Disappointing Secondary Placement

[Shiesh 13]

Thank you so very much for making me feel worse than I already do.

 

You are very lucky to have been given a place at your chosen school, you must be feeling so pleased with yourself.

 

If you have read my earlier post you will have discovered that it probably wouldn't have made any difference even if I had only put 1 school down on the form as only 2 of my sons classs have been given a place in a good school.

 

 

I wasn't posting to 'gloat' as you seem to insituate nor did I post to make you feel worse!!

 

I was merely pointing out if you keep your choices to your actual choices ie., I only believed one school was right for my son and therefore only selected that school as my choice. If he hadn't have been allocated the school I would at least be assured I only listed my 'chosen school' and would have a better chance at appeal etc

 

You have given them three chosen schools on the application and they have allocated you a ''choice school'' - if you had left it at the two knowing you would never allow him to attend Newfield you may have left yourself in a better position when it came to an appeal (assuming he was not allocated in the other two) ...as it is I think you have made an appeal harder because they have acted by allocating him to a school you listed as your third choice!!! There's no getting away from that and any appeal may look like you have had a change of mind since applying rather than the fact you would never had chosen that school for your child !

[Garlic 10]

Of course you still get odd results in schools at both ends of the scale - that's just down to individual kids and their parents.

 

Unfortunate thing is that schools with poor results often also have restricted subject choices and little in the way of out of school clubs. You often find this horrible idea of combining subjects thematically - e.g. "science" instead of Physics/Biology/Chemistry, and no chance to do a distinct Literature GCSE. Or you start that additional language in Y9 instead of Y8. Then there's also the greater use of 'mixed ability' which usually means teaching to the average and ignoring the ends of the spectrum.

 

A truly comprehensive system wouldn't have catchments. It's like the Grammar school system is back nowadays, but with academic schools and then the ones which teach you the basics, but based on ability to pay a huge mortgage rather than ability to learn.

 

Though I think with some of Sheffield's schools it goes even further because appalling bullying is an issue in some.

 

I'd be interested in knowing whether your experience of Newfield is from personal experience or rumour, as you labeled Newfield as a 'sink' school earlier.

 

As regard your above points my children did three separate GCSEs in chemistry, physics and biology which Newfield offer as an alternative to the double GCSE covering the subjects combined. One of them picked up a second language in year 10 as a 2 year GCSE. There were also loads of clubs and sports activities. So with a rising level of GCSE achievement I fail tosee how it qualifies as a sink school.

 

Newfield is certainly a fully comprehensive school and it would thrive better with support from all sections of the local community.

[tuggles 10]

tapton! best secodary in sheffield

[China-Black 10]

.................

[clarez85 10]

hi, im only 22 so not worried about my own hildrens secondry school yet. but i remember being offered abbeydale, i lived on bannerdale road, ecclesall and wanted to attend silverdale. i remember my mum and dad verging on harassing silverdale to see if there was any left over places! from what i remember, this went on for a coupleof weeks and then they finally said i could attend silverdale, think they were sick of us.............so shout up and fight!

unfortunatly its sometimes the only way to get anywhere! silverdale was good.......well i left with 9 a-c GCSE's anyway

[Mathom 10]

I'd be interested in knowing whether your experience of Newfield is from personal experience or rumour, as you labeled Newfield as a 'sink' school earlier.

 

As regard your above points my children did three separate GCSEs in chemistry, physics and biology which Newfield offer as an alternative to the double GCSE covering the subjects combined. One of them picked up a second language in year 10 as a 2 year GCSE. There were also loads of clubs and sports activities. So with a rising level of GCSE achievement I fail tosee how it qualifies as a sink school.

 

Newfield is certainly a fully comprehensive school and it would thrive better with support from all sections of the local community.

 

'Sink' means it is a school kids end up at when they cannot get a place at other schools. That's simply from the fact that it seems a few schools in Sheffield have now become the places kids get put if they have no other place.

 

What sets alarm bells ringing over Newfield is that it has a good catchment (Meersbrook, Norton, Heeley - none of them 'cheap' areas to live) and some of the best feeder schools, so why aren't results better? And why do you hear horrible stories about bullying? It's also not fair on kids like yours who want to learn if they have to struggle to do so against the atmosphere of it 'not being that kind of place'. Alarm bells also ring for me when a school has made it's curriculum 'easier' such as by offering combined science GCSEs and not starting another language until Y10 (it should be Y8 or earlier).

 

Like I say, it 'should' be a better school as it has all the necessary ingredients, so why isn't it?

 

Though I strongly believe Sheffield's schools would see huge improvements if they had sixth forms - it gives something for younger kids to aspire towards, being around older kids studying at a more advanced level. Good for the teachers too, as they get to teach more interesting stuff! I live in the catchment by the way, and have been involved in education for years.

