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Secondary education

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St Clement Danes/Chorleywood honest advice please

8 replies

womanversusfood · 14/10/2018 21:11

Hello

Very impressed by the school on a recent visit and would love the opportunity to send our 2 children there..

Our eldest DC is youngest in year (she will be 11yrs 1 month when starting year 7) and is middle of the road academically and so we are not going down 11 plus route for schools in same region.

We are very much banking on being able to afford a move to Chorleywood(!)..and then being within what I believe is a very small catchment area after other school application criteria (musical/academic aptitude/siblings etc ), is catered for.

  • Do you have children at the school? Are they happy? if they are 'middle set' for subjects, do they struggle/feel under pressure as such a high achieving school?

  • we saw in the admissions criteria that:

"an applicants home address shall be the family home for the applicant for a period of a minimum of 2 years immediately prior to application. where an applicant has not been in residence at the stated address for the period of 2 years prior to application, it shall be the responsibility of the applicant to demonstrate the authenticity of the applicant's address and that the address is permanent. The school may check the authenticity of the address stated."

DC currently in year 4 and we would not be looking to move until 2019 so would be living in C Wood less than 2 years at point of application.
If this were the case, do you think our application would be considered beneath an applicant who was further from the school (still in catchment), but had been resident for 2 plus years?

If we moved, we would be (ideally) purchasing not renting.

  • What is it like living in Chorleywood? We are in a nearby 'burb in Hillingdon currently where I also work. Although not exactly a cosmopolitan hub of activities, there's quite a bit going on in terms of eating out etc. and good transport links. Chorleywood is beautiful but seems very quiet? .maybe that's just me though.. Where would young teens go out? Rickmansworth? Watford?

Thanks in advance for any advice on the above.

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TheThirdOfHerName · 14/10/2018 21:35

I live near Chorleywood and quite a few of my children's friends (and my friends' children) attend SCD.

Chorleywood is a lovely village, although possibly not the most exciting place for a teenager.

The social life for teenagers around here is mostly based around 'gatherings' at each other's houses, which usually requires lifts from parents.

If you can afford to live in Chorleywood, I would go for it.

TheThirdOfHerName · 14/10/2018 21:40

Watford town centre in the daytime / early evening: lots to do, both my 14 year olds sometimes hang out with friends to shop or eat out.

Watford town centre after about 10pm (especially Friday and Saturday nights): not really suitable for younger teenagers.

womanversusfood · 15/10/2018 06:49

Thank you Thethird

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SaltyMyDear · 15/10/2018 06:58

I believe it is a very pushy school. I have heard of children not being able to sit French because they were ‘only’ on track for a B.

I don’t trust any school which gets such good grades. I would be very surprised if it wasn’t a high pressured stressful school to be at.

I would be surprised if it would suit ‘middle of the road’ children.

SaltyMyDear · 15/10/2018 06:59

If you live in Hillingdon why aren’t you considering Vyners? Surely it’s a similarly pushy school with similarly good results?

womanversusfood · 15/10/2018 07:49

Thank you for your insight, Salty.
Looking at a move for various reasons not just schooling. So considering a few options

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CeciCC · 15/10/2018 11:16

Hi,
I have 2 kids in SCD, one is in 6th form and the other in Y9. We, as a family, have been very happy with the school, and is doing very well for my two kids. I am not sure about being very pushy and student not being allowed to do subjects, because of the target grades not being high enough, it isn't our experience so far. My eldest did Art GCSE even though her target grade was just a B. My experience is that they are keeping grades and target grades always in the kids minds, specially in Y10 and Y11 and as well in 6th form, but I am not sure if this is not common for all the schools or not. In my opinion is not a bad thing as it keeps the students focus.
Chorleywood is a nice place to live, we have been very happy here.
If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

womanversusfood · 15/10/2018 16:35

Thanks Ceci. Sent you a PM

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