Wandsworth Secondary Schools - DS going soon, does anyone have any experience they could share?

[PleaseNoMoreMinecraft]

Hi! We'll be looking for secondary schools for DS1 soon and have decided independent is not an option due to finances. Does anyone have any experience of any of the state schools in Wandsworth? We're particularly looking at:

Ashcroft
Chestnut Grove
Ernest Bevin
Graveney

but nothing's being ruled out right now! For lots of reasons I don't trust the OFSTED reports, so please tell me any good or bad points - we'll be doing the usual tours when they come round but it would be useful to know what to look for.
TIA

You don't have to confine yourself to Wandsworth schools just because you live in the borough, you can apply to any school.

I know families with children at Graveney and Chestnut Grove and they are very happy. EB has a good reputation.

The most important factor in choosing a school is finding one you will get a place in. Popular schools are over-subscribed and you need to live close enough to get in on the distance criteria unless you get a selective place at Graveney in the Wandsworth test. Catchment on distance for Graveney is often only about 400m, I think! Your closest schools might be Merton or Lambeth, for example.

The Wandsworth Council admissions guide should tell you how many children were admitted under each criteria and how far on distance.

There are other schools that people travel to from Wandsworth, like the Sutton grammars or Kingsdale which admits on lottery, or else faith schools.

Ask whether the schools set or stream, and for which subjects, how many MFL they can study for GCSE (if that is important) do they offer the classics- Latin and Greek, what vocational courses and qualifications, (BTec etc), what sports they do, anything specifically that you think will be relevant t your DS. Also check the admissions criteria for sibling policy if you want siblings to go to the same school.

Unless you live on the doorstep or your ds is in the top 2% of children taking the Wandsworth test them he won't get into Graveney. However if he's v good at reasoning tests and/or you live very close then it would be a contender.

Good points - if your child is academic they will get an excellent education with like-minded children in the top stream. I don't think the lower streams are a great place to be though...

Music is good (ds not musical so don't know firsthand) but the choirs go on tours etc, sport fairly minimal, limited trips although the Y9s get the chance to go to Iceland

Bad points - it is huge - 34 in ds's form although bottom stream small, bit impersonal - not always convinced ds's teachers are 100% sure who he is ...buildings are old and literally crumbling in places although there is new DT block, facilities in general rundown

However geeky ds v happy there and definitely the right place for him

Graveney and the Kingston grammars (we're looking at Wallington too) are a long shot as they only take from the top 2-5% of ability from what I understand (If that!). DS1 is bright (maybe top 20%) but not sure he's that bright. We'll still put him in for the exams, but we're looking for a close-ish school where he'll be happy (and we'll be happy to send him) if he doesn't pass those exams.

Faith schools are no good as we're heathens committed atheists

I'd love him to do Latin/Greek, I'll definitely ask about those, as well as the other things, when we go to see the schools (open days are mostly around October/September, as are the exams). Still 9 months to go before I can ask those questions! :)

I would love to hear what anyone knows about the feel of the schools, how academic/sporting/friendly/strict/relaxed they are, whether there's much bullying and (more importantly) how it's dealt with.

Thanks basildonbond - sorry for x post, had to deal with arguments at this end so the post I was writing was a bit delayed. That's really helpful!

We looked at same schools as you for our DS, who is capable, but can be lazy . We chose Ashcroft as number one and he got in. So far, so good and it's seems to have been the right choice as he is very happy there.

The school is run as a tight ship in terms of what's expected from the kids but that was one of the reasons we thought it would be best and it does suit him. He is finding classes really interesting (and has commented that secondary is much more interesting than primary school!), has great teachers and seems to be making good progress. His attitude to homework is very different too - he just gets on with it now! It's helped that some of his friends went there but I'm really proud of how he's got stuck in and got to grips with all the new things they have to remember and do when in Y7.

Another reason we chose Ashcroft isbecause their tracking of the progress of pupils seems to us to be better than other schools. Also I felt they had a good feel for where their students are heading and in terms of Uni etc. FWIW, there was quite a lot of what I'd call snobbery among some parents in the playground about Ashcroft but I felt that was their problem and considered DS, and DS alone, when making choices.

I really liked Ernest Bevin and, in particular, the head teacher, but we put that lower as a school within walking distance was a priority. The new Fulham Boys school was an option when we first started looking but the opening was delayed so it didn't come into the equation in the end. Again, I was impressed with the team getting that off the ground.

Good luck.

That's really interesting, thanks , Celeriacacaca because that's the one DS really wants to go to! Mind you, it could be partly because that's the only one he knows anything about

It will definitely go on our list, just don't know where. I like the fact that it's quite strict, because the 'firm but fair' approach seems to work well with DS, and I also like the longer days and shorter holidays since we both work FT

I know little about Graveney but went to the open day this time round. Just to pick up on BasildonBond's point. Yes top stream gets excellent education, but I think the bottom one does too. We saw a class in that stream on the tour. It was tiny. Perhaps 5 or 6 Year 10s doing IT - and a nice vibe to the class we saw (not reprentative I know). So - great for acadmeically top kids, great (perhaps from what I saw) for those at the other end, only issue is what is in the middle.

My DD is in Y6 and we have just been through the open days/application process. We found three people could visit the same school and all come away with different opinions. Equally, every parent we spoke to with a child already at secondary school said their school was fab (ie they'd made the best choice). They were also happy to deride schools they had rejected without any direct experience. All I can say is that as you start visiting schools you will start to build a picture - the more you see the better the feel you get for what is best for your DC. I put one Wandsworth school on my list of six before visiting it because a large number of parents at my DS's primary school said it was brilliant - however, once there I was really disappointed and took it straight off again.