Local schools for local children?

[doodles]

Skinner's is full of boys from the Sussex south coast.

I don't think this is the case at all and whilst I can understand some of your frustrations sweeping statements like this don't help.

(Skinners' - apostrophe after the s)

[Sennockianmum]

Skinner's is full of boys from the Sussex south coast.

I don't think this is the case at all and whilst I can understand some of your frustrations sweeping statements like this don't help.

(Skinners' - apostrophe after the s)

Is there really any need to correct grammar on here? And I agree it's a sweeping statement but there are boys from the south coast at Skinner's (it has autocorrected to the incorrect apostrophe). Kent boys from Tonbridge cannot go to school on the south coast.

[doodles]

The school is not full of south coast Sussex boys in fact i know of very few that come up from the sea. Such passionate sweeping statements do undermine your argument.

Sorry about the correction comment but it's the name of the school and I know it looks weird but the full name is The Skinners' School which makes better sense

[kenyancowgirl]

Doodles, never apologise for being a grammar pedant - especially not on an 11+ forum!! I am one too...eats shoots and leaves and all that!

As you were....!

[Sennockianmum]

The school is not full of south coast Sussex boys in fact i know of very few that come up from the sea. Such passionate sweeping statements do undermine your argument.

Sorry about the correction comment but it's the name of the school and I know it looks weird but the full name is The Skinners' School which makes better sense

Okay - not full - but definitely some do. And I know the name of the school, as I said, it autocorrects, but we don't have to use full school names on here do we?

[ChipsteadMum]

New to the forum although following for a while!

I feel that as an Amherst parent I must object to Amherst School being referred to as an "exam factory". Amherst is actively banned from preparing for the 11+ like all other state primary schools. What it does benefit from however are a lot of highly motivated parents, many of whom have actively opted out of the "Selection by God" rife is so many other Sevenoaks schools. They therefore channel their energy into either hiring tutors or supporting their children themselves. Amherst is a excellent school but it is not doing anything more than teaching the National Curriculum. Sevenoaks Primary appears to be heading the same way.

Sevenoaks parents of boys, are also aware that if their child does not gain a high enough score for their "local" school, Judd, then their boys will be condemned to the nightmare daily journey to Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar and are putting in a lot of the extra work for this reason.

On the "Local schools for local children" issue, there is a danger if schools stop catering for their local communities as Skinners' and Dartford are, then they will lose the support of those communities. I won't be the only one who can remember Tony Blair promising local parents a vote on banning their local grammars if they wanted to. But no local parents ever wanted a ballot. If this situation were to arise again, who is to say which way the Tunbridge Wells community would vote on Skinners?

[FortyNinePence]

I'm loving the idea of these aquatic Skinners' boys that come up from the sea

[doodles]

Perhaps they do a swimming test rather than the 11+

[yoyo123]

In the far South East, half of our catchment is fish.

[doodles]