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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

ElmGreen, Dunraven, Graveney?

46 replies

TootAndCommon · 11/10/2010 13:12

Hello,
I have to choose a school for my DD. Where we live I think we can choose ElmGreen or Dunraven and get in, and as she is bright (on the top table, very good indications from teachers etc) she might have a chance in the Graveney Exam too. She is scientifically inclined. Should we look at Chestnut Grove? We are not eligible for any schools on faith grounds. Any knowledge of experience? She has not been tutored.

OP posts:

MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 17/09/2011 14:28

Ha! No, I've still got 4 years of doing the school gate thing at DDs primary school and as yet haven't figured out how to be in two different places at the same time, so DSs have to do their own school run now

I've finally dropped the evening working though, so may actually be able to start going to some of the evening activities that pop up.

I dithered about Graveney too, but didn't go for it in the end as I wanted the DSs at the same school and at the time DS2 wouldn't have stood a chance (proved me wrong however as he aced both the SATs and the Dunraven exam and is in the top stream - given that in Yr 2 he was so far behind he was being assessed for Dyslexia/SEN you can understand my shock at this) In the end I only applied for Dunraven and Elmgreen for DS1 and only put down Dunraven for DS2...

MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 17/09/2011 14:38

Asked DSs about gangs and they just looked at me as if I was mad

DS1 says there isn't any gang problem, and isn't any problems with bullying either (which is always my worry) I'm sure that there probably is a little bit, I can't imagine any group setting where there isn't a little bit, but there are no gangs of children running around bullying/intimidating on a large scale. They're pretty hot on discipline ime and I can't see that sort of thing not being stamped on pretty quickly.

Disclaimer on this in that both DSs are in the lower school, so if there's an issue with the older boys I might not necessarily know but I'd honestly be surprised (and I'm sure the DSs would have heard something about it)

MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 17/09/2011 14:42

That was horribly sexist, sorry - I meant 'older children'. I keep forgetting that it's a mixed school as I only ever hear about the boys!

gazzalw · 17/09/2011 14:44

Well it just goes to prove how wrong it is to listen to hearsay! Our Head recommended it - I'd never even heard of it before but it looks good - haven't been to look at it yet but will let you know what we thought!

Blu · 17/09/2011 16:50

gazzawl, I know many parents who send their children to Dunraven, and then are v happy with it and send younger siblings - and none of them are people who would wish to do that if there was a gang problem. The catchment of Dunraven is not a gang area. Nor Elm Green. My friend who has a ds at EG was a bit concerned that he may have been a target for bullying, as he is highly sensitive, but he is as happy and confident with the school as he could be, and doing well. (He is a high achieving child).

Chestnut Grove also has an excellent reputation. And some from our area going to Harris in Crystal Palace, which is also impressing plenty of families, though i know nothing about it.

Lots of the Lambeth schools are improving no end, but hearsay and old reputations linger. Evelyn Grace in Brixton seems to have got off to a good start - I like the small school structure which means the staff really do know each individual child, but the approach (depth not breadth, focussing on literacy and numeracy first of all) and the long hours aren't what we are looking for for DS. Though the free provision of all those after school clubs until 5 or 5.30 every day is great!

gazzalw · 17/09/2011 17:13

Blu thanks for input - very useful! Although we are not in Lambeth but neighbouring borough so not sure about likelihood of getting DS in.....

Blu · 17/09/2011 20:29

Well, given the catchment cited for last year it could be tricky.

gazzalw · 18/09/2011 07:32

Well that's the problem...Head came up with all these exciting ideas but all out of Borough and I can't see that DS would stand a chance on the distance issue as most are very sought after schools!

Blu · 18/09/2011 11:46

What are your closest schools, gazzalw, if you are prepared to say?

gazzalw · 18/09/2011 14:11

All the bad Mitcham ones, Graveney, Rutlish, the Super-selectives....

Blu · 18/09/2011 14:17

Aha - is Rutlish the Merton school that was in the Guardian Family section a few years ago because some bloke writinga book was trying to avoid sending his children there? And he was revealed as a bit of stuck-up twit as it is a good school? If so, I know a Head of Dept teacher there, and from everything s/he says I would have no qualms in sending DS there! But maybe you are saying it is hard to get into?

