DD Distraught at having to go to,a Upper School (BUCKS)

[edna1234]

DD and i just drove past her new School, that she will be going to in September and she just Broke down,in tears. she started saying whats the point of going to School, i will just end up on the Dole like most of the kids from the Upper school,She just cried for 2 hrs two nights ago, i tried to reassure her,that she could still get to University,from a Upper School but she said i was lying, i cannot afford Private Education, how can i get DD to be more positive and optimistic about her future.

[sandyholme]

I went to Cressex school in High Wycombe and got a degree via the Open University , good luck Young Edna.

[wycombe12]

Sister and Dniece came up from Manchester,Dniece 14 " GRAMMAR SCHOOL GIRL" i say that because i have found out she was teasing DD about the Dole comments,SHE HAS BEEN REPPRIMANDED for the teasing and the hacking.Sister is a teacher, and told me there was very little bewtreen DD and Dniece at 11 apart from a PRIVATE PREP SCHOOL. She asked me which school DD had been allocated,and when i said Cressex but appealing to Highcrest Academy, she asked where Highcrest Academy was then swore ,because she remembers it has hatters lane. I got her to look at the website and she felt better.in the summer DD spends the summer holiday,with sister it works because i stay friday night to monday morning 6am, and can get back if lucky for friday 8pm.She has said DD will be doing 1hr a day bond 11+ 12+ books to get her ready for the 12+.She is very strict.

[wycombe12]

Hi this Is edna 1234 DD and Dniece hacked in to my account on wednesday night. They found my password lying around so i have a new email and name.

[edna1234]

Thank you exotic fruits. I still probably will try 12+ though. I am not going to tell Highcrest that ,it seems they would like pupils like DD because their aim in the next 3 years is 70% A* to C including English and Maths,so they need pupils like DD to achieve that.

[exoticfruits]

Hope all goes well for you.

[edna1234]

Just to update you. I have decided to appeal to the Highcrest Academy. The Highcrest Academy has got some intresting ideas,and they are optimistic that they can create a fully Comprehensive School. They seem to have proper top sets,with some Pupils scoring up to 140. I am confident that DD will not have to go to Cressex. And we will be able to educate DD to her abilty.

[seeker]

But you need to work bloody hard on her "feeling distraught". You have to talk it up, come up with strategies, socially engineer friendships with other kinds going there- be positive yourself. Because she will take the lead from you.

[SomeRainbow]

Good advice from many here. I do wish those who advocate this horrid system would take the time to consider children in this position. We took the precaution of moving to a nearby county who don't dismiss children at 11 (or spend hours and countless ££££ transporting them around the county due to the single sex schools). But I accept this is not necessarily possible for all.

[mumblechum1]

I think the cohort at Cressex has historically been an unusually high (for Bucks) number of FSM/English as a second language.

Only 3 miles or so away it would be a very different story, ie Borlase's cohort is largely kids from unusually affluent families with a tiny minority of non-white pupils/English as second language. It's sociologically a very divided area.

[edna1234]

Seeker What I meant to say was that most, Secondary Schools have a lot higher take up of Free School meals. That might be because they have,a different intake to most Secondary Schools,in Selective Areas,and would explain the high achievement.

[seeker]

Sorry, Edna- don't understand.

[tapdancingmum]

They take the 12+ around February time and find out the results not long after but have to wait until May to see if they have got a place.

My DD1's friend took and passed the 12+ but couldn't get a space at WHS until the start of Y9 where there is more movement in the numbers.

[edna1234]

How ever Seeker it only has 4.7% Fsm,not many Scondary Moderns have such a low take up,its a Secondary Modern School for"MIDDLE CLASS KIDS HOW BIZARE".

[edna1234]

TOLD YOU SEEKER.

[seeker]

Edna- Wellington somehow manages to only have 9% low attainers- and 33% high attainers. Unusual for a school in a selective area- something interesting going on there, I think!

[edna1234]

Mumblechum. yes i know about Gillotts but i have personal reasons,for not wanting DD to go there.there is another thread that has been started about Wellington School in Trafford,that was the Secondary School that last year got,72% A*To C including English and maths.

[mumblechum1]

Edna, did you see my suggestion upthread that you send your dd to Gillotts in Henley?

[CecilyP]

To be honest, if even the high achievers are only coming out with 5 C grade GCSEs, that's alarmingly poor. However, if some children are achieving A* and A grades, then with hard work and support, your DD may do well.

From the stats, there are only a very small number of high achievers entering the school; so few, in fact, that their achievements can't be listed because that would identify individual pupils.

[BooksandaCuppa]

I suppose there must be some places if it's a standard procedure to even have a 12+.

In our county (some grammars/sec mods - many more comps), there are usually a few places left unfilled in the grammars at year 7 every year (rural enough/poor enough transport that spare places aren't usually filled out of catchment).

At my grammar, we usually take 1-2 students in both yr 8 and yr 9 from the local sec mods - based on current school reference and performance/KS2 Sats results/interview with our Head of English and Maths.

Worth investigating, OP.

[seeker]

But did they get places? You really need to check that.

[edna1234]

In 2011 238 kids took the 12+ in Bucks and 156 passed that was a pass rate of 68% so thats encouraging, if i decide to stay in bucks.

[ReallyTired]

I am sorry that your daughter feels so upset about her school allocation. Its a pity that you aren't nearer the boarder with the option of sending her to a school in Herts.

The results (both value added and academic) are pretty awful for the particular school. I am not surprised that your daughter is extremely worried.

Do you have the option of any other secondary moderns or a faith school. You could register a continuing interest at different secondary modern or a faith school.

[edna1234]

3 Girls from her Primary School class passed for Wycombe High,i wonder if they, were saying the "DOLE COMMENTS" as a kind of superiority Complex from 11 yr olds, frightening isnt it,

[exoticfruits]

I would find out from the LEA how many pupils got in at 12+ each year.

[teacherwith2kids]

Alma, due to the fact it's a secondary modern (with virtually all high achievers removed) there are no results for high achievers recorded on the DofE data because the number of high achievers is statistically insignificant. 45% of middle achievers get 5A* to C as far as i recall.

Edna, my elder brother attended a school with genuinely terrible O-level and CSE results. 24 O level passes in total - as in 24 individual subject exams, not 24 people - out of 60 or so in the year for his year, and that was a record for them. 8 of those passes were at grade A. All of those were by a single person, my brother. A child's results are NOT predetermined by the school they start at 11 - fantastic results, even if only for 1 or 2 people, can come out of poor schools IF those children get support and encouragement from home.