Best place to live in Kent for Grammar school

[vik2017]

Hi,
This is my first question on this board....
and I wanted to know which is the best place to live in Kent and falls into Grammar catchment area and also if my son dont get to the Grammar at least will go to a very good comprehensive school.
Any suggestion will be appreciated even suggest to move to another place considering we both work in London.

Many thanks in advance...
Viki

I don’t know a lot about Southampton , but from what I know of Dover id say it was considerably more deprived than Southampton . I also have a very bright dd , untutored who didn’t pass the Kent test by 2 Maths marks , was well over on the other papers , we didn’t appeal because by that point she was very ill and we opted for an outstanding local comp , she was HE by mid yr 8 due to ill health . There are rarely spaces at the Maidstone , Tunbridge Wells Grammars , not helped by the Sevenoaks issue although that will be resolved somewhat by the new Annexe Grammar .

One of only a few state schools that teaches Latin
DC's comp did Latin till the teacher retired. Kings Winchester still does, as do others of the local comps.

The Dover/Shepway tests are less selective than the Kent test.
Do you have a link for that ?
Just that it contradicts what the Kent parents have posted.

I don’t know a lot about Southampton , but from what I know of Dover id say it was considerably more deprived than Southampton
I've lived in both.
Parts of Southampton are significantly more deprived than Dover (as per the IDM data)

The Folkestone GS's have had to react to changing conditions as in the previous years they only half fill (roughly) from Kent Test passing children and much of the rest of their intake are from appeals. At The Harvey recently the staff referred to their students being considered less able than in a typical GS but their 'Added Value' results are very good. Maybe some of that is the improvement seen in their grades? GS's taking more able children have less room to improve those children to achieve top grades, against a school taking less able who go on to gain top scores in exams.

Anyway, I digress. It will be interesting to see how this evolves :wink:

This is anecdotal evidence but still relevant.

Gathered off the 11+ forum site !

I do live in the area, and the very fact that Folkestone is under subscribed makes me wonder why they would pitch their test on the same day as a grammar with an excellent track record, unless they are hoping some people will see them as the safer option. Which defeats the object of being a grammar school.
I appreciate the Folkestone area is not densly populated and has quite a high immigrant population who wont be attending either grammar.
Personally, if I had to chose, Id chose Dover hands down. As Folkestone have a high number of pupils who didnt pass and get in on appeal , that would make me think I could appeal there if I didn`t get Dover.

More perceptions about Folkestone/Dover grammar schools.

mountford100 Very unfair on Dover Girls Grammar ! One of only a few state schools that teaches Latin.

Watford Grammar for boys teaches Latin. It selects 25% on academic exam.

A few means less than 5% of all state schools teach Latin to GCSE !

I guess less than 10 state schools teach to Latin to A level.

Of all the things I would judge a school by, teaching Latin is not one of them!

mountford100 I guess less than 10 state schools teach to Latin to A level.

www.arlt.co.uk/counties.html

Ok i am pleased to be wrong however, the majority of those schools are private . I can only see about 20 or so State schools offering A level Latin or Classical Civilization .

Though there is a Modern School in there teaching Classical Civilization but not to GCSE level ! Tolworth...

mountford100 perhaps supply and demand has something to do with it. 4 girls at Watford Grammar for Girls did A Level Latin this year.

mountford
Latin is a total and utter distraction.

Dover Girls makes the intake pass an exam but does barely better than a non selective girls school
and what about the non grammar Dover kids --- anybody proud of what they are offered ??????

I realise the thread has moved on (slightly bizzarely) to discussing Latin. However both the girls' (Highworth) and boys' (Norton Knatchbull) grammar in Ashford are regularly undersubscribed and take borderline candidates on appeal. Dover has it's own (easier) test as already described. They are a world away from the superselectives of Tunbridge Wells, Dartford and Tonbridge

@MumTryingHerBest, @ChocolateWombat: I may have put it wrong and mentioned Grammar in the topic but this is certainly not the case. I am at the planning stage and to be more precise, grammar is at first choice but it is quite obvious (as I have already asked many questions about other bits) I am not planning for any grammar, here is the list I first selected and as Kent has most I thought about kent but after I decided for Bexley as its grammars are also in the list:
Reading School
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School
Wilson's School
St Olave's Grammar School
The Judd School
King Edward VI Grammar School
Tiffin School
Sutton Grammar School for Boys
Dr Challoner's Grammar School
Westcliff High School
Sir William Borlase's Grammar School
The Skinners' School
Chesham Grammar School
The Latymer School
Dartford Grammar School
Wallington County Grammar School
The Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School
Rainham Mark Grammar School
Langley Grammar School
Gravesend Grammar School
Bexley Grammar School
St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School
Aylesbury Grammar School
Beths Grammar School
Norton Knatchbull School
Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School

Sorry should have said in terms of intake, and TBH may be below that found in a top set of a "leafy" comp.

As I said OP Norton Knatchbull regularly has empty spaces, Ashford has a fast train.... Pity the towns is such a dump...

But OP
Where do you want to live ?
What sort of parks and open spaces do you want your son to have access to during the 22 weeks a year and two days a week he does not attend school ?

Where in London do you and your DH work - which train / car / bus routes do you need access to ?

Your kids will only be at the grammar for a maximum of 7 years.
He's in year 4 now.
What will you do when he finishes school ?

vik2017 what was your criteria for selecting those schools as it seems a rather randon list to me?

Latin was a complete waste of time when we had to take it at a Kent Grammar in the late 70s/80s , not something I would look for in a school .

I was not allowed to take Latin, nonetheless , my elder sister excelled in it !

Don’t move to a grammar area. It is ridiculously stressful for children and parents.

I wish I didn’t live in a grammar area and all the local kids went to the local high school.

From a Kent parent of a year 6, embroiled in this stupid system.

Move to Rotherham then and wish your children didn't have to go to the local high school !

vik2017 - what station in London do you want to commute into? How long a commute will you tolerate? And what sort of lifestyle do you actually want? As close to London/as urban as possible, with tonnes of public transport; or closer to market towns and countryside? Are you bothered about local crime rates? Lots of wealthy London commuters who don't want too urban choose places like Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge - lots of people just like them living there already, tonnes of private schools, superselective grammar schools, possible access to Sussex comprehensives if required, countryside, train into London, blah, blah. If you prefer more urban and loathe country lanes, then obviously these should be struck straight off your list! So - what do you fancy? And would you like to be closer to Gatwick or Heathrow?

I read up to p19 I think and then got bored. Having had 2 DD get into their first choice uni from a shock horror sec mod in socially deprived Shepway, from a school which has a 100% NEET score, I think OP you should just chill and decide where you actually want to LIVE. (and remember - I think your kid is Y4? there is often a slip betwixt cup and lip...)