Secondary Schools in chelmsford

[chelmsfordmum2017]

Hi Everyone
My daughter will go in secondary school in september 2018. I would like to know good state secondary schools in chelmsford. I went through few schools and would like to know about the boswells school,chelmer valley high school and the sandon school what points I need to look at while choosing between these 3.

out of these 3 for boswells school I can see it specialist in performing arts and sports which mostly my daughter won't be much interested. at what year they specialise in these subjects? do we have to think before taking admission about our kids interest or all schools follow same subjects and these are just optional?

thanks

[KB]

Historically the schools got additional funding if the net certain criteria to 'specialise' in certain subject areas.
It may or may not mean that a school has better than average faculties for those subjects.
I wouldn't let it sway you until you have been to look and made an assessment in what you see and hear.

All children follow the national curriculum so individual children won't be expected to specialise in certain subjects just because they are at a certain school.
In practice it may mean that there are more extra curricular opportunities in those subjects.

If you aren't familiar with the English admissions system then do be aware that many secondary schools are over subscribed so your child may not get allocated your first choice.
Broadly speaking if it's a school that doesn't select on academic ability then the closer you live to the school the more likelihood of getting a place.

Most schools will have open events after the summer so you and your child can go to look at the school and usually speak to staff and pupils.

[ToadMum]

If you haven't already had a look on the Essex CC website, I would start here:

http://www.essex.gov.uk/Education-Schoo ... ents-.aspx

You do need to check the oversubscription criteria for each school. Chelmer Valley is popular and will almost certainly be oversubscribed. Once the new school at Beaulieu Park is up and running (well, the site has been earmarked ), some of the pressure on places will be relieved, in theory, anyway. However, that won't be in time for the 2018 intake.

[chelmsfordmum2017]

Thanks for quick reply. Yes I am aware that there is catchment. on catchment finder for our postcode it shows The boswells school. dont know if we can find out about chances of getting chelmer valley or sandon school.

Thanks

[kenyancowgirl]

Just be careful...being in catchment does not guarantee a place - hence the warning to check the over subscription criteria carefully. If a school is very oversubscribed, it may not be able to place all its' catchment children and will then go to this criteria to decided which ones get seats.

[ToadMum]

Chelmer Valley prioritises feeder schools over place of residence (one of its reasons for doing this is apparently to 'keep it local', which of course rather depends on how local said feeder schools manage to keep it, I'd have thought). Admissions criteria for 2017/2018:

Admissions Policy
Where applications for admission exceed the number
of places available, the following criteria will be
applied, in the order given, to determine which
children to admit:
1. Looked After Children and previously looked after
children (see definition on page 13);
2. where the child has a sibling currently attending
the school at the time of admission. A sibling is
defined as a child living in the same family unit.
This includes biological as well as step brothers
and sisters and children of partners living at the
same address;
3. where a child attends one of the following primary
schools that have a relationship with Chelmer
Valley High School as part of the River Chelmer
Partnership:
• Boreham Primary School
• Broomfield Primary School
• Ford End County Primary School
• Great Leighs County Primary School
• Great Waltham C of E Primary School
• Little Waltham C of E Primary School
• Newlands Spring Primary School
• Parkwood Academy
• St Pius X Catholic Primary School;
4. applicants living within the priority admissions
area;
5. remaining applications.

[Blitz]

I don't know about Chelmer Valley, but both Boswells and Sandon are excellent schools. The children I know who have attended both schools have been very happy and gained great results.

I taught twins many years ago. One twin went to Grammar and the other went to Sandon. The Grammar twin went on to read medicine, the Sandon twin gained a place a Oxford University to read physics. The physics department gets fantastic results at Sandon.

Music and Drama are strong at Boswells.

Children attend Sandon from many outlying villages such as Bicknacre and West Hanningfield as they have priority feeder schools. Most of Boswells' children live in the Springfield/Chelmer Village areas.

[chelmsfordmum2017]

I don't know about Chelmer Valley, but both Boswells and Sandon are excellent schools. The children I know who have attended both schools have been very happy and gained great results.

I taught twins many years ago. One twin went to Grammar and the other went to Sandon. The Grammar twin went on to read medicine, the Sandon twin gained a place a Oxford University to read physics. The physics department gets fantastic results at Sandon.

Music and Drama are strong at Boswells.

Children attend Sandon from many outlying villages such as Bicknacre and West Hanningfield as they have priority feeder schools. Most of Boswells' children live in the Springfield/Chelmer Village areas.

Ya after reading about specialise in performing arts and sports in boswells I started thinking if we need to look for kids interest while applying for secondary school. Sandon school is far away from our place so mostly we won't get. Boswells is quite nearby.

[Guest55]

Go and look round the schools. Specialist status became redundant about 5 years ago; it was just a way of getting additional funding. The curriculum is no different in these schools but some may have spent the money on facilities whilst others used it for Primary outreach.