Lucky enough to have the choice between 2 school offers: which to choose?

[sydenhamhiller]

Hi there - I was hoping the wise hive MN mind might be able to help?

I am posting for a friend! (Honest, my 2 big ones have gone through the 11+ process but not for either of these schools.) Lovely friend has got a school choice dilemma. I mentioned that MN is a fabulous sounding-board, and she said "please just post for me" so here goes.

They moved from SE London to Beckenham (SE Greater London) last year in order to get into the Langley Boys (state) catchment. They applied for a couple of grammars as well.

They got Langley Boys on offer day. And then end of last week got an offer from Chis and Sid. And now they have a dilemma. Go to the very good admissions-by-distance Langley boys about 20 minutes walk away, or go to the Chis and Sid grammar school, which is apparently 2 bus journeys away?

I don't know about results/ value-added for either. I suggested she go and check out the stats, but she does have a number of children, the youngest is one, I think life is quite busy...

My friend was asking about Chis and Sid - worth travelling for when you have Langley Boys as your local option? It's a very lovely dilemma to have, she realises, and wants to decide ASAP so she can release a place.

Any views are gratefully received.

I don't know either of those schools but....personally I'd go for the closer school if it's a good school, are her other DC boys who would be offered places as siblings?

2 bus journeys and 2 home for 5+ years will get quite tedious and boring.

I know the area a bit but not these schools. You might need to put the area or school names in the title to attract those with specific knowledge.

I assume they put the grammar higher up their preference list and have now been offered a place on the waiting list?

I am a fan of local walkable education as it uses less of the chimd’s time and energy and facilitates local friendships.

But they really need to think about: will he be happier with single sex or mixed? Which school best supports his extra curricular interests? What is their usual sport and is he happy with that?

Is Chislehurst and Sidcup a ‘super-selective ‘ (I.e no distance criteria at all, admission is by test score) or a standard grammar? If it is Super Selective a waiting list place may mean that he is amongst the lowest test scorers in his year. How would he be with that?

After those applicants who were in the top 180 scorers in the Bexley test (presumably the DC here wasn't, because that equates to a guaranteed place at the Bexley grammar school of your choice), children of staff and siblings, remaining places are allocated on straight line distance, with score only being used as a tiebreak. So the first student allocated a place on distance may only just have achieved the pass mark and the last student allocated a place from the waiting list may have only just missed out on being a 'top 180', score-wise.