School Transfer for Year 10

[boxofchocolates]

Hi everyone, long time mn lurker here. I would really appreciate any advice/info you can provide regarding my situation.

DD is really set on moving schools. She goes to a Grammar School and while thriving academically she has had some very hard pastoral issues. She’s moved forms to fix a bullying problem, we’ve had meetings etc however she just feels as though this school is not a good fit and really wishes not to do her GCSES here. The school is also 1 and a half hours away so the journey is very tiring for her. Now, the issue is as it’s the summer holidays it’s extraordinarily hard to transfer to another grammar (which I would like to do). I have sent application forms however there is a very slim chance that anything will come from them. DD is getting really anxious about it and while I would like to tell her we can move I don’t know how to make it happen.
Any experience on a situation like this would be appreciated x

It's not going to be easy. You would need a place to be available, which is probably unlikely with a grammar school, as they are generally popular. Or you would need to appeal, which is tough and will take quite a while. There may then be other issues like not getting her choice of subjects.

If moving school is really important, your best bet is finding out which schools have places in her year, and then applying to those. I wouldn't limit to grammars. I don't know whether you can get that info from your LA, as it will be tricky to get a response from individual schools right now.

I am in the West Midlands so there’s quite a few Grammars. My main concern is making sure the new school is academically strong, so I have been considering going private. She’s really thought about this and told me she’s looked at the exam boards and is willing to catch up on any sciences (the only GCSE thing she’s started in Year 9). I will definitely call up the LA.

I’m in the West Midlands too and have experience of a couple of grammars and a selective independent.

I doubt you will get a place at a grammar now. I would approach KEHS if it’s convenient in terms of location and you can afford the two years . They don’t start the GCSE courses until year 10 so she won’t have to catch up. They’re also more flexible in terms of numbers - they don’t have a maximum admissions number like the grammars.

1 and a half hours away is a massive commute!

Is your area full grammar, or given the distance, are there proper comprehensives much much closer? Top sets in a good proper comp could be absolutely fine. Don't look at headline % figures, look at what academically able kids can achieve.

What you have to consider is whether the receiving school started any subjects in y9, not whether she has.

With a closer school she could easily save close on 2 hours a day commuting. Time for extra curricular, catch up on missed teaching, a bit of extra study.

Yes agreed, that's a shocking commute for an 11-16yo. I had an adult friend who did that for work (London) but it's tough for a child.

I also wonder if there is a nearer school that is not a grammar but a good comp? I would try to make contact and see if there is space in any local schools. How far away is this one? I live in the East Mids and a 90-min journey would get you to Milton Keynes or Leeds.

Anyway, speaking practically, it's unlikely there is anyone about this week or next, but you may have some joy in results week (9-13 Aug).

The main issue will be does any school have spaces and will they offer the same GCSEs that she has chosen? She may need to compromise here. I agree, what she has covered in GCSE already is not so key as what gas been covered in the new school. You need to make sure it is one that does a two-year KS3, especially in relation to subjects like history, Eng lit, MFL and anything else heavily topic or text based.

Are the local schools really bad? Have a look at August newsletters for results day - most likely they have quite a group who get high grades each year. If they stream for GCSE's, she'll be with other like brained people and she might thrive if she's one of fewer clever kids in a broader school - Grammar schools can be horribly competitive.

Thank you for all the replies, and I really do agree with you about the commute! By the end of the day she is just exhausted, and this can’t be good for GCSES. I think I will have to try for KEHS, if need be I could manage the fees.

@clary Thank you, I will definitely try the schools again in results week. The school she’s at is 9 miles away, the other schools are a twenty minute bus right and obviously more preferable. I’ve had a look at each schools Year 9/10 curriculum and the options she has chosen don’t seem to pose any massive problems, though I might be wrong.

@flipflo The local schools aren’t bad, but she is quite the academic, head in a book type so in comps I do worry about how she’ll be treated. It’s also quite assuring as a parent that in grammars they are practically guaranteed decent results.

The local schools aren’t bad, but she is quite the academic, head in a book type so in comps I do worry about how she’ll be treated

There were several head in book type girls at DD's comprehensive school. We don't have any state grammar schools in our area, so only those who could afford private school sent their children to grammar school. DD's school had over 70% of students acheiving A - C in 5 GCSEs including English and maths (she took her GCSEs under the old system)

It’s also quite assuring as a parent that in grammars they are practically guaranteed decent results.

Well of course they are. It is a selective school. All the less bright children won't be at that school will they.

I don't know your area but there are plenty of academic children at all the comprehensives I know well. Don't think they suffer for it. I would take a look op - after all, it sounds as if she wasn't treated that well at her grammar school so there's clearly no hard and fast rule on that. Don't mean to be flippant BTW, I am sorry she has been bullied and it sounds like a new start with less if a commute would be good. How does 9 miles take 90 mins tho? Here it would be about 25 mins on a bus with a 10 min walk

The school she’s at is 9 miles away

Off topic a bit, but how does it take 90 min to travel nine miles? I regularly travel that distance and it's a 20 min walk and a 20 min bus ride. Is it that she has to get more than one bus or train and they don't connect well?

@clary Based off of what you’ve said and pp, I’ll look at some comps that have high results on results day. The travel routes are a bit of a pain, she has to take a bus that comes every twenty minutes or so to the train station, then a train that takes around 40 minutes. It’s also a bit of a walk just getting to places. She leaves at 7 and gets there for about half 8.

@DameAlyson She takes a train and a bus, but she has to walk to get to the bus and train stations. When I was available to take her in the car it only took about 40 minutes, but public transport takes just ages.

My DD's went to comp (no grammars in my county) and got mostly a*'s and 9's (younger one). Comps cater to everyone including the brightest

I think before even looking at results you need to find out which schools have places in year 10. If you’re in Birmingham, there’s quite a pressure on school places. My ds also goes to a grammar 9 miles away and it was taking a similar time! I asked around various decent/not so good local comprehensives in year 9 when he was finding the journey hard, but the good ones didn’t have places. One did but they’re bottom of the league tables and they start GCSEs in year 9. In the end we fixed the issue by driving him to the second bus stop so he only had to take one bus. But there were no bullying issues ..

OP, your DD might like being deemed one of the clever ones at a more mixed school. If kids do well at local schools that aren't grammar it's worth a look.

Hi everyone, thank you for the information it’s very appreciated. I rang our LA today and they couldn’t tell me if any of the grammars have places (so I assume they don’t), however I have a few comps in mind that have decent results and have filled in the application forms to be sent off soon. I am still torn between private or comp as while it’s a stretch private could really benefit her.