Kingsdale

[Dunamis2011]

Kingsdale was my daughters 2nd choice, after a Kent Grammar school not offering my daughter her first choice. I have had sleepless nights feeling that I have let my daughter down by her now being offered a place at Kingsdale and not putting them lower on the SCAF, where Prengergast and Haberdashers HC were also listed. Perhaps I was also taken in by the sell and hearing that the published 2010 GCSE and A'Level may not be as great as indicated, makes me feel rather ill.

I am trying to find something to hold onto which will not disadvantage my daughter in the long run by attending this school.

[intexasatthe moment]

Kingsdale is meant to be a fantastic school .

Some discussion here

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,629067

but put Kingsdale in the search box ,top right of page .

I'm certain that your daughter will love Kingsdale and will do really well .

[westof]

This is the first year of Kingsdale's 6th Form, so I don't know how you have seen any published A'Level results, since they wouldn't exist.

How did you manage to apply to schools in Kent as well as in London? - genuine question as I didn't know that was possible.

If you are really concerned, I think it would be possible to go on the waiting lists for the other schools - especially as they are in a different borough.

I do really doubt your daughter would be disadvantaged by attending Kingsdale though! The current Year 7 has a full share of high ability children, as I suspect next years will & I would think that by the time the current cohort takes its GCSEs both the GCSE score & the EBacc (if this is what is worrying you) would be quite high.

[Queenie23]

In my experience the difference between secondary school and primary school is huge - for parents and children. It is therefore hard to know exactly what schools are really like because you (as a parent) have much less contact with the school and you have to rely on how your child is progressing/making friends/tales about the school to gain any insight. However Kingsdale is meant to be a good school - so I'm sure that your daughter will do well there.

If you aren't happy about your choice then try the waiting lists for the other schools - there are always places as late as september.

[happyED]

Perhaps you could call Kingsdale to make an appointment to speak to somebody about your concerns. I am sure they would be more than happy to discuss the issues you raised. I know that they do not actively participate in the discussions on the EDF because they feel it wouldn't be right but, from my experience as a parent, they do take feedback from parents and others very seriously.

My child is in year 8 and very happy there.

I know a few anxious parents whose children didn't get a place at Kingsdale this year and are desperate to find a way in.

[Dunamis2011]

Thank you for this, I have emailed them.

[Dunamis2011]

Thank you westof, yes my anxiousness is showing correct re A'Level results.

Re applying to schools outside of borough lived. on your SCAF you can name any secondary school (outside independant and priviate of course) you can name any state or state selective school. You do have to ensure that you meet their admissions criteria. One must consider that however much you may want your child to go a grammar school and they prove themselves to be able to, distance has to be considered. However, I know of many children who have been offered places at Grammar schools, which are mostly outside of London.

How the admissions system really works has been very intersting and I am now far more informed when my second child becomes part of the 2012 Year 7 cohort.

[Dunamis2011]

Thank you intexasatthe moment

[westof]

Thanks for the explanation Dunamis2011.

I still think of the CAF as a Pan-London application - and it probably doesn't help that I think of Kent as the bit with Margate & Dover in it & forget that it nudges right up to London.

It's hard to imagine at this stage - I certainly couldn't last year - but there really is movement between schools up to the start of Y7 & during the year, even between popular / oversubscribed schools, as children find the best fit for them.

It is a stressful time - we were originally offered our 2nd choice last year and between October & March I'd changed my mind about the school & wished I'd put it further down the list. It's an awful feeling.

[Dunamis2011]

Thank you westof. yes, and it is that awful feeling! Also any possibility of appealing for a school lower down than the one choosen is automatically removed!

[BB100]

It might help if you ask Kingsdale if you can have a tour of the school during lesson times becuase it's not all hype. They are very accommodating like that.

http://www.education.gov.uk/performancetables/schools_10/pregionH.shtml

This link might also help to get the results into perspective. Kingsdale is catching up with the likes of Askes and Prendergast and Kingsdale's value-added score is miles better.

[Debi]

I've just heard that Kingsdale's network is down and there may be a problem with emails getting through. It might be best to phone.

[Dunamis2011]

Thank you BB100 the site link given is very useful.

[Dunamis2011]

Was just reading some posts re Harris boys school. What is this about older Kingsdale boys mugging them?

