Skinners School consulting to change admission for 2019

[PettswoodFiona]

Exactly Salsa. And also what about selection by wallet, those who can afford to be in one area versus another. That is what angers me about the local school for local children debate - it promotes a segregation by those who can afford that particular area.

I love that DD’s school has a more diverse intake than the area immediately near the school. I love that those who choose the school have positively chosen it rather than it being a default local school they are stuck with. I like that it has a nine mile radius catchment that means there aren’t stupid journeys taking place. It pulls children from Kent, Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham and it’s own Borough of Bromley.

Where do you start drawing borders and teaching our children the merits of sharing and common goals? I have been surprised at how many who have been opposed to Brexit espouse their local schools being for local children but hate the idea of not being part of Europe. Seems rather at odds to have a protectionist view of ones local school but then see the merits of a borderless Europe.

[Woodham]

We get into this argument every year. If you read up thread you’ll find counter arguments with respect to how local a Kent school can be as Kent children can travel further than a South London child to get to the same school; the journey can be more complicated; Kent children go to schools out of Kent; etc.

Salsa

Exactly Salsa. And also what about selection by wallet, those who can afford to be in one area versus another. That is what angers me about the local school for local children debate - it promotes a segregation by those who can afford that particular area.

I love that DD’s school has a more diverse intake than the area immediately near the school. I love that those who choose the school have positively chosen it rather than it being a default local school they are stuck with. I like that it has a nine mile radius catchment that means there aren’t stupid journeys taking place. It pulls children from Kent, Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham and it’s own Borough of Bromley.

Where do you start drawing borders and teaching our children the merits of sharing and common goals? I have been surprised at how many who have been opposed to Brexit espouse their local schools being for local children but hate the idea of not being part of Europe. Seems rather at odds to have a protectionist view of ones local school but then see the merits of a borderless Europe.

Yes, the teaching and understanding of the merits of sharing and common goals is important but there needs to be a sensible approach taken with regards to the distance and time children travel to and from school and the amount of non-local children within a school.

I don't think there're many children in Kent and Bexley travelling to schools in other local authorities but as I've mentioned I've heard of children travelling shocking distances to commute to and from school particularly from inner London.

Do either of you think it's sensible for a child residing in Abbey Wood or Plumstead to travel to and from school in Chatham, Rainham or Rochester or a child residing in Grays/Chafford Hundred to travel to and from school in Dartford via the Thurrock-Dartford ferry (no, I'm not joking or exaggerating, some children do this commute across the River Thames ten times a week and sometimes twelve if they have sports practice or matches on Saturdays)?

As "Sparklecat" mentioned in a post above where does the boundary end for some Bexley/Bromley/Kent/Medway grammar schools - Plumstead?, Grays?, Manchester?, Inverness?

Skinners' have made the right decision in my opinion and I hope every grammar school in Bexley, Bromley, Medway and Kent follows suit.

[PettswoodFiona]

Skinners' have made the right decision in my opinion and I hope every grammar school in Bexley, Bromley, Medway and Kent follows suit.

Can you clarify what you mean by that? Do you hope that those who live nearer but happen to be in a different authority can’t qualify for the school? Dartford is close to Bexley and Kent, some Bexley schools are closer to Kent children than some parts of Bexley. What Kent do is exclude children that are closer but not in Kent. That clearly isn’t fair.

As I said in my post I don’t think stupid commutes are good and DD’s school with a 9 mile catchment creates a good solution and is not driven by the small mindedness of a parish, county or borough border. It all seems to even itself out when you look at various blogs about children crossing borders to attend schools elsewhere. Nice as the local school for local children might sound - what if your child just doesn’t suit that school? That is what choice gives Parents, the better chance of a good fit for their child. It doesn’t happen all the time but at least there isn’t a rigid local school or misfit scenario.

[thickasabrick]

This is becoming such a drag now.

The very point of selection is that not everybody will get in and local as well as non-local kids will lose out - if that's a problem for those schools, they should become comprehensives and stop being selective.

I also know a number of families who relocate after they get an offer - this way you can keep your options open - although with all the criteria getting tougher people will be forced to move a couple of years earlier and will be more limited in their options.

[mystery]

Can't understand why many people want a very local school and for it to be a grammar school .... this is only feasible in large, densely populated areas unless schools became very small again and offer quite a narrow curriculum on the per head funding they receive.

And apart from the financial impossibility of this desire, it would mean a very parochial life for children attending a school very close to home all their childhood.

[LocalTWmum1]

Can't understand why many people want a very local school and for it to be a grammar school .... this is only feasible in large, densely populated areas unless schools became very small again and offer quite a narrow curriculum on the per head funding they receive.

And apart from the financial impossibility of this desire, it would mean a very parochial life for children attending a school very close to home all their childhood.

People want local schools for their kids because there is such a squeeze on places in West Kent - a deficit of 11 classes forecast in 5 years - and they are worried about the alternatives on offer; why should children who live miles and miles away be able to swoop in and take them from those who have lived locally for years?

Thank goodness Judd, and now Skinners', have had the foresight to prevent this happening in the future and are supporting KCC with their expansion plans across 5 schools in TW and Tonbridge:

From today's Kent Live - "Children outside Tunbridge Wells could struggle to get a place at Skinners' as school changes admissions policy":

https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-new ... ld-1515697

[LocalTWmum1]

NB - to add to the above I'd rather new schools (primary and secondary) were built in West Kent in preference to the utterly ridiculous £90m Civic Centre planned for TW which absolutely no-one wants or needs...

[thickasabrick]

People want local schools for their kids because there is such a squeeze on places in West Kent - a deficit of 11 classes forecast in 5 years - and they are worried about the alternatives on offer; why should children who live miles and miles away be able to swoop in and take them from those who have lived locally for years?

One more time:

Because the schools want to select by ability!

If they only want the kids down the road (because it's not fair for anybody to take a place from a child who lives closer) - they need to STOP BEING SELECTIVE instead of dredging up the same old fake concern for 'local' kids.

[mystery]

Still don't understand why anyone would want any school, selective or not, to write its oversubscription criteria based on local authority borders. They're just not relevant to children's education or welfare in any way whatsoever.

[salsa]

Moreover, these schools, want to select the highest scorers. They are super selective, so getting a pass is not enough.

Salsa