by Team Southfields » Sun Aug 03, 2014 9:22 pm
The secondary school question is a very interesting one indeed. We had to find one for our daughter in 2010.
Wandsworth have done a very good job with raising standards in primary schools but they have not equalled this in secondary schools. Things may have changed but back in 2010 (with the exception of the Graveney Grammar stream which for us was too awkward a journey and our daughter probably wasn't going to get into the top stream) we could not find a single Wandsworth school we were prepared to put on the application form.
We simply could not find a school that offered triple science (a science teacher at a fairly new church school did not even know what separate sciences were and whether they could be taught), a good choice of MFLs or a classical language. I am at a loss to understand how a comprehensive school can claim to meet the needs of all abilities if it doesn't provide an academic curriculum for the most able.
It was very disappointing indeed. We eventually applied to only two schools, one in H&F and one in Westminster. Our daughter was offered places at both; her second choice first and her first choice from the wait list albeit very quickly. If she hadn't been offered either of those places we would have had to remortgage.
Come on Wandsworth - it's time to raise your game. London needs to keep essential services and to do that policemen, paramedics, nurses and teachers need to have the option to stay here without compromising the education of their children.
The secondary school question is a very interesting one indeed. We had to find one for our daughter in 2010.
Wandsworth have done a very good job with raising standards in primary schools but they have not equalled this in secondary schools. Things may have changed but back in 2010 (with the exception of the Graveney Grammar stream which for us was too awkward a journey and our daughter probably wasn't going to get into the top stream) we could not find a single Wandsworth school we were prepared to put on the application form.
We simply could not find a school that offered triple science (a science teacher at a fairly new church school did not even know what separate sciences were and whether they could be taught), a good choice of MFLs or a classical language. I am at a loss to understand how a comprehensive school can claim to meet the needs of all abilities if it doesn't provide an academic curriculum for the most able.
It was very disappointing indeed. We eventually applied to only two schools, one in H&F and one in Westminster. Our daughter was offered places at both; her second choice first and her first choice from the wait list albeit very quickly. If she hadn't been offered either of those places we would have had to remortgage.
Come on Wandsworth - it's time to raise your game. London needs to keep essential services and to do that policemen, paramedics, nurses and teachers need to have the option to stay here without compromising the education of their children.
