Advice please- NEWSTEAD WOOD school orpington (united Learning school)

[Angelina218]

I have been looking into this school for my daughter and have been looking at the eleven plus forums but not on here before and I have just read a really scary thread that an ex pupil has written warning parents not to send their children here. It completely contradicts what I've read on the eleven plus forum, Will have to decide by march if I want to send my daughter there and am quite stressed. If any one has experience of the school on here please can they let me know

Newstead has had its ups and downs, but current parent opinion seems positive?

If you chose to enter your dd for the exam and to include it on your CAF the you must have thought it was a good fit for her? I wouldn't let that be derailed by one lone opinion on here, especially as I suspect it wasn't current? Remember a search on here can through up posts from many years ago.

There are posters on here and on the eleven plus forum who have recent experience of the school. Have a look at some of the recent threads for reassurance?

Thanks DarlingOscar- was a thread from 2018 but the poster was an ex pupil from a few years ago. There are no recent reviews on newstead on mums net apart from that post that I can see?

Hi OP

I know what an anxious time this is, two of my three kids have gone through the grammar process (middle child is at Newstead Wood).

But as a previous poster said - for this to be an option, you must have considered the school and had your DD sit the exam, even if you did not visit - weigh up that original opinion and what you based it on, vs a thread by someone who may have had a very unfortunate, but rare experience.

I am not taking away from the OP/ ex-student’s experience, it is awful if you are unhappy at school and it can cast a long shadow. But hundreds of girls go to that school and they all have their own lens, their own experience. My 3 children went to the same local primary, and if I only had the first child, I would have had quite a negative experience. But the next two have had a really happy positive time: dc1 was just unlucky, a combo of him, the class, a couple of his teachers, and it was not a great mix.

To get a broader ‘feel’ there are in fact quite a few threads on Newstead Wood on mumsnet: just type Newstead Wood into the search engine, and if you list by date, you can see the most recent first.

There are also a lot of personal opinions/ experiences listed on the eleven plus forum - I’ve attached the link below. There’s about 3 NW topics listed in the top section alone.
www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/viewforum.php?f=51&sid=6b2ce38063e2c36f514f5a67cc2cc13a

There’s also a couple of comments on NW here.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3500134-Compare-Old-Palace-Bromley-High-and-Newstead-Wood-Grammar

I hope that helps - and I know it’s easy for me to say, but don’t worry, most kids are happy whichever school the end up going to.

Sydenhamhiller thank you so much that's so helpful :)
It is so stressful I cant think about anything else at the moment!
I have seen the school and its run down but seemed very happy but it is so stressful when ever you hear anything negative about a school. I am 100% sure I want her to go there then I read or hear something negative and then I'm completely unsure again! Academically it has great results but the main thing I want is for my child to be happy because if they are unhappy the grades they achieve are irrelevant.

P.S if we didn't go to newstead then it would be Bromley High. Have friends at the senior school who are really happy but academically results not as good as newstead. Financially it would be a struggle and if one of us lost our jobs we would have to sell or remortgage our house to afford school fees but if it was the better option I would be prepared to do that. If Newstead is the better option then obviously would be great as would take the financial element completely out of it. I don't know if any one has one in grammar and one in private that can directly compare?

Have you read the most recent ofsted report? I believe it may have been carried out because of safe-guarding concerns. However, they rated the pastoral care as outstanding.

I have no personal experience of the school but a friend whose opinion I value has a daughter there. Her view is that the teaching doesn't compare to St Olaves, but she the school has a good, supportive atmosphere and her DD is very happy so she is happy with the school. Ultimately, no school works for everyone and starting in a school in Y7 doesn't commit you for the next five years. So, whichever school you opt for, you can always think again if things don't work out in the way you hope.

I live in West Wickham and several people have girls in Newsfeed, my old childminder included who sat her A-level last year. It may be worth joining this group and see if anyone can shed light on the current situation

www.facebook.com/groups/1624946994499809/

I know of one mum who moved her girl after GCSE but I think that was because her younger started at a different independent and the older wanted a different sixth form

Thank you hiddeninsight and reluctantbrit for your kind words of advice

If you’ve been looking at Mumsnet and elevenplusforum then you’ll have seen my comments on both do not much to add. DD is in Y9 at NW, having been at BH and is far far happier at NW than she was as BH. However the school won’t suit every girl, it is about fit. DD has lovely supportive friends, the extracurricular activities and trips are superb too. The new Head Mr Blount is seen as a positive influence. United Learning are fairly hands off from a parent/student perspective.

Pettswwodparadise that’s great to know. In terms of fit does it suit a particular type of personality? My daughter is a friendly happy child but she doesn’t push herself forward for things and is not that independent. She’s bright but not always hardworking. She is sensitive, kind and would not stick up for herself is she was bullied. She can get on with a wide range of people and I don’t think she would be particularly worried about the appearance of school. She would find it hard though if everyone else was super confident as she isn’t.

Not all the girls are super confident, but they are supportive, mostly self driven (a few driven by parents), very diverse interests and not looking for identikit friendships but ones that nurture each as an individual. Or at least that is my impressions from the sidelines. They seem to get away with not being hardworking if bright for the lower years but cracks can show if they don’t become more self motivated, generally they are surrounded by others who are hard working so it rubs off. DD used to find maths easy and didn’t put much effort in but is now having to work at it, for German she is loving the language and has friends round to watch films in German or with German subtitles etc. It is a school that girls whatever their quirks or unique qualities are encouraged to be themselves so it isn’t a single type as such.

I think things in common would be a love of learning, a confidence in being who they are (but not necessarily all other types of confidence) and not wanting to follow the crowd.

Thank you Pettswoodparadise- That sounds like her! :)