Bexleyheath School

Eleven Plus (11+) in Bexley and Bromley

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l_bexley
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Nov 15, 2007 9:49 am
Location: Bexleyheath

Bexleyheath School

Post by l_bexley »

Does anyone have children attending Bexleyheath School?

If so, what do you think of the teaching standards and is you child happy there.
Tracy
Posts: 1123
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:28 am
Location: Bexley

Post by Tracy »

I looked at this school for my daughter last year and it was our non-selective choice. Our 1st was Blackfen but we are just out of the catchment area for that one so Bexleyheath would have been the school offered.

We both felt comfortable with Bexleyheath, we liked the atmosphere. Some of my daughter's friends have gone there and are loving it.

Other schools may produce higher GCSE results but we personally didn't like them or the attitude of the pupils we met.

However, apparantly Bexleyheath has now gone into special measures. I thought that this was down to financial issues only but there is a rumour that it's to do with the lack of teaching standards too.

The best thing is to visit and try to sum it up for yourself. Hope this helps.
Bex mum

Bexleyheath School

Post by Bex mum »

I was also impressed with Bexleyheath school. I liked the children and teachers we met, the facilities are good and the school had a friendly feel about the place - it was a school we all liked. We really liked the acting Head Teacher and now understand that he will be there for 2 years. From people I know who are connected with the school they feel he is putting good practices in place. The latest Ofsted report suggests to me that the school is in special measures due to actions not being done from the last report. Also, on our tour we met a parent whose older child was in the Fast Track and she spoke very highly of the school. It's our first choice comp so I am hoping for the best!
cazi
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:33 pm

Post by cazi »

My children attend this school, and I wish they didnt.
My daughter is fast track (2nd only to 1 other child in her year) and I know that she can do better. I have found out today that the school should have told me explicitly that she is working to level 8 and could have resat her 11 plus, they havent done this.

The teaching staff (Not all, but the majority) are rude and sometimes down right nasty to the children and seem to think this is the way that children should be spoken too on a daily basis. I have on 2 occasions been to the school to complain about my daughters tutor and about the things he has said both to her and me.

My son started there last september (against my better judgement) and he begs me on a daily basis to remove him and get him another place elsewhere. Yesterday he came home from school and told me that he had been in a fight with another child, even though he had a smack to the head I am still waiting for the school to call me to tell me that A) he was injured and B) that he had been in a fight.

I would advise to avoid this school if possible, dont even add it to you choices, that way you might stand a chance of getting a place for your child elsewhere

Many many things have happened, too many to list in one go, but if you wish to know more then please feel free to contact me.
Bexley Mum 2
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Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2007 9:55 pm
Location: Bexley

Post by Bexley Mum 2 »

Cazi - how awful for you. Is there no possibility of transferring your children to a different school?

It's good to hear such honesty. My youngest two boys go to a junior school where to be blunt the vast majority of parents don't seem to have very high expectations for their children's education. I know parents who have older children at Bexleyheath School and I'm always hearing that it's fine and that their children are really happy there. My gut instinct, having visited twice and seen their results is that all is not fine. It was my eldest son's first non-selective choice (but luckily for him he passed his 11+) and it is my second son's most realistic non-selective choice (he's in year 6).

I am really sorry to hear your predicament. One parent said to me recently that the school really looks after its fast track children. Obviously that is not the case. Have you tried taking your concerns higher - head of year, head teacher or board of governors?
Bexleymother
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2008 11:22 am

Post by Bexleymother »

I am really sorry to hear about this. What other school choices do you have? It was going to be my son's first non selective choice and I am now really worried after reading your post. What do you mean rude to children and yourself? Do you mean swearing or just the tone of voice? Surely they cant be allowed to swear??? The teachers that we met on open evening seemed really nice and friendly ... so did the pupils that showed us round although I suppose that they would have been specially selected. Where do you live? Our other choices seem so much worse by reputation and have very similar results. What year is your daughter in? Can she still do the 12+ or 13+ as level 8 seem really high to me. Is that in all subjects? She must be really clever as I thought you cant go any higher than level 8. Is she unhappy too? Oh....so many questions...It's because I'm so worried. Sorry.
Bexley Mum 2
Posts: 851
Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2007 9:55 pm
Location: Bexley

Post by Bexley Mum 2 »

Dear Bexleymother - I understand your concerns! The downside of having such good selective schools is that, in Bexley we have no truly comprehensive schools. Most of the able children have been creamed off and sent to grammar schools and many of the non-selective schools seem to have the additional problem of being unworkably large.

