Richmond Borough Schools Chat 9

[ChrisSquire2]

This thread follows on from Richmond Borough Schools Chat 8 starting February 2016.
News and opinions on all the changes to schools in Richmond borough.

See also:

Richmond Borough Schools Chat 7 starting May 2015

Links to earlier threads (1-6), starting in February 2011

@deadlinedaisy Thank you very much for your answer. I try to be careful with judgment, especially when it’s based on the internet opinions. I’m just worried about the GCSE results, because as I understand these are official and confirmed?
I think this is really nice area, so it’s just quite surprising that the results are so poor. And the Ofsted report says that school doesn’t meet the floor standards?
I was hoping anyone could explain it to me?
Thank you

It's a wealthy area next to a deprived area so intake is mixed.

Lovetobemummy RPA has a difficult history and for many years was not regarded as the community school in Sheen. It’s pupils arrived on buses along the A316, there were discipline problems, and it was very undersubscribed. As the obituary below says Lesley Kirby as well as improving the school reached out to local primaries to gain the confidence of local parents and achieved a remarkable turnaround to the point it quickly became oversubscribed. It still has the confidence of local primaries and indeed a black hole of provision has opened up and a new school is planned for Mortlake to provide more places. It remains that it is on the border of the borough and has a mixed catchment which includes a large Wandsworth estate (but then so does East Sheen Primary and it hasn’t held it back). I can’t speak of close knowledge of the school but I do know of parents and primary leadership teams who have confidence in it. The best thing is probably to go along and see for yourself

@Emilyontmoor Thanks a lot! Yes, I tried to visit them but unfortunately they had no time for me before the summer holiday. It's difficult moment to choose a school for you child without the possibility to actually see it.
I need to apply for a school place during the summer, so....
If you know anyone who has a child in this school, maybe they could tell me more about it from the inside :-) Send me a private message if it's better for them. Thank you! :-)

It wasn't the top choice of anyone I know. However, the children I know there appear to be reasonably happy and doing OK (Y7 so early days).

Any update on Teddington School? I'm particularly interested in the opinions of existing parents who have now been with the school for a while.

Has the quality of teaching improved? Has children behaviour improved? Is the new headteacher effective? Do they still have issues with science teachers (more than nationally)?

Thanks.

Cotys, the school sent out a letter last week about Ofsted ParentView, to get people to fill it in, so maybe check on there for recent views. The kids were told at the start of term to expect Ofsted some time this year.

Thanks, but I was looking for opinions about the school, those Ofsted questions are not that well designed, and they don't leave space for any qualitative comments.

IMO Teddington School has improved massively under the new Head.
It's definitely on the up, and I was one of its worst critics a year ago!

My dd was at Teddington through the not so good years and I have many friends whose younger children are still there. They all say it has improved under the current head. I have to say that there were some unsatisfactory teachers there when my dd was there (until 2017) and the senior leadership team were distracted by the problems of Hampton and Twickenham Academies, having to open a 6th form, become an academy etc. but it was never that bad! She and all her year seemed to come out relatively unscathed and got good GCSEs and have gone on to do A-levels (mostly at Esher College but a few at Teddington) and now to good universities. I have a few friends who sent their children private at secondary school or before and there is no difference in outcome so far as the universities they end up in so far as I can see.

Thanks both.

Well, it looks like Teddington's results were quite good in 2019, with a progress score of 0.48.

Also percentage of Tedd students achieving GCSE Maths & Eng at 5+ and Attainment 8 scores are the 3rd highest in the borough, with Waldegrave and Orleans Park ahead, but Grey Court slightly behind Teddington.

They must be doing something right then.

Updated distances, for those interested.

