plan properly with such a dysfunctional system.