Wallington Girls and Nonsuch are proposing changes for 2010

isamum · Post by **isamum** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 3:39 pm

For current parents of girls - so that you are aware ....

As far asd I can see Wallington Girls are still doing Maths&VR

http://www.wallingtongirls.sutton.sch.u ... t=2&sub=78

I can not see if is Nonsuch proposing change in the actual exam content....

http://www.nonsuch.co.uk/admissions/PN0 ... %20wtc.pdf

hope that helps ....

huntlie · Post by **huntlie** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 12:49 pm

The most significant change is that Nonsuch will change from an intake of 50 from anywhere + all the rest from the local area, to the whole 180 from anywhere - no preference to locals. My son lives down the road on the Nonsuch estate, and it's quite bad enough now in terms of traffic - one can only imagine what it will be when just about every girl is being driven in from miles away.

isamum · Post by **isamum** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 2:32 pm

I agree with you - roads around are very narrow and notoriously slow.
Residents will suffer .... but school will definitely change.
I wonder what prompted this change.
Luckily we had our exams this year.

huntlie · Post by **huntlie** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 5:16 pm

Well, as an ancient old cynic nearing retirement age but kept up to date by my teacher son's news, I would venture the opinion that what has prompted this change is League tables, League Tables and...er..League Tables!

If all a school wants is the presumed academic cream, then the surest way to get it is to thrown entrance open to all areas, so you get prep kids in from further afield. Of course, that runs roughshod over the concerns of local residents, who are treated with contempt.

melinda · Post by **melinda** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 5:31 pm

I agree it is a shame that they have discounted distance criteria for next year.
Schools (most of them I think) are of the opinion that a long journey to school (say over an hour) is not beneficial to the children and yet they are going to have kids from all over the place coming by train and car travelling quite a distance.
They will lose the kids who want to take part in after school activities, but have to catch the train for a long journey home.
It is a shame, but as above I think league tables must have a lot to do with it.

isamum · Post by **isamum** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 6:32 pm

But they are doing well with regards to GCSE's etc...
of course one can always get better, but this time is at the expense of a character of the school I think.

Is Nonsuch getting in a battle with Tififns

Nonsuch may be getting a new head this year (possibly appointed by now).
I wonder if that's is the first stamp of new person at the top ....

huntlie · Post by **huntlie** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 11:28 am

Catch the train for a long journey home? You jest, surely! I wish...no, each and every one of these girls from Horsham, Reading, Battle etc, will be ferried to and fro in something like a black Lexus 4x4, which will be parked outside my son's house for 15 mins, then revved up whilst little angel clambers in, then U - turned by mummy, with one hand whilst she yaks on the 'phone with the other. Well, they can afford it, after all - they sent her to private Prep for a few years just to make sure that she got in to Nonsuch, so now she gets a superb education free, at the expense of local kids.

Meanwhile - and here's the big irony - my GD will have to be ferried by my DinL (but not in a Lexus!) to a little private school a few miles away, owing to the fact that this place has no local public transport & the journey by train + bus + walk would take 1.5 hours! Yet they live 1/2 mile from Nonsuch...

Giulio · Post by **Giulio** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:12 pm

good news for me, thanks for posting
we leave more than 5km away
and we have no Lexus

it means DD have 120+180 places to try, instead of only 50+50
if I were a local I too would be upset, but given that there are no grammars in Lambeth, I think it is good to give a chance to more clever-nonprep girls too

isamum · Post by **isamum** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:26 pm

I am not sure if the news is so good for you
you had greater chance for 50 places until now

I guess fewer people were taking chances, but now there's going to be not 1600 putting Nonsuch on their preference list, but a double of that

I still can't believe there's been no parental action to restore Grammar schools in all areas

If government was able to change their mind about GM food under pressure from public surely if there was strong enough pressure group they would not be keeping their standing on education as it is at the moment.

For anyone from outside of UK the system is so complex
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Sch ... DG_4016312

it takes a very long time to get your head round it ....

I know - there was some reason behind it but why nobody is trying to change current situation for better ....

jenny wren · Post by **jenny wren** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 5:28 pm

I'd heard on the grapevine that Nonsuch were changing their admission criteria. I wonder if Sutton Boys will do the same?

Jenny