School National Offer Day 1 Mar 2019, 1 Sep 2019
Christ’s School Open places 1.599 km, 1.920 kms
Grey Court School 2.263 km, 2.594 kms
Hampton High School 1.857km, 1.900 kms
Orleans Park School 1.634 km, 1.738 kms
Richmond Park Academy 2.092 km, 8.803 kms
St Richard Reynolds Randomly allocated within band 3, Random alloc within Band 3
Teddington School 4.293 km, 4.911 kms
Richmond Upon Thames School 2.160 km, 2.325 kms
Turing House School 20% 6(a) 0.646 km, 0.821 kms 80% 6(b) 1.898 km, 2.361 kms
Twickenham Academy All preferences met, All preferences met
Waldegrave School Area A 1.330 km, 1.370 kms; Area B 5.374 km, 6.045 kms

Does anyone have any idea what has happened to catchments for secondary schools this year? I heard a rumour that Orleans Park’s only went as far as 1.2km!

Christ’s School Open places 1.215kms
Grey Court School 2.321 kms
Hampton High School 1.972 kms
Orleans Park School 1.248 kms
Richmond Park Academy 2.340 kms
St Richard Reynolds Randomly allocated within band 3, Random alloc within Band 3
Teddington School 3.907 kms
Richmond Upon Thames School 1.850 kms
Turing House School 20% 6(a) 1.476 km, 80% 6(b) 2.849 kms
Twickenham School All preferences met
Waldegrave School Area A 1.509 km, Area B 4.972 kms

Wow. that is tight. i think a lot of boys living in Twickenham Green area have struggled to get into their top three choice of school.

Blimey - Orleans is really tight, as is Christ. I know of two who expected to get in to Christ this year and didn't. Both got RPA (second choice) and both are happy with it which is heartwarming. It gets a lot of stick on here and I know a lot of kids who are year 7/8 and doing really well...

DD is at Waldegrave and for anyone feeling miserable about not getting a place - we sat on a waiting list for ages, but she got a place in year 8 - we are 5.4km.

.

I was pretty concerned about RPA a year ago but am feeling really good about it now. The new headteacher seems really great, and so does the rest of the leadership team - and the school is on track and expected to get an outstanding ofsted review. This year also sees the first year 6 cohort from Thomson House school, a local outstanding primary in Mortlake/Sheen, most of whom will be in the catchment for RPA. Christ's saw a similar transformation which is partly why it's catchment has shrunk so much - I expect RPA to be in a similar place within a few years.

Early days, I know, but is anyone aware of offers being made from the waitlist so far? They were due to start from 26th but I expect they will be slow, especially with the admin side being hampered by COVID-19 work restrictions.

I have an anxious DC who missed out on first choice by about 200m - normally we would have been well within the limit but not this year.

Clearly, parents at Twickenham School very happy... www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/amazing-way-parents-west-london-18507044

Hi there - I’m looking for a child minder in the Kew/North Sheen area for end of Sept/October. Ideally 5 days full time. If you have availability or know anyone please let me know.

Hi there! Does anyone know the updated distances for Richmond secondary schools for September this year? Or is it too early for this information? Thank you

Someone usually puts in a freedom of information request to Achieving for Children on the Whatdotheyknow website so maybe check on there to see if there's one for this year.

@deadlinedaisy Thank you! I will try to find it :-)

Hi there, very very interested in everyone's experiences of distance this year for Orleans and Christ's. We live 1.62 and 1.75 km away from both. Wondering if we seriously need to consider moving in the next year as there is not one secondary school nearer than 1.52 km from where we currently are. :-(

We live 1.7 km away from Orleans Park and 1.45 km from Christ's. On National Offer Day we received no offer at all from any of the six local state schools we applied for. In early April (second offers) we received an offer from Christ's via the foundation/church list. At that time my DS was No 19 on the Open/Distance list at Christ's. My DS is still on the Orleans Park list and has not received an offer to date. Catchment areas this year were tighter than before; as far as I remember the Orleans Park and Christ's March distances were just over 1.2km. The Admissions Office have an obligation to offer you a place even if they have to create one within the Borough by September, but this could be at any of the Richmond schools. I hope 2021 will be better than this year. Good luck with your application!