Opinions on Graveney please

[sw11mum]

We are in a difficult position to decide between Graveney ( selective stream ), JAGS and Alleyns ( we turned down Putney High ). Could parents with experience with Graveney please share their experience and opinion on the school? It has got impressive results, great leavers' destinations, outstanding Ofsted reports and an excellent reputation. DD is academic, she liked it and also liked JAGS. But the impressions I got from indies on open days were better ( amazing facilities, quite understandably ). How is behavior and discipline in Graveney like? I hear able kids are challenged, and the selective stream is close to a grammar standard. But I would like to hear views from existing parents. Appreciate you input. Thanks

Know lots of families with DCs there (all in Extension or Upper) and all seem to be very happy, challenged and flourishing.

It was on the CAF for our DC1 (but only 5th choice and bottom selective one) and will be much higher up the list (if indeed not first choice!) for DC2.

I am not aware of any of any 'issues' with behaviour etc...There are lots of youngsters from Graveney living in Merton and all seem to be smartly turned out (uniform-wise) and well-mannered.

I have a daughter in Y7, in Extension, and we are very pleased so far. She is happy, doing lots, learning lots and has some good friends already. They do work at what seems like quite a pace to me, whether that is a good or bad thing . . . Discipline seems fine, probably stricter than is necessary for my girl, but works out ok overall. Good luck making your decision.

Will pm you

Thanks all. I heard positive feedback from most parents but there were concerns classes are very big ( 34 ), equipment is limited in some sports, children do not get a chance to go on trips given the high number of pupils. I heard expectations are not that high from extension pupils but then how do we explain the excellent results? Thanks

There's a lot of tutoring and 25% of the intake is super-selective do those children would be doing well anywhere.

It's by no means a bad school but imo what it offers is not that much different from all the other local comprehensives

It's an enormous school so can be quite anonymous. If your child is a motivated, very confident self-starter they will do well but if they need a bit more of a personal touch then it might not be the right place for them

There's also a lot of teaching to the test so they won't for example study the whole of a Shakespeare play if the pupils are only going to be examined on a bit of it

There's a lot of hype surrounding Graveney partly because it's so hard to get in but I wonder how much of it is justified

No school is perfect but our experience of Graveney is it's been a really good school both academically and socially for our two DDs, one now at Oxbridge, one on sixth form. Some teaching to the test, but also a lot of wider education and celebration of achievement. It produces independent thinkers and learners who pursue a range of interests and careers; music is very active and most teachers very caring. The form system means pupils don't get lost despite its size. Its eg drama facilities don't compare with private schools, but saving £18k (?) a year on fees would buy you a lot of extra-curricular outside school!

Agree with Gettingthroughtheweek. Our DD turned down her offers from JAGS and Alleyns as well. She's loving it at Graveney. Thriving academically and socially. Yes, it is a bit shabby compared to the corridors of the other choices. The drama facilities are not great in comparison, but the independent thinking she is encouraged to do not only from the the teachers but the general environment are invaluable. The school has a good system in place. The kids seem to do well because of it. It is old fashioned in it rigour, but it works, and the kids seem pretty balanced. It's a great school. I'm not convinced I would have gotten much more for my money had she gone to JAGS or Alleyns. Also, if she is sporty, make sure your check what sport is on offer, especially at JAGS. It's more old fashioned. There's no girls football team there. That would have been a disaster for my DD who is a keen player.

Hello - appreciate this is a very old thread, but just wondering what you decided in the end sw11mum . A friend is unexpectedly now in the position of choosing between Graveney and JAGS at this very late stage and is anxiously weighing it all up, so all advice very welcome!