Wix School - any advice? Post Reply

[rebs30000]

Hi. My son has just been accepted for a place here, at the nursery! I was hoping for him to go to Belleville or Honeywell but am unfortunately too far. I looked into other schools and this one was by far, the best one around according to there ofsted reports. However, they didnt have any information on there ofsted about the nursery so does anyone have any experience with their nursery and was there any problems?? thanks

[Pats021]

Hi rebs3000

My son is also going to the nursery in September. Pm me if you'd be interested in meeting up in the park for a play at any stage. I'd love my son to have a familiar face there when he starts.

[AbbevilleMummy]

Hi, they're having an open morning this Thursday.

[Veronique73]

I'm a single French mum with a 3 year old starting school next year and would love my son to go to wix but we live too far unfortunately. The fact that admission is based on the distance rather than the fact that that children are French and NEED to learn their mother tongue is ridiculous. the whole point of having a bilingual school is to cater for the community that needs it but it obviously fails to do so.

[susieq]

The bilingual class at Wix was set up in 2005 as an agreement between the French Government and Wandsworth Council. At the time it is probably fair to say Wix was not as popular as Honeywell or indeed Belleville and there was spare classroom capacity. The Ecole de Wix, operates on the same site and is part French funded. There are 28 children in the bilingual class, 14 of which are funded by Wandsworth and 14 by the French. This year not all siblings got a place in the Wandsworth bilingual class half and thus they will enter in September in the "classic class" . You have the right to apply just to the bilingual class or the classic class or both but if you are offered a place in any stream of the school you have no right of appeal against not being offered your preference stream- this is stated in the Wandsworth Council Choosing a primary school brochure. Wix classic class has spaces at older age groups , the bilingual class is full throughout the school. There are primary schools in Wandsworth where there are over 20 mother tongues, to suggest that children should get priority in a state funded French biligual class because their mother/father tongue is French fails to reflect the multiracial mix of London today.

[littlebalckbear]

Veronquie73 - the aim of bilingual stream at Wix is certainly not to ensure that children of French nationality are taught French. The aim, certainly for the 14 state-funded places, is to offer pupils the opportunity to get to a “point of balanced bilingualism” regardless of their nationally.

If your son needs to learn French surely there are a number of options – as a native speaker can you not teach him yourself? He could go to the Wix Classic Stream were all children are taught French or to Shaftesbury Park who are starting a bilingual stream this September.

I am really astounded by your suggestion that French children should have priority to Wix’s state funded bilingual stream.