Did you get your first choice primary? Post Reply

[actuallyadad]

- having to produce ID docs and proof of address doesn't really help - you don't repeat the process every term or year, it's just once and then never again. Easy to get utility bills in your name at a rental flat.

- I don't think the council is joined up enough to work out that you'd paid council tax since 2011. Makes no difference how long you're there, just that on the date of the declaration it's correct that you live there.

- It's can't be right that you can't rent one house and own another? What about investment properties or people who hang onto a house as there's no buyer for the right price etc?

In any case, the council can't discriminate as to whether you rent or own, that would not be fair.

- I agree Alderbrook is good - we didn't in there either. Got NONE out of 6!!

[TLS]

Actuallyadad, did you definitely submit an application? Or is Wandsworth's press release inaccurate?

http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/artic ... hool_place

[actuallyadad]

Did get AN offer so the press release is technically right - but at a shocking school (which wasn't one of our 6 choices) and which is miles from where we live!

Anyway, in fact we're going private so I'm not going to rant about it any more!!

[BeaBea]

Just to be clear, actuallyadad, have you visited Ravenstone, the school you describe as "shocking"?

I suspect not, because if you had, you would have seen happy and confident children learning well in a warm, nurturing and inclusive environment, challenged and supported by enthusiastic and committed staff.

I have no issue with parents not wanting to send their children to a school they consider to be too far from home; and no issue with those expressing an informed opinion about local schools. However, labelling a school about which you appear to know nothing other than its OFSTED rating "shocking" is simply lazy.

I have two children at Ravenstone; they love going to school and are excited about what they learn. I am very happy with the education they receive and the progress they are making.

Some aspects of Ravenstone have changed since the 2013 OFSTED report; what remains the same, however, is the friendliness of the school community and the dedication of the staff.

Anyone joining in September this year can be assured of a warm welcome and a fantastic primary school experience.

[Pud1]

Well put BeaBea. I totally agree with you and I'm not sure my reply would have been quite so measured!

[Erykah]

Battersea Mummy, Macaulay is fabulous. so pleased for you. See you next year

[actuallyadad]

@BeaBea. I think it is shocking that a school in Wandsworth could be described as below. I'm glad to hear it is friendly. But I'd like a school to be more than that. Good for you if you're ok sending your kids to somewhere like this, each to their own - but it's certainly not ok for me!

From the 2013 ofsted report:

The quality of teaching is not consistently good: teachers do not always set work at the right level for pupils.
 More-able pupils are not always challenged enough and pupils, particularly in Years 3 and 4 do not all make as much progress as they should.
 Pupils supported through school action and school action plus, from minority ethnic backgrounds and who are eligible for pupil premium funding, do not always make as much progress as their peers.
 Pupils are not always clear about the level at how they can improve their work and are not given enough opportunities to respond to teachers’ comments.
 Teachers do not use assessment information to set pupils consistently challenging targets.
 Leaders at all levels, including governors, do not use assessment information well to track progress for groups of pupils across the school.
 Leaders do not always make judgements about teaching based on the achievement of all groups of pupils. They do not monitor whether staff manage behaviour consistently well, or look closely at behavioural incidents to identify patterns or trends.
 School development plans do not identify the personnel responsible or set time deadlines. Targets in these plans and for the performance management of staff are not always precise enough to promote good achievement for pupils.
 The governing body is not as well informed as it needs to be to offer effective challenge to senior leaders.

[actuallyadad]

PS I can hardly be the only person who doesn't want to send their kids to a school with such a bad report, or generally doesn't rate Ravenstone, so you can't think my view is unreasonable or unusual.

If I was in a minority of people not rating the place, it would not be so massively under-subscribed when other schools (the ones where I actually live) are over-subscribed.

[Goldhawk]

It is not massively undersubscribed
The Ofsted report format had changed and Ravenstone were not doing enough assessment/planning
The more recent Section 8 report was positive about the changes made

[actuallyadad]

it must be very under subscribed as it's miles away from where I live and not one of my 6 choices. So there cannot have been many people who chose it at all or else I would not have got it.

[imacowboy]

actuallyadad, by your own admission you never had any intention of sending your child to a state primary (god forbid!) and only applied 'as an interesting exercise' to see what you got. What fun! What japes! Had you got one of your choices, you'd have rejected it anyway, but in the meantime subjected another family to the stress of not getting that place that they actually wanted. I'm not sure what you have to contribute to this debate, to be honest, apart from to criticise a school that, as many others have pointed out, you haven't bothered to inform yourself about other than to have a quick look at a report which is now 18 months old. Many improvements have been made since then, and in addition, the atmosphere of the school continues to be a very special one. Had you bothered to talk to anyone who knew the school, they could have given you a more balanced, up-to-date view, but you didn't. Because you never had any intention of considering it anyway.

[JustSW17]

Well said BeaBea, and imacowboy. I've got three children at Ravenstone and you sum it up perfectly. Whatever Ofsted says, Ravenstone is a good school where the teachers are good and committed.

actuallyadad, as you seem so obsessed with the Ofsted report you will notice that the primary criticisms of the school relate to not having the right systems and procedures in place - particularly around the setting, monitoring or assessment of standards. The report doesn’t criticise the important things like the actual standard of teaching and the actual standards achieved by the kids – which both stack up pretty well. I've got kids who would be classed "more-able" and I have no concerns about them being challenged enough.

The school may have "dropped the ball" in recent years about these systems and procedures. This is something that the new interim head is addressing with much gusto. Will these changes be liked by Ofsted? Almost certainly – Ofsted can then tick the boxes of all the things it thinks a school should be doing – and Ravenstone will be back to having at least a "Good" rating? Will this change the important things about the school – the quality of teaching, the results, the nurturing culture, the community spirit? I hope not.

And what will happen when Ravenstone gets back its "Good" rating. All the parents who dismissed it after the last Ofsted report will be back. The catchment area will shrink back to 450m and actuallyadad will never again have to worry about being offered a "shocking school" so far away from him.

[cynic]

Anyone know whether Lambeth have released any info on their primary school offer distances yet?

[Pud1]

Well said Imacowboy. I find your first post really thoughtless Actuallydad. You have implied that you just applied for state school for the hell of it but with no intention of actually sending your child to a state school. You show little thought or consideration to the vast majority of people who are reliant on the state system.

[nakedcakeslondon]

@cynic You probably have the answer by now but lambeth schools distance and sibling information did not become available until November last year. It is likely to be Oct/Nov before the latest ones become available