Secondary schools in Southend

[pickledseal]

Where the hell is 'Futures'??

One or two have commented on the absolute irony of the name.

However I hear of teachers doing good things in very challenging circumstances.

 

[prawntobewild]

Thanks,
I'm around the Cuckoo Corner area & we applied to KES rather than risk CJ again - My lads best friend lives near Chalkwell Park & he also goes.
Also I'm not in any way slating any school - some do have better reps than others but there is no reason that any kid cannot thrive at any school.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

I have just been down Thorpe Bay and the kids there have either got grammar school uniform (expected!) or are queuing for buses wearing Eastwood & Tommy Moore uniform. Their parents obviously decided Cecil, Futures or Shoebury weren't best for them.

 

[gpd]

I can understand the dilemma - it's a minefield out there !

I would put the Southend Grammar Boys School above the Westcliff one on pastoral care alone. So if the choice is about which grammar school and you want your child to enjoy their schooling then avoid WHSB. I hear WHSG and SHSG are similar.
Both Fitz and Sweyne were on our list above the other Southend schools if our son didn't pass the 11+. We live near Kent Elms. Thankfully he passed and was accepted into SHSB and has loved it. Can't speak highly enough and not just about the education they get. They do achieve academically high, but they are also very rounded and supportive of all pupils. Don't coach your child for 11+ exams. Let them do it and pass or fail on their own ability. An earlier poster made the point about those being coached struggling at the Grammar school - this is very possible if they have been coached or driven to pass.

 

[londonblue]

My experience of WHSB was that it wasn't particularly pleasant, and you are worked very hard, but it paid off eventually. I was never top set at WHSB but I never felt like I'd been given up on, or felt that students who were struggling were left high and dry.

I don't live in the area, so my knowledge is limited to that of my neices. One attends SHSG and one attends Shoebury.

The one at Southend High has just finished her GCSEs. I don't get the impression she liked the school all that much, but it has instilled a work ethic anyone would be proud of. She really does prioritise her homework above anything else. However, I also remember that in her first term at the school the amount of homework being given out was so bad that the parents all complained. It was as if the school was trying to make a point. More ridiculously, since she finished her GCSEs (about 3 weeks ago) she has attended a few induction days for the subjects she's thinking of taking at A level. Needless to say, they were given homework. I mean, please, she's just worked her arse off for her GCSEs, and hasn't finalised what subjects she wants to do for A level, but the school see fit to set homework. Personally I would have refused to do it.

My neice at Shoebury is 2 years below and doesn't talk about school all that much, which gives me the impression she doesn't like it either! (I say either because I went there and couldn't stand it.) I also remember her being shocked by the language used by the pupils when she started. (Although that's probably the same at any school, and is part of growing up.) That said, she's a creative type, and is usually rehearsing for some school play or something, so she must have settled OK...

 

[Jam_Man]

Thanks,
I'm around the Cuckoo Corner area & we applied to KES rather than risk CJ again - My lads best friend lives near Chalkwell Park & he also goes.
Also I'm not in any way slating any school - some do have better reps than others but there is no reason that any kid cannot thrive at any school.

Are you in catchment ? South or north of Cuckoo Coner ? We arent far from you, just south of A127 between the Bell and Cuckook Corner. KES seems to be my favourite at moment if grammar school doesnt come off.

I have just been down Thorpe Bay and the kids there have either got grammar school uniform (expected!) or are queuing for buses wearing Eastwood & Tommy Moore uniform. Their parents obviously decided Cecil, Futures or Shoebury weren't best for them.

No it seems east of Eastwood is a no go for comprehensive schools. Eastwood does look like a good one, but to get in there out of catchment is difficult, they only have 17 places available and that is for kids with sporting/performing arts backgrounds.

 

[Jam_Man]

This thread has been interesting. I wasn't aware that parents had such a free rein in choosing what school their kids can attend. I thought you were restricted by your catchment area.
I live very close to Sweyne but my eldest will only start junior school this September.I have friends that work at KES, Eastwood and King John and all talk about these schools positively

Back in the day in Benfleet there were two primary schools where I was, Woodham Ley and Mongomery, pretty much next door to each other. Generally Woodham Ley went to Appleton and Montgomery went to King John,Montgomery even had a bus to take them there, never really understood why. I put it down as first choice with Appleton second and got in, simple as that. Very few kids at the school came from anywhere outside of Benfleet/Thundersley, I cant remember any to be honest.

