Page 3 | Weald of Kent school - Ofsted

Schoolmum5 · 2022-07-05T12:03:17+00:00

I have a DD in Year 5 and am looking for schools for September 2023 entry. I am very concerned about the recent WOK ofsted which seems to highlight a number of internal concerns. Whilst the education provision itself is good there seem to be a lack of clubs and an internal culture which does not address bullying. The headmistress also appears defensive in her response and I have heard rumours of staff discontent. I would really welcome views on experiences at the school which was previously very well regarded. My worry is the lack of other school choices where I live if DD passes the 11 plus without enough marks for super selective.

YellowRoseinMay · 05/10/2023 10:05

Bumping to see if anyone has any more feedback on this school

daisynova · 05/10/2023 15:24

My daughter is now year 8 and she loves it. My son now looking at the school for his 6th form.

AboutRound · 05/10/2023 17:22

daisynova · 05/10/2023 15:24

My daughter is now year 8 and she loves it. My son now looking at the school for his 6th form.

Looks like Sevenoaks sixth form might be closing due to low numbers - under consultation at the moment.

daisynova · 05/10/2023 17:26

I saw that but he wants Tonbridge campus anyway.

PebblyBeach · 05/10/2023 18:48

My daughter has just started Y7, we're very pleased with it so far.

YellowRoseinMay · 05/10/2023 18:58

@PebblyBeach
That’s good to know !
can I ask how did she find the induction process ? Did she know many girls before starting ?

PebblyBeach · 05/10/2023 19:01

She didn't know anyone at all before starting but we quickly got a parents' whats app going and had 3 meet ups for her form over the summer. We found the induction to be fine. There was an extra transition session for the girls with SEN as well.

Raisindettre · 05/10/2023 19:19

Weald have given my DD an outstanding education, we couldn’t be happier with the quality of teaching she’s had. She’s made great friends and it’s been brilliant all round.

Judd, OTOH, where my son was, pretty shocking tbh. Definitely wouldn’t recommend.

YellowRoseinMay · 05/10/2023 22:22

Sounds really promising
I’m just worried about the journey we would have
how long a walk is it from Tonbridge station ?

YellowRoseinMay · 05/10/2023 22:23

Have the school sorted the safeguarding / bullying issues in view of current parents that are there now ?

Raisindettre · 06/10/2023 07:28

My DD has never had an issue with bullying - and has never been aware of any either.

Walk from Ton station about 15 mins. Tonbridge station at 8.30am is a sight to behold lol!!!

daisynova · 06/10/2023 18:10

This was mainly about the leadership team and this has been changed now.

13lucky · 06/10/2023 22:36

My dd is in Year 13. I'm hoping the school can turn around but, unfortunately, it'll be too late for my dd. The school is definitely trying hard to move things forward but struggling to recuit which I know is a nationwide problem but I'm guessing the recent history isn't helping with this. My dd is very happy at Weald...she has never experienced bullying or heard or seen any and she's been there since Year 7...she's suffering at A level in one subject due to a massively high turnover of staff and in another subject where they haven't managed to recuit enough staff...so, for us, sixth form is a massive worry at the moment.

daisynova · 07/10/2023 09:21

Would you mind sharing which subjects as my son is considering Weald for 6th form?

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 07/10/2023 14:27

13lucky · 06/10/2023 22:36

My dd is in Year 13. I'm hoping the school can turn around but, unfortunately, it'll be too late for my dd. The school is definitely trying hard to move things forward but struggling to recuit which I know is a nationwide problem but I'm guessing the recent history isn't helping with this. My dd is very happy at Weald...she has never experienced bullying or heard or seen any and she's been there since Year 7...she's suffering at A level in one subject due to a massively high turnover of staff and in another subject where they haven't managed to recuit enough staff...so, for us, sixth form is a massive worry at the moment.

The national picture with a shortage of teachers across many subjects means that teachers wanting a new job can often choose a school which feels like it'll be supportive/a good fit. There aren't many experienced teachers who would want to work in a school in this sort of scenario.

If the new head has a good network and can attract staff she knows from elsewhere to work in the school, that may help. But more often in these scenarios, staffing problems can be very difficult to solve. Often sixth formers see it the most because they really need subject specialists.

13lucky · 12/10/2023 22:33

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 07/10/2023 14:27

The national picture with a shortage of teachers across many subjects means that teachers wanting a new job can often choose a school which feels like it'll be supportive/a good fit. There aren't many experienced teachers who would want to work in a school in this sort of scenario.

If the new head has a good network and can attract staff she knows from elsewhere to work in the school, that may help. But more often in these scenarios, staffing problems can be very difficult to solve. Often sixth formers see it the most because they really need subject specialists.

Show quote history

Yes just this.

ValancyRedfern · 12/11/2023 16:28

Hello. Hope you don't mind me reviving this thread. Dd is considering Weald but I'm pretty alarmed by the Ofsted report; I'm glad to hear things seem to have improved, but it's worrying the interim inspection didn't think they could go up to a Good yet. On the flipside, Weald's Progress 8 is the highest in the are. How are people finding it now? Dd would be looking at Sevenoaks campus and I'm also concerned there won't be much extra -curricular there as its so small. Do they run e.g. school shows at both sites? (I'm a Drama teacher and dd has lived and breathed my school shows, so she'd be devastated not to have ones of her own!)

