Lady Margaret School - HELP PLEASE!!

[H0neysuckle]

Very interested to hear from anyone who has a child at LMS. My DD has been put in the lower ability band which I was fairly shocked by especially as she is on the waiting list for Surbiton so presumably not miles below average..... However, in real terms this apparently means she has much more chance of getting a place. My concern is whether the label of being in the lower band will stay with her and when they are streamed she will automatically stay in the lower stream or whether there is genuine ongoing re-assesment. I have heard the lower groups can be very disruptive, my DD is a lovely girl who has been a late developer, however, we have seen her confidence and ability grow hugely in the last 6 months and I'd hate this to be nipped in the bud. We have been offered, and accepted, a place at Putney Park where the classes are much smaller, but to be honest the financial savings of her going to LMS would make a real difference to us.

How have you found out what band she has been put into?

Yes.....lower band. Apparently she was initially in the middle band (when I first called) but has now been moved to lower.....that's really the nature of my problem.

isn't she going to be in the low band where ever she goes? Have you discussed this with the school?

I guess I'm more concerned about whether there is movement between the bands - so once you're lower band is that where you stay or is there movement between them? I know at our primary school they pay lip service to the notion of the sets being flexible but in reality nobody ever moves up or down. What I don't want is a big L next to her name so that the lower band becomes her natural home if she is capable of more. I guess I also feel that the LMS exam was way back and that even since then she has come a long way academically.......

Sorry Bethnella, only just noticed your question - you can ring up and ask them!!

Thanks, I didn't realise you could do that, and I am sure there would be movement between the bands in any school.

Is your DD hoping for a place this September??

Its my second choice school, so hopefully yes. We are pinning our hopes on location as we are not churchy enough! though living over the bridge in Putney might not be helpful! Fingers crossed.

Oh well, Good Luck! Maybe we'll meet in September......

How is it possible to move between entrance test bands before offers day on March 1? Isn't banding of the child determined by the score on the entrance test and then fixed? Did the school make a mistake and initially put your child into the wrong band?
Once you're in, I wouldn't worry too much about the entrance test score. Most secondaries seem to set using SATs results and further assessment tests taken at the beginning of the first term.
LMS has "previous" on fair banding. It was severely criticised by the local government ombudsman in 2007 and found guilty of maladministration over the way it organised its entrance tests. The report concluded that the basis of the school's fair banding test was flawed, in that it did not ensure a mixed ability intake.

The bell curve showing successful applicants in each category should be symmetrical,i.e., 25 in top band, 50 average, 25 in the lower. But LMS was offering more places to higher scoring children.
It is possible to score poorly on the entrance test and be in a more advantageous position than a child with an average score. Last year there were 45 applicants for (17) Band 1 places; 68 for (33) Band 2; and 22 applicants for (17) Band 3 places in the foundation - church - category. In the open category the figures were: 86(13), 204 (27), and 106 (13) respectively.
Hope that helps.

Thank you Millefeuille, I think your comment about SATS is probably very true - I hadn't thought about that..... It's starting to sound as if perhaps we are almost lucky to be lower band! Also very interesting to see the admission stats for last year. Are you a current parent at the school and are you happy with it??

We were lucky, DD managed to get a scholarship elsewhere. The parents I know at LMS, are very happy with it, and relieved to be free of fees!
LMS still tops many independent schools when you look at its hit rate for RG Universities.

Ah yes you were lucky - and free of fees does sound extremely attractive (esp given DS is costing us a fortune......) I wonder if once you've paid a deposit for a place somewhere how long they will keep it open for you...... ie. if we went to LMS and didn't work out could we fall back on private place.... now there's a thought!

Why don't you just call the school and ask about streaming, sure they will be helpful if they've already told you the banding.

hi, i have attend lady margarets since year 7. The process is, in year 7 they are basically placed into mixed ability classes. They are totally random and you get a mixture of high and low ability. After this they do end of year exams and are sorted into ability sets. However this only applies to maths, english 7 science. Other lessons stay mixed ability

Thank you abx12....and are you happy?

HOneysuckle if you are worried enough about it to post on a forum, go and stand outside the school at 3.30. Have a look at the girls, watch how they behave, think about whether you would be delighted or uncomfortable if your dd had to be in classes with them. Speak to the school, ask questions of other parents - get a feel for the place. If you have doubts either resolve them directly or go to a different school.

LMS is a good school academically. It's admissions procedures have changed and the school now takes in a much more diverse population than a few years ago and that brings challenges.