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Secondary education

How to chose a secondary school?

13 replies

CardyMow · 25/09/2010 23:08

This sounds daft, as DD is currently in Y8, but when I chose secondary schools for her, it was purely based on how good the SEN department was, and how much help the school would give a child on SA+. The school has been excellent for her.

My problem is, that I am starting to ponder about schools for DS1. He's currently in Y4. He is very swotty academic, is working at a much higher level than his primary cohort, and SenCo (who did bog all for DD) has assessed his IQ as being 132 at 8yo. He enjoys Maths and science above all else, but is good at English and spanish (they teach it from reception at the primary) as well.

What should I be looking for, as I live in a medium sized town with a few schools, but not all are accessible by public transport (which IS an issue as neither DP or I can drive). Realistically, there is the grammar school (highly competitive, 600 applicants per year for 120 places, from all over the county), my local, well regarded secondary that DD attends (but have no idea what they have for more able/academic students), or the next closest secondary sink school with a 29% A-C grade at GCSE (including maths and english), without their pass rate is 34%. That school was meant to be knocked down and rebuilt under the BFS thingy, but now isn't, and is in an unsuitable building with ever-increasing catchment due to house building, and DD's school being unable to expand past current size.

What should I look for? Value added seems a bit of a con to me, don't know how to go about finding out what each school offers in the way of options (DD will chose her options at the end of Y9, and she will be in a different 'pathway' to the one I would assume DS1 would be, so her 'options' will not reflect what I'm looking for for DS1). HELP!

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Iggi999 · 25/09/2010 23:22

I would send siblings to the same school, unless there were very good reasons not to.
If the info about options isn't on the schools' websites, just phone/write to them and ask - they can easily send out course choice books or a prospectus.

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bruffin · 25/09/2010 23:26

The only way is to visit and find a school that your dc feels comfortable in. The moment DS walked into his school, he said that this was the school he wanted to go to. He had spent a day at a local one and was adament he didn't want to go there.
DCs school wasn't even on our list until the last minute as it was 7 miles away, with at least 5 or 6 schools a lot closer. We then found out it took 10% of intake on aptitude for technology, which DS passed and has been very happy at the school. It suits his personality and he has flourished there. DD has followed him there and is also very happy.

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CardyMow · 26/09/2010 00:24

There's a 4 yr gap, they dont particularly like each other, it wouldn't bother either of them to go to different secondary schools, and besides, the school that suits DD may be totally wrong for DS1, they are completely different people. I have a prospectus for DD's school, but it doesn't have any information about academic options, neither does the website. Course choice books might be a good place to start though.

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cat64 · 26/09/2010 00:41

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mummytime · 26/09/2010 09:25

As the school if you can visit, preferably taking your son. And ask the questions then.

My DS and DD aren't close, don't go to school together and only occasionally come across each other in the corridors. But they are at the same school because it is the best, and is great for a wide range of pupils. I would be happy to send my youngest their too.

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CardyMow · 26/09/2010 10:21

I do know that DD's school does a very wide range of vocational qualifications, which is a large part of the reason DD is there, as it really suits her, but I really have no idea if they have the ability to do, say, two languages, or triple science (both of which would be important to DS1).

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vespasian · 26/09/2010 15:40

Do people have a choice?

Unless we move there is one school for dd and a rather dismal one at that.

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SuzieHomemaker · 26/09/2010 18:09

Vespasian I feel your pain, our Hobson's choice is in special measures (again).

Loudlass we were told (but I dont know for sure if true) that in many schools the top set classes tend to get the best teachers. This can mean that your DS1 can get the teaching according to his needs just as your DD gets teaching according to her needs. Our DD1 is very able and is getting some excellent teaching.

There are a lot of very good practical reasons for having all children in the same school especially as you dont drive. We currently have two in the same secondary and next year will have three. There are no problems with things like parents evenings clahing.

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cat64 · 26/09/2010 18:50

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Iggi999 · 26/09/2010 21:18

SuziH I'm shocked that anyone would imply top sets get best teachers! Perhaps in so far as the department heads sometimes cream the best classes for themselves!
Having taught top/middle/bottom sets, the ones that really draw on all your resources are definitely the bottom ones.

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OneMoreMum · 27/09/2010 11:32

I'd find out how many classes at your DD's school are split into sets, our local school doesn't believe in 'labelling' students so lumps them all in together, even for maths in the first few years.
That's going to be really frustrating for your DS as he'll be working way ahead of the others. If they set for most lessons, though, he should be taught at his own pace which will be fine.
You'll also want to be sure that there are enough academic subjects offered at GCSE, although your DD may not be taking them you should still see all of the available options and get an idea from that.
It sounds to me that the grammar would be good, how does their intake work, do you have a better chance of getting in if you score highly on the 11+ or is it a pass/fail then distance from school?
If he's very brght are there any private schools that might offer a scholarship?

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CardyMow · 27/09/2010 20:15

The Grammar school take only the top 120 11+ results, out of the 600-odd applications from all over the county. If you are the 121st score on the list and no-one turns down the place, you will not get in.

I know DD's school set in Maths, science and English, but I'm not sure about the other lessons (history/geography etc). There's no private schools within travelling distance. I'm not concerned about having them all at the same secondary, DS1 will easily manage to catch one bus when he is 11.

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realitychick · 30/09/2010 22:05

I'd definitely let him apply for the grammar school, and also apply for DD's school, which sounds reasonably good. If he's bright and gets into the grammar, problem solved (IMO it's better to find the right school than the same school for each sibling.) But if he ends up at the secondary - there's a lot you can do from home and outside school to keep him enthusiastic even if the school isn't great at catering for brighter kids.

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