Good State Secondary Schools Woking

[TheFurryMenace]

We are moving to Woking from central London, our DD7 is currently in Year 2. But looking ahead, I want to make sure we move to an area that is in the catchment for both good primary and secondary schools. I have looked onto the St John the Baptist admissions, and it lists some feeder schools, but isnt where you live more important than if you went to the feeder primaries or have I got this wrong? Where I live in London, it goes on proximity to the secondary?

We are catholic, not currently at a catholic school, but our daughter is baptised catholic.

Any advice on schools and where to look to buy would be really, really appreciated!

Thanks

You're partly right, random - Chertsey High School was originally going to be set up and run Salesian staff and it was going to be called "Bourne Salesian College" - Bosco for short, which is a name very much associated with the Catholic faith. And 50% of places were going to be reserved for children of Catholic parents.

But after meetings with local interested parties, including parents, those proposals were watered down and eventually disappeared. Families whose children will be able to start at the new school are in general very positive about it.

The biggest problem in terms of places is for children of Catholic parents. There are now many Keralan and Phillipino families who have moved into the area and this has put huge pressure on Catholic schools in the area.

That is interesting, Chertsey has already got a historically high catholic population. Several years ago I was listening to Sunbury parents desperately wanting to get their DC into Salesian as it was so much better than their secondary school. It wasn't long after that the Diocese changed their admissions criteria. Very many parents disappointed that they no-longer could get younger DC on sibling status as they weren't baptised practising Catholics. Upside of course was that it helped improve things at Jubilee.

I did all my NQT training at the Runnymede Centre :)

Chertsey children at the moment go all over the shop - if not wealthy enough for private, and not Catholic - they go to Jubilee, Magna Carta, Fullbrook and Thamesmead.

Yes definitely some go to Fullbrook. My friends, who lives in Chertsey, send their DS to Magna Carta.

Frances

There are just two non-denominational primaries in Chertsey. Around 80% of the children go to Jubilee. In previous years some have got into Thamesmead and Magna Carta but this year only siblings have got in. It will be good for Chertsey children to have a wider choice from 2017.

Siblings and children at feeders. Good handful of Chertsey children attend Magna feeder primaries (not in Chertsey obv).

frances, are you saying you think there are many children who live in Chertsey but attend primary schools in Staines, Thorpe, Virginia Water, etc? Just that ime those schools are either over-subscribed or small (one-form entry), so I'd be surprised if they had the space for children as far away as Chertsey. But I'm just basing it on what has been offered to Chertsey children this week for primary places. We have a long waiting list this year - there's a real squeeze on primary places.

There is no such thing as Magna feeders.

I live next to Magna but wouldn't send my children there.

I thought that at first, gin, because it's rare to have feeder primaries unless the school is religious. But then I found this paragraph in Magna's admissions policy for 2017-18:

Fourth Priority: Students who attend named Feeder schools
Children who attend the following Primary schools :- The Hythe School, Thorpe Lea Primary School, and Thorpe Church of England Primary School.

What I'm not so sure is the case is that Chertsey children would gain a place at one of the three feeder schools above children who live local to those schools.

I wonder why they left off Manorcrofts, St Jude's and St Anne's. And surely Hythe and Thorpe Lea children would get in on distance. Very peculiar.

Fullbrook definitely has feeder schools as part of its admission criteria.

Magna has five feeder primaries: The Hythe School, Thorpe Lea Primary School, Manorcroft School, St. Ann’s Heath Junior School, St. Jude’s Church of England School and Thorpe Church of England Primary School. www.magnacarta.surrey.sch.uk/userfiles/magnamvc/pdf/admissions/Admissions%20Policy%202017-18.pdf

Clearly admissions areas are getting tighter and tighter by year, but depending on where you are in Chertsey, there are still a few non Catholic Chertsey children who go to schools other than Jubilee. And there are always a few surprises IME. So worth putting down schools you like I guess.

Meadowcroft Infants feeds into St Ann's Heath which feeds into Magna for example.

frances, yes, some non-Catholic Chertsey children do go to other schools but not many. 25 of our year 6 children are going to Jubilee in September.

It's just great that Chertsey children will have more choice in 2017.

Where is Meadowcroft?

Still amazed that so many people aspire to Magna.

In Cherstey near St Peters off Green Lane - infants only though!

So, who goes to Matthew Arnold?

Jubilee, Fullbrook, Magna all take from mostly the same primaries. That's why the secondary schools do, or at least used to do, lots of taster days in Year 4,5 and 6.

Hi to all those mums or dads that their kids attend Bishop David Brown school in Sheerwater, or know kids that go. It's so difficult getting real reviews or true Impressions concerning the school. Can anyone help me? I really need to know about the bullying there in respects to how its delt with. I know it happens but as usual its hidden from the real public and Ofsted, well, everyone knows that their assessments are done when all is informed about their arrival. My grandson is being destroyed by bullying at his present school, the school is in denial therefore are blaming him and poor kid is suffering. This is why I really need to know as nothing could be worse by putting him in another school that is just as bad. Please help by giving me a true review on B.D.B. thank you

@Zenstorm you would probably be better starting your own thread as this one is very old - you will hopefully get more replies with a new thread

I know a few Yr 7s at BDB who are all happy so far (as are their parents) but it’s early days for them of course.

Have you been to visit BDB and talk to Head/staff about their pastoral care etc? That should probably be your start point.

Good luck, I hope you find a school where your son can be happy :-)