Some people from our area try for the super-selectives - we were tempted but have decided that the travelling is too much.

Blu · 18/09/2011 14:19

Would Chestnut Grove not be an option? One of DS's friends older siblings goes there and they are really happy. Probably becoming harder to get into since it's been designated 'Outstanding' .

basildonbond · 18/09/2011 15:12

hmm have heard v mixed things about CG ... one of ds' friends went there (has now left) and she said the only lessons they got any work done in were science and maths as they were the only subjects they were set for

she used to laugh at her friends who'd gone to Graveney and who were trying to be 'street' as she was at school with the real thing ...

It has a pretty low English Bacc score too, would be immensely surprised it it got outstanding next time round

gazzalw · 18/09/2011 17:52

Yes, I think it was the very school. Think there is a lot of misinformation floating around about the secondary schools particularly from parents who have no personal experience of the state system!
It will be one of our options for sure!

Blu · 18/09/2011 17:56

But BasildonBond - if your friends DC is just leaving, wouldn't they have missed the best of the 'improving' years which have just started?

Schools change v fast. Which worries me because what if our top choice plummets

But in general S London schools seem to be improving quite fast.

basildonbond · 18/09/2011 19:21

no - she's just left at the end of y9

Blu · 18/09/2011 19:55

Be interesting to see then...

Streaming would seem to have it's disadvantages (if a child is put in a lower stream overall because of lesser ability in literacy whilst beinga genius at maths, for example) but streaming, rather than setting in just 3 or 4 subjects is one of our reasons for preferring Dunraven to Elm Green. Though there are aspects of Elm Green that attracted us more than Dunraven. Must go to the open days again this year.

RockStockAndTwoOpenBottles · 18/09/2011 21:34

I don't know whether this will be of help to any of you or not, but my older children have friends who have been/are finishing at Graveney, Chestnut Grove, Dunraven and St. Cecilia's, as well as Lady Margarets, Emmanuel and the Tiffins.

At each and every school all but one of their friends have done well at GCSE level and are all on track to do the same at A Level this year. At Chestnut my friend's twins were there until 2 years ago - one did amazingly and the other failed miserably.

When we were all going through the whole secondary transfer nearly 7 years ago, Chestnut Grove was the one that we all absolutely said a firm NO WAY to. However, some did go (no places elsewhere) and although the first couple of years there were something of a nightmare, once they hit Year 9 it changed dramatically for the better.

One of my DD2's great friends from primary (we were around Northcote Road) who went on to Sacred Heart in Hammersmith and did extremely well at GCSE there this summer, has just started at Chestnut Grove having been absolutely bowled over by what they have to offer her for 6th form.

My older three are now Years 13, 12 and 10 (they board out of London), but DS wants to go to sixth form in London and I will absolutely be considering Chestnut Grove and Graveney as my first choices, lots of his chums from primary are at one or t'other, and we will be moving back to slap in the middle of the two in a fortnight.

I'm dreading this all coming again with DD3, but first I have to get through the whole finding a bloody primary school crap again with her for her start in 2 years. To say I'm crapping myself over that is something of an understatement; I fear it is ten times worse than when I was doing it for DD1 in 1998.

MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 28/09/2011 22:31

Did you go to any of the open days Blu? DS2 volunteered to help out at the Saturday morning one

Blu · 30/09/2011 15:10

Aha! We went to a schoolday one, as we had been to a weekend one last year. It was very interesting (and impressive) seeing the school in action. We were shown round by a lovely young woman, and saw some excellent teaching. I should have looked out for you boys - wouldn't recognise them now!

Now my only worry is that the Head retires or goes elsewhere as soon as DS gets a place.

DomiWells · 23/03/2012 11:15

Hello, our son is 13 (year 8) and not very happy at the French Lycée in South Kensington. We're considering moving him to Dunraven which is round the corner from where we live. As the open day is in September we won't have a chance to visit the school before applying. We'd love some feedback from anyone who has children there and it would be great to have an opportunity to get into the school walls - any suggestions?

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