Help please - can anyone recommend a secondary school for both boys and girls in Walthamstow?

[DianaVreeland]

I have a bright 9 year old boy and am starting to look at the options in Walthamstow for secondary school. Does anyone have any insider information for the schools we should apply for? Secondary schools have a bad reputation in this area and I am hoping that it can't all be true...can it?

have you looked at willowfield?

Hi, Tricot39, do you have any children there? Or know anyone that does? thanks.

I haven't really heard any reputations of any secondary schools round here (apart from 'knowing' that Rush Croft is dreadful- I could be wrong, but that's the only one I've heard anyone tut about). We've only recently moved here.

I'm trying to keep my ear to the ground as I have a nine year old too.

Am wondering about visiting a few this year so that we have a year to do some thinking before year 6 visits.

I know there has been some talk about a free school academy starting Sept 2014, but not sure what stage that's at. Or whether it would be a good idea or not- seems a bit of a gamble.

I know Willowfield has been given the go-ahead for a new build which could be ready shortly after this year's yr5s have started yr7. But I don't know what the school is like; it will be changing to a bigger school though as at present it's very small for a secondary with 120 pupils each year- the new building will push that up to 180 a year.

Apparently the CofE offered to take over Rushcroft but it was objected to as is was to be a religious school. Shame.
Yes I heard about the free school. I went to one of the meetings and met the director of the organising body, Steve Chalke. I went to the meeting sceptical - I had read so many things about Mr Chalke being evangelistic and I couldn't see how Oasis would run a non-religious school etc. He was so reasonable and had a rational answer for everything, I left the meeting with a lot more confidence. They have a body of experienced educators that work with every school as they open, and he has opened quite a few schools. I came out of that meeting quite convinced it could work IF it happened. I think the only thing that would stop it was if they didn't get enough signatures. There's a rumor flying about that they plan to teach creationism at this new school which is totally ridiculous, and that would they wouldn't allow unions or the national curriculum! Honestly some people will believe anything!! I like the idea of it as it would be inclusive, but as I say, enough people have to sign up for the idea before mid October I think.
Thanks for the tip about Willowfield, I will start to investigate.
I had heard that Walthamstow Academy is OK if you child can 'handle themselves'...that's coming from one of the teachers!
Heard anything about Frederick Bremer?

Several people have mentioned Latymer for my oddball geek son, who's currently in y3.

I went to a grammar school and hated it, not because I struggled (I didn't), but just the whole emphasis of it was ghastly. And the website for Latymer seems rather smug. But, I know someone who teaches there, and she thinks it's marvellous. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.

I remember Steve Chalke from my teenage years, and as evangelicals go he's really not extreme. I remember some rumpus when he was preaching about church priorities, and swore when getting particularly cross about the lack of church involvement in education and the NHS. And him being cross that people were more bothered by the fact he swore than what the Tories were doing to them (that dates it!). I can't imagine him backing anything that taught creationism-as-fact, or anything like that. Just a bit hard to see what a school will turn in to when it's as yet just... nothing more than an idea. We were going to try to get to the meeting, but it clashed with some other meetings we had to get to!

Yes, the CofE offered to come in and help out Rush Croft (my dh was part of the deanery group being shown round) when their funding for new building etc was cut.

Interesting about Kelmscott v. Willowfield (both schools are our closest). Looking at past years' admission distances, Kelmscott looks more over subscribed, but I'm unsure why that would be.

My kids go to school somewhere in the markhouse road area (luckily there are about a million schools round there so it doesn't really out me!). It was the only school within 0.75 miles of our house that would let us look round as we were mid-term admissions in July. But we're really pleased with it, so all ended well. And the children there come from quite a wide area, so I can't imagine it's simply a Kelmscott feeder. (Worrying unnecessarily about dd having to make yet another completely new set of friends!)