Experience of Newstead Woods

Eleven Plus (11+) in Bexley and Bromley

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PettswoodFiona
Posts: 2134
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:24 pm
Location: Petts Wood, Bromley, Kent

Re: Experience of Newstead Woods

Post by PettswoodFiona »

Progress 8 refers to SATs to GCSE, not A Level. You need to look at the 16-18 data for that.

The school loses a fair number of girls to other schools, especially since Olaves increased the size of their sixth form. The school does have a full complement of teachers but it is the general opinion, outlined in the report is that it could do better for science. I know Mr Blount is really looking at resolving this. They get fantastic results at GCSE, the engineering teacher also is highly regarded and gets great results in the Cambridge Level 2 certificate. For A level the results haven’t been so stunning but neither have they been atrocious. Girls at Newstead are renowned for being capable and resilient and if there is bad teaching they just get in with it themselves so that may mask some deficiencies perhaps. DD says she doesn’t have any bad teachers, her maths teacher sometimes assumes the girls know something and she has struggled to grasp some areas so I think this could be better, but the teachers are accessible and offer one to one help. DD thinks her physics teacher is great.

I have a friend with a DS in a nearby school and he didn’t have a proper science teacher for two terms in the run up to his GCSEs.
Advice2018
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Oct 23, 2018 11:14 pm

Re: Experience of Newstead Woods

Post by Advice2018 »

Thank you PettswoodFiona, that’s helpful to know. Thank you so much also for always taking time out to answer queries. The school is lucky to have someone who is such a strong ambassador for it and elevenplus forum is lucky to have someone who is so helpful.
For all parents this time is such a stressful time and really helps to have a forum to post questions. I think what ever happens on results day and what ever schools parents choose or their children go to, the fact they are on here and interested in their child’s education means their child will do well where ever they go because they will help make that happen.
bluesea
Posts: 180
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 11:49 am

Re: Experience of Newstead Woods

Post by bluesea »

Advice2018, there was a mention of the extra cash for grammars in their gov's minutes somewhere. Not sure which set of minutes. They said they won't be getting any.
bexbrom
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Jun 23, 2017 2:40 pm

Re: Experience of Newstead Woods

Post by bexbrom »

My daughter is in year 7 and I found this site so helpful in deciding what to do - so I thought I would answer (was just looking at st olaves section for my son).
She passed kent, bexley and had a place at Bromley High. We found decision making very difficult.
We are 1/2 way through year 7 and she is flying - loving science, art,drama, history,geography, dt,computing! In fact the only lesson she isn't keen on is music. The school show of My Fair Lady was fabulous - we just took her along on her request.
I am very happy with the school so far - and enjoyed the first parents evening recently - as a chance to meet the teachers, hear how she was doing and how we could support her more. The school give ideas all of the week before 1/2 term of ways to engage girls with learning outside the classroom and have a no homeework 1/2 term - which has been wonderful.
The lessons are engaging. She does extra curricular singing in young voices, latin after school bolt on, netball and badminton at lunch break.
She found the initial transition a bit difficult (but then all her friends from primary school went to different secondaries and this was a common factor). She recently had a birthday party and I met 7 of her friends and briefly their parents - all the girls were lovely.
Good luck on results day and in making these difficult choices.
B
Advice2018
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Oct 23, 2018 11:14 pm

Re: Experience of Newstead Woods

Post by Advice2018 »

Thanks so much BexBrom that’s lovely to hear.
Agree it is so hard making decisions and such a stressful time. Must be lovely when they settle into year 7 and you know you’ve made the right choices for them. It’s so reassuring to hear that she’s enjoying the lessons and extracurricular activities too.
Is there any advice you have to help them settle when they first start or anything I can do as a parent to make year 7 easier to settle into? Also I was wondering how many different classes are there in each year and how many children per class? If there are a few children from one school going do they keep them in one class or do they separate them into different classes? I also keep worrying about her getting lost in the school as it’s so big! It’s odd the things we worry about!
PettswoodFiona
Posts: 2134
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:24 pm
Location: Petts Wood, Bromley, Kent

