Bushey Academy

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Nearly over
Posts: 40
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2012 10:33 am

Re: Bushey Academy

Post by Nearly over »

Thanks again Kiwifruit. It would be great to hear other's experiences too!
Genesis
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:20 pm
Location: Watford

Re: Bushey Academy

Post by Genesis »

Hi!

Just wanted to add my comments to those already posted re Bushey Academy.
I have 2 children at the school, daughter in year 10 and son in year 8.

When my daughter was allocated the school back in 2009 (when it was still Bushey Hall) we were all very upset and remember posting on here at the time! She is bright but didn't have a great exam day, so didn't get in any of our chosen schools on academic and we didn't live on top of any of them to gain a distance place.

However, we quickly got our heads round the allocation and tried to be positive. It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened. The school became Bushey Academy in Sept 2009 and her year were the first year 7 intake. We are very happy with the school, she has made some lovely friends and enjoys it there. She did get offered a place at Bushey Meads after a year on the waiting list but we turned it down as she was so happy at Bushey Academy.

From an academic point of view she is doing well, is in the top sets for all subjects and already has a GCSE Grade B in the bag taken this year. Sports wise she has played for many school teams and there are many opportunities for lunchtime and after school sport clubs.
She went on a great school ski-ing trip to Austria in 2011 and in 2 weeks is off on a geography trip to the USA. As Kiwifruit says, 'Not all parents of Bushey Academy pupils sit at home on our backsides claiming benefits and watching Jeremy Kyle' :lol: :lol: We're certainly not paying for that trip out of benefits i can tell you! :wink:

Seriously though, we are so pleased with the school we were happy to send our son there 2 years later. While i would say our daughter is the academic one, our son is not particularly. However the school really plays to his strengths and even his maths grades have gone up :shock: :wink:

I completely understand when you say 'I've put a lot of hard work into bringing my children up to have manners, be kind and respectful etc, and I'd be devastated if all that hard work was undone'. That is exactly how i felt before my daughter started, but i need not have worried. Your good parenting will overcome anything that they are likely to come up against :)
As Kiwifruit says, bad behaviour is not tolerated and they are very quick to clamp down those who would seek to be disruptive.

I would agree that some of the language heard outside school is pretty bad, but i've heard equally bad from pupils of Parmiters, Queens, Bushey Meads, The Grammars, Ricky etc etc.

There are some lovely children at this school and your child would thrive there i'm sure. The ethos is completely different to when it was Bushey Hall, unfortunately it takes time to overcome the publics bad perception of the school. The improvement in results has been amazing.

So please try not to worry about putting it as your No 4 choice. Good luck with the whole process! Hope this has helped :)
Nearly over
Posts: 40
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2012 10:33 am

Re: Bushey Academy

Post by Nearly over »

Thank you very much Genesis for taking the time and trouble to write down your experience of the school. It's really helped, thanks!
Educare
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 6:58 pm

Re: Bushey Academy

Post by Educare »

My child is in year 10 and is quite happy, apart from the extremities of some of the right wing views from many of the students. He often comes home upset that some of his friends are targeted for the colour of their skins. My son is academic and we are a middle class family, but I sometimes get the impression that the school do think that we all live a Jeremy Kyle lifestyle.
I have never seen the head teacher meet and greet and he puts on a good show to promote the school. The truth is that he hides most of the time.
The turn over of teachers is very high, so that always isn't a good sign. The good teachers leave and the bad ones stay. I can't wait until next year, so that the exams are over and we can move forward into a descent sixth form.
If your child has half a brain, don't send them to BA. A top group in this school is basically 3rd set in most others.
I totally disagree with the raving reviews. My son is happy in his friendship groups but disapproves with the lack of respect for other cultures. We are a white middle class family and I am so proud that my son disapproves of this behaviour, as it shows that I've installed good moral values in him.
Saying that, if you don't care about equality or good teaching and you want to experience good trips, then it might just be the school for you.
Genesis
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:20 pm
Location: Watford

Re: Bushey Academy

Post by Genesis »

Hello Educare,
interesting first post on the forum, sorry to hear that you're not that impressed with Bushey Academy.
Educare wrote:My child is in year 10 and is quite happy, apart from the extremities of some of the right wing views from many of the students. He often comes home upset that some of his friends are targeted for the colour of their skins.
Really? Many of the students? How upsetting for him. Our daughter is in the same year and has only reported sporadic incidents of this sort of thing, maybe she's just been lucky and not come up against it as often.
My son is academic and we are a middle class family, but I sometimes get the impression that the school do think that we all live a Jeremy Kyle lifestyle.
:lol: Never got that impression from the school itself, but i think that impression still continues in some peoples minds that don't have any connection with the school at all, so i get what you mean!
I have never seen the head teacher meet and greet and he puts on a good show to promote the school. The truth is that he hides most of the time.
I have seen him mingling at many school events and seems willing to speak to parents. I wouldn't say he hides most of the time but if that's your experience then i wouldn't presume to contradict that.
The turn over of teachers is very high, so that always isn't a good sign. The good teachers leave and the bad ones stay.
Fair point, they have lost a few excellent teachers recently, but there are still many good teachers remaining.
I can't wait until next year, so that the exams are over and we can move forward into a descent sixth form.
Good luck with his exams, hope he manages to get good enough GCSE results at BA to get into a decent sixth form.
If your child has half a brain, don't send them to BA. A top group in this school is basically 3rd set in most others.
If a child is very academic they would probably have been able to secure a place elsewhere anyway. A top set at BA is not basically a 3rd set at other schools, there are just not so many children in the top sets because it's a non-selective school!!! They don't just take top scoring children! I do wonder why you sent your academic child to Bushey Academy if you feel that way?
I totally disagree with the raving reviews.
Of course! Everyone has their own opinions. Personally, i was just offering an insight from the perspective of a parent of a child who did not choose that school but has made the best of what seemed to be a bad situation, got on with it and is doing well.
My son is happy in his friendship groups but disapproves with the lack of respect for other cultures. We are a white middle class family and I am so proud that my son disapproves of this behaviour, as it shows that I've installed good moral values in him.
Good, you should be proud. Despite what you mentioned earlier in your post, there are many other children at BA who feel the same way about lack of respect for other cultures. Just for the record we are white middle class too, not that its relevant.
Saying that, if you don't care about equality or good teaching and you want to experience good trips, then it might just be the school for you.
Sounds like you have a real downer on the school which is a shame, but that's your experience. On the 'good trips' comment, i presume you're referring to my post because noone else has mentioned trips at all. I would just like to say that it was a tongue in cheek, lighthearted comment carrying on from the very funny :lol: Jeremy Kyle comment in KiwiFruits post. It wasn't meant to imply that good school trips are that important, just to say that most BA parents do work for a living :wink:

Plus i'd bet most Bushey Academy parents and pupils do care about equality and good teaching!! :)
Educare
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 6:58 pm

Re: Bushey Academy

Post by Educare »

Genesis wrote: interesting first post on the forum, sorry to hear that you're not that impressed with Bushey Academy.
Thanks! you cant please everybody. I give the school a 'Satisfactory', just like the Ofsted report.

Educare wrote:My child is in year 10 and is quite happy, apart from the extremities of some of the right wing views from many of the students. He often comes home upset that some of his friends are targeted for the colour of their skins.
Really? Many of the students? How upsetting for him. Our daughter is in the same year and has only reported sporadic incidents of this sort of thing, maybe she's just been lucky and not come up against it as often.

Yes, many of the students, although a minority. I'm glad to hear that you've 'reported' these 'incidents' to the school, it can only help with the necessary improvements. It is upsetting for him, although more so to the victims of such abuse. I'm glad your daughter has been 'lucky' to have 'ONLY' heard 'sporadic incidences. Bushey Meads and Queens have had talks on the subject. Maybe you can be another parent that suggests that Bushey Academy does the same. It is a necessary step for improvemen
My son is academic and we are a middle class family, but I sometimes get the impression that the school do think that we all live a Jeremy Kyle lifestyle.
:lol: Never got that impression from the school itself, but i think that impression still continues in some peoples minds that don't have any connection with the school at all, so i get what you mean!

We moved into the Borough late and excepted a place, as it was the nearest to our home. I believe that the school has a bad perception of the children within it. I would say that there is a lack of homework given and that expectations are low. There has only ever been 1 A* at A'level and the results of those passing both English and maths is amongst the lowest in the country.
I have never seen the head teacher meet and greet and he puts on a good show to promote the school. The truth is that he hides most of the time.
I have seen him mingling at many school events and seems willing to speak to parents. (quote Genesis) I wouldn't say he hides most of the time but if that's your experience then i wouldn't presume to contradict that.

This is the general feel of most parents I know. The assistant heads are the ones at hand to meet and greet.
The turn over of teachers is very high, so that always isn't a good sign. The good teachers leave and the bad ones stay.[/quote Genesis]
Fair point, they have lost a few excellent teachers recently, but there are still many good teachers remaining.

Yes, there are good teachers remaining, but the turn over does raise alarm bells! :shock:
Plus i'd bet most Bushey Academy parents and pupils do care about equality and good teaching!! :)

:idea: I'm sure they do. But they need to be more proactive to contributing to the change.





I can't wait until next year, so that the exams are over and we can move forward into a descent sixth form.
Good luck with his exams, hope he manages to get good enough GCSE results at BA to get into a decent sixth form.
If your child has half a brain, don't send them to BA. A top group in this school is basically 3rd set in most others.
If a child is very academic they would probably have been able to secure a place elsewhere anyway. A top set at BA is not basically a 3rd set at other schools, there are just not so many children in the top sets because it's a non-selective school!!! They don't just take top scoring children! I do wonder why you sent your academic child to Bushey Academy if you feel that way?
I totally disagree with the raving reviews.
Of course! Everyone has their own opinions. Personally, i was just offering an insight from the perspective of a parent of a child who did not choose that school but has made the best of what seemed to be a bad situation, got on with it and is doing well.
My son is happy in his friendship groups but disapproves with the lack of respect for other cultures. We are a white middle class family and I am so proud that my son disapproves of this behaviour, as it shows that I've installed good moral values in him.
Good, you should be proud. Despite what you mentioned earlier in your post, there are many other children at BA who feel the same way about lack of respect for other cultures. Just for the record we are white middle class too, not that its relevant.
Saying that, if you don't care about equality or good teaching and you want to experience good trips, then it might just be the school for you.
Sounds like you have a real downer on the school which is a shame, but that's your experience. On the 'good trips' comment, i presume you're referring to my post because noone else has mentioned trips at all. I would just like to say that it was a tongue in cheek, lighthearted comment carrying on from the very funny :lol: Jeremy Kyle comment in KiwiFruits post. It wasn't meant to imply that good school trips are that important, just to say that most BA parents do work for a living :wink:

Plus i'd bet most Bushey Academy parents and pupils do care about equality and good teaching!! :)
Genesis wrote:My child is in year 10 and is quite happy, apart from the extremities of some of the right wing views from many of the students. He often comes home upset that some of his friends are targeted for the colour of their skins.
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