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Secondary education

No idea what to do re state v private in SE London

43 replies

StiffyByng · 21/04/2013 13:50

My stepson is in yr5. He is very bright, loves learning facts and reading, and is finding lots of the stuff at primary unchallenging. He is also prone to getting disruptive and lazy when bored, and has some social issues which the school feel merit referral to a communication clinic. These are currently manifesting in him telling other kids they're not as clever as he is and not getting why they might not like to hear this. He has had a very tough few years personally so gets cut some slack for that by adults but obviously this is not good behaviour. He has a small group of friends who have similar interests but does lack peers who are as intellectually curious as him. Although his primary is Outstanding, their efforts are focused at getting everyone to level 5, so kids like my SS, who are already way beyond that, don't get much attention.

So, secondary. All our state options are large SE comprehensives, many of which are single sex. The most likely for him are Harris Boys on Peckham Rye, Forest Hill Boys or Kingsdale. We are very concerned that he will end up overlooked and increasingly disruptive at these schools, and without the individual understanding that you get at primary, will become a real problem. We also aren't sure how likely he is to find friends at these schools - we genuinely don't know what the range of pupils is like, as so many people in our area seem to send bright kids to private schools.

We can't remotely afford private schooling, and are both slightly against it in principle, but he does have a trust fund. We have already inquired about the possibility of them paying school fees but they have said they will only pay a small contribution and we would have to take them to court if we want more. We are willing to do this if it's in his best interests but we just don't know. It seems he would get challenged more, is more likely to find kindred spirits and would get greater pastoral support but we could be plain wrong.

I went to a very good comprehensive in the home counties which was a pretendy private school and my husband went to a very rough comprehensive in the north east and we both went on to very good higher educations and interesting careers and we would like the same for SS but he is much more complicated than either of us were!

So advice would be really welcome. He has expressed a preference for private school but it's not particularly well informed and mostly comes from the fact that his primary school friend is probably going to one (not one we would think of owing to distance). Time is ticking away as he will have to sit entrance tests this autumn and would probably need tutoring. We have been trying to get an answer out of his trustees since last summer and only got their final decision this week.

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SA3008 · 21/04/2013 13:54

Have you considered The Charter school, which is close to the other secondaries you mention.

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StiffyByng · 21/04/2013 13:55

We're too far away from the Charter school.

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StiffyByng · 21/04/2013 13:56

I should add that we're also considering trying for the Kent grammar schools, which would be a big journey for him every day, but is perhaps worth a shot.

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bigTillyMint · 21/04/2013 13:56

I live in the same area as you and have DC at one of those schools and know other children at the others. All good so far. None are "rough" and all have high achievers.
Remember at sec school there will be more children and therefore more opportunity to find kindred spirits.

Has he been for an assessment at CAMHs yet? Whilst I understand your frustration with his primary school, they probably think that as he does not fit the norm for social interactions, that some expert advice/assessment would be useful.

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bigTillyMint · 21/04/2013 13:57

You could also look at the Sutton grammars - cpopular with some hildren from round here.

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StiffyByng · 21/04/2013 14:04

We're not particularly frustrated with his primary school. He and his big sister have both had pretty eventful lives and they have been brilliant. My husband is a parent governor and we have excellent relationships with staff. It is just very obvious that they are thrilled at his high levels and have therefore put him on the 'safe' pile for SATS! eg he gets no homework at all beyond a reading journal that bores the hell out of him, and maths games he can do standing on his head, despite our requests for additional work that will challenge him. He reads lots himself and we get him to do online maths games but I think yr7 is going to come as a shock wherever he ends up.

He already sees CAMHS and the school have very kindly done a private SALT assessment so his communications clinic referral can be rushed through. He's seeing the community paediatrician next week and it will go from there.

Good to hear about the schools though. We are fairly concerned about Harris Boys as it seems to be run on pretty military lines, which he would find very difficult. We are very happy to be supportive of school discipline and learning to do what you what you're told whether or not you agree (another issue the primary school has) but the regime at Harris seems beyond the norm.

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bigTillyMint · 21/04/2013 14:22

That's good to hear - that CAMHS are already involved and things are progressing.

Shame about the school - was talking to the Y6 teacher of a local primary and they are doing booster classes for their level 6's.

