Kegs or Westcliff

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FortunateMumof2
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2019 2:47 pm

Kegs or Westcliff

Post by FortunateMumof2 »

Hi,

I am in dilemma of kegs or WestCliff. When i met with people i thought Kegs would be worlds best school but after reading comments on the forum and google reviews seems like its not. Another point of view is, as time is coming closer feels like its going to be WestClif ffor us. Can some one please let me know how WestCliffis different than Kegs? Does it really makes a difference if boy goes to WestCliff or Kegs? Does the Kegs boys goes to better university places than WestCliff? Does kegs prepare more better for GCSE? Does it really matter IC or OC, in terms of friends and study, as we are OC for both the schools. Lots of questions. Please help.

A Worried Mum
ToadMum
Posts: 11946
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: Kegs or Westcliff

Post by ToadMum »

They are both good grammar schools. But just that, good schools. Neither of them 'the best school in the world'. Nor the worst. Good news for you, depending on how far ooc you live for both, is that boys who have to travel long distances to get to these schools don't really seem to hold it against their parents for making them do this and don't necessarily run off to somewhere more convenient at the end of year 11 - there are certainly plenty of ooc boys in the sixth form at WHSB, as far as I can tell (or at least, there were a couple of years ago, when my - very much ic - friend's DS left to join the sixth form at SHSG.

So, which school did you and your DS genuinely prefer when you visited them both prior to applying? I'm guessing that it was KEGS, but your second favourite was WHSB and your DS's score makes an ooc place at Westcliff a more likely scenario, come March 1st? (Surely, you didn't just 'like' KEGS more because of its perceived cachet?).

My aforementioned friend and I live two streets away from each other, so I, too, am very ic for WHSB (and ooc and inconveniently, but not imposdibly so, for KEGS). Friend's DS obviously preferred Westcliff to Southend for year 7. DS1 looked at WHSB and hated it on sight, loved SHSB on sight (and got in). DS2 looked at KEGS, liked it but didn't think it worth the journey. Looked at WHSB, liked the library and their jumper, considered the proximity. Looked at SHSB for the umpteenth time and decided to go there.

At no point in the proceedings did we consider that any of these schools would make any quantifiable difference to the grades he might get in his GCSEs, five years down the line, and certainly not which university he might be off to two years later.

So, if your DS is allocated WHSB and he is happy, then I would suggest being happy, too. There is nothing to stop you keeping his name on the waiting list, but unless KEGS is definitely a much easier journey for him, drawing a line in the sand at the end of the holidays and moving on.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
kegboys
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2018 10:46 pm

Re: Kegs or Westcliff

Post by kegboys »

If you put kegs first and have score then too late now...you will get kegs !
scary mum
Posts: 8841
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Re: Kegs or Westcliff

Post by scary mum »

Which one did you put first on the CAF? Of course you could go on the waiting list for the other.
scary mum
T0tleybrook
Posts: 131
Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2016 2:41 pm

Re: Kegs or Westcliff

Post by T0tleybrook »

Both are excellent schools. If distances to the schools are all the same, go with the one which your son is able to get into and/or loves the feeling of.
We did the entire open day circuit, and loved all the grammar schools. If distance wasn’t an issue, I’d have chosen Southend Boys, which DS also liked. As it turns out, he loved KEGS, managed to get in, and so far no regrets. Facilities matter for some people - KEGS has a new sports hall on the main school grounds and also upgraded some of their other facilities this school year (drama studio, science labs). I’ve never heard DS complained about the lack of sporting opportunities, and he’s really sporty!

Good luck for 1st March!
ToadMum
Posts: 11946
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: Kegs or Westcliff

Post by ToadMum »

In terms of making friends ic vs ooc, etc, none of the schools makes its pupils wear a special badge to show which group they fall into... And even e.g. within catchment for KEGS, boys may live 25 miles from each other. However, if a boy can never, say, wander into the city centre for a drink with classmates after school, because he has to be on a specific, one-off bus five minutes after the last period ends and / or has parents who are unable or unwilling to facilitate meet-ups at the weekend or in the holidays, then life gets more difficult.

If your DS is not that boy and you are not that parent, he should be fine.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
T0tleybrook
Posts: 131
Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2016 2:41 pm

Re: Kegs or Westcliff

Post by T0tleybrook »

I’ll second that. All of the socials so far have been within a 15 mile radius of the school. Some of the ooc boys do make the effort to attend, but it’s getting to be the usual suspects now, aka those living closest to the school.
FortunateMumof2
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2019 2:47 pm

Re: Kegs or Westcliff

Post by FortunateMumof2 »

Thanks for the prompt reply and apologies for my late reply.
We put Kegs as first choice and WHSB as our second choice. As mentioned by ToadMum i was completely under perceived cachet of KEGS. So we just visited KEGS, didn't went on the open day of WHSB. Liked the school but not that much, still we put KEGS as first choice. Now it feels like, was it really a right choice. But after reading all the replies seems like both schools are equally good, anyways it doesn't matter whether you are in KEGS or WHSB and its not going to impact the grades as well.
DSDSDD
Posts: 104
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2018 10:36 pm

Re: Kegs or Westcliff

Post by DSDSDD »

FortunateMumof2 wrote: We put Kegs as first choice and WHSB as our second choice.
How confident are you of being offered your first choice?
FortunateMumof2
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2019 2:47 pm

Re: Kegs or Westcliff

Post by FortunateMumof2 »

Kind of but not very. He got 362 so its orange zone. May be he can or may be not. So just wanted to know more about westcliff as we didn't visited the school.
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