[qazitory 10]

hi, im only 22 so not worried about my own hildrens secondry school yet. but i remember being offered abbeydale, i lived on bannerdale road, ecclesall and wanted to attend silverdale. i remember my mum and dad verging on harassing silverdale to see if there was any left over places! from what i remember, this went on for a coupleof weeks and then they finally said i could attend silverdale, think they were sick of us.............so shout up and fight!

unfortunatly its sometimes the only way to get anywhere! silverdale was good.......well i left with 9 a-c GCSE's anyway

 

I went to Fir Vale and ended up with 12 A-C's.... and so did my friends. We then all earned a degree each, which one friend managed a first class!! Sometimes going to a 'good school' doesn't mean a lot. It all depends on the person who is willing to learn and the teachers who are willing to teach.

[snooze 10]

Sometimes going to a 'good school' doesn't mean a lot. It all depends on the person who is willing to learn and the teachers who are willing to teach.

 

thats what i think to, my child has got a place at our local school, (i put 3 choices this was one) it has a bad rep, from yrs ago, mud sticks an all that, but i know many ppl who attened and went to uni, most are now teachers, and though some kids leave with nothing, i know some who have recently left with decent gcse's, and are doing further ed, so they to can attend uni. not bad for a rubbish school.

[karatemma 10]

im 23 but all those years ago when i was going through this process i put King Ecgberts as first choice and newfield as last (i was in their catchment area) we appealed and i got to go to King Ecgberts. I can't remember what reason my mum put but I;m pretty sure it was something as simple and my best friend was going to King Ecgberts.

 

As your son has what may be discribed as a disability, King Ecgbert would be a good choice...they have/have what they called the Resource with specialist staff to help kids out with thier various difficulties.

 

Good Luck

[Vulcan B2 10]

'Sink' means it is a school kids end up at when they cannot get a place at other schools. That's simply from the fact that it seems a few schools in Sheffield have now become the places kids get put if they have no other place.

 

What sets alarm bells ringing over Newfield is that it has a good catchment (Meersbrook, Norton, Heeley - none of them 'cheap' areas to live) and some of the best feeder schools, so why aren't results better? And why do you hear horrible stories about bullying? It's also not fair on kids like yours who want to learn if they have to struggle to do so against the atmosphere of it 'not being that kind of place'. Alarm bells also ring for me when a school has made it's curriculum 'easier' such as by offering combined science GCSEs and not starting another language until Y10 (it should be Y8 or earlier).

 

Like I say, it 'should' be a better school as it has all the necessary ingredients, so why isn't it?

 

Though I strongly believe Sheffield's schools would see huge improvements if they had sixth forms - it gives something for younger kids to aspire towards, being around older kids studying at a more advanced level. Good for the teachers too, as they get to teach more interesting stuff! I live in the catchment by the way, and have been involved in education for years.

 

Again, people think that 'good' areas produce good kids - this is not always the case. People also think that none of the kids or parents from 'bad' areas give a damn - again, not true. I have personal experience of Newfield, (I come from a 'bad' area, but DO want the best education for my son) and IMO the school is bad for the following reasons;

 

1. A sprinkling of kids (from 'good' AND 'bad' areas) who don't give a damn,

2. A proportion of parents (again from mixed areas) who don't give a damn

3. Poor leadership and management at the school which leads to disheartened teachers

4. Disheatened teachers then fail to act on bad behaviour/bullying etc.

5. The kids whose parents DO care who, having tried in vain to work with the school to resolve problems then give up and move their children elsewhere, leaving the school with even higher numbers of kids and parents who don't give a damn.

 

Result - downward spiral.

[DIVA 10]

4. Disheatened teachers then fail to act on bad behaviour/bullying etc.

 

 

With all the new guidelines re - 'letting teachers teach'. I thought it was policy now in secondary schools for teachers to report what they see to the appropriate person in the school, possibly the Student Support Team, or the appropriate person in the Senior Leadership Team.

[jgharston 11]

can I ask a question please?

... pupils with a statement naming a school will automatically be admitted ... a SEN would state the school the child attends ... Do statements have to be amended to say "support will need to be provided by xx school from Y7 onwards"?

 

Checked with Officers, as the new SEN part has only just gone through Full Council.

 

A Y6 pupil with a statement for SEN will have their annual review during Y6, at which provision for secondary school will be discussed. In the majority of cases children with statements are educated in mainstream settings and as such are considered within the normal policy criteria. Some of our secondary schools have Integrated Resource Units where there are a restricted number of places. If the annual review determines that a child must attend such a specific resource, it will be written into the statement and they will be guaranteed a place there. If the annual review determines that a place in a special school is required, the child would be offered a place in the special school.

 

Children with SEN statements naming a school must be accommodated. In that respect a school cannot be oversubscribed with SEN, they would have to admit a child in those circumstances. The number of places in the IR units are limited, but if a child had to attend a specific school to have their needs met, they would be accommodated.

 

There is no limit to the number of statemented children a school must take, where mainstream school is appropriate. If the child qualifies for a place under the criteria, the fact that they have a statement cannot be a reason for refusing a place, and in fact be unlawful under the Disability Discrimination Act.

 

Hope this clarifies.