I've got 3 boys (years 4, 6 and 8) and we live in Belvedere. We're too far from Erith for non-selective places (although I'm not sure we want one as when we visited last term the group of parents I was with stood outside a classroom and listened to a teacher bawling and screaming at a child (looked year 7 or 8). He lost it so completely a couple of teachers from other classrooms came out to try and calm him down..... ) Then of course there's BBA. I have a friend who teaches at a primary school in Thamesmead and she pleaded with another friend of ours not to put BBA down as a first choice for her son. She sees and hears dreadful reports about the behaviour of some of the pupils there. Bexleyheath and, I think, Welling are in special measures. My teacher friend actually lives literally round the corner from Bexleyheath and she tells me that they have had race fights there. A parent of a year 8 boy there told me that he was sitting at a table at lunch time and another boy came up behind him and smashed his head down into the table and broke some of his teeth. You've probably also read in the local press that they are missing £1m from their budget ....

I'm waiting for March with baited breath because if my son doesn't pass the 11+ (he did the Kent 11+ as well for Wilmington and Dartford) he probably won't get into our fifth choice, Erith (not that I particularly want him to) and so we will down to choice No. 6 - BEXLEYHEATH!!

As I said in my earlier post, I do know some parents whose children go there and they don't have any complaints. However, I do know other parents who are deeply concerned by the appalling Ofsted report they got last term (if you haven't read it, do look on the Ofsted site). When we looked round last term I was also struck by the almost complete lack of displays on the walls. There were long, long corridors with completely bare walls. Every other school we looked at had lots of information and pupils' work on display. My year 6 son had no views on what we put on his CAF, other than that he doesn't want to go to Bexleyheath.

The only non-selective school in the borough that I hear good things about is Hurstmere but I think you have to live within a mile of that school to get in. Church schools do well and some of them get good reports - I hear good things about Trinity which is just down the road from us, but which has a tight catchment area and, of course, you have to be a regular churchgoer.

I sometimes wish we didn't have selective schools at all and just had good comprehensives in Bexley. But of course all that would happen then is that property prices would shoot up around the best comprehensives.

It's an absolute nightmare it really is! And in Belvedere we have the additional issue of distance from grammar schools. Traditionally we have been right on the edge of the qualifying distance for Bexley Grammar but this year they have reduced their intake by one form which will undoubtedly place us outside the qualifying distance. Similarly we're on the edge for Chis & Sids, and the distance for Beths dropped significantly last year. I know children who have passed the 11+ but not got a grammar school place because they live too far from the borough's grammar schools.

All you can do is keep your ear to the ground and find out as much as you possibly can about the schools before you make any decisions. Good luck!
Bexley Mum 2
Posts: 851
Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2007 9:55 pm
Location: Bexley

Post by Bexley Mum 2 »

Oops, I forgot that if you type an 8 followed by a bracket you get a smiley face!!
Tracy
Posts: 1123
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:28 am
Location: Bexley

Post by Tracy »

May I suggest that any parent who would normally have considered Welling or Bexleyheath try Cleeve Park.

Last year when I was looking with my daughter I did not view CP. I had heard bad things from way back so dismissed this one completely. How foolish I was. I now work there and am completely amazed at the high standards that I see. The children as so polite and respectful. In return the staff respect the children.

Cleeve Park always has vacancies, that's another reason I dismissed it - why the vacancies? Well, quite simply, if you pass the 11+ you go to C&S, if you don't you have Hurstmere, Blackfen and Beaverwood all nearby. I believe that there is one school too many in this area and that's why there are the vacancies. However, with the situation at BH and Welling this will not last. I think that if parents go along and look at Cleeve Park, which has a roll of approx 1200, for themselves they will be pleasantly surprised. There are also special bus services from most areas to get the kids to school on time too!

Some of the staff I work with have their own kids at CP and I think that speaks volumes. I will certainly consider this school for my year 4 daughter if she is non-selective.
Bexley Mum 2
Posts: 851
Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2007 9:55 pm
Location: Bexley

Post by Bexley Mum 2 »

Tracy - that's interesting, I've heard other people say that about Cleeve Park. I think I will go and have a look when we start this process again next year.

I should point out that, despite my negative comments above about Erith, I notice it's just been given an "outstanding" by Ofsted!! Not sure how much I would base my judgement of a school on their Ofsted report but it's worth taking into account.
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