Wix School - Opinions Post Reply

[Hedger]

We are thinking of putting in an offer on a house near Wix School. We would be about 250m away so no chance of getting into the bi-lingual stream - it would be the classic stream my son (who is now just 13 months old) would be entering.

Does anyone have any views on Wix they could share with me? In particular, how does it compare with somewhere like Honeywell or Belleville? I am slightly concerned by the statistics for the school re the number of children who don't have English as a first language/children who have behavioural difficulties, etc. but I have also heard the school is "on the up" and an estate agent mentioned that it would be getting an "outstanding" in its next Ofsted report.

I'd be very grateful for any views or opinions! Many thanks.

[papinian]

Three comments:

- Don't believe anything that the estate agent says re Wix's next Ofsted report.

- In London there's relatively little correlation between children who don't have English as a first language and school/child performance. I wonder if the statistics for Wix include the bilingual stream - that may affect the percentage. If you look at Wandsworth state primary school statistics you'll see many schools with very high percentages of children with English as a second language where the results are better than those with lower percentages of children with English as a second language. It's parental income/educational attainment that's more relevant and in Wandsworth at least many non-English have higher income and education.

- I've never seen statistics for children who have behavioural difficulties. Are you referring to statistics for percentage of children with special educational needs? Special educational needs are not the same thing as behavioural difficulties.

[schoolgatesmum]

Unless the estate agent has insider knowledge of Ofsted I can't see how he can possibly know that Wix will get an Outstanding Osted inspection (particularly now that it is much more difficult to get Outstanding). I have friends with children at Wix and they are very happy with the school. If you're looking further ahead, don't forget that it is a feeder school for Bolingbroke Academy (new secondary on Boligbroke Grove). Have you been to look at any primary schools? That really is the best way to get a feel for the school.

[mmb]

Wix achieved better results than Belleville at the Key Stage 2 league tables 2013, slightly behind Honeywell:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/le ... Wandsworth
There is certainly a high number of children whose first language is French, not only in the half of the bilingual classes governed by Wandsworth Council but also in the English classic classes waiting for a vacancy in the bilingual stream.
Apart from the French, it is quite mixed in terms of social background. I suppose it will not remain mixed on the long term, given the trend of the market in the catchment area

[Hedger]

Thanks very much all - especially for the link to the Telegraph table, very interesting.

[readbooks]

Hi there,

Our son is at Wix Primary in the classic stream. He's in Reception and we've been very pleased with the school so far. He's happy there, has made many friends and his reading is fantastic (for a 5 year old!). As a mum, I really appreciate Wix as a friendly community, with very involved parents and an active PTA. I am French and we initially picked Wix with the bilingual stream in mind. We didn't get a place in the bilingual class but we have not regretted our choice.

If you want to compare the school to Honeywell and Belleville, in regards to your concerns, here are my thoughts.

Academic results:
As mmb posted, in 2013 Wix ranked between Honeywell and Belleville for its KS2 results. The teaching at Wix is good, and so are the results.

English as a first language:
Yes, the school is a great mix of nationalities and cultures, with a very strong French presence. It is something that I see as positive rather than being an issue, especially as it doesn't seem to impact the school's results. The school had an international food festival a few months ago, with parents bringing in their national dishes. It made for delicious tasting!

Children with special educational needs (assuming this is what you meant by behavioural difficulties):
Ofsted School Data Dashboards provide those kind of statistics. This is the link to the dashboard for Wix: http://dashboard.ofsted.gov.uk/dash.php?urn=101025
The % of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of SEN is above the national average at Wix and similar to the one at Belleville. This level is much lower at Honeywell. Whether this is a positive or negative attribute of the school depends on your perception really. Wix seems to provide the right support to these children, and I think it is good for my son to be exposed to the reality of life diversity.

One point you didn't mention is the school's mix of social backgrounds. I suspect that when people say that the school is "on the up", they might be talking about the school's demographics (and the real estate prices rocketting in the catchment area) just as much as its results. The % of pupils eligible for Free School Meals at Wix is higher than the national average. This statistic is much lower at Belleville and lower still at Honeywell. I do not want my child to grow up in a bubble, so I am happy with this. I agree with mmb that the school will probably lose this social diversity in the years to come. There is already a big difference between KS1 and KS2.


Obviously, there's a lot more to a school than statistics and you should try and attend open days and school fairs to see if a school feels right for your child and yourself.
There is a lot to consider, good luck!

PS: I am no statistician, just a mum happy with her son's school. Please do not shoot me if I misread/misinterpreted any data!

[readbooks]

As for behavioural problems,
The ofstead does not paint a pretty Picture with their descriptions and I totally get why you are concerned

Hi petal,

I'm assuming you're referring to the last Ofsted report published in 2009. I just read it and Ofsted rated the pupils' behaviour as good. Could you be more specific as to what part of the report did not paint a pretty picture?

Ofsted carried out an interim assessment a year ago and were satisfied enough with what they saw to defer their next full inspection, should this appease your concerns.

[supermummy]

I understood that Catchment for wix bilingual (new entrants not siblings)was now pretty much the next 2 or 3 roads?? I'd be very surprised if across the common got in. Happy to be corrected!

[supermummy]

Ah yes, I misread..!

[Tealover]

Agree that taking the word of an estate agent on any future ofsted report would not be advisable. However, just want to add that as your child is 13 months its going to be 3 years at least until you are applying. Admission distances are available on the council website and over the past few years the distance for wix classic stream have reduced.....I think it has gone from well over 1km 3 or 4 years ago to 400m or so for 2013. If Wix were to be rated Outstanding, you can bet that the distance would further reduce and you may find that 250m in a couple of years is borderline.

We bought before we had kids 7 years ago and were well within catchment for BV - however, by the time we came to apply we were outside and had to go through the waitlist. I belive my house is now well outside BV catchment.