rubbish local secondary school choices - London - did you end up moving?

[080878tukh]

DC is currently in yr 2 in a local London primary and all our local secondary options are quite rubbish. Contemplating whether it's worth moving - but with things as they are - not really the right time interest rate/house prices wise. I guess our dilemma is not unusual for London - we are only in the catchment of one single sex school that is really not very good. Not sure that DC would pass an entrance exam for the local private schools - that have become incredibly competitive of late. For those who decided to stay or move - do you think it was worth it either way?

Whereas my dd was grade 4 on one instrument and 3 on another when she applied and got a half scholarship and no place - so who knows? She's now (year 9) a pretty serious musician - grade 8 on her first instrument, places in several national ensembles and choirs.

However, she is firmly convinced she isn't as 'good' as the Kingsdale kids - it really knocked her confidence. But her school brings different opportunities, which are good too so it has worked out OK, and I wasn't that keen on her going anyway - her older sister was so happy at Sydenham that it seemed easier to go for the school we knew.

Maybe she isn't as naturally musical as others- we certainly hadn't prepared her for the MAT and were a bit naive. She should have played two pieces on her first instrument instead of one on each when the second wasn't as good.

I said I do know some very good musicians at Kingsdale

I assume the pp who’ve mentioned Prendergast mean the one FKA Hilly Fields, which is girls’. OP should look at Prendergast Vale and Prendergast Ladywell Fields. Both are ‘good’ and you’d have a decent chance from parts of SE23.

@ThanksItHasPockets thanks. I've had a couple of friends with girls who put down Prendergast Ladywell but I dont think we'd be close enough from where we are.

Great to know. I'm sure the OP wants to relocate to Leeds.

How unnecessarily bitchy. That was a direct and valid response to the question in OP’s title.

You really can't tell much from schools even with ofsted reports. I live near you OP but went to a top performing Kent grammar school which had a drugs problem. Can get the best grades but doesn't reflect the actual behaviour/culture within the school.

@ThanksItHasPockets How does it help?

@Herefishy OP specifically asked if other people in her position ended up moving. The honest answer is that yes, many do, and the pp’s
relative is an example. OP says she can’t move internationally but she doesn’t specify what a move would look like, and whether she can move within the UK or needs to stay in London. If you feel it’s an unhelpful response then tell the OP to ask better questions. Don’t snipe at someone who gives a perfectly valid answer.

PS I do understand how irritating it is when someone comes on eg a property thread to boggle at the price of a house in Beckenham and state that you could have a mansion in Morpeth for that much but that really isn’t what’s happening here.

At the moment, we are tied to London because of our jobs. So if we were to move, both of us would still need to commute back a couple of times per week. In the long run, DH would love to find something elsewhere but he'd need to change sector so am not sure how likely that is

Another local parent here although I have girls. I am on the borders of Sydenham's catchment and was outside it in the run up to first child moving to secondary so did contemplate moving but decided to stay and luckily we had music scholarship options. I know parents with kids at FHS and they seem a mixture of ok about it and happy. It's not perfect, what school is. I understand your reluctance OP as even though we know ofsted isn't everything the rating "requires improvement" inspires reluctance. I do think less parents are moving out for secondary and FHB is on the up so hopefully this will continue and you will be happy with it as an option in the next few years. Alternative is to put your son down for Ladywell Prendergast Primary. This is a feeder school to the secondary and while you might not want to move your son from his current primary, the Prendergast primary is outstanding and guarantees a place in the secondary.

Im also in SE London. I think unless you live here it’s hard for people to understand just how bad the schools are. After talking to young people on our street (regular babysitters - I knew them quite well) and friends who teach in the local secondary schools - again very compelling first hand accounts - we thought no way. One DS passed the out of county Kent grammar well enough to score a place and commutes, the other is at a local private school on a scholarship and we pay the rest of fees with grandparent help.

Sorry but this is exactly what people are talking about when they suggest being careful when you are talking about schools in Y 5/6. I have three children at secondary school in the area and they are all doing really well academically and I'm generally pleased with their all round development too, with the usual hiccups. 'Just how bad the schools are' = not bad, actually.

The schools I am talking about I have friends who are teaching there and know young people attending there now - I spoke about it with them just last week. I'm not referring to information gathered years ago, which I fully appreciate would date quickly. I am, though, referring to just three secondary schools - the ones closest to us. Naturally I can't speak for all of the SE London secondaries, I am sure some of them are great.

Which ones?

It might help the op

St ursulas, Tallis and Roan

You can’t speak for all of them? You DID speak for all of them. You said “just how bad the schools are”. You didn’t say “some” schools. Or narrow down which schools. Atttitudes like this are harmful to the schools and the children who go to them.

I don't think op would be in catchment for any of these schools.

Oh don't be ridiculous.

Kids are perfectly happy and get into good universities from all the comprehensives near me.

Three schools in Greenwich and you write off all of SE London. Looking at the results for St Ursula's, they are above the national average for progress 8, Ebacc, grade 5 maths and English, everything. www.find-school-performance-data.service.gov.uk/school/100193/st-ursula's-convent-school/secondary

Not that this is of much use to the OP because she's in SE23.

Oh my goodness! on paper..this school looks great!!!

I always thought Ursuline was a perfectly nice school but it's girls only and too far away from us. My problem in the area is that most girls schools are ok unlike boy ones. I appreciate that some local parents do like FHB, I think I was disappointed with the latest Ofsted and the fact that their progress results arent all that great either

I know I’ve mentioned it before as an option, but Sedgehill got a great progress 8 score this year.www.find-school-performance-data.service.gov.uk/school/148003/sedgehill-academy/secondary

The Progress 8 for FHB is above the national average. It is pulled down by a low P8 score for low prior attainers, and a lower progress score in Maths and non-EBacc subjects. And overall, the only real point where it is below eg area averages is i. EBacc - as the Ofsted says, they need more boys to continue with languages.

The DfE itself says that this year’s progress results are not that reliable due to Covid - progress is likely to be affected by eg those living in households which had few suitable devices and less supportive adults during online learning, and that is always going to be more common in totally non-selective schools as selective (stealth or otherwise) schools will have parents of a different socio-economic and value for education profile.

As I said earlier in the thread, the issues in the Ofsted report are mainly solvable with SLT leadership and prioritisation (though of course specialist teacher availability is likely to be an ongoing issue nationally, both in Maths and languages). You have the time to watch how things change year on year, and are likely to see another Ofsted inspection before you need to apply. If the issues don’t change, then that us of concern. However, I don’t think it is just to write the school off as an option at this point.

I just think you should go and visit FH school and listen to the head teacher and meet the boys/see the facilities. Then assess. The head explains in his sessions how they are working on the content of the ofsted report and improving.