Hi. This is my first post, but really keen for experienced advice.

Still waiting on Kent results next week, but we missed out on Bexley by 2. Townley offers a reserve list to offer any vacancies to those on 1 below first, and then 2 if still any left. I don't think that applies at Bexley G or Chis and Sid looking at admission criteria, but if i am wrong would be glad to hear it. I am aware that Townley do offer places on the reserve list in a usual year (12 last year and the head says that they have done work and found that there is no real difference in performance for kids at or just below the pass compared to those just over), although at 2 below i suppose the hope is slim, but our distance is very small.

Can anybody who has been in this position offer advice? I dont know whether to approach the primary head for a review, because if the review marked down then she will have lost that slim chance. I'm also not sure whether to take her back to the school open day, when the chance is so slim - she has seen and really liked the school.

We have been seeing non selective schools since the test, and we all like at least one, but i know that of the schools she has seen Townley was her favourite and the closest. Hope you all got the results you were hoping for, and shared commiserations for anybody who didn't.

1971. Not an exact reply for you as I'm not sure of reviews, whether good/bad idea? But do not lose heart. Get your DD on Townley reserve list and remember that Townley went under their initial mark line in recent years. Worst case is spaces do come up occasionally in years 8+.

This is my post on the 12+ thread
My DC are in older years but here is my recommendation based on our experiences. Yes, there is a 12+ in Bexley but it is not widely known, call the council. We found a few places did came up in grammars and superselectives in years 8, 9, and 10 for a variety of reasons (parents moving DC to indies or moving abroad). To access this you must be on the waiting lists (I'd call the school first). For Bexley grammars you must have passed the Bexley and you may be asked to retake an exam for year 8 (ie., the 12+) + an exam in the new language you have started in year 7. For all schools you want refresh your place on the waiting list every year, don't assume you are still on it. I know of 4 children who joined Newstead in year 10 and 3 who joined Chis & Sid in years 8/9. Both Townley and Newstead have dropped below their initial intake grade in recent years."

Does Bexley have a Head Teacher Review system?

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1971, I have been through this five years ago, with DD, and had I known what I know now, I would have saved myself a lot of stress. So not so much advice, but my experience from which you can take, hopefully, some comfort that everything will be ok.
DD missed out by one point. We appealed to Townley, with school's support, on the grounds that my child is billingual and this was not taken into account. The head of Townley told me after the appeal hearing it was the strongest case she ever heard. Yet DD did not get a place.
She went to a decent school and was promptly put in a grammar stream. She was doing well, and a year later, chose to sit 12+. At that time, seing how well she was doing, I was totally uninvolved in this. She had no tutor. She even had to make her way to the test all by herself, we booked her a cab, as I couldn't take her due to work.
She passed with flying colours. Which in my view was a credit to her school. She got offered places at two grammar schools in Bexley, but we declined both.
She is currently in year 11, going for straight As.
So what I learned is - a non selective school, when it gets a bright studend, it looks after them, because this is going to be the student that will make the school achieve the covetted pass rates. I doubt it she would have done so well at a grammar, where she would have been just average. Being top of her class, being challenged, being pushed and getting results did wonders to her confidence too.
Your child is obviously smart, and will do well wherever she goes. And being just on the fence of selective or not, in my opinion and experience, is likely to be better off in a non grammar school.

Thanks to all who have replied so far. Do you mind me asking Athina, which school does your daughter go to? We have 2 non selectives we are comfortable putting on the form (1 out of borough, and 1 much nearer and I know of several people who were in similar situation and say their daughters are really happy and doing well there). We are struggling to work out anything else due to the maze of admission criterias that make it difficult to see a chance of getting into some of the other borough non selectives, so a good news story that might help us add to the possibles would be very welcome.

It doesn't help that Townley is significantly closer to my house than any other option, but what will be will be, and I know she would still get on well at Blackfen. Just conscious that I need to put several schools on the form, and struggling to see the wood for the trees.

DD is in Chislehurst School for Girls, formerly Beavereood. Townley and Chis&Sid would have been much closer for us, catchment area-wise.

Yes. I've just given details on the other thread.
Salsa

Thank you.

1971 I feel for you and your DD. I have a very close friend who was in a very similar situation 2 years ago. They live incredibly close to Townley (just across the bridge) and she missed by 1 point. They approached the headteacher about an appeal but she was not particularly helpful or supportive to the family. I remember her telling me the head gave her lip service.

She is a quiet girl who they believed would do very well in either an all girls or mixed school, but in the end they chose Blacken. The girl is now in year 8 and is thriving. She is right at the top of her classes and has a very large social group of local girls with similar interests to her. I can see her confidence has hugely grown and she is very happy. Her mum (my friend) is unsure whether she would be this happy had she attended Townley, which is a very good school but probably wouldn't have been the best fit for her as she has 2 primary school friends there who have said it is very academic and quite competitive.

Thanks Chocraisin. Its always the dilemma isn't it. We do like Blackfen - just would have preferred Townley, and its always hard for them when friends pass and they are so close, but not quite at the mark.

Still waiting for the school to get back to me, after emailing in Friday morning to request a discussion with the head - I think they are trying to avoid me till after this thurs evening when the kent results are out - but im not sure what to do about taking her to see any Bexley grammar schools. At the moment I think I probably wont, but would liked some advice from the school as they see these problems every year.