Mmmm, I think it has very definite rules and routines - very clear to all the students what is expected and what will happen if they do/don't conform - good systems for rewarding too. I didn't feel it was military discipline at all when I visited with DS last year, but that is one of the terms that I have heard bandied about. Have you visited?

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scaevola · 21/04/2013 14:29

What reasons do the Trustees give for not paying over money for this purpose? I suppose a lot depends on the size of the fund and the purposes for which it was set up.

If you're within reach of Kingsdale, the obvious private school to look at for a boy is Dulwich.

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StiffyByng · 21/04/2013 14:42

Oh, the trustee thing is very long running and tiresome. We know their reasons and this is just the latest in years of bad behaviour, hence the invitation to take them to court. As I said, we'll do it if we have to. It won't be the first time.

We'd prefer him to go to a mixed school if possible so would be looking at mixed private schools if we did end up in the private sector - St Dunstans is the most likely - but that is another query over state as Kingsdale is the only mixed option.

We haven't visited any schools as we just couldn't get to open evenings this year, which was frustrating. We are acutely aware that our knowledge of the local schools is too based on hearsay so could really be wide of the mark. The only parents we know with secondary aged kids have them at Kingsdale and all seem happy with then, although the mysterious online controversies here and on other forums do make us wonder a bit. SS's older sister went to Sydenham Girls and we had mixed feelings about it, but I think part of that was just how different a lot of it was to our own school experiences because of the passage of time. She also has significant special needs so we had far from a representative experience I think.

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bigTillyMint · 21/04/2013 14:48

I know children at St Dunstans (and Sydenham, but that's no good for a boy) and they seem very happy there too. You are actually quite lucky in this corner of London with a range of good state and private options!

And don't forget that his social "difficulties" could be taken into account - on applications to state schools even if he doesn't have a statement.

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StiffyByng · 21/04/2013 14:55

We are definitely luckier than many! We just don't want to get this wrong.

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bigTillyMint · 21/04/2013 15:24

No, of course not. That's why it is so important to visit and ask questions!

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StiffyByng · 21/04/2013 15:32

I know, but we're now out of the open evening season and have to decide whether to throw money at a court case for any good reason. Believe me, we tried very hard to avoid this but circumstances conspired against us. I thought at least as many opinions on how the state schools might suit him would at least be a start.

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tiredaftertwo · 21/04/2013 16:59

OP, one thing I wouldn't worry about is homework in year 6. Most of it is dull and pointless worksheets IME. I don't think it particularly helps them settle into year 7, and anyway the secondary schools are all geared up for that. Honestly, if he reads a lot and does interesting stuff with you sometimes (and I am sure with a username like that he will be!), and has a bit of time and space to cope with everything else. FWIW, I am relatively pro hw at secondary s

As far as everything else goes, and depending on what the backstory is, could you ring the schools, tell them a bit, and see what their reaction is in the circumstances to a private look round? Very best of luck.

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Trippingthelightfantastic · 21/04/2013 17:26

OP I wouldn't consider ST Dunstans it is not particularly selective a friend's DC goes there and I don't think she would feel it's the right place for a super bright child. A boy at my DC's prep went there because the scholarship award was much bigger than most others he only lasted it two terms as he was bored stiff. Have you considered Dulwhich Coll or Eltham where this boy moved too, both are more selective Eltham in particular. Eltham I think offer bursaries Dulwich may too or what about Whitgift?

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StiffyByng · 21/04/2013 17:43

To be honest, our first thinking needs to be state, because that would be our first preference ideologically and financially. We're just worried whether it can meet his needs. Beyond that, we've looked vaguely at schools within sensible reach of us on public transport, preferable mixed. Alleyns also fits that bill. I looked at the St Dunstans entrance papers online-he could have passed the maths half in yr3/4 so would probably have trouble getting in. I think we need to consider the grammars more but also have conversations with the state schools. I don't know if he's super bright, but definitely easily bored.

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StiffyByng · 21/04/2013 17:44

Have no trouble getting in, I should say!

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tiredaftertwo · 21/04/2013 22:12

"To be honest, our first thinking needs to be state, because that would be our first preference ideologically and financially."

