Help to rank Cheam High v/s Greenshaw school in CAF form

[dudus]

Hi to all parents out there. I am sorry of this is not the right forum to post this question. We are in a very confused state.

My DS has qualified for Greenshaw school via SET. He missed out on Wilson/Sutton/Wallington .

We live very close to Cheam High , infact we are almost 99% sure we will get this school ,if we choose. We are very very confused as to what to choose as the higher option in the CAF form.
Cheam High has got Outstanding OFSTED rating,good facilities and is very near us. We understand from reviews that the school will push kids who are academically minded to get highest grades possible.
Greenshaw has got good rating ,good facilities and 60 selective grammar seats. Results look pretty comparitive with Cheam high.We also understand from Greenshaw school open day that usually there is about 800 applicants for the 60 seats on offer. So it is only likely if my DS is 1-2 marks off the Sutton stage 2 qualifications.

Now the ultimate confusion is if he gets Greenshaw are we saying no to an outstanding school that is very close to us and guaranteed.
Can other parents who have been through this process last year/ in same state this year please share thier views

thanks a lot

[hermanmunster]

Depends which school you really like.

if you want him to go to Greenshaw then put that first and if he doesn't get it then he could go to Cheam High

[annaMc]

We're putting down Cheam High and not even considering Greenshaw. The way I look at it, Greenshaw is no better academically then Cheam High and will be an inconvenience to get to. I also know parents with very academic children in Cheam High who are extremely happy with the school and say that their children are thriving there. The only thing I dislike about Cheam High is the building. It's so bitty and doesn't have a main school building, there's no grass and, to me, many of the classrooms seem quite run down and feel like prefabs or temporary classrooms on the inside. As my daughter put it "not exactly inspiring". I have never visited Greenshaw, so I don't know what the facilities are like there.

[dudus]

Thanks for comments. I share the doom and gloom of Cheam High looks. However i thought they school had a lot of halls for extra curricular activities. One thing my DS pointed out is no cricket facilities...! Now i got a task to explain to him nicely that this is our only guaranteed option and he might have to live with it.
Any parents out there who DS or DD has joined Greenshaw via the selective seats ? What is your opinion now that you are in the school ? Do they give special push to these kids or in general does the school challenge academically oriented kids. How is general pupil behaviour ?
thanks

[tiffinboys]

Have you looked at Glyn as well?

Also believe your son is through to Tiffin round 2.

[dudus]

Hi
Yes - he has qualified for Tiffin Stage 2 and i really hope he makes that saving us from this confusion.So we are going to put it down as choice 1.
We did look at Glyn - fantastic school for boys but our so chances are very remote owing to distance from school.

We need to put Cheam High or Greenshaw as choice 2 or 3 before October 31st..!

[tiffinboys]

You never know. That's the irony of the preference system. Yes, the chances at Glyns may be slim, but if you like it above Cheam or Greenshaw, then put it second.