Catchment for westcliff and Southend

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JDWine
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2012 7:28 pm

Catchment for westcliff and Southend

Post by JDWine »

Our dd got 327, we are very proud of him. We are out of catchment, and at 1st thought this should just about secure him a place at either Southend or Westcliff, but now realising how much the catchment has changed we are feeling very unsure. Of course we will have both schools as 1st and 2nd choice, but feel sick at the outcome. I believe all the 115 positions this year for both schools will be filled by kids with over 303 in the larger area, and that leaves a much smaller chance for us out of area. We are def making appointment to find out more. Feel very sick about the situation.
Setanta
Posts: 43
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2012 11:57 am

Re: Catchment for westcliff and Southend

Post by Setanta »

JDWine wrote:Our dd got 327, we are very proud of him. We are out of catchment, and at 1st thought this should just about secure him a place at either Southend or Westcliff, but now realising how much the catchment has changed we are feeling very unsure. Of course we will have both schools as 1st and 2nd choice, but feel sick at the outcome. I believe all the 115 positions this year for both schools will be filled by kids with over 303 in the larger area, and that leaves a much smaller chance for us out of area. We are def making appointment to find out more. Feel very sick about the situation.
DD or DS? It makes a difference as the competition levels are different between the boys and girls schools. The advice seems to be trying to take into account the boundary change effects. They are saying that every boy that applied in the last 4 years eventually got in with a score of 325/327 (SHSB/WHSB).

Apply to both. Be hopeful. They have widened the boundary but haven't set limits like Chelmsford schools. The critical difference is that 3 of the 4 Southend Grammars weren't getting enough in catchment students scoring above 303 to fill the places. So more places were going to OOC. They have widened the boundary - or rather amended the boundary criteria - but many of the children from within the extended boundary would have been going to Southend Grammars anyway.
ahap
Posts: 1515
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2011 2:47 pm
Location: Ēastseaxe

Re: Catchment for westcliff and Southend

Post by ahap »

I heard that last year SHSB took 64 OOC boys as of Induction day.
'What we have learned is like a handful of earth; What we have yet to learn is like the whole world.' Auvaiyaar.
Setanta
Posts: 43
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2012 11:57 am

Re: Catchment for westcliff and Southend

Post by Setanta »

ahap wrote:I heard that last year SHSB took 64 OOC boys as of Induction day.
Sounds about right. Similar large numbers for the other 3 Southend Grammars. Hence their concern at the nature of the schools changing - (so many travellers has a detrimental effect on after school activities such as sports, and you have lots of v.tired children).

hence the desire to widen the catchment. Fortunately they also had a DoE requirement that meant they could no longer favour local schools but had to use local parents addresses. A useful fig leaf :D
RGA
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 1:02 pm

Re: Catchment for westcliff and Southend

Post by RGA »

JDWine wrote:Our dd got 327, we are very proud of him. We are out of catchment, and at 1st thought this should just about secure him a place at either Southend or Westcliff, but now realising how much the catchment has changed we are feeling very unsure. Of course we will have both schools as 1st and 2nd choice, but feel sick at the outcome. I believe all the 115 positions this year for both schools will be filled by kids with over 303 in the larger area, and that leaves a much smaller chance for us out of area. We are def making appointment to find out more. Feel very sick about the situation.
Hopefully at this presentation they will give us information about where their students have come from in the past so we get a better idea of the impact of catchment changes. If they don't do this, I'm not sure what the sessions are for.

As well as previously out of catchment people now counting as in catchment, there is the uncertain effect of the Chelmsford catchment. In theory there should be less overflow from Chelmsford to Southend, although the in catchment Chelmsford scores still seem to be quite high so maybe it won't make much difference (and I guess it depends on what proportion of Chelmsford students previously were anyways in the Chelmsford catchment).

The Chelmsford catchment introduction will certainly redirect some of the flow from London into Westcliff as well as Colchester (maybe not Southend). How much it does this I guess depends again on the composition of Chelmsford students in previous years – just how many Londoners were going into that school.
moved
Posts: 3826
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 1:42 pm
Location: Chelmsford and pleased

Re: Catchment for westcliff and Southend

Post by moved »

Don't forget Ilford and Woodford. These will mop up many of the London (Redbridge) children as many are in catchment for these schools.
jojo1
Posts: 66
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2012 11:23 pm

Re: Catchment for westcliff and Southend

Post by jojo1 »

My d's score was 336 and although originally looking at Kegs(we're in catchment) and then WHSB he's now said that he should put Southend as his 3rd choice as he said that WHSB and Southend are more realistic options. I didn't even consider Southend can I have any views? We are going to go to the WHSB and Southend post eleven plus meetings but our ds is on his school PGL holiday for the week so he wont be able to come.
Myself and my hubby did really like WHSB when we went to the open day but as our ds always had his heart set on Kegs as his first choice we didn't really consider it as a realistic option.
Is there anyone who's ds attends WHSB?
Sorry if this doesn't make sense I have a head cold which is affecting my brain!! :lol:
mum of boys
Posts: 165
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:49 pm

Re: Catchment for westcliff and Southend

Post by mum of boys »

Jojo

I have a DS in year 9 at WHSB. We are OOC and he travels for 45 mins on the bus. He loves the school (and so do we) and DS2 is hoping to join him there next September (score 346). We preferred it to KEGS when we looked round, but DS1 was dead set on KEGS. In the end he just missed KEGS and was offered WHSB. It was probably the best thing that could have happened as he is really thriving!

They work them hard and have high expectations of behaviour and standard of work and they seem very hot on not letting lazy boys get away with underachieving (definitely a big consideration for us with DS2!!). The fact that we want DS2 to join him at WHSB when he has a score that would possibly get him into KEGS (we are in catchment for KEGS) shows how much we like it.

I have a friend with 2 boys at SHSB and she is very pleased with it - both of mine really liked the school when they looked round. Historically they take fewer from OOC than WHSB (they only reserve 25 places for OOC as opposed to WHSB's 39). See what you think when you visit - both are great schools.

Good luck with your decisions!
jojo1
Posts: 66
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2012 11:23 pm

Re: Catchment for westcliff and Southend

Post by jojo1 »

Thank you mum of boys for taking the time to reply :D It's much better to speak to someone with a personal experience rather than family who mean well. It's lovely to hear how much your son loves it at WHSB.
We are going to look at WHSB again and SHSB and then make our decisions for our CAF. Not sure if it's worth going to the KEGS meeting again with a score of 336?
Thanks again :)
Fran17
Posts: 1440
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:16 pm

Re: Catchment for westcliff and Southend

Post by Fran17 »

I agree with mum of boys. Both Westcliff and SHSB are excellent schools. I have a few friends whose sons go to WHSB. All are very happy and doing extremely well. I have two DSs at SHSB. They, and we, are thrilled with it. I don't think you will be disappointed with either. Good luck to your DS.
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