Feedback on Grey Court School , Ham (Richmond)

[sdk2022]

Hello Everyone
I have recently moved to the UK and currently residing in Ham (Richmond) area. My daughter is on a waitlist for Kingston Academy and at Tiffin Girls School. For Tiffin School I know the wait is much longer as she will need to give an entrance exam which has been scheduled for 1st Dec as of now. Kingston Academy she is on top in the list but still not sure how long the wait will be. Meanwhile, we have been offered a space at Grey Court school - I would sincerely appreciate an honest feedback about this school? How are the teachers? Is it a good mix of students? Academically do they pay attention to the children? Etc Etc

I'm very apprehensive and want her to have a good and healthy experience especially with such a big change. It's not been easy. I took this house especially to be 7 mins away from Kingston Academy and yet have been on waitlist - have approached Richmond and Kingston Council , written emails to schools etc but we will just have to wait it out. So i just want to know if Grey Court School is a good option to put her in meanwhile. Thank you

I still don't know why at Hampton High the Progress 8 is so bad this year. They have very dedicated staff.

I totally disagree with an option of keeping an elephant in the room. If the school is underperforming it should change. If it changes: hurray, also talk about it.

If you keep feeding the elephant, it will hang around for longer.

If you really want to understand the results, go to the open evening or email and ask about them. But I don't think you do, because you're lucky enough to have multiple options so don't really care ... yet you do know that others have no option and you want to make them feel shitty about that. Nice work.

You are saying that I have multiple options and my neighbour doesn't? it must be then because I am a wife of our Prime Minister or what? 😂
I don't know anybody in this borough who is in catchment only of one school. And btw above 90 percent got their first choice. Fact from the borough's website. Interesting, isn't it?

@JustWingItLifeEyelinerEverything This year people were lucky with nearly 90% getting first choice in Richmond- this does vary every year - the year before it was about 63%. So people have to be ready to accept their second or third choices in some cases.

@infinitwisdom ... See above. So they do have second and third choice...

If you have multiple choices, then your immediate neighbour is likely to have similar choices. However, there are many families living in other parts of the borough who don't. You have mis-quoted the stats from the council's press release, which says that 87% got one of their first three preferences. That means that 13% got 4th preference or below. That is 271 children.
https://www.richmond.gov.uk/news/march_2023/secondary_school_offers_day_in_richmond_upon_thames

@12345changeThis year people were lucky with nearly 90% getting first choice in Richmond- this does vary every year - the year before it was about 63%

You are misquoting stats, and falling for Richmond Council's subtle wording in their annual press release. Last year, 64% got first preference. This year 87% got "one of their top three" preferences. 🙂 Spot the difference?

68 without a place though 😯

They will have got a place before September because some families give up their offered place to go private.

Many will have been offered schools they didn't list on their form - that's why Twickenham School filled up on allocations, even though it wasn't fully subscribed on preferences.

Still your sentence , @infinitwisdom that they don't have a choice is not valid. If they received 4th preference then they are considering choices, there are choices. Not only I have choices. 😃 And also it is not like everybody is only in the catchment of the borough' s schools. People onviously use the catchments of the neighbouring boroughs.

And here a story- I know a person who lives in Surbiton and last year applied to Grey Court, Kingston Academy, Tiffin Girls ( without taking exam 😂), and Holy Cross & Philomena's &Ursulean ( without being practicing Catholic). She did not put Holyfield because she didn't like the school. And guess what, she didn't get any allocation. The reason was her rather reckless choices on the list.

Now, below. Whoever included Twickenham School on the list was not left without a school placement. Also look at the distances offered after the waiting list was filled. For Teddington is way way beyond the borough + people apply for places in Hounslow, Surbiton, Ilseworth, Kingston

Still your sentence , infinitwisdomthat they don't have a choice is not valid. If they received 4th preference then they are considering choices, therearechoices.

Oh @JustWingItLifeEyelinerEverything , you're clutching at straws. These are ranked "preferences" not choices. Some people do miss out on a March 1st offer because they don't include failsafe options on the list. But if they are more savvy and do put them on there, it doesn't mean they are actively "choosing" them.

My point stands that many families go to the schools you freely criticise on this site. If you are repeating your disparaging comments to your children, then they will be repeating them in the playground, and fuelling other children's anxiety about their allocated school. You are feeding your "elephant in the room", knowing that you can walk out of the room and others can't.

So I have multiple choices as you said ans the others have not choices, they have preferences?

Can you quote the disparaging comments?

I think you should contact OFSTED to stop giving choices and allowing list of preferences. Also definitely .ark illegal any sites that rank the schools and let the reviews to be left And above all make sure that no GCSE data is published, ask them to remove Ofsted reports and GCSE progress gov page 😂. Under no circumstances can anybody draw a conclusion or goes to prison 😂

you made me laugh

But I don't think you do, because you're lucky enough to have multiple options so don't really care ... yet you do know that others have no option

I have options and they don't - you said 😂

@infinitwisdom Yes I can see the difference thanks for that 🙄

This thread is very off topic now sorry OP two people with nothing better to do than high jacking your thread. Hope you got the answers you needed. Ignore the rest of the rubbish.

Yes you right @12345change thanks for reminding . The thread definitely went away from what OP asked about and became mentoring that we should not say anything negative about any of the schools ( only positives are allowed) , which defetes the purpose of this section of the forum and freedom of speech principles

I am discouraging you from knocking schools when they're down. Results and Ofsted reports are out there for all to see, but you are adding to their difficulties by adding your own spin and spraying it around on Mumsnet (not just on this thread). Of course you are free to do that, just as your children are free to make similar remarks in the playground and upset other children, but I am also free to say you have something to learn about kindness and empathy @JustWingItLifeEyelinerEverything.

>I am discouraging you from knocking schools when they're down.

Can you quote it?
I think you are confusing who said what. I have never mentioned anything but poor results which are available of everybody. I don't recall discussing Hampton High or Twickenham school in any other thread.

And yes, I will be continuing excercising freedom of speach and I find your demands ridiculous and showing lack of touch with reality, not to mention highly exaggerated. ( still not seen any quote where I allegedly disparage school)
People are visiting this site for advice and not for " only positive opinions" because schools are on their knees so we have to refrain from factual statements like " gov website shows well below average results". And mentioning in this context empathy is simply infantile. We are talking about GCSE results.