Grammar schools Kent london

[rosewater55]

This is going to sound pretty bad but not meaning to, but when we went to look round newstead I felt that it was only Asian girls, and they all seemed like they were going through the motions. My daughter is sporty arty and white, so I want her to feel a part of the school and not the only white girl, if she gets on. Is wallington girls better on this regard?

I’ve also heard the mental health of the girls is awful and newstead wood, and one know anything about this?

thanks

Your question does indeed sound pretty bad, to be honest. You may get a roasting on here.

However, if you want to look up the ethnicity data for any state school, here’s the link to it (you may have to copy and paste the link):

https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25

The spreadsheet you want is in the ‘supporting files’ subfolder and is called:
spc school level underlying data 2025

Where else in Kent have you looked? Chis&sid, Townley, Dartford girls grammar, Wilmington girls grammar, mayfield in gravesend, Rochester, the ones in Tunbridge wells? Newsted woods is not the only girls grammar in Kent and Kent is a big county with a lot of mixed/diverse communities so just look at some other options to see what suits your DD.

Thanks for that, really useful info.

I knew it would come across bad, but I just want my kids to go to a diverse school, representation is important for everyone

Thanks for this, we haven’t really been anywhere else yet as trying to visit where she could easily get to by train from Beckenham, and working our way down the list.

Oh beckenham prob quite far for those I’ve mentioned would be a very long journey!

Have you considered the school on your doorstep, Langley Park - look at the results for those with high prior attainment given you think your daughter would pass the 11 plus.

Well if you want more white you have to go out to Tonbridge or Tunbridge Wells or Sevenoaks (Weald). Latter is catchment only. Tonbridge Grammar School for Girls in Tonbridge is excellent and has sports.

But as others have pointed out, your local comprehensives might also be pretty good and then there are places like Kingsdale which have a lottery system and do a Maths scholarship and pretty good for sports/music/art. Or you could go into London into some of the highly achieving all girls Central London comprehensives which have eg language aptitude tests. Whether it is selection by catchment or brains or aptitude - it will all translate to pushy parents and higher results.

I am not sure grammar schools are the be all and end all. My DD didn't pass the 11+ because she could not have been less interested. I was worried that was a bad thing, but she has gone to our local girls' school and is flying there. One hude advantage over Newstead or any of the Kent or Bexley grammars is she can walk to school and her friends are all local. Her freedom and independence have hugely benefited from this.

I agree with the PP who said look at Langley Park, and other local schools. Personally, I think girls do better at single sex than mixed schools but there are plenty of good mixed schools near Beckenham if you disagree.

I can't comment on the other schools, but for a while I was part of an 11+ facebook group which I joined as a tutor. The majority of parents posting clearly had English as a second language (because either they explicitly said so - concerns over supporting their child in English test prep - or their grammar and language use was not standard English). It seemed to me that newly arrived parents have picked up on a two-tier education system and are desperate to get their children into grammar schools and are working them very hard to achieve this. In addition, it is often said that London schools do well in national tests (SATS, GCSEs) because of the high proportion of highly motivated immigrant families. Therefore, I think you are likely to find a high proportion of non-white children at academically selective schools.

My daughter went to Newstead and we found that it was a very diverse and inclusive school. Our experience was that the school was nurturing and there did not appear to be more of a mental health problem among the girls than at any other school. Despite what some people may say, the girls were not put under undue pressure or pushed unnecessarily.

i live in south London and a couple of my daughter’s classmates went to Wilmington and said the journey was quite straightforward.

Yes considering Langley, or possibly a move to Hayes. No idea which is better.

But she is so sporty so thought Grammar schools could also push her in that way.