Hillpark Secondary School Glasgow

[Spongesecret008]

Hello

I am interested to find out more about Hillpark Secondary School because it is the school in my catchment area. I know it does not have a great reputation compared to other schools but am wondering if anyone has any positive experiences they can share.

My ds is only 8 so he will not be going for another three years. He will require additional support. He does not attend a catchment primary school so it may be difficult for him to settle into Hillpark if he goes there. I would be interested to find out how supportive they are with kids who require additional support.

Do you think Hillpark would show me around if I asked to visit? Ds will be going into p5 in August. Should I wait until he is older before visiting.

I would be grateful for any advice you may have on choosing a secondary school and of any good ones that may accept placing requests.

Thank you.

No experience but I think they would show you round. From what I've heard the senior management team are very supportive so I'd give them a call.
They have an autism unit where kids with ASD spend varying proportions of their school career so I'd imagine they are supportive of other ASN.

Is your DS going into P6 in August then?

The next week and a bit will be a wind-down week, so you might strike lucky if you phone now. You're a wee bit early but not massively so imo.

Did you hear about the Glasgow placing requests saga this year? A lot of them have been turned down unfortunately. The schools all seem to be bursting at the seams.

Thank you for your replies. My ds is only going into p5 so I am a bit early. I think I read last year that they had an open evening in October that p5s can attend so I will ask them if my son can attend that.

My ds has autism, dyslexia and dysgraphia and attends a primary school in East Renfrewshire. My son's father died so I am a lone parent. So I can work he goes to school in the catchment area my mum lives in. From what people have said it is unlikely he will get into the East Ren high school. Hillpark is our catchment high school so he will/should definitely get a place there.

I didn't know Glasgow schools are becoming the same as East Ren and not accepting placing requests. I think my son will have to go to Hillpark. It is great to hear that they are supportive.

I have a friend whose boy (now in the upper years) who was at the Toryglen Autism Unit and is now at the autistic unit there (rather than his catchment school). He's very high functioning but still prone to the occasional meltdown. He's very happy there and doing well at school (on course for good results).

I was with a friend who works in the education dept when I read this: she said that the school's pastoral care is much better now since it got a new headteacher a year or so ago and that she's doing good things with the school.

Thank you, prettybird. It is good to hear some positive things about the school.

Just realised I know a few boys and their parents at King's Park (I'm always getting Hillpark and King's Park secondary schools mixed up ): one in particular will be getting excellent exam results "despite" or because of the school's reputation.

So much of an individual pupil's results is down to parental involvement. The very fact that you care means that your ds already has a good start

Thank you. I will have to think seriously about school in the next couple of years. My DS wants me to try to get him into the East Ren school so I will probably have to out in a placing requests for it. I know some people were successful with their placing requests but they had to appeal and did not get told they were successful until a few days before school started in august. It would be nerve wracking to go through that.

.....and I illustrated my confusion again - I actually meant Hillpark, when I was talking about the boys I know!

I thought that's what you meant It is really good to hear that pupils are doing well there. I will definitely phone the school to ask if I can visit but will wait until he is p6. Thanks you!

It was when ds was in P6 that I contacted Shawlands Academy so that dh and I could do a wee tour as he is also a placing request there (our catchment secondary would have been Bellahouston).

Doing it in P6 means that they are then aware of your ds so that he can go to any transition events in P7 (for example, Shawlands ran a number of after school clubs for P7s in the autumn term).

Did your ds know pupils at Shawlands Academy? Did others in his class go? I think it must be hard at first for children who go to a different high school to the rest of their class. Was your Ds happy to not go to Bellahouston.

Ds plays rugby, so the School of Rugby at Shawlands was attractive for him. Also, because of the rugby club he goes to, more of his friends were going to Shawlands anyway. Interestingly, even though he still plays, most of them stopped playing - and of the new close circle friends he now has, I'm not sure any of them play rugby. One of his wider circle plays - but goes to a different club (although he started out at our club).

There were a few kids from his school who also made placing requests, so it wasn't as if he didn't know anyone.

There are something like 5 or 6 S1 classes, so you get mixed up anyway and make new friends. And then they set for English and Maths after a few weeks, so will have a different group of classmates there too.

I think it was you who told me about Cartha a few years ago when I was looking for information about primary schools. I lives in Shawlands then. My DS seems to enjoy Rugby and started class with Whitecraigs as an after school class then joined Cartha a few months ago. Maybe some kids there will do to Hillpark.

It sounds like everything worked out really well for your ds. It must be a nice feeling to have him settled in High School and doing well.

Sorry about the typos. Am watching DS playing football and am on my phone

I may have met you then. If not I should have although I did finally manage to find someone to do the Minis' registration to help me

Ds has just started S6 (secondary schools tend to start the next year's timetable in June) and yes, he's doing well - due in a large part to the school but also our support of course

He's now playing at another club but is coaching the S1s now S2s at Cartha.

I've sent you a PM sponge