Level required for Wallington Girls?

[MulberryMoon]

Hi

I'm wondering whether my daughter should try for Wallington Girls, or whether she would be better off at one of our local comprehensives. We live outside the borough so it would be an East Surrey comp. She just finished Y3. In the Y2 SATS she got levels 3s for Reading, Maths, Speaking and listening and 2a for Writing. Her Y3 teacher said she had gone up 2 sublevels this year, so if she continues making that sort of progress she might get 5b for writing and 5a for the others (if I have understood correctly.) I went to WG myself in the 80s and enjoyed it there, but I'm wondering if it is a lot more academic these days and she may be better off as one of the brighter ones in a good comp, than one of the less bright ones at WG? I heard of someone whose daughter goes there who is stressed because everyone gets A*s. It wasn't like that when I was there!
Would be grateful for any feedback. Thanks

Research suggests that it is the more average children who get the most out of a grammar education.

Why not just put her in for the test and see how that goes? To be honest, if she's out of catchment, it's a long shot.

I reckon I'd be looking more at factors such as distance, amenities, opportunities. What's on offer at your local school? how do they organise who gets to do which GCSEs? Does your local school offer outside-of-curriculum opportunities? If yes, what? And how are they shared out?

I've started on a tour of secondaries. I was quite ... surprised ... by the amenities in the grammar schools. And by the extra-curricular stuff. It's all so bright and shiny, and there's so much of it. In our local comprehensive, there is less, and it's a bit tattered and battered. Fewer trips, fewer places; fewer drama productions; fewer orchestras, etc.

But, on the other hand, it's all very close. Would my dd really fancy staying late to take part in all this amazing stuff if there's a long, cold trip home at the end of it, through rain, dark and complicated transport links?

Academically, I suspect top sets in any comprehensive are pretty good. But I have no idea, really. I'm not a teacher, and I'm not one of the children in any of these schools.

Good luck with your decision-making.

Just wanted to add that for WG, they select the highest 100 scorers regardless of where they live. They then select the next 80 from within catchment. Catchment is within a 6.7 km of the school, so OP may well be within this even if she lives in Surrey. Or, dependent on where you live in North Surrey, you could be in the 5.25 km catchment of Nonsuch school where they do things the other way round and take the highest 80 scorers regardless and the next 100 from catchment.

The problem is today, that it is all or nothing. You can't really put in for the test and see how it goes - (obviously you can but you would probably be wasting your time) - because of the level of preparation that everyone else will be doing.

Thanks for all that info. I checked and we are 7.034 km away as the crow flies, so just outside the catchment. Is the catchment 6.7km every year? I suppose we could always move a little way down the road and still be in the catchment for our preferred local comp in East Surrey, but then we'd have to move again to be nearer if she got in, so she didn't have the horrible journey. I hadn't realised that the Sutton grammars have better facilities than the Sutton comps. Do they get more funding? No grammars in Surrey, so the schools would all get the same funding. Difficult one. I've looked at our local comp and I liked it. May need to go and see WG for comparison.
Thanks for your input.

I just wanted to find out when 11+ 2017 result for Nonsuch and Wallington high school for girls will be out

Why revive an old thread for that? Why not look at the schools' websites?

Should be early next week, I believe...