Moving back to Kent...

[Spillage21]

So...am moving back to the village that I grew up in. We need to register DD for primary school (to start in September '10 for yr 3). However the village school and all the schools in neighbouring villages are CofE and requesting vicars letters to support the applications.

Whilst I was away, has Kent suddenly become all god fearing?

Any tips (apart from go to church [shudder emoticon]) gratefully received!

Can you be a bit more specific about where in Kent? It's a very big county!

If they are all CofE then presumably they must also take children of other faiths and of no faith?

Goudhurst

Its so wrong isn't it? However, just because its a CofE school doesn't mean that they select all kids based on faith. There will be a list of criteria eg, children with SEN, followed by siblings, then kids whose family worships at the church, then kids based on nearest to school etc. Obviously it would help you if you go to church, but it shouldn't be necessary.

We might get a sniff based on location (as we'll actually live in the village).

Still not going to church tho...

I think lots of people 'tick the box' even if it doesn't really apply to them.

when i was looking at Goudhurst school a couple of years ago faith wasn't an entry criteria.

proximity to school was the main point then, as well as siblings.

applications to Goudhurst come from quite a wide area, and there are a number of other primaries with similar intakes (and the neighbouring villages didn't require church attendance either)

I'm nr Tenterden and yep, most of them are CofE. I've never been asked to supply a vicars letter and would refuse being an aetheist.
I'm not sure they can ask that of you actually as the school is your local village primary and will be the school offered by the LEA.

I live in TW but I would be very surprised if Goudhurst required church attendance if it is the only village school. I expect you will be OK as long as there is space in Y3 - as others have said a tick the box approach is probably enough. I think a lot of the primaries around here are C of E but that's a legacy thing rather than an active connection with participation in the village church??

My daughter goes to groudhurst school and I didn't need to provide a letter from the vicar but you did need to tick the faith box on the application form, otherwise you were bottom of the list!

As far as I am aware you do need a letter for colliers green.

OOHH look all the Kentish netters creep out of the woodwork!

I got married in Goudhurst church, the old vicar was lovely (as was his wife) he told stories about his well endowed DD streaking topless across the pitch during a particularly dull cricket match at Lords.

Head at Colliers Street (is that where you mean poppy?) is a good chap from what I remember.

Do Kilndown still have a primary school?

Horsmonden is good too.

My DS missed on a place at a TW primary school last year because I didn't tick the "religion" box even though we were well inside the catchment - I was advised that it's mandatory if you want a place, even if you aren't remotely religious. As we weren't living in the county until JUST before we exchanged I didn't get to hear of the local ins and outs of the application process. Sounds similar if slightly more 'Goddy' in Goudhurst if you need a vicar's letter.....

I know the woman who runs the toddler group if you have a younger one.

Goudhurst church is lovely: I always said that I wanted to get married there (tho ended up in Hackney Registry). I also remember freezing Midnight mass following on from session in the Vine. Anyone found the pirate grave in the churchyard??

MarmadukeScarlet, thanks for offer, DS is my youngest. Toddler groups are well behind me (I hope).

Really looking forward to going back. DS who is Lewisham/Hackney bred cannot wait!!

All the schools in the immediate area have good reps and oversubscribed by sounds of it. A friend is moving back to Lamberhurst and has been told it's unlikely they'll have a place for her daughter. Will just have to keep respective fingers' crossed.

How long since you last lived there?

@ the 'I hope' - never say never, you do not know what trouble a bottle of cab sav will land you in.

Moved away as a teenager (to another 'hurst) in the '80s.

MaramdukeScarlet, cab sauv or not, I am well protected!! [watch out for post in few months of failed contraception...]

LOL @ future failure prediction

You might know my DH then...everyone and theri dog knows my MIL. Did you go to nursery school there by any chance.

I think we arrived in town in '75 (from miles away - Horsmonden) so went straight to primary school (before it became luxury homes!). Who's your MIL - gimme a clue? My Dad was often in the various am dram events...

d'oh! MS - the penny drops! Now I know why yor name was familiar...

I went to a toddler group run by, I assume, your MIL.

I only went a couple of times, as was right back pre-diagnosis for dd1, and it was a bit raw to see her alongside other toddlers doing so much more than her when I was being fobbed off with lots of "oh, she'll be alright" and "she'll catch up soon enough" form the docs...

small world, huh?

Oohh I was in the drama group, but between 93/4 and last thing was 04. But Spillage, my DH is ancient and was about to sit (and had already sat some of) his O levels by the time you arrived - he was fairly notorious though one of only two punks in the village.

SF, LOL a small world indeed - there ain't many of us around! (Thank god!) yes, indeed t'was my MIL. How many years ago was it out of interest, at the hall or a different venue? D'ya know I avoided toddler groups for the same reason, until the neurologist informed me that was the reason DS was so far behind his peers...

Ooh, it must have been when dd1 was about 18 months old, I reckon, so about 3 1/2 years ago. At a different (very beautiful) venue.

Hmmm, got me thinking now. I'm sure it was before dd2 was around, so def more than 2.7 years ago.

I always knew dd1 was behind her peers, and only really went to toddler groups because the hv and paed recommmnended them. My ideas of being a parent were laways of the baking together, making own play-doh, having great times doing craft stuff at home lentil-weavery type

tbh, it was the best way to make sure an out-of-their-depth first time mum who was increasingly thinking that everyone thought she was neurotic (I was fobbed off with "isn't she beautiful" and "gosh you are lucky she sleeps and eats so well - most mothers have a really hard time with those things" for years!) felt really down...

I remember your MIL being great though - dd1 wandered around, not interested in any activity, and randomly taking stuff off shelves and dropping it on the floor while I hastily tried to tidy it back up again and she didn't mind at all. Then I foolishly listened to the paed's advice again, and put dd1 into nursery for a couple of mornings a week, and that opened a whole other can of worms...

She used to try and get me to come to the weds morning toddler group, but I avoided as I just didn't do peer groups - what a pity I didn't go, we could have had the 'different' children together!