South west London parents of secondary kids this mummy having a meltdown needs your help!

[sparklymumSW4]

Hi all,
I’m having a mummy meltdown over picking the dreaded secondary school I’m particularly finding this stressful task challenging as we can’t view most and the virtual videos are not the same as viewing the school.

We live in Clapham and our local school is Lambeth academy is a 10 min walk it’s had some bad publicity over the years but I'm trying to look past that and focus on the improvement, they were doing a tour so decided to attend and surprisingly didn't hate it! In fact I rather liked it Obviously it’s still not as it would normally be due to Covid restrictions but seems well run & quite strict and I personally think strict is good teaches discipline & hopefully respect

I have just over a week to make our choice I’m so anxious as my baby is going off to school and so scared I’m going to make the wrong choice so I’d really love to hear the thoughts & views from secondary parents in the south west London area of your kids schools or parents of kids currently at Lambeth academy to Hive me feed back from a parents point of view

Thanks xx

[sparklymumSW4]

@BettySundaes thanks that's exactly what I'm trying to look at if it's a hidden gem with potential and so I take a gamble with it being on the up or go with the crowd to better performing schools on historical ofsted reports. Some great performing schools are not necessarily the best choices for the children. I hate this it would be easier if every primary just said "right this is our high school if you don't want it chose somewhere else" but staidly they don't x

[missl1]

The Gov compare stats show that there's pretty much no difference between the results of Chestnut Grove and Lambeth Academy. It's just the former has established itself as more popular choice with the middle classes, which perhaps makes Lambeth Academy's attainment even more impressive. I can't offer the insider view unfortunately. But I do have a teacher friend who chose Lambeth Academy above Harris Battersea for his kids as he thought it to be the better option. I'm unsure of exact reasons for this though.

[sparklymumSW4]

@missl1 that's really useful actually thank you, i initially thought battersea park Harris would be great but heard bad things about it, annoyingly they just opened a new school clapham Harris however we felt slightly underwhelmed on virtual open day, I also think the name Lambeth academy puts people off and they look down on it as opposed to it being called something like The Elms being on elms road. Lambeth academy just doesn't sound so fancy .. lol

[Foxranawaywithhisshoes]

Have you considered Trinity Academy in Brixon? Also has a Good Ofsted report and only been open since 2017

[steppemum]

yes.
So the recommendation is something like

school 1 - I absolutely love it but have very little chance of getting it.
school 2 - great school, but a bit far away?
school 3 - good school, stand a good chance
school 4 - within distance, not over subscribed, pretty certain of a place (so for you LA) = your safetly school

[BettySundaes]

@steppemum totally agree - schools want bums on seats but no school should be saying to a parent they can "guarantee a place" what they may have said is that "if you put us first you are highly likely to get a place" which gets misinterpreted. I've been on enough Q&A's to see how many parents get confused with the admissions process and then spread that confusion to others.

OP the recommendation is: fill all your six places, put them in order of YOUR preference, include a banker one you are likely to get based on admission criteria. This is so you don't get given any random school because you made six pie in the sky choices.

[sparklymumSW4]

@Foxranawaywithhisshoes no we looked at Kingsdale bit further on every time I like one thing about the school there's something I don't like equally ... it's so hard!

[Foxranawaywithhisshoes]

Unless you are against its location then it's worth going to their website and doing the "virtual tour".

[atotalshambles]

Bolingbroke is great but strict . Have heard good things about Chestnut Grove. The selective stream in Gravenet is supposed to be good . Don’t know v much about Lambeth Academy. Speak to parents who have children at the schools you are looking at. Emanuel ( private ) is v good and also Thames Christian college ( private)is supposed to be good as well ( particularly good pastoral care and not as difficult to get into).

[sparklymumSW4]

Thanks all, xx
Just before I rule them out completely Does anyone have any good or bad comments about Wandsworth secondary schools chestnut grove, Bolingbroke or Graveney xx

[sanam2019]

do you have a boy or a girl? You could try some outstanding yet not oversubscribed schools in Fulham, you could put Hurlingham Academy (co-ed) or Fulham Cross Girls School higher on your list? They should be a bus ride from you. Ashcroft as others suggested. Pimlico Academy as well perhaps?

[sparklymumSW4]

@stepmum I have boys, thanks for advice x

[sparklymumSW4]

@sanam2019 I have boys thanks for the advice x

[sanam2019]

try fulham boys school as well, not oversubscribed!

[AveEldon]

Chestnut Grove - nice new buildings, kids seem mostly happy and focussed

Graveney - strict but not as strict as Bolingbroke, mobile phones are banned, old shabby buildings

[sparklymumSW4]

@AveEldon I was wondering about chestnut grove thanks x

[RainingBatsAndFrogs]

You are in a strong position OP, if you like Lambeth Academy, it is your closest school, AND it is undersubscribed!

You won’t get into Graveney from where you live so your only chance would be if your Ds could get one of the selective places in the Wandsworth test. It is a competition for the top 70-ish scores out of the hundreds who take the test. But I think registration for the test had probably closed now.

A friend had a Dd who did very well at Chestnut Grove, and I know many children who have done very well and been happy at Kingsdale.

Dunraven is generally not possible from Clapham, maybe a chance if he was in the top band (which has a wider catchment) and you are tight on the Clapham / Streatham hill border. Dunraven is a great school.

[AllTheWorldIsGreen]

The Wandsworth Testis in December this year. It looks like out-of-borough children who apply for a Wandsworth school will be invited to sit it.

www.wandsworth.gov.uk/schools-and-admissions/admissions/secondary-school-admissions/year-6-test/about-the-year-6-test/

[AllTheWorldIsGreen]

*Test is. DOH.

[sparklymumSW4]

@RainingBatsAndFrogs thanks for the info, Kingsdale was our fav but I've not heard many positives about it so if you can shed some further light that would be great. X

[sparklymumSW4]

@AllTheWorldIsGreen thanks for info x

[dotty81]

@sparklymumSW4 what did you decide in the end? And how did you get on with offers? I'm only asking as we'll be in the same boat in the next 12 months. If you're happy to chat but don't want to do it publicly, then feel free to PM me. Any advice gratefully received.

[tadger98]

Hi OP
I have a DS at Chestnut Grove in Y7. He is really enjoying himself and myself and my DP (a teacher) were v impressed with the provision over lockdown via Teams. I know on the teacher grapevine its a school that is seen as on an upward trend, in part helped by the recent investment in new buildings and facilities (the new 6th form building opens in September). But it is difficult to get in. Apart from the top Band (A) the catchment area is normally a mile or less from the school (and shrinking...).
If you have a DD then have you thought about Burntwood? Again a school on the grapevine that is seen as on the up and up (I hear it missed an OFSTED outstanding by a whisker) but for some reason doesn't seem to fill all its places each year

[KillingEvenings]

Another vote for Chestnut Grove. DS was offered a place via the language scholarship. (He's got no experience of foreign languages so was based on potential.) Keep in mind the cut off for signing up for the assessment is very early - first week of September I think

[sparklymumSW4]

@dotty81 I went for the local school in the end Lambeth Academy and I'm really glad I did so far I'm really impressed. There was a free summer school programme for 2 weeks which I found great for the kids to make friends, get to know the building and teachers making the first day in September hopefully not so daunting.