Gordons school , Tomlincote and kings international school IYAyear10

[Riz02]

Hello I need to relocate from Leicestershire and my son is in year 9 not ideal time at all however circumstances are such that I have to move . Everyone I speak to wants me to move then give the postcode .. Just wanted some idea s on the above although reading about Gordons don't think there is much of a chance as a day border ?

I know Tomlincote it has a very good reputation especially in languages. It is a very over subscribed school but possibly things might be better further up the school

Thats useful to know thank you

Is Collingwood College an option? Very large, but lots going on, always had a better reputation than Kings, but not as oversubscribed as Tomlinscote. Consistently good results. It is in Camberley. Might be worth looking at.

Thanks for that will also take a look at Collingwood

Hi, theres not much to choose between Tomlinscote and Collingwood in terms of results but I would say that Tomlinscote has the edge. I think you would have a good chance of getting a place in an older year - a friend moved into their catchment area about six months ago and got a place in year 8 very quickly. Collingwood will almost certainly have places and is a good choice too (not sure what the sixth form is like although many go to Farnborough sixth form).

You would have to live very close to Gordons and then hope somebody leaves, which quite frankly is unlikely in year 9 or 10 - it's fee paying too although I assume you know that (half the price as a private school). Sixth form at Gordons may be more of a possibility though. If I were in your shoes, I'd be aiming for Tomlinscote - we visited the school recently as we're moving but have ended up in Guildford.

Thanks for sharing

Both Tomlinscote and Collingwood are quite large, but Collingwood is larger. Either would be fine, so it could well be a question of where there's a place. King's International is smaller and I understand it's reputation is improved recently, but don't know specifics.

Gordon's is not an option unless you're in a category or live within the confines of the school. We used to live in West End and wouldn't have got in.

Thank you for sharing ,yes I have also heard similar reports regarding Kings international undergoing change and marked improvement in recent Ofsted however the school building facilities were rather dated on a recent visit ..

Kings has a dreadful reputation, but I've never known anyone who's child has actually gone there to have anything except praise for them. I wouldn't discount them, particularly if you have a child who would benefit from a smaller school.
Collingwood is huge, but they do divide the year into smaller groups. Only thing with going into year 10 is they do 3 year GCSE courses which might be awkward. Don't know how that would work as they sit some GCSEs in year 9 and some (RE I think) in year 10.
Tomlinscote is almost as big. They have a great reputation BUT I've heard an awful lot of negatives about them from parents. I've know 6-8 children leave due to bullying which wasn't addressed in the last couple of years, and I don't know that many children there. They also had dreadful results, both GCSEs and A-levels, I think the worst in the area. They tried to blame it on the exam boards I believe. You know, the same exam boards the other schools use too.
Gordons. it's only fee paying, I think, if you're boarding. But it is meant to be good, but you'll only usually get in if you sell your house and camp on the fields for two years. However they might have space in year 10, you can but ask. doubt they would in any other year, but once they're into GCSE years it's possible.