Will you let DC change schools?

[Orangesunset8]

DD is currently in year 9 in a girls school which is not local. She has to commute there; not a terribly commute. 20 min on the train, 10 to 15 min walk to the school from train station. Total door to door is probably one hour.

DD is ok to go to school, does her homework, is making progress, has some friends she talks to in school, not bullying that I hear of and behaviour in general ok. many teachers have been there for awhile. I don’t hear much from school though even when I email them, not much reply.

She wants to change, she thinks the commuting is not worth it for an average school that doesn’t have anything exciting going on like trips to make memories with their friends; not particularly excel at anything like art, music, or sports. She doesn’t see anyone from school outside the school. Premises a bit rundown and classrooms small like many state schools in England.

I agree we what she says above.

The 2 options to move are:

A performing arts and creative coed school which has a year 10 intake where she attends the Saturday school and loves it. Opinions in general good but GCSEs results average. DD will have to commute but is closer than the one she currently attends. DD is more creative than academic. School goes from year 10 to year 13.

Or

A massive coed secondary coed school where her best friend go to, local. Very good at sports, art, music but general opinions vary from great to not send your child there. Her friend is happy, says is not that bad; they have opportunities for overseas trips, music events, etc.

TIA

Both those schools are hugely over subscribed- a huge waiting list and the Brit school has very height performance standards. Call admissions for both and find out the full process. It may not be worth getting her hopes up. Neither are easy to just rock up to and get in.

Interesting!
Didn't know arts option is not compulsory anymore.

The Triple/Combined also makes sense as that I assume is just upped in Y11 once RE/Citizenship no longer needs the block.

Current situation of both ...

Kingsdale no in year admission places...

kingsdalefoundationschool.org.uk/in-year-admissions/#:~:text=Kingsdale%20Foundation%20School%20is%20a,any%20of%20our%20year%20groups.

And the full Brit school process

www.brit.croydon.sch.uk/admissions

We have friends at both schools who do well but also have friends who have very talented imho children who didn't get into the Brit school.

Not sure, we can only try; however DD has a EHCP, many state schools have priority for children with a plan (not the Brit). The schools she goes to gets 10k additional a year from the LA. I think Kingsdale may like that additional money for a child that behaves well, comply with homework, and needs a bit of support but not massively.

She attends the Brit School on Saturdays and we have been to open days. I know there is no guarantee she will get in. It does strike me as a bit more supportive for kids with SEN from what I read and from what they say in the open day.

Does the EHCP name her current school though?

It does, but it is a mainstream school. I spoke to the LA last week and they said they will just update it; they even suggested they will put the Brit School.

I'd be very nervous about moving a child with an EHCP from a small nurturing school to a large comprehensive. The difference will blow your mind.

I don't think it's wise to give your daughter the choice here... she's obviously going to want to go to a school where her best friend is. A school which her friend describes as 'not that bad' and parents in the area are telling you not to do it!

Seriously, what are you thinking? As a compromise, I'd give her the chance to get into the Brit school and if she gets in she can go there. Otherwise she should stay put. If she doesn't get into the Brit school she's most likely not going to make it in a theatre career anyway... harsh but true.

Moving a child with additional needs into a comprehensive school as she starts her GCSEs doesn't seem like a good idea to me. Way too much disruption. Large classroom sizes, noise, boys, overwhelm, poor support from SEND team. What could possibly go wrong?

Thank you. I do appreciate your opinion. Those are the reasons she ended commuting; we thought she will get lost in Kingsdale, fall down the cracks. The fact they have also started GCSES already is another issue on top that there are no that many more trips after year 10 which is one of her motivations. We are going to try for The Brit first and see how it goes.

I truly believe that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. I have two daughters who are currently enrolled in two different schools. While neither was my first choice, one of them has a better reputation than the other. However both seem on par in different ways.

At one point, I thought moving my older daughter to the other school might be a good idea. However, she really struggled there and ultimately decided to return to her previous school. That experience taught me a lot about finding the right fit for each child.

Kingsdale was definitely on our radar, and I was impressed with what they offered. However, I worry about its size compared to my daughters’ current schools; it feels quite overwhelming in comparison.

As I reflect on their education, I think year 9 is a pivotal time for them, and I wouldn't consider transferring schools unless I felt my daughters truly wouldn’t thrive in their current environments. They have access to numerous opportunities, some of which resonate with them more than others. I believe that any additional support or resources I can provide outside of school will also play a significant role in their growth and success and meet ups can be arranged out of school.

good luck with your decision.

