Good schools in Bromley

[Mumworld]

Hi, will be moving to the area soon so any suggestions of good secondary schools in Bromley would appreciated pls! Thanks

Charles Darwin School - Home- it is popular though so it would depend on what year group you were applying to as to whether your dc got a place. It's in Biggin Hill rather than Bromley itself, so would also depend on whereabouts in Bromley you were moving to.

Thanks for your suggestion. We are looking at mainly BR1 and BR2 areas.

Ah okay, in that case I'd have a look at The Ravensbourne School - Home

Bonus Pastor in BR1 if you’re Catholic

I live in Bromley. I wouldn't particularly recommend either of those schools tbh, and I know people with kids at both.
Hayes school is widely regarded as the best school in the area and is in BR2 I think.

The Langley schools in West wickham (boys and girls) are also pretty good as are bullers wood boys and girls nearer to central bromley.

Also Ravenswood school (boys) has been getting a much improved reputation in recent years and seems to be improving all the time.

Bullers Wood

If he's smart, St Olaves

Ravensbourne has outperformed Hayes and Ravenswood in recent results, so it shouldn't be ruled out as it is oversubscribed. Additionally, the parents' feedback is quite positive on the Ofsted Parent view.

I've only heard good things about Ravensbourne from a range of parents lately.

Are you looking for boys, girls, Co Ed, private or state.

Both my DC did very well at Hayes.

I am mainly looking for co-ed but will consider boys only too thanks

So Ravenswood and Ravensbourne are both good schools to consider ? Seems to be some mixed feelings about these school? Hoping to get my son into a school with strong anti bullying policies. I know all schools have issues but this is one of our important factor apart from results and sports.

You will hear a variety of opinions about every single school in the area. As someone involved in local education in Bromley, I recommend utilising Parent View as a useful tool to assess school performance and get insights into current results, particularly regarding parents' opinions overall.

I've come across children who face challenges and are unhappy and happy in all of the schools mentioned. Therefore, it’s beneficial to analyse the data for a clearer understanding. Locrate is an excellent resource for this purpose. Wishing you the best of luck!

Thank you all for your input. Very helpful!

BR1/BR2 has historically been a bit of a black hole for school admissions. You need to be living very close to some of the schools mentioned to have a chance of getting in. All I can suggest is doing your research very carefully regarding distance of admission over the previous 3 years.

My DC attends a school out of Borough for various reasons but we're in the area you mentioned and the only "banker" mixed school from here is Bishop Justus, which was quite dilapidated and lacking in staff when DH and DC visited (as in some practical departments completely shut). Transport over that way in the mornings is also a beast.

Harris Beckenham serves some of the families who can't get places at the other schools, but they have a banding test that makes admissions harder to predict.

Get as much actual admissions info as you can.

Wow thank you so much. Feels daunting and not as simple as I may have expected. Will definitely research on the distance of admissions or any admissions info n general.

Does anyone know much about Langley girls?

i have a very shy sensitive daughter wondering if Hayes or Langley would be better…. Is behaviour good at Hayes? boys can be hectic!

Are you reliably in the 'last distance offered' for both?

Yes for Langley, however we are moving house, so are choosing between moving to Hayes for Hayes school, or staying in Langley catchment.

very torn.

I know girls tend to do better with out boys, but I really liked the staff at Hayes, and think mixed schools can also be very good for young girls too

I teach in a mixed school in another borough.

I would say that there are always nice girls (and boys) and that if quiet girls want to hang out mostly with other girls (and quiet boys), they can. The library is often a place of refuge!

The behaviour of young men in groups can be an issue. But girls' schools are not immune from issues: they're just different issues.

Much depends on the effectiveness of the management.

Gather as much information as you can and go with your gut.

I assume the decision is some way off if you're talking of moving?

I can't tell you anything from a parent perspective about either school but they're both Outstanding re Ofsted aren't they? So it does come down to gut/feel. I might be slightly swayed by the performing arts centre being so handy at Langley, but that's because that's important to us and obviously it's available to all young people via the groups that perform there.

Most schools in the borough are good, to be honest. You're unlikely to go wrong.

We actually have to move next year if we are going to! Hence why I’m thinking about this so much.

im a teacher and I don’t really believe there is a lot of difference between an outstanding and good school in terms of ofsted. I care more about personal experience from staff, students are parents. And the intake being generally nice bunch of kids. Not many staff leave Hayes where as Langley girls has a higher staff turnover and the teaching is more variable, I’ve heard. But would be easier to stay in Beckenham and probably cheaper

my daughter has mild adhd and doesn’t like huge crowds but both schools are the same size, but she also wouldn’t cope well with bitchiness that is rumoured to be rife and Langley girls