Anyone contemplating lying to their children...?

[booellesmum]

Slightly different dilemma, we have just been to see our local comp (Darrick wood) and DD has decided she definitely wants to go there regardless of whatever her newstead result is ! Mixed emotions, part of me wants a low score so the decision is out of my hands but other part thinks of all the hard work we put into it ! (89% of girls this year got 5a-c GCSE grades) not bad for a comp.

It is a massive decision. I would go and see both again and then sit down and write a pros and cons list together.
You have to make the right decision for your child as ultimately they are the one who has got to go there everyday for at least 5 years.
A pros and cons list helped my DD to decide when she was going to the local comp with her friends, uniform all ready, and then got a late offer for the Grammar school.( She decided to take the Grammar offer).

[MerlinFromCamelot]

It is difficult, the best school on paper is not always the best school for the DC. Also sometimes the school you may want to choose for yourself is not necessarily the school your DC would choose. They will be spending a lot of time at school ... It is not always easy deciding on a school but spare a thought for those who don't have a choice and have to accept a school they don't like.

[PettswoodFiona]

Darrick would have been in catchment for us about 4 years ago, certainly not now - having come out 1.01 miles for Sept 15 entry. It is our closest non-selective state school. Catchments have gone bonkers in recent years. With the problems at Newstead in recent years if I had your choice I'd probably be thinking along the same lines. Good luck everyone! 6 days to Bexley result and 12 until Newstead...give or take a day for early/late post.

We will be quite honest with DD about the result. It is her result after all and not ours. The 11 plus journey has lots of lessons and many are about life and not things you find in a book.

[Happy hamster]

Slightly different dilemma, we have just been to see our local comp (Darrick wood) and DD has decided she definitely wants to go there regardless of whatever her newstead result is ! Mixed emotions, part of me wants a low score so the decision is out of my hands but other part thinks of all the hard work we put into it ! (89% of girls this year got 5a-c GCSE grades) not bad for a comp.

Difficult. Your daughter would be in the top stream I expect, whereas at newstead, she'd always be one of many very bright girls. We went to ravens wood open day. The 2 boys giving speeches were amazing, so bright and confident. I wondered whether they would have been so confident had they been 'average for olaves'.

Oh just a thought, but maybe check she's not being over influenced by friends who may be going there?

[Happy hamster]

[quote="PettswoodFiona"]Good luck everyone! 6 days to Bexley result and 12 until Newstead...

Absolutely! Good luck all, hope everyone gets what they want, or ends up happy with what they get.

[hornetgirl]

For what it's worth, I have just been to the Harris Beckenham Open Evening and I was pretty impressed with the rise in standards over the last two years.

I still want my son to do well in the Bexley/Olaves tests but perhaps in the long run an average school which is close to home and has lots of sports etc might be better for him. What to do!!

[Nikki00]

I hear you ladies! The facilities at newstead were no way near as good as Darrick and the kids were very confident.
I'm beginning to think being near the top of a good comp is better than at the bottom of a super selective. I can't comment on grammars we haven't gone down that route.

[Happy hamster]

I hear you ladies! The facilities at newstead were no way near as good as Darrick and the kids were very confident.
I'm beginning to think being near the top of a good comp is better than at the bottom of a super selective. I can't comment on grammars we haven't gone down that route.

Good thinking! I will bear this in mind in the days / weeks / months (!) of **** ahead!!