Re: Experience of Newstead Woods

Post by PettswoodFiona »

Advice2018 wrote:Also I was wondering how many different classes are there in each year and how many children per class?
6 classes per year and 26,27 or 28 per class depending on the class.
Advice2018 wrote:If there are a few children from one school going do they keep them in one class or do they separate them into different classes?
In DD’s experience it was random. There were at least 8 from her school, four were in one class and then the others all on their own in other classes.
Advice2018 wrote:I also keep worrying about her getting lost in the school as it’s so big! It’s odd the things we worry about!
It may seem big but on secondary school terms it isn’t that big at all, I have friends with children at schools with 300 intake per year. Townley also has 32 per class. They get to have the school to themselves for the first day to make it easier and after that the older years are all on standby to help the Y7s find their way about. It is a confusing layout as the school has grown in fits and starts and is an incomplete figure of eight layout, but they soon get used to it.

For settling in - plenty of sticky plastic for covering books, print out timetable and put it on inside of locker door to help know which books to pull out, if you can afford it buy a copy of the very heavy maths text book to avoid taking back and forth. Get WhatsApp if haven’t already (I know it is technically now 13, but wasn’t when DD started, maybe there is a new alternative? ) so they can exchange contacts at the settling in day. Decide if they are a valuables bag (they have to leave school bags in lockers but can carry small bags about) type of girl or fill out blazer pockets girl. Don’t buy the valuables bag from the school shop there are plenty of other small and nice alternatives.
Advice2018
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Oct 23, 2018 11:14 pm

Re: Experience of Newstead Woods

Post by Advice2018 »

Thank you so much PettswoodFiona, you have been so helpful through out this decision making process and it is so much appreciated.
My daughters first choice is newstead, she loved it at open day. Every room was full of energy and it felt like a very much loved school by the girls and they were all so proud showing the prospective parents around. The teachers we met came across as kind and warm. She loved the science rooms and all the experiments they had set up. My main concern was the building being slightly run down but she actually didn’t notice that because the school felt very real and warm and it’s the pupils and staff that make up a school more than a building. The cosmetics of a building are easily changeable but the teachers and pupils are not so easy to change and they are what counts.
ToadMum
Posts: 11944
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: Experience of Newstead Woods

Post by ToadMum »

PWF, the minimum age for WhatsApp would actually have been 13 when your DD signed up - it changed to 16 with the introduction of GDPR last year. And no, we couldn't understand why relatively innocuous WhatsApp was singled out for this treatment, either and no, we didn't insist that our then 15 year old DS2 closed his account, although I'm sure there are those who did :) .

https://parentinfo.org/article/whatsapp ... and-carers

As of May 2018, WhatsApp's minimum age of use is 16 years old if you live in the European Union, or a country that has adopted the GDPR, as the UK has. It was previously 13 and WhatsApp has not yet said what will happen to users between 13 and 16 who already held accounts under the old terms and conditions.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
PettswoodFiona
Posts: 2134
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:24 pm
Location: Petts Wood, Bromley, Kent

Re: Experience of Newstead Woods

Post by PettswoodFiona »

Thanks for that Toadmum, I am usually quite a stickler for following the law but in this instance clearly came unstuck but I have seen no negative outcome, only positives. WhatsApp was key to the girls forming friendships during the summer and feeling excited about starting Y7. DD isn’t on other social media and is happier than some of her friends who are.
Advice2018
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Oct 23, 2018 11:14 pm

Re: Experience of Newstead Woods

Post by Advice2018 »

I think what’s app changed it so that the responsibility falls with the parent rather than them! Very similar to buying a phone for them, you have to take the contact out in your name and allow them to use it. I love what’s app as a great way to communicate with a group of people and can organise things much faster. If I was meeting with friends used to take us ages sending texts back and forth between each other but now so easy with WhatsApp! I can see would be very helpful for girls for homework queries and to chat to their friends in a group. My daughter has a phone now after much persuasion from her and I’m glad I’ve got it for her as she uses it responsibly and knows if she doesn’t she won’t have it any more!
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