Cunning plan for a Weald of Kent grammar annex in 7oaks?

[mystery]

The sevenoaks grammar campaign website refers to Cllr Carter's cunning but secret plan to make a 7oaks annex possible. Perhaps this is Weald of Kent going co-educational and then applying to expand into Sevenoaks?

Would future / current parents want this?

Why is this a cunning plan?

[Chococat]

I wouldn't mind.

But how does this solve the problem?There will then be less girls grammar places available if Weald gives half its places to boys!

[mystery]

The number of girls on the main site would approximately halve over the years but the annex would be half girls too.

If there was a successful shift to co-ed ( and surely there would have to be a genuine reason for it) there would still be one very big issue. If the annex and the main site have exactly the same admission policy (which they would have to otherwise it is not one school) parents would be sending their children to a school made up of two buildings approx ten miles apart. That is not very attractive. There would be no guarantee that your child could stay on one site for the whole of their school career, or choose which building their child was educated in at the time of accepting the place - surely if there was such a guarantee it would show that it was not one school but two and therefore a lawbreaker?

[daddylonglegs]

Can't see that withdrawing half of the girls places at WOK and adding half the girls places at the new annex would result in any increase in grammar school places for girls. I wonder if there is any mechanism to adjust the intake so that the proportion of girls is more than 50% to match the demand? Maybe that would be the cunning part of the plan?
By the way, I heard that Sevenoaks council is objecting to the planning application for the Wildernesses site.

[mystery]

Can't see that withdrawing half of the girls places at WOK and adding half the girls places at the new annex would result in any increase in grammar school places for girls. I wonder if there is any mechanism to adjust the intake so that the proportion of girls is more than 50% to match the demand? Maybe that would be the cunning part of the plan?
By the way, I heard that Sevenoaks council is objecting to the planning application for the Wildernesses site.

The maths certainly does not seem to work. In sept 2013 Weald was taking 175 girls. Is this the same in 2014? If so, as you say assuming similar percentages if girlscand boys pass and apply to weald, the number of places for girls would stay the same, but an equivalent of 6 extra forms of boys would be created. Pretty impressive! Amazing maths. Hope the new kent test is not so mystifying.

The trinity school website refers to that planning objection, but points out that it should not affect the free school as they operate under a planning framework which can cut through local red tape.

I am hoping k c c political agenda shifts to school improvement sometime this decade.

[mystery]

Another site indicates that Weald of Kent is this weekend consulting parents on going co-ed.

If this is the sum total of Cllr Carter's cunning plan it is a little depressing. I do not expect that this plan will be leapt upon with joy and waving of ballot papers and x in the right box in the May elections. It is, sadly, unworkable.

I just hope the existing grammars continue to offer sufficient places and do not wait for Mr Carter to solve a future demographic problem if there is one. I do not currently follow his numerical or verbal reasoning.

[JJ123]

Yes this is sadly true. I am a Weald year 7 Mum and feel pretty darn let down on this. We chose WOKGs over TOGs(where we also had a place) for many reasons and are incredibly pleased with every aspect of the school.
Until this. Had we known it might go co-ed we never would have chosen it. We put our trust in Weald and feel very let down.

Our letter of consultation merely stated the arguments (increase in population etc.) requiring another grammar - and the only way to get around the legislation is to make Weald co-ed. The governors are not suggesting that WOKGS will benefit from being co - ed, as we all know it wont. I cant really believe that a girls school since 1947 should be changed to accommodate the creation of another school.

All year 7 parents i know will be objecting but i fear apathy further up the school will not help us. does anyone know if we have any rights on this.

I have a younger girl who i'd hoped (subject to test) would join her sister but i would not knowingly send her to a co-ed. So chances are she will not now join her sister. If it happens there will no longer be an all girls grammar in the area ( TOGS being SSlective) surely thats not fair

Why cant they keep girls at Tunbridge and boys at Sevenoaks under the wokgs umbrella ??

Any advise on this forum very much appreciated ...... i really hope this nightmare just goes away !

[bristols]

Me me me me me me me me me me!

Me!

There are already boys in the sixth form and the current year 7s won't have to see any boys until they are in Year 9. Please get over it.

[JJ123]

I am not opposed to a Grammar in Sevenoaks but Kindly explain why WOKGs should have to change ?

[JJ123]

as opposed to YOU YOU YOU ??