Kingsdale foundation school

vcfromhk · 2022-09-04T05:29:05+00:00

Hi, our DD has just got into Kingsdale foundation. We are new to Uk and are renting near Crystal Palace. We are looking to buy a house and are thinking across Richmond, Clapham, Dulwich, Chiswick, Fulham. If we choose any location outside of Dulwich, we will have to change DD school. My question is how does Kingsdale stand compared to a typical outstanding state school in those neighbourhoods? In case Kingsdale is much better, we will then stick to Dulwich else look wider to buy.

Greenandcabbagelooking · 04/09/2022 08:19

I think Kingsdale is really great for some students, and really not for others. If your DD is high achieving, confident and happy to be in a school of 2000 kids, she'll like it. Even better if she's particularly good at music, sport or art.

If however, she is shy, not academic or will hate being in such a bug school, I'd say elsehwere is better.

BettySundaes · 04/09/2022 15:37

What are you trying to compare the school with? An in year place at any outstanding state school in any of the areas you mentioned is likely to be difficult to come by.

Needmorelego · 04/09/2022 15:52

I was on the bus on the last day of the summer term when Kingsdale finished for the day.
I see a lot of appalling behaviour of teens on public transport (who doesn't) but these children were especially dreadful. Screeching, shoving, very loud highly sexual rude talk between one another (loud conversations about blow jobs, "tits" , the C word etc. This was children of around age 12/13 btw). Dumping their litter all over the bus.
This wasn't unusual behaviour. I usually avoid buses at school finish time but being the last day of term the day finished earlier.
They regularly also behave in a similar way in a nearby playpark when primary kids are there.
I know schools don't have any real control over their students once they have left for the day but as they were in uniform they are representing the school and it makes me wonder what the playground talk is like.
I don't think the school is anything special (I know a few children who have gone or go there).

OhCrumbsWhereNow · 05/09/2022 11:58

You don't need to live locally for Kingsdale... the children there are from all over London and well beyond. I have a DD there and we don't even live in Greater London.

Could not be happier with the school (DD is a music scholar there) and we had a choice of 7 schools back in 2019. It was easily the standout for DD.

Needmorelego · 05/09/2022 12:11

@OhCrumbsWhereNow I am glad your daughter likes it and is happy to travel to get there but personally think the lottery system is terrible because it means that children who live next door to the school could be denied a place and then they have to commute somewhere else when they would rather attend a local school in their own community.
Sorry but that's my opinion.

OhCrumbsWhereNow · 05/09/2022 12:14

It does however offer a possibility to those of us in black holes who have no 'local' choice at all. Plenty of secondary schools in that area.

My DD was also awarded her place outside the lottery system.

DeborahVance · 05/09/2022 12:26

It's absolutely enormous, much bigger than average secondary schools.

I know quite a few families with children there, some are happy but many have said that their children got totally lost in the system and they felt that teachers didn't know who they were, so that is something to think about.

Those for whom it has worked best have had children in the top sets who are motivated and get on with things on their own. It does seem to get good results for those children.

DeborahVance · 05/09/2022 12:30

The short answer is I definitely don't think it's better than any other outstanding state school on London.

It's a bit of a controversial school for lots of reasons, so you may not get a consensus on here, people either love it or hate it.

Needmorelego · 05/09/2022 12:31

@OhCrumbsWhereNow true there is a lot of secondary schools in that area but there is a very large monopoly by the Harris chain so there is actually very little choice of actual local authority schools.

OhCrumbsWhereNow · 05/09/2022 12:37

Southwark doesn't have any local authority run schools.

Needmorelego · 05/09/2022 12:49

@OhCrumbsWhereNow yes you are correct. I was just looking (out of curiosity) where the next nearest LA school is if you lived on the Kingswood Estate or Alleyn Park Road area and I realised there isn't any LA schools.
I suppose the nearest school in the borough is East Dulwich Charter but that's got a small catchment area. There really isn't plenty of secondarys in the area. There are children in Penge being allocated schools in Croydon because of the lack of non Harris Schools in that area (Harris are also very choosy about who they take... allegedly).
I'm sorry I would be well pissed off I live across from Kingsdale and my child was denied a place because some kid from North London or out in the 'burbs or wherever got a place instead.
But this is why I am dislike the academy system in general. They can choose their pupils from wherever they want. It should be local schools for the local community and all those schools should be of a good quality.
But that's a utopian dream. Sigh.

Original poster

vcfromhk · 05/09/2022 12:59

We live close by and our daughter was in waiting list. She is lucky to have made it. She is not very academic but overall a confident girl. We are a Indian family who has just moved from Hong Kong. Since we have this option now, we are confused if we should buy a house in Dulwich and nearby and settle here or look for areas closest to city like Clapham , Putney or Fulham or Chiswick. In those cases we will have to change her school so I'm not sure if we will land up getting schools which are equally good or better or worse? Hence, I want to know so I can figure if should at all search for houses in those areas or just contend with finding a place in Dulwich and around

OP posts:

Pinkdelight3 · 05/09/2022 13:13

I would say stick with what you've got as if you move her now/later, any great state school is likely to be oversubscribed and have a long waiting list, so wherever you move, you'll only be offered a school that has places, which by definition is unlikely to be sought after. So unless you can go private (and even then the good ones are usually full), you won't have much (if any) choice of what school she'll end up at. Kingsdale is big, which is why you probably got the place, but if she's confident she won't get lost in the crowd. I sent mine somewhere smaller as they likely would get overlooked at Kingsdale, but I know lots of families who are very happy with it and their kids have done well there. As for the kids on the bus, sure there's kids like that at every school and it's no real indication of what Kingsdale life would be like on site or how they'd turn out.

Original poster

vcfromhk · 05/09/2022 14:56

Thank you for great advise.

OP posts:

DeborahVance · 05/09/2022 16:30

Pinkdelight3 · 05/09/2022 13:13

I would say stick with what you've got as if you move her now/later, any great state school is likely to be oversubscribed and have a long waiting list, so wherever you move, you'll only be offered a school that has places, which by definition is unlikely to be sought after. So unless you can go private (and even then the good ones are usually full), you won't have much (if any) choice of what school she'll end up at. Kingsdale is big, which is why you probably got the place, but if she's confident she won't get lost in the crowd. I sent mine somewhere smaller as they likely would get overlooked at Kingsdale, but I know lots of families who are very happy with it and their kids have done well there. As for the kids on the bus, sure there's kids like that at every school and it's no real indication of what Kingsdale life would be like on site or how they'd turn out.

I agree this is good advice

mervan · 08/09/2022 13:53

My Ds and DD (academic, into music, sport, art) are blooming at Kingsdale. It feels more innovative than some local privates, and the work produced reflect this. Years don't mix during lunch/breaks so the children can make the most of their year group. Communication can be a bit slow, the area needs more cycling lanes but things might improve. Bus door to door : 30 minutes (bus every 10 minutes). Or a 15 minutes bike ride.