TGS - New girls from Halifax and bristol

[SGSMumof2]

I cannot believe it - but I see that girls from Sept will be commuting to TGS from Halifax and Bristol. I assume they will be moving....however Hatfield is another journey some poor soul will have to do! Good news that a catchment of sort is being brought in. It seems very harsh sending your daughter to a school so far away

[Peridot]

Yes, I too was at the new girls' meeting today at Tiffin Girls and looked at the class lists in incredulity. Other parents around me were gobsmacked at the distances some families are prepared to allow their daughters to travel. You would assume the Halifax and Bristol ones must be going to relocate but what about the poor girls from Harrow, Wembley, Croydon, Redhill...? There are only 13 girls from Kingston!

[DC17C]

I have heard of children commuting from Bristol and Birmingham to schools in Gloucester and I heard mention that the head of lower school of the GS my son is going to had gone into Oxfordshire for doing a school visit. I hope the families do move closer it is going to be a long journey for some children for up to 7 years otherwise.

[WOTMum]

Sure that they are moving closer from places that far afield, even from Hatfield I would assume? However I think it is children from the medium distances (15m+?) and those with long minibus commutes that must suffer the most from fatigue, inflexibility to do after school activities, and the unending daily churn of the commute. We are about 7.5m away, any further and we wouldn't manage, let alone our DD (current Y7). We are fortunate, both drivers, 2 cars, train and bus travel are both options and hence 95% of the time she commutes by train. We fill in the gaps for bad weather, train cancellations, late returns from day trips and collecting her after school activities esp late in winter, so she can get involved and do the fun stuff, like drama and sport. Parents make their choices - and have (amazingly) different levels of expectations of what their DDs can manage. I am sure TGS will continue to advise parents to consider all these factors before applying/accepting a place but parents will continue to make these decisions for their DDs, but at least from next year this will be within a catchment area (some of which is still too far away to travel sensibly) but that subject has been exhausted in other threads over the months....

[tiffinboys]

Good news that a catchment of sort is being brought in.

There are only 13 girls from Kingston!

I think, for other DCs, relocation to Hounslow or Southall/Hayes/Harrow would give us better chance statistically.

Meanwhile, Tiffins should also look into opening branches in Hounslow & Southall.

[Snowdaddy]

Yes, I too was at the new girls' meeting today at Tiffin Girls and looked at the class lists in incredulity. There are only 13 girls from Kingston!

I was also there and was just as suprised, actually there was a relocation query forum on here from someone in Yorkshire so maybe that was them.

The 13 from Kingston is low (but some are unknown as not all 150 have yet permitted details so is about 11%), but there are also two from Ham (TW10) so also under a mile. If you add in Surbiton, New Malden, Thames Ditton, Richmond (all a reasonable under 3 miles) and get rather more.

However I too agree with other posts that its not really right for an 11 year old to be doing long commutes due to potential fatique. If you rely on a minibus then you are a bit stuck if you want to do after school activities.

[tiffinboys]

If you rely on a minibus then you are a bit stuck if you want to do after school activities.

It seems there is hardly any after-school activity at TGS. Last year a forum member had reported cancellation of PSA events due to low take up, which is quite understandable as most parents from distant areas would find it difficult in evenings to attend these events and as well as waiting times for their DDs after school for these events. Last year, they even reduced lunch time, so that school could finish at 3:15 pm and girls could go home a bit early.

[Peridot]

I've just looked in more detail and counted 44 girls in the 2013 intake whose addresses fall outside the 2014 catchment; many are WELL outside it. That's almost a third of the intake. No wonder there is an impact on after-school activities and no wonder the catchment is being implemented. Tiffinboys I have felt sceptical about your championing of a catchment area... But now I get it!

[tiffinboys]

School should have some provision to turn down admission to children commuting long distances. Obviosuly, people from Yorkshire or Bristol would be relocating. But what about people from Hatfield or Redhill or Harrow or Hayes? Are these within reasonable commuting distance for children?

I don't like catchments, specially so arbitrary ones where distant Southall is in and much nearer Cheam/Sutton, with direct bus route into Kingston, is out.

I had proposed that 80% places be given on distance from School to home basis, subject to passing the Entrance tests and keeping 20% places on open selection to accommodate or really bright ones and those who are relocating nearby.

I am told that this year there are many girls who would be travelling from Harrow/Hayes and even Watford. At least 3 hours of commuting every day. How about if these parents also travel with their DDs atleast for 6 months, both ways to make them realize what they have put their children into.

[Peridot]

Yep. Nine from Hayes, five from Croydon, five from Harrow/Pinner, five from Sutton, three from Wembley, plus Redhill, Egham, Carshalton, Watford, Addlestone... I get the impression some will travel by private taxi or minibus or be driven by parents. That's no way to give them independence as they grow up. Poor poor girls. And dare I say each one takes a place from a child who lives much closer, can take part fully in school life, but maybe scored 0.01 points fewer than the 150th successful candidate. I think the answer should be something similar to the Nonsuch model, close to your suggestion Tiffinboys.