is Burnage academy for boys good?

[Johnathan3765]

My elder kid will attend year 7 in 2023. He will probably go to Burnage academy for boys next year, but I am not sure if it is a good decision as my neighbour told me to stay away from that school. I am also considering William Hulme's Grammar school as a possible alternative but unsure if it is actually any better. Any thoughts?

Burnage is very good. Look at the results it churns out year after year.
I know people there who are extremely happy. No state school is perfect. Depends where you live but WH has tiny catchment

On what basis is neighbour saying that? An old out dated reputation or personal experience

Her husband went there as a pupil and her cousin was a teacher there. So I guess it's a personal experience. She said she would rather have her son be home than be sent to that academy.

Burnage has had a chequered history but is currently an excellent school. I retired from teaching in a different but local secondary school and watched Burnage improve year on year.

William Hulme used to be a fee paying grammar school but could not compete with Manchester Grammar School so changed to become a LA comprehensive school. The school I taught in now achieves better results than WHGS, there is a bit of a competition between the headteachers each year!

To be honest, you should go for a look at both schools and get a feel for them to see if you think your son would flourish there.

Thank you for your suggestion.
In particular, I am a bit worried because my kid does not really follow any religion and is also a pretty picky eater. He looks quite fragile and is not really physically strong. Meanwhile, he is quite stubborn and tends to "report" what he believes to be inappropriate behaviours to the teachers, which probably results in him having relatively few friends in his current school. As it appears that Burnage has a reputation for bullies (I might be wrong here, but my neighbour and some google searches told me this), I am a little worried.

To me that's personal but very outdated experience. Depending on her age her husband is likely to tags left ten years ago? Look at its ofsted.
Go visit. Read FB posts about it etc

Burnage is a non religious so religion doesn't matter. Not does his eating patterns. He can take packed lunch. Loads of Yr7 boys are tiny. Where else did you put down ?

Yes, I realised her husband is in his 40s now.

We went to the school on the Open Event and my son took an instant dislike. He looked at the huge playground and asked my wife "This field is so large. What if I get bullied here and no one is around?". I am not sure why he said it but it was not a good first impression. After the event, my son said he does not want to go to this school because he does not like it. I asked for details but he said it was just his feelings.

I also read the reviews and follow the academy's Facebook, but could not find much. The academy's google reviews mostly come from its students, and many reviews are contradictory to one another. Notably, one review says "i am giving this school a 5 because i am sitting next to a teacher. PS I went on a trip and missed the whole day :D IM IN Y10 AND I AM DOING MY GCSE THIS YR!!!!!!"

Do you mean he won't be picked on or isolated due to his particular religious views or food selections? I do plan to have packed lunch for him.

I doubt anyone would care what he eats or if he's religious or not. At high schools there are always other areas the kids can go. Why not ask the question to the school. There's loads of lunch clubs. Why is he so worried about being bullied?
The view of a 40 year old ex pupil is irrelevant.
What other schools did you put down

I am not sure why he said that. His current school is excellent and without bullying issues.
I am considering Didsbury High school, William Hulme's Grammar school, Parrs Wood, and Burnage Academy for Boys.

Our primary school offered extra support with transition to kids who would need it. My DC has ASD so finds change difficult, dislikes crowded noisy, smelly places (High School in a nutshell), has a very limited diet, is easily put off eating. He gets to choose his meal 5 minutes early and eat in a quiet place. These adjustments began before his autism diagnosis in Yr 6. Talk to his primary, they may know what will suit him.

Ok. Whether you have a chance of all those depends on where you live as they are quite spread out. For DH you need to be less than 0.9 miles

Have you looked at Manchester Enterprise Academy Central in Levenshulme? If you're in catchment for Burnage Academy your son could potentially get in there. It's part of the same Academy group as Chorlton High school, is coeducational and had good GCSE results last year. For Didsbury High you need to live within a mile of the school.

If the boy is starting Sept 23 then the applications deadline has gone. I assume that's the 4 preferences the OP put down.

To some extent, it depends on where you live! Didsbury High is a new school and linked to Cheadle High and, like WHGS, has a very small catchment area. Parrs Wood is quite a distance from Burnage, if that’s where you live, so not many local children go there, it’s also very large and has a mixed reputation re behaviour.

From your description of your child’s needs, you need to be asking what arrangements the school could make around his possible need for access to smaller spaces, quieter areas and clubs to support friendship issues. Any large school might feel the same to him - a scary space with large play grounds, crowded corridors, noisy dining rooms etc so it’s the accommodations the school can make that might be important.

Does he have any support from the SENCO at his primary school? If so, they should be helping him with the transition - he might need extra visits, access to a safe space, different lunch arrangements or a buddy system.

Have you considered the new Chorlton High South near the the Police building on Mauldeth Rd? The staff there have lots of experience from the original CHS with catering for students with additional needs.

The OP will already have applied. CHS now as the reputation as the school you get allocated if you don't get the rest as it's not been full. I know people that are really really happy with BBA. Loads of Burnage kids do go to ParrsWood and it's an easy journey. PW has strict behaviour codes. It also like others has quiet areas, loads of lunch clubs & a lot of transition support. I know people happy at DH but all live in WestDids so on doorstep.
OP are you / he just generally anxious about the transition anywhere? There's useful threads on here about that.

@Shouldbedoing: Thanks for your suggestions. I will ask the current school for advice.
@Feetache: yes, there are the school selected in his application. I think he is anxious about the transition in general.
@kaffkooks: Thanks for your suggestion. I will look into this school.
@Ilovetocrochet: He does not appear to have any particular issues. Thanks for your suggestions! Should I ask Burnage Academy for Boys if they have any of these supports (extra visits, a buddy system)?
I am thinking of moving home at the moment, and the new home is likely to be close to Burnage Academy for Boys. Our current home is about 0.82 miles away from Didsbury High School, so we are considering whether to delay the move until March 2023.

The application will be assessed in address at time of submission.
But if you move you'd have to consider travel back to DH. It's ok in summer but could be horrible on a cold wet night in the dark. And his mates would all live near DH

Maybe if all his mates are going DH that's why he's anxious too

You are very much on point here, and those dreaded winter's "afternoons" too. I am sure he will be fine at DH, but would that rule out Burnage Academy for Boys?

If you have applied at current address you are likely to get DH. If you move now they'll still base on current address now

I think so. However, I am required to report to the City Council when we move, which will happen this December or January. Would that damage the chance for my kid to go to DH?

Only the admissions office could tell you that.