Choosing a secondary school

The Ofsted report makes it clear that kids of all abilities (who I feel really sorry for) are being completely failed by the governors, leaders and teachers of Monkwearmouth. Surely kids need proper competent teaching to at least be able to find their level? It would seem they don't have that and therefore they are at a disadvantage from the off.
Just had a quick look again
first the plus points (copy paste) in summary
Recent improvements in staff professional development are beginning to bear fruit; some teaching is improving.  Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.
 Safeguarding is effective. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. Pupils say they feel safe at school.

The failings really come from the top ,and the tiers below as in no one really monitored those directly below and that has had an effect on pupils .That's not to say nothing was taught,learnt and achieved so its thinks its fair to not write the whole place off . Its fair to say ofsted isn't really motivated by spiritual,moral,social, and cultural development of our kids ,neither is this world we live in really .
 


Do you believe you should choose the best possible school to give your child the best possible chance (even if it involves moving house or changing religion)? Do you go with the school that’s most convenient? Or do you ask the child and let them go where their friends are going?
Long story short: son is at a poor school (monkwearmouth) but it’s convenient (walking distance)
Daughter’s got to choose now, and all her friends parents have chosen a ‘better’ school (Whitburn) but it’s a bus ride away. Some have even chosen the catholic school (St Anthony’s)
I’d rather she went to the convenient one as it makes everyone’s life easier. I also believe cream rises to the top and bright kids (she is) will prosper at any school, so I’m not that concerned about her prospects. But if it was me I’d hate to be separated from my friends (although I know you make new friends right away at a new school).

Dilemma.....

How did you choose?

She could get in with the wrong crowd at money comp and end up dating a bad'un in the 5th year/year 11, throwing away opportunities. On the other hand the Bad'un might be sent to Whitburn. Safe bet send her to St Anthony's she might become a nun
 
The Ofsted report makes it clear that kids of all abilities (who I feel really sorry for) are being completely failed by the governors, leaders and teachers of Monkwearmouth. Surely kids need proper competent teaching to at least be able to find their level? It would seem they don't have that and therefore they are at a disadvantage from the off.
The HT didn’t even bother to show up for day two of the inspection.
Chair of governors had to ring him to try and beg him to come in.

the failings at that school were from the incompetence of the SLT and governors
 
My kids will choose based on where their friends are going.

I'm of the belief that if a child wants to learn, they will regardless of school (to a certain extent)

Of the 3 choices mine will have they are all pretty similar I would say
 
Always baffles me when you remind me of this reason mind Adam mate. You have some funny ways at times. :lol:

:lol:
It’s true though mate .Any young lad worth his salt should be going mad with the bugle at Comprehensive age not concentrating on his work .
Take the lasses out the environment and it’s a temptation out the way.

Do you work with birds ?Personally I’d find it a distraction working with chicks as I’d be trying to pull them rather than doing any graft.
 
She could get in with the wrong crowd at money comp and end up dating a bad'un in the 5th year/year 11, throwing away opportunities. On the other hand the Bad'un might be sent to Whitburn. Safe bet send her to St Anthony's she might become a nun
She won’t be dating any bad uns. I’ll make sure of that.
 
The bairn is in 2nd year of 6th form at monkwearmouth.. was told at the end of last year that due to the report 6th form would be closing although her year would be allowed to finish a level courses.. teachers left and to be honest it's been a shambles since she went back for 2nd year.. Timetable wasn't sorted until a couple of weeks ago, and I still don't think it's as it should. She wants to go to an art school that she'll need top grades for and the situation at monkwearmouth wont help.. some of her classes don't start until 4/5 o clock because they waiting for teachers to finish a regular day at another school to fill in .. she's been there since 11, done well at GCSEs and we always found it to be a good school... that opinion is rapidly changing... she's a determined lass and realised that she needs to work double hard to realise her ambition so putting lots of extra unsupervised hours both at home and school... shame really cos the school we went to see 7 years ago doesn't seem anything like the school it is now..

As a side note I think 6th form was funded by south Tyneside and they pulled the funding after the report. Unsure if the school are solely to blame ..

She's not spoke of bullying or drugs but I'm sure it will go on like any school...
 
It's not an easy situation, and I suspect a lot depends on your experiences. I just find it repellent that for example to get into a certain primary school, you need to be seen to be going to church etc. That is pretty discriminatory in my view.

Schools will always discriminate, whether it be their catchment area, religion, how good a child is at a particular sport / subject or on the size of their parents bank balance, if we are talking private education. It is how we as a society decide on what level of discrimination that we are prepared to live with. I actually agree with a lot of the humanist views on education. I reckon it is very important that children are taught about all religions, atheism and evolution but happen to think they can be taught this in a religious ethos, whether that be Muslim, CofE, Catholic etc. If we took the Humanist route schools would still have to decide on what children they admit and even when over subscribed schools have held ballots to decide places, parents have cried foul or said it was unfair, so what do you do ?

