Newstead Wood - 2020 entry

[PettswoodFiona]

I have started this thread with the purpose of helping those who are aiming for Newstead Wood for their DD for September 2020 entry. The goals are to

• - identify the offer day cut off score
  - Help and guide those who are below the cut off and didn’t get an immediate offer with guidance on how likely their DD might be to get a place
  - Answer questions for those starting in September - my DD is currently in Y10.

Some useful facts or as near to facts as we know them, all references to scores are for non-PP:
in the past two years if you didn’t get an offer on offer day a letter quickly followed with your waitlist position. This waitlist rank seems to be a more helpful guide than the score as to likelihood of gaining a place if not immediately offered.

• - For 2019 entry the offer day score was 223, not all on 223 got an offer that day
  - For 2019 entry by start of September term it had gone down to 218, waitlist position 27
  - For 2018 entry the offer day score was 222, not all on 222 got an offer that day
  - For 2018 entry by spring it had gone down to 220 and waitlist position 13
  - For 2018 by end of July it had gone down to 219, waitlist position 23
  - The lowest the required score has ever gone in recent years was the 2016 entry when it was 215 by September.

Some people do not feel comfortable posting a score, or when they get it the letter with the waitlist position sharing that so if you’d prefer to PM me then I will share scores and waitlist positions anonymously.

For those who did get an offer if it is on the back of a mega amazing score, well done to your DD, so please do share your good news but also consider not sharing the score. Maybe mention your daughter got in with some room above the cut off - as whilst you are right to be proud it can be a difficult time for those who haven’t done so well.

Good luck!

[Melj215a]

Thanks very much Pettswood Fiona, this will be very useful! It will be very interesting to see the impact (if any) on the Newstead Wood 2020 offer day cut off score and in particular on the waiting list cut off score, as a result of pressure on catchment distances from Bexley and Kent.

As you may know, the number of kids who were deemed selective for the 2020 Bexley test increased by around 200 this year (looking at Bexley’s stats it seems around 127 of these kids live in Bexley as 555 Bexley children were deemed selective for 2020 entry compared to 428 for 2019, so it’s likely there will be less OCC Bexley places this year) even though the total number of kids who sat the Bexley test this year declined
(for 2019 entry there were 6563 kids who sat the Bexley test -1854 were deemed selective, whereas for 2020 entry only 6424 kids sat the test - 2027 were deemed selective). Additionally, it appears it may be more difficult to get OCC places at Kent schools this year, combined with a high scoring Kent year!

Not long to go before offer day, but as my DD scored 221 in Newstead test, and as we are borderline on catchment for the Bexley and Kent schools, I’m expecting that we may have a long wait.......

[georgiadani]

I’m in a very similar position to you Melj215a. My daughter also scored 221 in the Newstead exam and we are on the borders for the Bexley schools. She also got a high enough score to be OOC for Dartford Girls in previous years, but I’m expecting that threshold to go up too. You’re right - I think we are in for a long wait past Monday! Good to have this forum to keep each other company.

[Melj215a]

Hi Georgiadani - good to meet you! Yes I’m sure lots of DD’s will have scored the same NW mark, I understand it then goes on NVR score! My DD scored 107 for NVR so I don’t know where she will rank in the NVR total 221 score. How far do you live away from Townley? We live 5.1 miles straight line from Townley and 3.5 from Chis & Sid. We have also included Dartford Girls in our top 3, but again I don’t think she has scored high enough to get a Dartford Girls OCC place.
Best of luck to you on offer day!

[georgiadani]

We are 4.8 miles straight line from Townley (1st choice) and 4.2 from Chis & Sids (4th choice). My daughter's NVR was only 99 so I'm thinking we'll be bottom of the 221 group for Newstead (3rd choice - it was my 1st choice but I got overuled by DH and DD because of travelling time ). 387 for Kent - which applies for Dartford Girls (2nd choice). Everything is very borderline on distance/score for the grammars for us. I'm assuming the local comp will be our allocated school on offer day and then it'll be a waiting game of hope from there. Best of luck to you and your DD on Monday too.

Thanks for setting up the thread PettswoodFiona. It'll be interesting to see the scores and distances offered start to come in next week.

[clouise26]

It’s going to be so interesting...
We put Townley first (in PW sothink about 5 miles as crow flies)
Then Weald (Sevenoaks annex) but distance taken from Tonbridge site and that is 16 odd miles. A girl round the corner got in in May last year.
Then Newstead (score should do it, she got 230 - but DD found it uninspiring and it seems much the same to me as when I went there 1989-1994!)
Then TOGs as she scored high in Kent.
Someone said Kent let you sit on waiting lists for any Kent score you put on your list.
So for us, if 1 and 2 don’t happen, we may accept Newstead and then give TOGs some serious thought for the April reallocation. But the journey/distance seemed long to me. If the trains were cancelled I’m not sure how she’d get home!
There’s so much movement with all these grammars. Lots take it and then go private or I know someone deemed selective in Bexley this year but she did it to see if she could pass, to be the same as her sister, when she’ll go to Bullers Wood in Chislehurst.
Interesting that more Bexley children were deemed selective this year. I didn’t know that.

[clouise26]

But Newstead Wood is a fantastic school and it’s a big achievement to get in. Those with borderline scores, there is a lot of movement so keep positive!

[Melj215a]

Clouise26- Bexley Council is (rightly) trying to ensure that more Bexley kids attend their own local grammar schools. Last year Townley offered a place to everyone on the waiting list by the end of the summer, so if your daughter does really want to go there it may be worth trying the waiting list as you may get it!

[clouise26]

Mel, I agree. It’s the right idea. I wish Newstead would do it really, rather than on score within 9 miles. When I went there you had to live in Bromley borough. There was one grammar school and that was it. Seemed fairer somehow, and none of my friends lived too far away.

[PettswoodFiona]

Does anyone know when Newstead changed their criteria? I have a friend who attended in the 1980s and she had friends at the school from many miles away including Dulwich and Badgers Mount. She seemed to think it was move like Olaves is now but they moved the criteria inward from everything to 9 miles to make it less bonkers. Interesting how perceptions are different.