Langley vs Hayes secondary school

[Busymummy50]

We ate thinking of moving for Hayes secondary school but after hearing that the school isn't that great at supporting kids who struggle, we have started looking at other schools, namely Langley. We have seen the boys and girls school during the open evening. The boys school was impressive but felt a bit cold and we wasn't sure about an all bots school, hence thought Hayes was a good option instead.

Thing problem is we can only move to be bear one school, not both as the catchment for both is small.

Anyone with experiences of any of these schools with children who needed help in any way?

Also what is the Beckenham area like in terms of people and crime?

Beckenham is much nicer than Hayes!

There seems more going on in Beckejam than Hayes. Are there much anti social behaviour and crime than hayes? Being more busy? Any areas to avoid when looking to Buy?

Sorry, I dont know answers to these specific questions however Hayes is in the arse of nowhere and it’s pretty rough. I’m sure not all areas but I cannot imagine living there as a choice if I wasn’t forced.
Best to visit both areas though yourself?

I've visited Hayes many times. Not much seems to go on and it seems very peaceful and quiet. Not heard from anyone that it's rough. Which parts are rough? We were looking at the parts near the school. Been to Beckenham a few times during the day. It does seem nice and I liked it also. Houses near Langley schools are way over our budget. Saw some for sale on Links way, Eden way, is it nice around There?

Look towards the West Wickham site for Langley. Prices in Park Langley are ridiculous. Look around Wickham Chase, Pickhurst Lane and Pickhurst Rise. Not sure how far the 2018 intake went out exactly but it is normally over 1 mile.

We originally wanted Hayes despite knowing we would be out but hoped for the second round but after seeing Langley Girls we swapped. While I still have my reservations about a single sex school we liked the approach and the way they describe their pastoral care. We also know that DD will need support and like you said Hayes has not the best recommendations for this.

Since the new headteacher arrived at Langley Park School for girls in September 2018 my experience of the school has been dreadful. Avoid at all costs.

Hi, my experience of seeking a secondary is based on our experience of primary schools, which has helped us target the school we felt was right for our child. Opening days are tricky to get a feel for what a school is truly like, so we try to fill that knowledge gap by watching the school run and also heading to the shopping centres to get a sense of behaviour and sentiment.

Regarding the comment about the head, people have a right to air general grievances but to discourage someone from applying based on their own issues with the school perhaps is a little unfair. If you don't mind me suggesting, if you are unhappy, consider having a discussion with the Head (or someone you feel comfortable with) to discuss matters, and if you aren't comfortable to do so then perhaps the school is not the right fit. It happens, we've been there with a primary school and decided it wasn't the right fit for us, and there's nothing wrong with that at all.

My experience with the Head at Langley School for Girls has been excellent. In particular, the head has been incredibly supportive of us and we are grateful to her for this. (No, I'm not a staff member or a member of the PTA or affiliated with her on a personal level.)

Second, she has implemented change at the school whereby designer school bags have been banned and instead she has encouraged the use of proper backpacks, to make it fair to the children who may not live in one of the many lavish Langley Park homes, so the child's back doesn't get damaged.

She has asked that the girls keep their skirt lengths to their knees, which we think is great.

While some methods may not suit everybody, we're deeply grateful to have our daughter at this school.

Our daughter has had a couple of 'settling in' wobbles but the kids and the teachers, on the whole, are quite supportive and understanding to her, which has made the transition much easier.

All this aside, the school has implemented an incredible music scheme where the girls get to choose to learn an instrument (either violin, piano, trombone), not to mention the fantastic badminton lessons on offer.

We're happy as long as our daughter is happy, and she is happy.

Good luck with your search, we hope you find the perfect fit.