Raisindettre · 12/11/2023 17:01

I honestly wouldn’t pay too much attention to the Ofsted which is relevant to the previous head, not this one. As said above, it is entirely unreflective of my DDs experience which has been fantastic. The teaching has been superb throughout.

Be aware that Sevenoaks sixth form is going to close for a couple of years as it’s not financially viable. It should be open again though by the time your DD needs it. Weald work hard to offer the same extra curricular activities I believe at both sites, although I do know that Drama A level isn’t available at Sevenoaks and I believe the drama studio doesn’t exist any more there. If drama is very important I’d suggest probably the Tonbridge site instead.

The progress 8 is unsurprising, if I look at my DDs A level predictions compared to what she entered the school with. But what I really love about Weald is that they seem to get the very best from the pupils without the stress and pressure that you can get at other schools. It’s done with a light touch and a care for the girls, which is worth its weight in gold IMO.

1424Main · 12/11/2023 20:04

Weald is really struggling to maintain any sense of reliability here - let’s face it - there are far better schools out there ! Would not recommend.

daisynova · 13/11/2023 09:50

My daughter is in year 8 and so far I’m very impressed with the school. The teaching has been great, the teachers receptive to feedback direct from parents, the pastoral care has been great and my daughter loves her time there. She’s at Tonbridge campus but often travels to the Sevenoaks campus for hockey - the year 8 team is made up of girls from both campuses.

she also does drama, dance and music but hasn’t got involved in any shows or concerts yet.

WestKentMum2020 · 14/11/2023 06:33

The interim inspection was a Monitoring Visit, this has only two possible outcomes: pass/fail, it is not possible to grade a school at a monitoring visit. Schools are only graded at full inspections.

Many of us would love to see a yearly school production at Weald! I hope the pupils will start to suggest this at student council where they appear to have regular opportunities to be heard.

TheWorldisGoingMad · 14/11/2023 08:08

My son joined 6th form this year. He moved from a very prominent super selective grammar. The difference is astounding. He loves The Weald in a way he never did at his previous school. The teachers are passionate about their teaching. There is a good balance of emotional support, focus on mental health and academic success. His previous school failed all the children throughout covid. They did nothing to support the children through the long period of home learning. The children who could not afford extra tutoring to make up for this suffered the most.

I'm very happy with my child at W. He goes to school happy and comes home happy. That's a win for us.

If it helps, this was from the latest newsletter, this morning:
"Firstly, I am pleased to inform parents and carers that the Department for Education have confirmed our Progress 8 score as being 0.83 which is defined as ‘well above average’. Progress 8 is a key accountability measure that determines students’ progress from the beginning of Key Stage 3 to their GCSEs. It is a value added measure whereby our students’ results are compared to students who had the same prior attainment score at Key Stage 2. A score of 0.83 is very impressive and shows the significant progress Weald students make compared to students of the same ability in other schools. This measure places us in the top 2.3% of schools nationally and the top state school in the Tonbridge and Sevenoaks area for the second year running. We are very proud of our students achievements which is reflected in this score, as well as the continued support of our dedicated staff and the support from our parents. Congratulations to everyone!"

TheWorldisGoingMad · 14/11/2023 09:08

Raisindettre · 12/11/2023 17:01

I honestly wouldn’t pay too much attention to the Ofsted which is relevant to the previous head, not this one. As said above, it is entirely unreflective of my DDs experience which has been fantastic. The teaching has been superb throughout.

Be aware that Sevenoaks sixth form is going to close for a couple of years as it’s not financially viable. It should be open again though by the time your DD needs it. Weald work hard to offer the same extra curricular activities I believe at both sites, although I do know that Drama A level isn’t available at Sevenoaks and I believe the drama studio doesn’t exist any more there. If drama is very important I’d suggest probably the Tonbridge site instead.

The progress 8 is unsurprising, if I look at my DDs A level predictions compared to what she entered the school with. But what I really love about Weald is that they seem to get the very best from the pupils without the stress and pressure that you can get at other schools. It’s done with a light touch and a care for the girls, which is worth its weight in gold IMO.

I totally agree with your comments:
"I honestly wouldn’t pay too much attention to the Ofsted which is relevant to the previous head, not this one. As said above, it is entirely unreflective of my DDs experience which has been fantastic. The teaching has been superb throughout.

But what I really love about Weald is that they seem to get the very best from the pupils without the stress and pressure that you can get at other schools. It’s done with a light touch and a care for the girls, which is worth its weight in gold IMO."
My DD had enormous pressure from his last school. Everything was about the reputation of the school, not the care and well-being of the pupil. His experience at The Weald has been the same, exceptional.

1424Main · 14/11/2023 11:11

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ValancyRedfern · 18/11/2023 11:15

WestKentMum2020 · 14/11/2023 06:33

The interim inspection was a Monitoring Visit, this has only two possible outcomes: pass/fail, it is not possible to grade a school at a monitoring visit. Schools are only graded at full inspections.

Many of us would love to see a yearly school production at Weald! I hope the pupils will start to suggest this at student council where they appear to have regular opportunities to be heard.

If a monitoring visit thinks the school grading should change (either up or down) they will immediately upgrade to a full inspection. I'm a teacher so I know this stuff! So when Ofsted did the monitoring visit they still thought it Require Improvement. As a teacher I also take Ofsted with a massive pinch of salt so this isn't necessarily a deal breaker for me.

I have massive mum guilt over the school show thing though. I feel I've neglected my daughter to work all hours on school shows, and now I need someone else to do the same for her. 😢