I know someone who claimed to be an atheist, then she was a Buddhist, then she got pregnant and became CofE. Joined in with all the "Vicar of Dibley" stuff, all to guarantee her daughter was in the local primary school. I think it is called playing the system and I think it is morally wrong when other children in that area might have missed out. If we had a secular educational system she would have ensured she lived in the right area or took whatever measures were necessary to ensure her little darling was in the school she wanted.

It's the middle classes to blame apparently.

How the Middle Classes Ruined Britain, review: A confusing and hateful account of the class divide
 
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The bairn is in 2nd year of 6th form at monkwearmouth.. was told at the end of last year that due to the report 6th form would be closing although her year would be allowed to finish a level courses.. teachers left and to be honest it's been a shambles since she went back for 2nd year.. Timetable wasn't sorted until a couple of weeks ago, and I still don't think it's as it should. She wants to go to an art school that she'll need top grades for and the situation at monkwearmouth wont help.. some of her classes don't start until 4/5 o clock because they waiting for teachers to finish a regular day at another school to fill in .. she's been there since 11, done well at GCSEs and we always found it to be a good school... that opinion is rapidly changing... she's a determined lass and realised that she needs to work double hard to realise her ambition so putting lots of extra unsupervised hours both at home and school... shame really cos the school we went to see 7 years ago doesn't seem anything like the school it is now..

As a side note I think 6th form was funded by south Tyneside and they pulled the funding after the report. Unsure if the school are solely to blame ..

She's not spoke of bullying or drugs but I'm sure it will go on like any school...
She ain't going to tell you about the drugs she is buying just to keep awake for her 'late' lessons. (When I went to college we had lessons starting as late as 6 o'clock). And she Obviously wouldn't tell you about all them year 7 heads she has flushed down the toilet.
 
Although our kids are only six we are already talking of moving to get them into whitburn, the mrs teaches at the school but unfortunately it would have no bearing on getting them in if they kids weren't in one of the feeder schools.
 
Kids do best where they are happy. Our daughter moved to one of the best schools in the north east for sixth form and hated it. In the end we had to move her back to where her friends were. She thrived and got straight A* for her A levels.
 
My boys had a straight choice between Bede College and Durham sixth form
The eldest went for an interview at Durham and was shown around by the student advisor. He was taken to speak to teachers in the lessons he was interested in and we spent an hour being told about the college. It was professional from that day and for the two years after. It was like a half way house to university.
He went to the open evening at Bede College and we asked questions similar to the information given in Durham and it was clearly no way as good in its set up and in its success rate.

I agree kids do well when they are happy but that happiness has to include good teachers and a well run set up.
They both went there and went off to Univeristy. The eldest has graduated with a first and started work on the Monday after graduating. The second one is still at uni
 
Get your child into the beat school you can.
They only have one shot at secondary education.

I teach in a school that has some serious behaviour issues that ruins the education for 95% of the cohort. We have some brilliant, kind, lovely kids but their education is ruined by some utter unteachable scrotes.

The SLT will not permantly exclude. One kid has been a nightmare since year 7 with feckless “parents” and was finally permantly excluded for assaulting a member of staff.

They have been at the school 3 years already and it was only because the husband of the teacher came down to the school and threatened to sue the HT in the civil courts for failure to protect his wife that they got rid of him.

The school could be outstanding if they adopted a zero tolerance on behaviour as I see some of the best teaching and learning I’ve ever seen in this place.
You're bang on. I currently spend 80% of my time dealing with the most problematic 20% of kids.
 
I would always go with the best school regardless of where it is. If anything it will teach your kids responsibility and discipline to get out of bed to get to the bus stop on time.

Regarding the schools mentioned I would never ever send my son to monkwearmouth even though I only live round the corner. It is an appalling school. I have been in several times through work and most of the kids are awful. I do know through speaking to teachers at monkwearmouth and seeing sea road on a morning packed with kids waiting for the bus to St Roberts that the majority of kids who live in Seaburn don't even go to monkwearmouth.

I've had my son christened Catholic (wife's Catholic) so he has options when he's old enough. He'll go to a Catholic primary. Based on current performance my choices in order would be: Whitburn, St Roberts, St Aidan's. In 10 years time those schools might be different as schools go though cycles but I doubt monkwearmouth will change much.

It’s baptised, not christened. FWIW, practicing catholics take offence at people like you doing what you do.
 
The choice of secondary schools in and around Sunderland is actually shocking, appalling. At least for anyone who isn't Catholic anyway.

Currently weighing up whether it's worth shelling out a fortune to move next door to Durham Johnston and try to commute back over this way, or save the money and use it for private school when they get to secondary age, which would still involve a lengthy trip to the school.
 

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