14km catchment area for 2015 entry to Tiffin School

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Peridot
Posts: 2195
Joined: Thu May 16, 2013 5:02 pm

14km catchment area for 2015 entry to Tiffin School

Post by Peridot »

Not sure if anyone else has posted about this, but Tiffin School has published the results of their consultation on a straight-line 14km distance criterion for entry from September 2015. It's under the Admissions tab on their website. They have decided to go ahead and implement the change.

What I am surprised about is the small number of people who replied: only 30, of whom just over half were in favour. Responses obviously depended on respondents' personal viewpoint. It looks as if there will be no sibling arrangements.

I do think it's a positive change: I can already see the impact on some of the things that make the school so amazing (such as music, drama and sport) of the fact that increasing numbers of boys live so far away.
tiffinboys
Posts: 8022
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 11:00 pm
Location: Surrey

Re: 14km catchment area for 2015 entry to Tiffin School

Post by tiffinboys »

When parents perceive consultations are for the sake of just filling the files and doing the legal requirements, how many would bother to reply. I think that schools should hire independent bodies to collect and analyse the responses. That will encourage responses from parents and also ensure that responses are fully accounted for.

The summary given by school is as below.
Summary of the responses received:
 Thirty responses were received. In two of the responses, the respondents stated
their views on the Priority Area, but then went on to suggest that the governors
consider other issues such as testing and other schools’ admission policies. These
issues have been put to one side as they are not relevant to the current consultation.
 Of the thirty responses, sixteen were in favour of the Priority Area, but eight of these
thought that 14 km was too big a radius.
 Fourteen responses were against a Priority Area; of these three suggested that a
sibling rule was considered.
 Many of those who disagreed said that their particular area should be included
(Luton, Guildford, Egham, Ealing, Uxbridge, Staines, for example). Two responses
stated that the school should be open to all bright children wherever they live. One
respondent requested that there is a longer lead in to this change to give parents
time to plan moves. Six said that they did not have access to another grammar
school.
 Three responses said journey time should be the main consideration, with 40
minutes being suggested as maximum commute time door to door by one.
You can very well say whose responses were 'put to one side'. :lol: :lol:
The Governors are conscious that they want Tiffin School to represent Kingston and its 
surrounding areas as it has always done.
Adding insult to injury. Perhaps Governors do not have access to their school's admission data.
Last edited by tiffinboys on Wed Apr 02, 2014 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
loopylou
Posts: 403
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:08 am

Re: 14km catchment area for 2015 entry to Tiffin School

Post by loopylou »

That is really interesting Tiffinboys - thank you for the summary.
Undisguised self interest seems to a main motivating factor behind many of the responses then?
I am being a little tongue in cheek there but honestly!
Asking for time to move house, asking for sibling priority and asking for inclusion for Guildford doesn't contribute much to the consultation except to tell the school that people are busy moving house, hoping their other child can also get in and perhaps currently live in Guildford or maybe Luton! Luton is about 50 miles away for goodness sake!
whichwitch
Posts: 236
Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2008 1:07 pm
Location: Kingston

Re: 14km catchment area for 2015 entry to Tiffin School

Post by whichwitch »

You have to laugh a little at the sheer nerve of asking Luton to be considered really.
For what it's worth I was one of the eight who thought the 14km catchment was too big and that journey time should be considered.
Peridot
Posts: 2195
Joined: Thu May 16, 2013 5:02 pm

Re: 14km catchment area for 2015 entry to Tiffin School

Post by Peridot »

whichwitch wrote:You have to laugh a little at the sheer nerve of asking Luton to be considered really.
For what it's worth I was one of the eight who thought the 14km catchment was too big and that journey time should be considered.
Hi whichwitch - me too!

In my daughter's year at TGS, girls from as far away as Watford, Hatfield, Maidstone, Redhill, Bristol and Halifax gained places. You would hope that they've all moved house by now...

Peridot
ToadMum
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Location: Essex

Re: 14km catchment area for 2015 entry to Tiffin School

Post by ToadMum »

If these were responses from parents of DC already in the school, does one assume that there is actually at least one child currently travelling from Luton every day?
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
tiffinboys
Posts: 8022
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 11:00 pm
Location: Surrey

Re: 14km catchment area for 2015 entry to Tiffin School

Post by tiffinboys »

At least one boy is said to be a weekly boarder in town.
J50
Posts: 296
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 10:35 am

Re: 14km catchment area for 2015 entry to Tiffin School

Post by J50 »

We, the parents, only have an interest for a short window of time. So clearly any responses will reflect those vested interests of some current and prospective parents. Maybe a survey of 1000 people over a few weeks in Kingston town centre about the entrance policy of the local school would provide a clear response; and be unlikely to bring any vested references to Luton or other far flung destinations.
panicattack
Posts: 162
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2012 7:28 pm

Re: 14km catchment area for 2015 entry to Tiffin School

Post by panicattack »

But isn't it the case now that the Tiffin Schools are the only grammars in Sutton/ Kingston who have effectively shut their doors to the very long distance travelllers? All others have some or all places available to any area, including Luton! If you have no places available outside the catchment you'd expect the catchment to be larger than where there are partial catchment rules like Nonsuch and now Sutton GS (ie some places reserved inside and no limits outside catchment).

You can argue about 14k being too big but Tiffin seems to have achieved the aim which many on the forum complain about ie. the very long distance travellers. Some credit for the school? (NVR is still a nonsense though).
tiffinboys
Posts: 8022
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 11:00 pm
Location: Surrey

Re: 14km catchment area for 2015 entry to Tiffin School

Post by tiffinboys »

Heathrow to Leatherhead seems very reasonable to some.
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