feeling ripped off between the commons Post Reply

[Jodie1984]

Or move someone where cheaper ie Streatham where there are lots of really good schools and you get more house for your money. But saying that it's going that way too with increases in house prices.

[Jodie1984]

Or move someone where cheaper ie Streatham where there are lots of really good schools and you get more house for your money. But saying that it's going that way too with increases in house prices.

Just to add you can jump on a bus or train to Northcote road it's not that far.

[excitera]

Still the numbers are very high - especially for Belleville, distance is more than 1000m is far from local.

2012 Entry
Total number of siblings
Honeywell 46
Belleville 67

Siblings living over 500m
17
35
Siblings living over 600m
13
34
Siblings living over 700m
10
26
Siblings living over 800m
10
20
Siblings living over 900m
9
19
Siblings living over 1000m
8
18

[twice_as_nice]

I do feel for you, as you've thought ahead, planned where you want to be and didn't get the school. It is extremely upsetting.

I think the issue is that a lot of people from round here have come from the private school system and therefore are more comfortable with a private school education for their own children - but can't necessarily afford that. I do sympathise, but really a state school eduction is just as good (....in my opinion and experience, can be much better). So if you were privately educated, don't worry too much about going into the state school system....try it out. If it doesn't work, then you can always move to private. I imagine it's really difficult to do this the otherway (ie move into state if you find it's too expensive at private school).

I think it's brilliant what's happening in the Tonsleys with St Faiths. Rather than moving out of the area or going private, parents are supporting the local school and sending their children there. Traditionally it didn't have the best reputation, but once parents really started looking at it, it's a lovely school, fantastic teachers, small which is great and had results that way surpassed Allfarthing last year.

This has also happened with Swaffield, which is a really lovely school, with all the parent input (and hard work from teachers and head mistress no doubt), this is now a school of choice for local families.

Why not try the school you've been offered, stay on the waiting list for your preferred school and see how it goes. Get involved in the school and help improve it if you think it needs improving!

[AbbevilleMummy]

I disagree, I would say that 1km via shortest walking route (i.e. NOT as the crow flies) is very local and easily walkable! I really don't think these stats are bad at all. Only 4.4% of Honeywell places awarded to siblings living 1500m away and 7.5% for Belleville.

I think this dispells the belief loads that people rent locally and then move back to their houses miles away and then get the siblings in easily.

The main reason the catchment shrinks every year and is getting worse and worse is that everyone BTC is having more and more children and not taking as many private school places as before.

[Sagittarius]

I totally agree with Abbeville Mum. It is also worth mentioning that some of children who are seen coming by bus have actually been offered places in later years, when local children moved away/switched to private schools.

[excitera]

Siblings living over 2000m
3 H
4 B
Siblings outside Battersea Constituency
4 H
8 B

Making 12 for Belleville and 7 for Honeywell. - So really 10% - Bellevile and 13% for Honeywell.

[AbbevilleMummy]

Excitera, you are reading the stats incorrectly. The of the 4 children outside Battersea, 3 of them live more than 2000m away.

You can't add them together, they are the same children!

[livegreen]

@Sagitarius

I do not think you can add those living 2000m away to those outside Battersea as they are not mutually exclusive. You probably have to stick with those living more than 2000m away to make your point ie 3 and 4.
This indicates the problem is not too great and may hane many simple explanations.

The main issue, as expressed above, is that there are too many young families in our area and not enough good school places.
Is there an opportunity for a new Primary School or maybe H or B takeover High View?

[excitera]

Abbevillemummy,

No I think I;m right. Look again.
Total number of siblings
46 - H
67 - B

Siblings living over 500m (yes, can add these numbers)
17 - H
35 - B

Siblings living over 2500m
2 H
2 B

Siblings outside Battersea Constituency ( to be outside council is much than 2500m away - and is supplied as separate number - so you do have to add)
4
8

So siblings who leave closer than 500m for Belleville = 67-35-8=24

[excitera]

sorry in prev post I meant for decreasing distance you do not add data together, but other piece of data outside the council look like a separate piece of info, as not included in over 2500m .

[excitera]

Apologies. Just read the question/data again. So, really last piece of info is irrelevant to stats - so ignore my posts - I was wrong. I was just puzzled why this has been given as separate data...

[chelseadad]

Sorry the OP complained that they would miss out on holidays to send their children private? Meaning no offence, but I don't think that is such anything to really be concerned about. As parents, we make choose to make sacrifices in order to provide for our children. If you feel that you have to sacrifice a few holidays in order to give your children the best education, then what's to complain about?

The fact is, most of us Between The Commons moved there because the area is family friendly and the schools good. In many ways BTC is a victim of its success.

[Itchyfeet]

The numbers, if correct are very low. A large portion of these will also be children with medical conditions or in social care and are given priority over local children. Children in social care often move around. Their one stability is the school.

[tgjiiimummy]

How meaningful the figures are is obviously dependent on our respective interest in the debate. To me, they are significant as our house is around 480m from Honeywell (on the old system) so my son would not have gained a place, but 17+ places would have been allocated to children living further away than us.

To my mind the best solution would be to set up some form of priority area such as Beatrix Potter. It would obviously need to be greater than the current catchment to reflect fluctuations in distances over the years, but in the 6 years I have lived in my home I am not aware of HW catchment being greater than 650m (if that). It would mean the lack of places south of Broomwood Road could be addressed by removing the current overlap between the BV and HW catchment areas.

I am very supportive of any campaign to get this issue on the agenda of the governing bodies of the schools – especially HW as they have failed to address the issue at all. I believe BV did at least consult on a priority area a few years ago. Not that any progress was made due to their change to an academy.

My main issue is that for those living South of Broomwood Road the next closest schools are Alderbrook, Wix and High View which are a substantial distance away. Alderbrook would be the closest option for us, but it is not a feeder school for Bollingbroke, so I worry that I am excluding my son from a place at our local secondary school with this choice (albeit a long way in the future). Wix used to be an option, but now we are out of catchment and High View is over 1500m away and due to its location not a good commute in London traffic and quite a hike by foot.