Yes, but you are not ranking state and private schools in the same list - and the admissions criteria are very different.

In general, the state schools "choose" you (according to the admission criteria). You will be offered one school, at most. You may find it hard to put more than two or three on your form that there is more than a slim chance of getting into. If you find one or two where he will definitely get in, and they fit your bill, then hurrah. You can stop, So yes, it is "first" in that sense - but I would find out before anything what the chances of getting in are, just to save yourselves agonising over whether a school will work for him if he wouldn't get in anyway. And this comes down to very detailed reading, strings on maps, calling the school etc. One street can make a difference (Kingsdale is a lottery so you can't count on it but equally you could get lucky however far away you live)

More likely is that you won't know whether he will get a place in time (many of these schools are very oversubscribed) and given that you are considering private schools, you will by then have applied and he will have done the exams and interviews (unless you decide not to). I assume that taking the trustees to court will take months?

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StiffyByng · 21/04/2013 23:52

Yes, we know that we actually will have very little choice in the state schools but I meant that we need to look at the merits of those we have some chance of getting into. We've done the application process already with one child and are facing a complete lack of primary school with our youngest so are painfully familiar with it all. The schools I named are the two closest geographically and another which operates on ballot rather than distance. We are about 200m further than farthest place offered from a school suggested upthread for example. Our other option of course is to look at the schools that are likely to be undersubscribed in the event that he got none of those three but that seems to vary by year.

Private schools are also a bit of a crapshoot as who knows whether he can actually get into them. We have more control over which he sits exams for etc. but the competition for them all is fierce and he'll be up against prep school kids and those who've been tutored for years.

Our solicitor reckons we could make an urgent court application on the grounds of timing if necessary. Otherwise yes, we'd be well into the application process before anything came to court.

We've been talking about it this evening and our thinking is one last go at persuading the trustees, with a letter of wishes from SS. If that doesn't work, and it probably won't, then we make the most of wherever he ends up, put him in for some grammar schools but assume he will go locally, and go back to the trustees again if things go very badly.

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StiffyByng · 21/04/2013 23:57

Sorry, you obviously know the area. But I wanted to assure you that I am completely on the case as far as admissions issues go. I even spent time working out which were the main gates for distance purposes. Basically we have a shot at both. Forest Hill is harder to work out because of the Lewisham banding system. We know what band he'll be in but of course demand in each varies by year. We have a reasonable chance of Harris but the catchment for that is shrinking rapidly.

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tiredaftertwo · 22/04/2013 07:25

No problem - and very very good luck. I hope he gets one of your local good options and settles well. Absolutely about looking at the merits of the ones you have some chance of getting into.

(On the prep school and tutoring thing for the private schools, if you end up forced down that route, I would not worry too much - they take lots of children from state primaries and they are keen to take children who want to learn - and you do get a good chance to talk to them and explain any particular circumstances. Not sure years of tutoring helps and the competition is partly fierce because people sit for so many).

Good luck with your youngest and primary places too - you've obviously got the t shirt!

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mushroom3 · 22/04/2013 13:22

Wilson's, Wallington Grammar, St Olaf's,other superselective SE grammars. Not quite so selective, Kent grammars eg Dartford and Bexley Grammars. Closing dales for exam entry tends to be this term with exams early Autumn, so you know the results before CAF forms need to go in. This means that if he is unsuccessful for the selective schools, you can still apply for the non-selective, local schools.

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StiffyByng · 22/04/2013 20:23

Oh, thanks for the tip off. Hopefully you mean the end of this term? Or we're sunk!

And thanks, tired. That's good to know.

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Copthallresident · 22/04/2013 20:41

Dulwich certainly give extensive bursaries and have absolutely exceptional pastoral care for those with problems. Really exceptional, I have DDs in an indie but the support two of their peers got there was above and beyond anything I have heard of elsewhere, beyond in loco parentis. I would really recommend going and looking and talking to them about what they could offer your son. I wouldn't worry about the tutoring, all these schools look for ability not cramming.

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LondonMother · 22/04/2013 21:20

You can't be all that far from Aske's, which might tick all your boxes if you could get him in. Does he have any musical aptitude or do you think you could get professional confirmation of his special circumstances?

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