Letter from Bushey Hall School

Eleven Plus (11+) in South West Hertfordshire

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greenteadrinker
Posts: 74
Joined: Thu Oct 09, 2008 6:19 pm

Letter from Bushey Hall School

Post by greenteadrinker »

Today I received a letter from Bushey Hall inviting me to attend a meeting on Tuesday 10 March at 09.10.

Has anyone else received this letter and are you planning to attend?

I also spotted this article in the Watford Observer

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/l ... children_/

I would like to connect with some of these 241 families who, like myself, may end up with Bushey Hall, purely because of the lack of school places elsewhere in the local area.

If there is a real positive injection into this school starting in September 2009, coupled with the fact that the school is possibly being converted into an academy, which means more money, maybe this school could be turned around.

I would be interested in others views.
Always look on the bright side of life
AlisonR
Posts: 213
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 4:34 pm
Location: Watford, Herts

Post by AlisonR »

I've just read the underlying Watford Observer article about "local schools for local children".

It also includes a story about a girl who got none of her choices. They put only selective schools yet lived in Kings Langley and surely could have put their local school of Kings Langley. Strange to include that particular girls case when the article is about local children missing out on places.

Alison
greenteadrinker
Posts: 74
Joined: Thu Oct 09, 2008 6:19 pm

Post by greenteadrinker »

I also wondered about that too Alison :?
Always look on the bright side of life
Pinkboots
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:38 am

Post by Pinkboots »

I agree. Obviously a family who made unrealistic choices and are now feeling agrieved.

I feel far more sorry for the children in the article from Sacred Heart at Bushey. I heard from a friend that some of these children actually ranked 3 catholic schools (as opposed to top consortium schools) and still didn't get one. Although St Michaels is their closest catholic school, as I'm sure we all know, if others live closer that fact makes no difference.

It is turning out to be a strange year allocations wise for many reasons.
ttmum
Posts: 38
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 2:13 pm
Location: Watford

Post by ttmum »

Pinkboots wrote:I agree. Obviously a family who made unrealistic choices and are now feeling agrieved.
How can you say this - obviously a family who made unrealistic choices.......the 1000 children who made out of county choices did the right thing and got into schools in Herts but the local kids made unrealistic choices. I do not think so.

My local school is Queens, yet my dd is one of the 41 kids in our area who did not get one of our preferences neither did we get the local school, tell me where we unrealistic? Also my daughter is one of the only two kids in her school who were given BH. And she is a bright child.

Would you swap?
Pinkboots
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:38 am

Post by Pinkboots »

I didn't mention out of county applicants.

As others have pointed out, the girl in the paper did not rank her local school. I assume you did rank Queens in which case I am really sorry you did not get it & hope a place comes up for your child off the CI list soon.
tense
Posts: 679
Joined: Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:02 pm
Location: Herts

Post by tense »

AlisonR wrote:I've just read the underlying Watford Observer article about "local schools for local children" ... strange to include that particular girls case when the article is about local children missing out on places.
Just read this too. A quick calculation suggests there are probably a dozen schools between this family & Watford Girls (which I assume from what is said they ranked first). Definitely agree that this weakens the impact of the article, which is a shame as this is an important issue.

EDIT sorry, I said a dozen schools between. I meant closer than.

T.
watmum
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Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 8:32 am
Location: Herts

Post by watmum »

I agree with you Tense, such an important article. Whilst I do feel for Milly and family, I can not help but think that their choices were just not realistic. Obviously I know nothing about the child's academic/musical ability but sadly, when making your choices you have to do so with realism, and not list three fantastic schools and no "banker". Surely Kings Langley should have been at least their number 3 choice, and she probably would have been offered a place there?
greenteadrinker
Posts: 74
Joined: Thu Oct 09, 2008 6:19 pm

Post by greenteadrinker »

I wonder if anything can be done to promote the number of places in schools to Hertfordshire children first.

If the newspaper article is correct in saying that 220 children from outside Hertfordshire got places and 241 children got Bushey Hall, then surely someone somewhere should be looking at these figures and saying "Hang on for a minute".

What about other community schools with children that dont want the places? Why should parents who live in Hertfordshire and pay their taxes to HCC be reduced to relying on the Independent Schools or schools outside of Hertfordshire to give them the choices that they need and should have.

Why is it that if you live ouside Hertfordshire you can, in some instances, get up to 7 choices and apply for Hertfordshire schools and in Hertfordshire only 3?

This doesnt seem very fair to the Hertfordshire children.
Always look on the bright side of life
tense
Posts: 679
Joined: Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:02 pm
Location: Herts

Post by tense »

I'm afraid I don't know how to post a link :oops: but this quote from Etienne might help -

==========================

The Greenwich Judgement of 1989 established that LA schools may not give priority to children simply because of the fact that they live in the authority's administrative area. (This does not mean that admission authorities cannot use certain oversubscription criteria, such as the catchment area rule which is permitted under the Rotherham judgement of 1997.)

So, there's a distinction between "Who can apply?" (answer = anyone. There must be no discrimination), and "What happens if the school is full?" (preference can be given to children in the catchment area, but not to children in the rest of the LA's administrative area.)
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