Shenley Academy - some honesty please

[TooMuchHassle]

Hello all. I've never used mumsnet before so sorry if I get a few things wrong.

My DC is due to start secondary school in September. We have been given Shenley Academy (Birmingham incase there's another Shenley academy out there). It was 6th choice. We didn't really want to put it down but we thought, "better having a bad one on the doorstep than one the other side of the city and we wont get it anyways". How wrong were we!?

I really hate the place and DC not too keen on going either. DC didn't like the school at open evening, knows the school isn't great from friends in older years who have said things about the school and the fact everyone just knows its got problems (teachers strikes, distraction in lessons, teachers always leaving and constant supply teachers, the knife incident etc).

DC said many times "I don't want to go there" during the form filling process back in September/October. I'm trying to be positive for the sake of DC and haven't shown that I hate the place in front of them. I've put an appeal in for all the other schools but with everything going on with the virus at the minute, things are taking a long time and very uncertain. I'm starting to think that we might be stuck with shenley.

So I'd like some really honest opinions please. Whether you have DC there, live near the school or know kids who go there.
What are your honest opinions about the school?
Does anyone actually have anything good to say about the place?
Is it really as bad as people say or am I hearing school gate gossip?
Are they actually trying to improve?
Has anyone seen any actual improvements?
Or should I reject the place and just home ed (never though I'd hear myself considering that 2 weeks ago aha)?

We live quite near but I know nothing about the school, sorry! Have you considered Waseley Hills High in Rubery? It’s not great results-wise (probably no worse than Shenley though) but I thought it tended to be undersubscribed and it’s always been considered a ‘nice’ school. And it’s in a lovely location!

I’ve had 2 DC go through shenley academy each with different experiences.

DC1 has been there since year 7 and is now year 10 and we have seen the ups and downs of the school. DC1 isn’t very academic and the school/learning support have been brilliant with them.

DC2 lasted all of 2 terms there in year 7 (this was last academic year they are now year 8). DC2 is middle ability/very average and was mostly overlooked because they weren’t trouble, weren’t going to get top GCSE grade and wernt going to fail GCSEs.

Shenley is good for those at the top and those at the bottom. Avoid if your DC is middle ability.
A lot of what you hear will be school gate gossip but there is anyways truth in school gate gossip it didn’t come from nowhere. It isn’t the best school, it isn’t going to be the best school any time soon, however, there have been big changes. The new head is really trying to turn things around, behaviour has improved, aspirations have improved and I can see improvements in the results. The teaching staff are starting to stay and there aren’t as many supply teachers. I believe it is trying to change but it’s not going to be quick. The schools in special measures at the minute so they have to improve and be shown to improve. It’s not now that worries me, it’s what happens when they do come out of special measures and are left to their own devices again. Hopefully more improvements but you just don’t know. It’s not a risk I will be taking with DC3 who is similar in ability to DC2.

I wouldn’t reject the place, you never know what will happen with your appeals and, like my DC2, places in other schools do come up in year 7. It isn’t the end of the world if your DC does end up in shenley, like I said, improvements are happening just comes down to how quickly they take effect. It’s a good school for some but not others.
That said, if you feel like you could home educate and are happy to do so for what could be years then go for it.

Thank you both for your opinions. My DC is middle ability so from what’s been said shenley really isn’t the place to be. That’s worrying me a bit.

How did you get a place in year 7 @FishChipsandPeas? Was it one of your waiting list schools that offered you the place?

It’s nice to hear that there are some improvements going on and things are looking up but like you say, improvements don’t happen over night.

I wouldn’t mind home ed but I would be looking to get DC back into school at year 9 at the latest. I won’t be able to home ed through gcse years unfortunately. Maths and science yes, but the rest, no.

I’m just extremely annoyed we got Shenley. I mean we put the 6 closest schools, excluding grammars, down that are closest to the house and still got shenley. It’s a nightmare this system.

