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

The school being called a comp is neither here or there, most people moving for schools will look at the actual results and visit the School. Not many people will make a decision based on the words comp or secondary modern

What you need to look for OP, is where are the best performing non selective schools in Kent, in case your DC doesn’t pass. By non selective I mean not needing to pass Kent test, not needing to be church goer etc.

Here

www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/25-best-non-grammar-schools-503596

You’ll need to weed out the church ones unless you meet their criteria.

The top 10 or so of the Kent list shown have higher GCSE %pass rates than the average Comprehensive school .

They have every right to not be described as secondary moderns school.

No one I know in Kent calls them secondary moderns. They are academies, church schools, free schools, community schools etc.

They have the top 25% missing which makes them different to normal comprehensives.

I went to Kings in Winchester, mentioned up thread and now live in Bucks. There are no comps here - it’s Grammar or Upper. OP it’s a very risky move to go to a Grammar area in the basis that you want your child to go there. What if he’s not academically bright enough? What will your alternative be?

Lots of back door selection in that list!

I know lots of academically able kids who go/have gone to non-grammars in Kent and come out with top results. They just might not do well in the Kent Test, or prefer the non-grammar, especially for location, so to say "they are missing the top 25%" is misleading to the OP. DD1 goes to a super-selective. For DD2 we'll be looking at ALL the schools again and certainly not just the grammars, and she might not end up at the same school as her sister. The point is, we don't fear the alternatives which are all good schools. We're very lucky indeed.

If you move to Kent, you will be in a grammar area by definition as there are grammars throughout the county. Whether you get into a 'normal' grammar, superselective grammar or non selective school (by test, not nec. religion!) will depend on your budget, the sex and ability of your child to score highly on the Kent Test, and how many out of county people apply for places in Kent schools if you are chasing a superselective place and are outside of the defined inner catchment area.

My son is at a superselective in TW - there are boys from all across the South East of England who attend....some of their commutes are shocking, but parents seem to think that's best for their children. We also have some excellent schools here which don't select via a test, but one of them has a very strict religious entry policy, one takes 40% non Catholics and one is truly open to all - but massively oversubscribed.

Generally (I believe) that the grammars in the east of the county are less difficult to get into (note I didn't say easier) but there is less pressure on places from people commuting from London to the grammars in Maidstone, Dartford, Tonbridge and TW.

No back door selection at number 6 on the list , they take absolutely anybody .

Oh and I may be out of touch with terminology but surely we don't talk of 'Secondary Moderns' anymore do we?!!

Yes, we do. They have their own association to lobby on behalf of secondary moderns-

secondarymoderns.org.uk/

I think in Kent they are now referred to as High schools

"No back door selection at number 6 on the list , they take absolutely anybody"

Anybody- once they have selected 10% on mathematical ability........

Good on Westlands school why should they not be able to select a no of pupils based on ability. Are they a Selective Modern than...

I don't think schools select at all. But I certainly don't think that schools which select- on any criteria-should be compared with schools that don't.

They are plenty of comprehensive schools that are dire schools . They are a closer to fit to the perception of what a secondary modern is.

Conversely many defined modern schools are good or excellent, with a couple even offering Latin. Surely no Modern school can offer Latin..

It is surely blasphemous for such a school to have ideas to teach Latin.

I meant that I don't think schools should select at all.....

The op didn’t ask if schools should select, she asked where to move to. As has already been said there are plenty of areas where you ya e good school both grammar & non grammar. We live in Bromley, my Dd is not at a selective school, there are plenty of other very good non selective options

All schools select their pupils. This being whether by house price , location ,ability or parents preference.

Even one school that could possibly be designated as a .... is selecting

someupload.reactcdn.co.uk/sandwich/uploads/document/2_1786_aptitude-test-application-form.pdf of their pupils !

SANDWICH TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL Y6 APTITUDE TEST 2017
Posted: October 13, 2017
Back to full listPreviousNext
The school aptitude test will take place on Saturday 4th November 2017.

Please ensure students arrive via the front of the school (Deal Road) between 08.45am and 09.10am at the latest to be registered in our restaurant extension area before undertaking the activities. Refreshments and breaks will be provided and collection of your son / daughter will be around midday to 12.15pm.

Entry for the aptitude test is strictly by an application process and the form is attached for completion and return to our admissions Officer Mrs Manning via [email protected] no later please than the 20th October.

Aptitude test application form

I live in Bexley. 4 grammars and two good girls' non grammars (one Catholic, in-take more comprehensive by ability as many go even if would have got into grammar). Not got a great impression of my local mixed or boys' non grammars. Wish we had proper comps.

@Ta1kinPeece*,*@berliozwooler,@BertrandRussell : thanks, and as you all can see it is quite complex decision because I have looked at the houses very close to Grammar but again houses are not so good but you pay premium price for that catchment. If I think that rather put that money towards his independent school fee then again quesion comes which independent. So options can be move to a not so good house but in the Grammar catchment and pay premium amount or go for independent and choose the place you like to live. Dont know yet what is good for him...

PettsWood is correct. Around Orpington and parts of Bromley/ Sidcup you have access to the Dartford/Wilmington/Bexley grammars.
And non-selective schools like Darrick Wood and Hayes are really fantastic.