[village people]

Dunamis2011, what a shame you seen disappointed that you daughter has gotten into Kingsdale. I?m interested to know on what basis you feel you?ve been ?taken in by the hype? without your child even having started there. Could it be due to posts from other people (particularly those that do not have children there) on this forum who have cast doubt over the choice you made? I hope not: give the school a chance, the best measure of that will be when your daughter starts there and comes home happy.

From a practical point of view regarding your acceptance acknowledgment, I?m sure you will receive it in good time. From experience of working in schools, I know that this is one of the busiest times of year and as Kingsdale is so popular they will be inundated with enquiries from all of the parents whose child didn?t get in along with the several hundred acceptance responses such as yours.

I have a daughter there in year 9 and she couldn?t be happier. Ironically we chose the school when nobody else wanted to know because we believed the ?hype? and in all honestly we have never had one regret.

By the way, I hope the fact that you are posting at 4.25am is not because of losing sleep with worry!

[BB100]

Dunamis2011 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Was just reading some posts re Harris boys school.

> What is this about older Kingsdale boys mugging

> them?

You have to remember that the older boys at Kingsdale are the old cohort, the last of the problem kids the school was at one time heavily populated with.

[Lukedaisy]

Where do the younger problem kids go now then , out of interest . Does anyone know ?

[BB100]

Well I would assume that they are diluted by being spread across many schools rather than lumped in one place.

[westof]

BB100 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Dunamis2011 Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Was just reading some posts re Harris boys

> school.

> > What is this about older Kingsdale boys mugging

> > them?

>

>

> You have to remember that the older boys at

> Kingsdale are the old cohort, the last of the

> problem kids the school was at one time heavily

> populated with.

Also, wasn't Harris Boys temporary site in an old primary school near Kingsdale before they moved to the new building by Peckham Rye? - any incidents I'd guess might relate back to that time period i.e. not necessarily current.

[Lukedaisy]

Harris Boys temporary site was in Langbourne Primary School before they moved to the new building. My aunt lives next to Langbourne and she said the Harris boys seemed like a well behaved, nice lot, compared to the riff raff of Kingsdale (her words, she lives there), so it does sound like they may well have been picked on .

[DenmotherSmith]

westof Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> BB100 Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Dunamis2011 Wrote:

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> > -----

> > > Was just reading some posts re Harris boys

> > school.

> > > What is this about older Kingsdale boys

> mugging

> > > them?

> >

> >

> > You have to remember that the older boys at

> > Kingsdale are the old cohort, the last of the

> > problem kids the school was at one time heavily

> > populated with.

>

> Also, wasn't Harris Boys temporary site in an old

> primary school near Kingsdale before they moved to

> the new building by Peckham Rye? - any incidents

> I'd guess might relate back to that time period

> i.e. not necessarily current.

These are recent events, taking place in the last six weeks, some of the perpetrators have been arrested and charged accordingly. According to the officer involved kingsdale have assisted in finding boys, supplying address details etc. He did not know what school sanctions have been deployed.

[Debi]

If this is true and not just hearsay and Kingsdale are aware of it, I'm sure they will take appropriate action. They have a zero tolerance of such behaviour.

[BB100]

They wouldn't get away with it in school either as Kingsdale have CCTV.

However I'm not sure how this information is helpful to many parents who are anxious about their children starting secondary school. Harris Boys has it's theives too just like every school.

[Debi]

I've just spoken to a member of the senior management team at Kingsdale. He has told me that there is no truth in this allegation whatsoever. They have not given any info to the police because they have not been asked for it. They have asked the Schools' Liaison Officer and he has confirmed that there have been no reports of crimes committed by Kingsdale pupils against Harris pupils or indeed any one else. I don't know how and why, but it is clear that this is a complete fabrication.

As for there being problems specific to the older cohort, my son is in Year 11 and he was saddened that people would have these kinds of perceptions about his year group.

I think this illustrates the dangers of the rumour mill, particularly at times when so many parents are already anxious.

[BB100]

Rumour mill? I have a child at Kingsdale who is quite explicit about the behaviour of some of the children at the top of the school not being the same as the rest of the school. Unfortunately a few will always spoil it for the rest. And when I first toured the school the staff mentioned how their intake had changed and was getting better each year so I don't think I'm out of turn saying this.

It's more worrying though that a community police officer would make something like this up!! It's something Kingsdale needs to challenge with Harris, because the benefits of a 'rumour mill' means these things don't continue to travel around like chinese whispers.