I’ll have a look at waseley hills, thanks @crazycrofter

No it wasn’t one of our waiting lists schools. We gave shenley a chance because it had worked for DC1 but we were so unhappy with the education for DC2 that we started looking at schools we hadn’t previously considered.
We managed to get a place at hillcrest girls school. It’s proved to be a very good move. Incidentally, a place at one of our waiting list Schools did come up back in November. However DC2 was settled, happy and making good progress so didn’t want to move again and there was no reason to object. I would consider hillcrest if your DC is a DD.

Like I say, improvements at shenley are happening but not quick enough for me. I still wouldn’t reject the place just yet though. Give it time for the appeals to happen, get yourself on more waiting lists and make a decision later in the year. There is still time for things to change.

Sorry to hear you didn’t get any of the other local schools. But if they are the nearest to your house you have a good chance of being near the top end of the waiting lists. Have you considered bourneville? That’s usually undersubscribed. Don’t know what it’s like though.

I went to Hillcrest MANY years ago. You don’t see it popping up on here very often. Nice to hear about it.

Shenley Academy? Is that the school that used to be Shenley Court?

My DC are only primary age and anyways, I don’t live anywhere near Birmingham now. If this is the school that used to be Shenley Court then I went there between 2001 and 2006. I can only speak from my own experiences, no idea what its like now.

I liked the school, but for the wrong reasons, I only liked the social life, was forever getting into trouble and skiving (which was totally ignored by the teachers). The teaching was appalling, I don’t think I actually learned anything and scraped through 4 GCSEs (4 grade Cs and nothing else) because my parents pushed me to get some.

I remember a lot of fighting, bullying of “different” kids and general “if you don’t want to learn, we cant be bothered teaching you” attitude from the teachers. Every year a few year 11s would end up pregnant and I remember once the police were called and arrested some pupils in the older years for bringing drugs into school.

I was there when the headteacher assaulted a pupil. Not long after the school got put into special measures. How is this place still in special measures after all these years? It might have come out and gone back in but this shows you what really happens when the pressures off to improve. A PP is right about being worried for the removal of special measures.

Thinking back, I don’t remember anything good about the school other than the social life.

I remember in year 11 a programme called Waterloo Road came out. Everyone compared it to Shenley Court. It was like a documentary of our school. From whats been described, not much has changed and I would definitely avoid if your DC wants to get some GCSEs and make something of their lives.

However, that was just my experience, things could have changed a lot since then so please do look at how the place is now and not how it was then.

It isn't the same @Tractorsandsheep.

It (well, Shenley Court) did go in to Special Measures, at which point it had a lot of money poured in. New, dynamic Head bought in, with a Team to support her. Tremendous improvements. Opened as Shenley Academy in 2009. Did really, really well. Ranked as Outstanding at the end of 2011. Was completely rebuilt - so whole new building too.

Head then retired.

Still ranked as 'Good' in 2014.

Didn't drop again to 'Inadequate' until 2018.

Sorry OP - I don't know much about it recently, just updating pp.

Thanks for the update. Glad the place managed to sort itself out a bit. Shame it’s gone backwards again. Hopefully it can make big improvements again.

I know I spoke from my experiences but I just don’t want anyone to have to have the educational struggle I had after school because of a bad school.

OP I hope you find the good in the place. Don’t let me put you off if it’s trying to pull it’s socks up and make big improvements. Go and see the place, I know it’s difficult with everything going on, but that’s when you can ask questions. Is there anyone in the school you can ring up, head? governor? some teachers?, who might be able to speak to you about your concerns?
Hope you manage to get some reassurance or the right school for you.

I'm a bit late posting on here but have you put your DC on the waiting list for any of your preferred schools? Places do come available so it is definitely worth doing.
Depending on whether the schools are local authority ones or academies may determine whether you simply ask the LA to put him on the waiting list, or you may have to contact each school directly (email may be best option right now).
Good luck.

My husband was a peri there a while back. It was under the old head who was made a dame and when they moved to the new building. They used to have a great performing arts dept.

The friend he kept in touch with who taught there left a couple of years ago. Things changed when the head retired. She went into a totally different career with the emergency services!

Shame really.

so shenley is not a school u would wanna go to it is shit they drag u down