East Ren Schools - Woodfarm, Williamwood

[Snappyteabread]

What is the current thinking on East Ren Schools? I know the league tables rate Williamwood and St Ninians. What are Woodfarm and Eastwood like? Do they push pupils academically? Do they give a good all round education? I know it depends on the child, but I’d like to hear some current thinking rather than relying on views from 15 years ago. I don’t know anyone with children at these schools to ask! Thinking about moving for schools but trying to weigh up what we can afford, where to live, school etc

Woodfarm and Eastwood are still good schools but have a broader demographic than Williamwood.

I've known kids to do very well at Woodfarm and Eastwood but also kids who have done very poorly.

Williamwood statistically has more passes, yet it has a high drop out rate at University level.

Live where you can afford, choose the right school for your child- play to their strengths and support them through their education and with their mental health.

A pass is worth nothing if the child is unhappy.

If you're really torn, why not arrange a visit? I'm assuming you've got a bit of time before your child starts S1. Work out which fits your child the best and then find a house in the area.

The housing market is swift in East Ren so you have to be quick off the mark to get the house that you want.

Williamwood demographic broader than it used to be, plus take in a LOT of non catchment kids. The traditional gap between williamwood and Woodfarm has hugely narrowed in that sense.

But I think a mixed demographic is healthier. Woodfarm fairly mixed but good results. Williamwood and St Ninians higher.

Agree pp check out the Uni drop out rate from each school. Higher results only paint part of a picture

That's interesting diamonds.

I haven't been able to find up to date catchment request info from the council for the last year or so but in 2015 185 of 543 placing requests for East Ren high schools from people living outwith were rejected.
In 2016 this rose to 360 of 531.

As far as I knew the catchment/entry criteria has been getting consistently tighter (which would tie in with anecdotal stories that I've heard at the schoolgates.)

Hmm yes I thought that too but now have an
S1 Woodfarm ... with lots of friends living outwith the catchment. So it was all rubbish!

Williamwood full of EK kids who are South Lanarkshire I think?

Makes me a bit hmm when I think about how we kill ourselves to pay our mortgage to get into a good school. But hey we have the benefit of living on a fab place too and would've change it.

I would have been horrified at this a few years ago but now can't seem to get too bothered about it. We all want the best for our kids. After s6 you'll need to mix with the rest of the planet after all!

If you're going to move, don't overlook a school like Shawlands Academy. It gets very good results given its mixed demographic and turns out well-rounded individuals (with a good "stay on " rate at Uni ).

You do need to be in catchment though (which is different from what I've previously said - ds is himself a placing request - should have gone to Bellahouston Academy): this year there are 40 on the waiting list! (With an intake of c200! )

Some nice areas in the catchment and better value than East Ren

According to the Parentzone stats the results for Williamwood, Eastwood, Mearns Castle and Woodfarm are all much of a muchness. That said, once you strip out the fact that they are encouraged to take 10 rather than 7 Nat 5s in S4 there is very little difference in their top 20% score from any other comparable catchment school anywhere else. ( In contrast Barrhead under performs and it looks very much like bright DC go on placing request to one of the other East Ren options). - I check every year to prove to my DC that they are in fact not second class citizens because they don't go to school in East Ren. Mearns has the poshest intake with a sliding scale of Williamwood, Eastwood, down to Woodfarm but all of them have negligible numbers of DC below SIMD 3.

My DC have friends at all 4 and they are noticeably more pushed than my lot and also feel competitive pressure more. Depending on your DC this might be a good or a bad thing.

If its any consolation some of the DC on placing request may well be coming from areas of South Lanarkshire with even more expensive houses than East Ren eg Thorntonhall. The Glasgow / South Lanarkshire / East Ren boundaries are in weird places wrt school catchments. Also worth the mortgage just for proximity to Rouken Glen, except having been there at the weekend I couldn't cope with all the cars and people.

One other thought. Williamwood and St Ninians are very big schools with intakes of over 1,500 and Mearns is not far behind. Eastwood and Woodfarm have intakes closer to 1,000.

Disagree with your poshness scale I'm afraid but no two people would agree I guess!
Mearns certainly isn't all posh far from it. Loads of smaller affordable houses. Ditto many parts of Giffnock. Woodfarm take in Thornliebank. Williamwood take in Busby. Affordable housing in all these areas. I've lived in all these areas in various sizes of houses over the last 50 years.
They are all fantastic schools.

Agree with the size thing, imo woodfarm much more manageable size wise, not as scary for an s1!

Just going by the SIMD stats diamonds, but I actually agree with you on an observational level - my family are all locals.

Dd1 happy as Larry at Woodfarm,Teachers young and super enthusiastic. We planned for Hutchie and changed our minds. Thank god, Woodfarm is brilliant. Great community atmosphere. Loads of clubs and societies.

I went to Williamwood and it was a great school. I did feel a bit out of my depth once I hit Uni though. Possibly spoon fed my Highers a bit

Relatives at Williamwood and Eastwood. Pals kids at St Nins. All positive reviews.
Take your pick!
What colour blazer do you like best ?!

Thank you all. Still interested in any more comments about East Ren Schools, good and bad so keep them coming.

I work sometimes in Williamwood. It is a huge huge school in terms of numbers and I often think that my own DD would be intimidated as a wee first year if she were to go there. They do have a great ASN department though.

Personally, as a pupil of an east ren school who now teaches outside the authority, I wouldn't choose to send my own children to an east REN school. As said above, I think pupils are spoon fed to get the most A's, but this is not the purpose of education in my eyes.

It was very eye opening for me when I left the authority.

1500 intake has to be wrong - cannot possibly be 50 S1 classes?? Do you mean total numbers?

I'm guessing that means total numbers - but 1500 is a very big school.