Tiffin Girls - 2013 admissions

[somum]

Interesting read indeed.

It looks like they are now going to allow siblings to take the exams as well.

[tiffinboys]

I note only 9 responses suggested making the area even smaller!

How generous of local parents! Tiffins can rely on us.

However, the figure quoted above is not correct. Though 16 favoured smaller catchment, many others also agreed in principle only and may have suggested alternative - distance policy.

[twelveminus]

Interesting read.

Draft Admissions Arrangement for 2014 - Tiffin Girls

http://www.tiffingirls.kingston.sch.uk/ ... 4-2015.pdf

Hmm.

I find their response rather disingenuous.

They have claimed most people supported a catchment of some kind, however people were not asked if they did support a catchment, they were asked to comment a specific set of arrangements.

My comments were focused on the arbitrary nature of the catchment, but did not mean I favoured a catchment.

I still believe that the catchment is discriminatory, because it excludes children from areas not currently represented at the school.

[TiffinGirls]

I think many of us wouldn't particularly object to say a catchment within an hour by public transport and mentioned that as an alternative (though apparently it is not longer possible to offer that); there is a world of difference between that and a smaller catchment area, which the school say only 16 (not 9 as I said before - sorry!) proposed. I also mentioned several other postcodes apart from W3.

As a current parent with a child at TGS who live outside the designated area we found the travel quite manageable and I did challenge the school to provide some evidence of detriment because it certainly did not apply to us.

I think the reason for the policy is largely because the school cannot cope with the large number of applicants and there appears to be anecdoctal evidence of increasing numbers of girls travelling right across London.

[tiffinboys]

There are fundamental errors in the proposed catchment.

1. If Southall could be in catchment, then why not Sutton. Atleast there is a direct bus route and the travel is much shorter on public transport than coming from Southall.

2. If the catchment is to based on existing students profile, why then have the catchment? Existing profile will have children coming from distant areas (e.g. Southall) and these areas would continue to be in catchment.

3. Additional postcodes have been included, presumably based on 'shorter' or 'convenient' travel on public transport, then the same logic should have applied to other post codes. How about SW16 (bus 57 comes direct to Kingston) or SM1, 2, 3 & 5 or even 6 (bus X26) or Clapham (25 minutes train to Kingston) etc.

I had mentioned that instead of such anamolous catchment, it would be better to have distance policy, based on required standard or drop such catchment at all.

On the cost saving argument, firstly the catchment is too big to make any significant difference to the number of candidates and secondly, OOC are allowed under the proposed arrangements to be able to sit for the tests. There would still be nearly 2000 registrations for the tests as in the current year.

On the whole, a pretty poor job.

[tiffinboys]

I still believe that the catchment is discriminatory, because it excludes children from areas not currently represented at the school.

Would School Adjudicator agree with that? The challange to the catchment would be quite interesting.

[sgsgirl]

It's very interesting to read that there won't really be much change to 'catchment' as pupils will still be allowed to come from distant postcodes as they were prior to this decision.
Southall and Hayes and uxbridge postcodes are surely all much closer to the Slough grammar consortium. I would say about 25-30 minutes at most down the M4 with Langley grammar being quite close.
I think Tiffins has just put wool over our eyes by hushing out pleas about a catchment policy but still doing what they want in the end. Needless to say there will still be 2000 pupils sitting their entrance exams. How will they cope year on year? Why didn't they adopt an approach more like Nonsuch? 60% on proximity and the rest on merit no matter how far away you came from. I'm sure a lot of local parents would welcome this idea if it was clearly put forward.
It makes me wonder where the tiffin school governors themselves come from????

[London_Mum]

From their own point of view too, it makes little sense. The defined catchment area is so huge that it will make no difference at all to the numbers applying (unless they currently have hundreds applying from Sutton and this has been an exercise to just exclude those but I wouldn't have thought this was the case).
The slightly reduced numbers from some outlying areas will be more than made up for by the higher birth-rate year groups currently working their way through Primary school.

Some posters here indicate that the school is short of funds, the 6th form is said to lack the resources to give girls the teaching hours required in some subjects and yet Tiffins have wasted and opportunity to redress the balance. The testing process is hugely expensive and 2000 applicants simply aren't required to maintain the school's high standards. They could pick from a much smaller pool and still only admit exceptional pupils. It makes sense that any major changes should aim to lower the number of total applicants, save the school some money but ensure high standards are met. It seems they have only met one of these aims – the last one.

[Amoda]

I have been following this thread for some time and I’m now kicking myself for not submitting my views on the proposed admissions arrangements for TGS. Is it too late to submit a comment? Is what they are now proposing definitely going ahead? Will there be another opportunity to comment? Sorry for all the questions but I just need to understand what the process is!

I know this has been mentioned several times before but I think that it is an outrage that SM1-3, 5 postcodes have been omitted from the ‘catchment area’ and the UB ones have been included. It simply doesn’t follow any logic or make any sense. Girls living in the UB postcodes probably have to take 2 buses to school whereas from Cheam/ Sutton, there are direct buses to Kingston.

I recognise that the girls who live in Sutton borough have Nonsuch and Wallington as options but that is because a simple distance policy has been applied. It would make far more sense if TGS applied the same principle as what they are currently proposing, could be construed as being discriminatory.
I have a DD currently in year 4 and not having Tiffin is a bit of a blow but it would be an easier pill to swallow if a fairer distance policy was applied.

Any guidance on what I can now do at the ‘11th hour’ to voice my concerns would be most appreciated!
Thanks
Amoda

[London_Mum]

Once the admissions criteria are confirmed, any parent or interested party may lodge a complaint with the Schools Adjudicator if they believe the arrangements are unfair or unduly exclude certain groups or areas.
The Schools Adjudicator has the power to compel a school to make changes if they agree the arrangements are unfair.
That really though is your only option and you would need to do it soon after the admissions arrangements are confirmed. I think there is (or was) a June deadline to submit complaints.