Fortismere last distance offered

[IrisOlympia]

Last distance offered for Fortismere for 01 Sept has just been published:
https://new.haringey.gov.uk/schools-learning/schools/school-admissions/how-school-place-offers-were-made/cutoff-distance-school-last-child-offered-place

For the first time it's over 2miles (increased from 1.1m on offer day). Is this reflecting a lower roll or school less popular than it has been, or a mix? Very grateful for any insights from parents currently attending as considering as an option for my son but previously would have been out of catchment.

I get the impression it's less popular than it was- but also so many families are leaving the area I suspect there are just less kids in MH than there used to be.

falling birth rates in Haringey is the main reason for expanding catchment and its a (very) large school, the houses with over £1.5m price tag are simply unaffordable for young families and many fo those who can afford it go private, so its not surprising. its still a solid choice for "middle class type" North London families along with APS. Fortismere* * is of course a large school which often leads to a rich mix of opinions from parents on social media and local FB groups.
There is also Archer and it has more socially diverse intake but the catchment system there is a bit odd and a handful of places that are allocated for N2 can be quickly filled in by kids from the nearest high rise estate blocks and flats, so its N2 catchment is tiny!

I know parents who were happy/unhappy with all three above.

Both. F very narrowly avoided a RI judgement a couple of years back due to safeguarding fails. But catchment areas are expanding everywhere.

Judging by the parents’ chat at DC’s primary school, it’s because everyone wants APS these days.

Schools go in and out of fashion. I suspect it’s because APS is outstanding and Fortismere isn’t. APS doesn’t get as good results as Fortismere though, and I’ve heard APS is very strict.

There’s always a fashionable school that everyone talks up in N London!

It's reputation has been really really patchy recently, so I was expecting it to be bad but not that bad. I don't think it's the strictness either tbh, yes strict schools are in fashion atm but there's schools like Parliament Hill that are incredibly popular atm and are very similar to Fortismere in terms of ethos etc.
This is unfortunately what happens when people base their choices off of rumour and opinion, which in those circles is the case. But it can destroy a great school.

Thanks. What do you mean by bad?

As in I expected the catchment to get wider, but not by such a huge margin.

My son got in soon after initial offers were made. We would normally have had to sit on the waiting list for much longer.

true, APS is more popular. But falling rolls are the main reason. Our outstanding primary had eight spaces in my son’s class by the end of Y6. I had an offer from the perfectly good Christ’s College Finchley later and they are much further away from us. People have moved out of London.

FWIW I think it a better school than Parli, where my daughter is in Y11.

That’s very interesting Elpis. Is it specific issues or just a general feeling about each school?

Has your DD decided what her preference is for 6th form ? Is she considering Fortismere?

As it is common with many large schools, Fortismiere attracts many opinions on social media. The school didn't get worse or better but it has been downgraded by Ofsted and the local middle-class community often tends to be quite judgmental and picky about schools. Fortismiere is still very much of a middle-class school with very involved parents hence it achieves good results. there won't be a drastic difference in teaching and type of children attending (though APS feels more mised though this might be changing). Pastoral care can be hit and miss in both and you find families who have good/bad experiences, these are the state schools and the resources are somewhat limited. In general, APS catchment tends to be more affordable than the one of Fortismiere so in the last few years, it started to attract more families who target state secondaries.So, I'd agree that the main reason F's catchment is shrinking is falling student rolls. F's primary "feeder" Tetherdown has had no catchment in the last two years purely down to falling student rolls. this will start impacting all secondaries in the coming years

Fortismere are more ‘on it’. We already have test results and a sense of what DS needs to work on. There are many more clubs, they are livelier, and the music provision is better. Pastoral is engaged (he has autistic traits but no statement) and the school generally has a lot more going on.

Parli suffers from a high teacher turnover and some robotic teaching. They have improved a bit as GCSEs approach but I have never felt they cared much. Ofc it was a very difficult start, with the second lockdown a few months in.

Yes, she is considering Fortismere for sixth form. In one of her GCSEs (computer science) Parli has really let her down after the only qualified teacher quit and was not replaced.

That said, there is fighting at Fortismere, this week in Y9. But there was fighting at my comp. I think you have to go private or for a super-strict academy to try to completely avoid it. Parli, despite being a girls’ school, has the odd fight too.

Really interesting, @Elpis . The computer science thing is a disaster, but in a way it’s extraordinary they kept a teacher so long - I have been looking at 6th forms and v few do computer science even at that level, as it’s so hard to get teachers.
The Fortismere kids I know (mine aren’t there but these are v close) have complained a lot about very poor teaching, inc from a teacher who was subsequently disbarred; a lack of support in the GCSE years; some quite astonishing safeguarding breaches; and a lack of pastoral support at a time when it was badly needed. But as you say, lots of these problems are pretty structural…

whats your prediction for when a secondary school will actually close up? I think smaller and emptier ones will start to close within 2 years…

Is the drug problem big at fortismere?

Drugs-related issues don't stick to any particular school, so there are kids involved with drugs in any secondary school. So no, it isn't a problem specific to Fortismiere, I guess you may hear about Fortismiere more often as its a larger school, so statistically speaking say 1% of kids involved with drugs will translate into more kids in absolute numbers

Thanks so much Elpis. My DD is thinking of Fortismere for 6th form but the recent 6th form open day was pretty awful and completely put her off. It’s a shame as the subjects she’s after seem great there.

Interesting to hear about Parli as everyone I know who has girks there raves about it. But I have heard about the fights . At least they don’t seem to have regular punch ups with the rival local school like at my comp.

So is Alexandra Park on the whole now more popular than fortismere? Or is it hard to compare because the schools are so different?

My DD is in y11 at Parli and I honestly couldn't disagree more. She joined in y10 though so maybe it's what you say, improves at GCSEs. My DD actually moved from one of the other schools mentioned on here, the strictness nearly ended her and one of the complaints she has about parli is it's quite boring and there's never any fights but I do think that's so so dependent on your year group. The year below hers seems to have quite a few issues.

As above, that's not been out experience of parli but we did join late. I have a friend with two daughters at Highgate wood and she was very close to moving them but things improved at GCSE. I do think it's really luck. Parli put my DD back together and she's gone from being predicted 2s to now working at 6s and 7s. She's had the most amazing caring teachers, a few of whom even went to parli. She has a friend from the year below though who's had a tough time so it really is more to do with luck I think.

hi again keen to hear any updates of anyone recently attending - are people still liking fortismere, anything to consider? distances seem to be similar again to last year.

I'd also like to know this. We are in the fortunate position of having an offer at both hws and fortsimere. Would love to have opinions from people who've had older kids at both schools, so they have a longer term view of things.

I am curious how you have an offer from both? You are allocated one school place. Do you mean you got given your second choice then offered a waiting list place for the first?

Yes exactly that.

The buildings are in a very poor state of repair at F, that's one of the reasons I didn't choose it. It feels like millions is needed to get them up to scratch again and that's a potential disruption as well as a big ask for parents.