West Kent boys grammars' intake September 2012

[doodles]

Laurash, why shouldn't other parents have the choices and chances that you had for your DC's. You are very lucky please don't criticise other parents for doing or wanting what you did/wanted for your DC's. We all want the best for our children and on here we look to support each other in those choices.

[pheasantchick]

'like' button pressed.

[tigger2]

I have also, as a TW parent, been very disappointed by how little support there is for Skinners' by out-of-area parents. Many parents do not attend functions at the school ( which have to be cancelled as a result) because they live too far away and don't realise that to support a school you need to actually give something back. I cite the Carol service as an example...... 100 parents from a school of 800..................Theatre trips, after school clubs, training ..................none fully supported by out-of-area parents and the school is a ' poorer' place as a result.

I must also issue with the attitude of Sevenoaks parents. How can you say in one breath that the academy is ' good but...'? What you mean is ' It's OK for other parents but I want to be able to say that my child goes to a super-selective'.

Schools are as good as the pupils who attend them, the teachers who teach in them and the parents who SUPPORT them.

Laurash....this is a genuine enquiry I promise...how do you really know that none of the after school events are properly supported by out of area parents? You cannot possibly know for certain ...my ds's friends are not from tw and their families supported the carol service but ,inevitably there were clashes with other school carol/christmas services. It is quite possible that many families cannot support every event due to siblings ,lack of finances etc..indeed they may be feeling 'donation fatigue' following the huge fundraising for the sports hall I don't want to sound unkind but in wanting Skinners as much as you did for your son last year you must surely have an idea how terrible this is for all parents in this position right now and they need our support. If you did not want any other school in the area why should anyone else be told to accept something they are unhappy about?

Sorry one more point..there was a question about what to do in situations where the score is 413 or lower. I would say consider an appeal,waiting lists and wait and see. Unsettling I know and it is hard but well worth trying !

Tigger
x

[GeorgieBlue]

Keep the faith everyone. This was us last year - so disappointing for the children when everyone else seems to be celebrating.

Read everything you can about appeals, talk to as many others as you can who've been there.

We won our over subscription appeal last year for a NW Kent Grammar - in our experience panels members are reasonable people who respond well to reasonable parents in horrible situations.

The initial allocation system isn't working for us all who just live in the wrong place, but this is not the end.

Good luck to you all

[Blue Peter]

Many parents do not attend functions at the school ( which have to be cancelled as a result)

Oh come on Laurash - are you talking about the Pampered Chef party? We're in a recession and not everyone has the money to but overpriced kitchen gadgets!! I would say that Skinners parents are super - supportive, regardless of where they live - in fact, I've heard anecdotally that OOC parents are even more supportive as they're so pleased to have got their DS in. Anyhow, what about last year's Summer Ball - SOLD OUT; the Quiz night - SOLD OUT; the Sports Hall appeal has been very successful; St John's Church isn't big enough to cater for the families of 800 boys, and as previously commented many of have chiildren at other schools, and therefore have other commitments.

[mummabear]

Thank you GeorgieBlue

[laurash]

I am sorry if I have offended anyone but I think my post has been read rather selectively. I am not disputing the fact that we all want the best for our children but I think the system in TW and Tonbridge is totally corrosive. Parents in West kent are convinced that the 'super selectives' are brilliant schools and will do almost anything to get into them. These schools are given huge status beyond their actual value. Some parents seem to feel that they have ' failed their child' if they do not get a place at one of these schools but it seems to me, and it is my opinion only, that the system which only offers a certain number of places to a certain number of boys is bound to cause huge resentment and bad feeling.

After all, does a difference of 1 or 5 marks in the 11 plus mean that 1 boy should travel 1 1/2 hours a day and another boy should not even be able to go to a school 5 minutes from his house?

My point about Sevenoaks was that rather than fighting an engrained system, local parents should club together and send their children to the local school thereby raising the standards.

By the way, no-one mentioned the last line of my email when castigating me for my opinion and accusing me of being harsh. I actually said that I regretted sending one son far across the county. In retrospect I would choose another path.









I'm, afraid I don't agree that grammar schools must have better teachers and more supportive parents

[tonbridgemum]

Im sure there are places at skinners academy Laurash if you regret sending your son further afield and you are so 'local' to Tunbridge wells
Personally, as a parent in Tonbridge I dont see parents in Sevenoaks as 'out of area' or too far away at all. They all seem very reasonable to expect a place at a local Grammar school and those schools just happen to be where you and I live!!

[doodles]

Laurash I can assure you I read your post most thoroughly and more than once.

I just felt it was very insensitive to people whose DC passed the 11+ but didn't get a GS place at all. I remember that you went to great lengths to secure an SS place for your DS as you felt it was more suitable for him than TWGSB - why shouldn't others have the same opportunities as your DS just because they live 12 miles away from the school and not 2 or 3 miles. Remember we do all live in the same county and these are the local GS for Sevenoaks.

Also there were some rather sweeping generalisations about who attended events, do people that live in T and TW wear some sort of secret lapel badge to identify themselves as local? Therefore when you went to all the events you would KNOW that nobody who lives more than 4 miles away were in attendance

[Gamble]

New to this so hello all!
I would like to wish everyone well in obtaining their school of choice in the coming weeks I would also just like to add my thoughts ....

We are out of county, with a son at skinners and another child yet to sit the test in a few years time.
When we signed up to sending our son to a school with a +45 mins journey, we as parents also signed up to supporting him in attending everything he expressed an interest in and this is exactly what we have done.
From Christmas fairs to carol concerts, rugby matches, sports practises after school and masterclasses on a Saturday.
So I don't think the earlier sweeping statement was true of us all.