Sevenoaks school: anyone else got concerns?

[ShoeLady2012]

Are any other parents worried about developments at Sevenoaks school? We chose it originally because the old head gave a compelling pitch about how they would look after the children no matter what they needed. No helicopter parenting needed here, she said. But I feel under the new head that it’s really changed. Excellent long serving teachers have disappeared, the ones that are left are of very mixed quality. There’s no quarter given for any kids who might not keep up with everything (they are sent to “learning support” as if to dunce’s corner). If your child is neurodiverse then this is definitely not the school for them.

I have tried to raise my concerns with school but I don’t feel they have taken me seriously. So am keen to know if anyone else feels this way or if it’s just that I have a child who isn’t a stereotypical Sevenoaks student, came from a state school, and isn’t in the right school for them.

I’m not a sevenoaks parent but I will be honest that your second description definitely better fits the impression I’ve had of the school for a long time - academically demanding & suited for more robust independent learners. Extra help is available but students are expected to seek it out more than at other schools, so a student who has always found school easy may end up flailing when they find themselves needing to proactively work through stumbling blocks for the first time, and students who aren’t self-motivated with academics may really flounder.

How long has your DC been there and what year are they? Have you actually noticed a change during this time there or is it more that the reality on arrival didn’t match expectations?

Also, I’m not sure why you associate leaning support with dunce’s corner, and that phrasing is a bit concerning.

Oh that’s not at all what I meant about learning support. I was describing how my DC was made to feel in being “sent” there. I’m sorry if that came across as my own view.

To answer your question, it has definitely got worse as GCSEs approach. On the plus side, DC has lots of friends and likes the clubs/extracurricular. But I am having to give a lot of help in the evenings on the subjects (because DC is reluctant to use the services of learning support - which is a real shame as DC needs the extra help on how to study).

This really isn't my experience, I went to a talk about neurodiversity and they said that around 25% of the students are neurodiverse. Given the school's results, they must be doing something right!

My DC has learning support once a week and it seems to be very common.

The teachers all seem good to me, one of my DC's teachers taught my niece when she was at the school over 20 years ago so I'm not sure who you're referring to on the teaching staff.

The school definitely encourages independent learning, it's something they're really proud of. I've heard anecdotally that students from Sevenoaks do better at uni as they're used to managing their own learning as opposed to other schools like Tonbridge where the kids are more spoon fed.

I'm a sevenoaks school student, and my friend goes to learning support, as well as lots of other students. Nobody cares to be honest. In learning support they aid you with homework you're struggling with and help you apply for learning aids e.g. an ipad or laptop for people who struggle with handwriting or reading. It's not a 'dunces corner'. That's just your perspective.

The teaching is good in my opinion, all of the teachers have lots of experience, but I don't really know how it was before because I joined 2 years ago.

Personally I don't know about neurodivergent kids that much though. 😊