@Orangesunset8 in the kindest way, wanting to change schools because she wants to go on a school trip isn't really a good reason...

At our local comp there aren't many opportunities to go on school trips, and when they do come up there are limited places available. If it's the same at the school she wants to go to, she might not even get a place if other children have missed out before. Being last in and all that...

I hope she gets sorted but I'd proceed with caution!

Echoing above, We have a friend at Kingsdale whose child was offered two sessions instead of several at an extra curricular club due to high demand. The organisers were trying to ensure fairness, but it was disappointing for the children who chose Kingsdale for its extracurricular activities. This isn't meant as a criticism; as the previous person mentioned, it's just a reminder to be cautious.

Thank you all. It is not only the trips but also wanting to have a shorter commute and friends to hang around with outside school; however I would be very nervous to move her to Kingsdale for all the reasons mentioned.

I am glad I posted as is good to have other people opinions. Current school is not perfect but I have not heard anything that concerns me or put me off sending her there. I don’t mind The Brit as it is a year 10 intake and I think it may suit DD better but if she doesn’t get in it may be better to stick with current school until year 11.

There are things like end of year reward trips to theme parks, and Y8 go on a week residential, but otherwise the vast majority of the trips are subject, activity or scholarship specific - or are of the skiing trip variety that very few students in any school will be choosing to do.

So maths scholars do activities with Imperial, the Geography GCSE students go off to the seaside to do coastal erosion, the dance club kids do workshops with BRIT and the music scholars/GCSE music students go to a concert.

The trips are definitely NOT a reason to move school, and especially in higher year groups.

When I read your post, my first thought was that it was BRIT and Kingsdale you were referring to.

There is something of a natural reshuffle at the end of Y9 for most schools where GCSE options start in Y10. Students tend to find themselves amongst others who have chosen the same options as well as being organised into sets according to their performance in some of the core subjects if they haven't already.

I know people who joined BRIT at Y10 and are now adults working in creative industries, current uni students who went there to do the music strand and are carving successful music careers for themselves whilst studying at conservatoires and Ivy League unis. I am also in touch with alumni who studied the technical theatre pathway and are now travelling the world doing technical theatre things. It's an excellent springboard for those who are driven, whether highly academic or less so. It's definitely worth applying but do ensure your DD is thoroughly prepared for any audition she may be invited to.

Kingsdale is indeed huge. Would I move a fairly happy Y9 with an EHCP after options had been chosen in the hope she will throw herself into the extracurricular opportunities she's not that interested in? Not a chance! I would put my energies into supporting her to develop friendships outside school, model how to invite a friend to the cinema nearer to school and make myself available to support the homeward journey for both girls if needed. I'd help my DD identify opportunities at school that she might be able to get involved with e.g. Y7 lunchtime buddy, library monitor etc. and would offer to support her in identifying who to contact about it.

Friends don't fall into each others' laps - threads on the higher education board often make the point that films, social media and adults tend to give the impression everyone 'finds their tribe' when they start Y7/uni/job/Dungeons & Dragons Club. It can feel hard for parents and their children when that's not the case, especially if it feels as though 'everyone else' has a group of friends to hang out with outside school.

Of my DC, one did indeed 'find their tribe' in Y7. It wasn't a static tribe throughout the whole of secondary school and there were definite periods of isolation and meanness but they were a core group until the end of Y13. That DC had an outside hobby and formed friendships there too so was rarely without someone to socialise with. DC2's experience has been completely different. Their group of friends are all home bodies whose parents don't encourage them to do maintain friendships outside school and are very protective of them. DC2 hasn't had the school trips or clubs DC1 enjoyed because they haven't been on offer since covid hit. I can almost guarantee that DC2's end of GCSE celebration will be with me rather than school friends and they won't be going on a camping trip with friends even though DC2 is way more outdoorsy than DC1. Luckily, DC2 is quite circumspect about the whole thing and thinks nothing of going to the cinema alone if there's something to watch but no-one to go with. They also have hobbies outside school and although the other participants are a wide range of ages and not local, DC2 is sustained by the different sort of friendship on offer there. That said, they will go further afield for sixth form in the hope they'll encounter some more independent peers!

In your position, I'd focus on the explicit teaching of proactive social and friend-making behaviours for now, apply for BRIT and start thinking forward to post-16.

Thank you. Let’s hope DD gets into the Brit; otherwise I need to persuade DD to stay in her current school until year 11; and try again for Sixth Form. Or move to Kingsdale for Sixth form