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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Elmgreen school anyone?

11 replies

RaisinBoys · 08/03/2014 01:43

Just had good Ofsted but tell me more please. DS going there Sept. Thanks

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ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 08/03/2014 08:01

Did you go to the open evening?

RaisinBoys · 08/03/2014 13:15

Yes we went to the Open Day and were impressed. Ho?ever as Open Day's are a marketing exercise and therefore all about putting one's best face forward I was hoping for some info from someone with children there.

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ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 08/03/2014 13:21

My dc don't go there but lots of their friends do. The children there all seem happy and seem to be achieving well. I heard that the Ofsted was rather mixed, but I haven't read it so that may just be gossip.

RaisinBoys · 08/03/2014 14:18

Thanks!

Ofsted result Good with Outstanding Leadership. Just about to get a new head, the deputy from Chestnut Grove. Looks to all be going in right direction.

Impressed with the children we saw and teachers seemed committed. Fantastic building.

Sadly didn't get into Dunraven as too far. Rejection letter said DS scored in band 1.1 but band oversubscribed.... A familiar tale I suspect.

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ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 08/03/2014 14:31

I have heard that the admission distance for Dunraven gets smaller, the higher up the bands you go, but again I don't know that for a fact.

TootAndCommon · 08/03/2014 23:03

Actually, the catchment for Dunraven is widest for the top bands and smallest for the lowest, because of the number of high priority applications that are made from band 3 children. And I guess the middle two bands tend to be 'average' so many children fall into them.

Certainly my experience of where children come from bears this out - wide catchment for top band.

Anyway. My dc are at Dunraven and I have relatives and many friends in Elmgreen, including kids who would be in the 1:1 Dunraven band, and they are doing very well in Elmgreen and are very happy.

Behaviour is better in Dunraven ( I have heard this form kids and from teachers who have taught on both) but that might change as the new head at Elmgreen gets a hold. They have different feels and ethoses. Both good schools.

Also, Elmgreen uses setting and Dunraven uses streaming (although they do set as well, they move kids about for English and Maths according to specific ability) but if your DS is strong in some subjects and less so in others setting will be better.

The 2 schools have a joint folk band.

For a high ability child, personally I would err on the side of Dunraven, given a choice, but Elmgreen is a good school. You could stay on the waiting list, but if Dunraven didn't exist you would have a v good option in Elmgreen, iyswim.

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 08/03/2014 23:13

Sorry, TootandCommon. You are quite right about the bands.

TootAndCommon · 08/03/2014 23:51

I guess it varies from year to year, anyway. I think last year it was .9 mile for the widest band?
And that's by safe walking route, so presumably narrower as the corw flies.

Anyway, OLP, I don't think you have any reason to be anything other than optimistic about Elmgreen. I would have been very happy for dd to go there, really liked it.

RaisinBoys · 09/03/2014 08:09

Thanks TootAndCommon that's all really helpful.

Letter said furthest distance for Dunraven band 1.1 was 0.817 this year. We're about 1.4 - it was worth a punt. It's our closest, in borough, co-ed non-church school.

Elmgreen here we come!

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Blu · 14/03/2014 08:42

Plenty of happy Elmgreen customers in our neighbourhood including high achievers like your DS.

If you are still interested on Dunraven stay on the waiting list because the top band can extend to a wider catchment as the waiting lists move.

The 'last distance' is quoted from the Mar 1st date, not the September intake. (for all schools, not just Dunraven), and for the Dunraven 1:1 band there might be movement due to waiting lists / appeals for places at Graveney selective stream or the Sutton grammars or the Kingsdale Music Scholarship places, because the music offer is so good with that scholarship.

All waiting lists seem to move a lot, but those are some factors that might apply specifically to the top band list.

RaisinBoys · 14/03/2014 12:39

Thanks Blu that's really really helpful. We're on the waiting list for Dunraven and have various bits of our bodies crossed! DS happy to go to either so not stressing him about it - we want him to be positive about whichever school he ends up going to.

Don't suppose you know what behaviour is like at Elmgreen do you?

Let's just say my DS is a lover, not a fighter!

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