Travelling daily from Kingston to any of the Sutton Schools

[tiffinboys]

Quite agree with you, 2outof3.

[2outof3]

MSC

Don't necessarily discount Hollyfield. The fasttrack has very good results and there are plenty of bright, hardworking children there. Your DS could always move for sixth form. Southborough is also improving quickly. I don't suppose you're Catholic are you? If so then you really should be targetting Richard Challoner - a very successful school.

On the basis that your DS wouldn't be starting secondary school until 2015 you may be able to apply to the new free school in Kingston if that ever gets off the ground.

[Snowdaddy]

MSC

Don't necessarily discount Hollyfield. The fasttrack has very good results and there are plenty of bright, hardworking children there. Your DS could always move for sixth form. Southborough is also improving quickly. I don't suppose you're Catholic are you? If so then you really should be targetting Richard Challoner - a very successful school.

On the basis that your DS wouldn't be starting secondary school until 2015 you may be able to apply to the new free school in Kingston if that ever gets off the ground.

You do not say which part of Kingston you are from, some of these schools have very small catchments. If you haven't already done so print out the secondary admissions brochure on Kingston Councils website. You will find distances in that (and it will be useful reference even if you are talking 2015 entry as some info on distance gets replaced so wont be in next years brochure). Although there is a new school it would be the first year so is an unknown quantity, and as it is phased opening with only 6 classes, so possibly wont have specialist teachers in all subjects at first.

Parts of Kingston are also in Teddington school catchment area which you didn't previously mention. Another school (if you had a religious connection) is Christs, Richmond Hill, on 371 bus route. Therefore even if you don't get in a Kingston selective, other options exist.

[tiffinboys]

Some statistics, for whatever these are worth. However, I doubt if these were totally worthless, any body would bother to travel to Kingston from Harrow or Willesden or Kensington or Croydon or Southall or the rest of the country, leaving their 'good' or 'outstanding' comprehensives (or even local grammars), causing 'brain drain' in their local schools.

School: GCSE points, Ebacc, A-level points
Tiffin School: 442, 92%, 1168
Coombe boys: 359, 11%, 555
Southborough: 328, 9%, 545
Chessington: 314, 4%, 493

Tiffin Girls: 451, 79%, 1211
Coombe Girls: 364, 31%, 718
Tolworth Girls: 362, 18%, 693

Hollyfield has such a small catchment that for most part of Kingston borough, it is not a possibility.

Now some will say schools were caught off-guard with respect to Ebacc, but are GCSE or A-level scores are also useless?

[MSC]

Hello again everyone! Wow, its mid- November already! So 8 to 9 months left to prepare, factor in Christmas and breaks, would be less.

1. I thought I ask for updates from all of you whose children are travelling from Kingston to any of the Sutton Schools. Have they settled well in their dailiy journey? Any NEW insights, advice, challenges? Thank you.

2. About mock tests -allthough I agree with most who would advise against doing mock exams inside this year for children sitting for 2014, I am having second thought. I received an advice from someone here whose child scored really well at TB - mock test in Oct, Nov helped him to diagnose weak areas. I suppose the question is has the child covered the syllabus by this time to merit a mock test, isn't it?! PS: I have covered with my DS all the 4 subjects in Year 4, and now doing them all over again, hence why I am keen to findout the weak areas in "actual" mock setting.

Also, Im finding few of the mocks for Kingston and Sutton, but kindly highlight the mocks you recommend just for my confirmation.

3. My main "concerns" at the moment are speed and Vocabulary. Speed I suppose comes with practice, but any recommendations on Vocabulary building will be greatly appreciated. (So far, done AE 12 sets books, built a vocab list in a book, got the vocabs app...) .

Anyone used The Tutor Vocabulary Builder CD1? If yes, worth going for it? Is there a CD 2?!
(http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/shop/7 ... -ONLY.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

Thanks a billion as always. - MSC

[MSC]

Hello everyone,

It was September last year when I started this thread and had good response, which was really useful.
After almost one academic year on, I wonder if there are more of you in Kingston who could share your experience about your children traveling daily from Kingston to any of the Sutton Schools.
How's the experience since they started and to which school? Especially interested in those with children traveling from Kingston to Wallington and Wilsons, but anyone with children to any of the Sutton schools, boys or girls, would be greatly appreciated.

I am still unsure if it's worth considering the commute to Wallington and Wilsons from Kingston town centre (assuming the 11+ campaign goes well).

Thanks.

[tiffinboys]

I am still unsure if it's worth considering the commute to Wallington and Wilsons from Kingston town centre (assuming the 11+ campaign goes well).

If you are comfortable with the allocated school, then the long journey to any far away school is not worth it. Even if you are not comfortable, you have to see the incremental benefit of going to school that far. However, you will find children coming to Tiffin from Slough or Watford. They must feel it is of benefit to their children.

[MSC]

If you are comfortable with the allocated school, then the long journey to any far away school is not worth it. Even if you are not comfortable, you have to see the incremental benefit of going to school that far. However, you will find children coming to Tiffin from Slough or Watford. They must feel it is of benefit to their children.

Thanks TB! Yes, if DS gets in Tiffin Boys or Sutton Grammar, then that's sorted! I'm trying to decide weather I should gear him for Wallington and Wilsons as well. Maybe just give them a go and decide later?

I remember your posts - you went as far as Slough, even testing the buses - worth looking at Slough schools or not viable at all for commute? Did you consider Kent or North London grammars as well?

# the new Kingston Academy will be last resort, but judging from the new head teacher for Kingston Academy ( Deputy Headteacher Graveney School) , it looks promising - only snag is DS will be in the very first 2015 pioneer batch!

#Grey court - at least its Ofsted "OUTSTANDING" now. I heard the Head is being drafted to sort Hollyfield, any truth? That would take away her focus on GC.

[tiffinboys]

Yeah, MSC, you remember well. To be honest, I think we were desperate at that time to avoid our local comprehensive and my view has not changed about it.

Wish we had better assessed our DC's abilities. We would then not have stressed ourselves with so many tests. But having said that, DC gained enormous confidence from the whole process and was happy to have more choices.

If we had got our last preference (Slough), we would have had to relocate; no question about it. Daily travelling would have been almost impossible. I don't know how some children manage to come to Tiffins from that far, despite there being 4 grammars in walking distance.

Also worth noting now is that tests in Slough have changed. It's CEM based now and require different preparation. When it was our turn, Slough tests were same as the Tiffin one (NVR/VR) and we needed no other preparation. Only checked bus route that day. The travel was horribly long; though the coffee break in nearby Sainsbury was fine.