I went to Woodham Ley and lived next door to a kid who went to Montgomery and went to King John and purely on the basis he went there thats where I decided to go, no idea why as all my friends went to Appleton. Bit of a bizarre choice and my parents didnt play much of a part in the decision and just let me get on with it.

Very different now when us Parent analyse every little thing to try to make the perfect decision.....

 

[prawntobewild]

Are you in catchment ? South or north of Cuckoo Coner ? We arent far from you, just south of A127 between the Bell and Cuckook Corner. KES seems to be my favourite at moment if grammar school doesnt come off.



No it seems east of Eastwood is a no go for comprehensive schools. Eastwood does look like a good one, but to get in there out of catchment is difficult, they only have 17 places available and that is for kids with sporting/performing arts backgrounds.

No we were not in catchment but applied to KES after my lad didn't make the 11+ grade. I think the same schools that are available to you were the same for us.
A lad very close to us got into Tommy More & he is happy there.

 

[Benfleet A1]

Another Woodham Ley old boy eh? What year did you leave.

 

[Jam_Man]

No we were not in catchment but applied to KES after my lad didn't make the 11+ grade. I think the same schools that are available to you were the same for us.
A lad very close to us got into Tommy More & he is happy there.

Thats filled me with some hope, thanks for that. Sadly Thomas Moore is out of the question for my daughter, but I have a son who will be a few years behind her to think og!

Another Woodham Ley old boy eh? What year did you leave.

Back in 1981. Old School...

See the last time I went down there that they knocked the juniors down now :(

 

[united we stand]

Em has recently just moved to KES and she loves it there. Mind you, she was at Beauchamps in Wickford so it wasnt too much to compete against.Its got a very good reputation and from what Em has said, the kids are really well behaved, respect their teachers and get on with their work. I could barely believe it when she said this as this didnt really happen at my school when i was a nipper! They seem to link up with Fitz and heard good things about that too. If you want any more info, PM Emu on here or ask some more Q's and ill give her a nudge later!

I guess this is the crux of the discussion 'how do you measure a 'good' school' Beauchamps lost its award winning Head Teacher a couple of years back, who went on to take on several failing schools. He had improved the school year on year , and it got an 'outstanding' ofsted report- but that was 6 years ago . He also won a couple of National Headmaster awards . HOWEVER despite losing him , and his replacement being , let us say 'not as good' Beauchamps exams results are significantly better than KES

74% GCSE 5A* to C including maths and English vs 48%
94% GCSE 5A* to C exluding maths and English vs 73%
source data each schools website i

So based on the above - is KES a better school than Beauchamps ?

My kids are presently at Beauchamps . They like the school, but can't stand the head (most parents can't stand him either, my self included). However my daughter has just left and is expected to get 9 A*'s and one A Subject to results she has been accepted into WHSG SHSG , SHSB WHSB and KEGS in Chelmsford (one of the top 10 schools in the country!) and now needs to choose which one (she has discounted the girls school) and is feeling the pressure as she 'referred' the enviroment at WHSG , and doesn't like the idea of being one oif the less gifted (at KEGS) but realizes that she will get an education second to none (although all of the boys schools at 6th form appear to be 1st rate to me_). So for us the school has done something right, although had she have gone to SHSG when we wanted her to at 11, who knows what she might have achieved.

Anyway my point is choosing a school is very difficult, as there are different aspects to consider and it is important to ask the right questions. The 'right' school for one child may be the 'wrong' school for another

 

[londonblue]

However my daughter has just left and is expected to get 9 A*'s and one A Subject to results she has been accepted into WHSG SHSG , SHSB WHSB and KEGS in Chelmsford

That's interesting. My neice has been predicted something like 9A*s, 3As and a B, and was turned down from SHSB because her predicted grades weren't high enough...maybe I've got her predicted grades wrong...

 

[Pubey]

That's interesting. My neice has been predicted something like 9A*s, 3As and a B, and was turned down from SHSB because her predicted grades weren't high enough...maybe I've got her predicted grades wrong...

Depends on the subjects I think.

 

[Napster]

Depends on the subjects I think.

Of course it does. Some subjects are harder than others and some are oversubscribed.

 

[Jam_Man]

Of course it does. Some subjects are harder than others and some are oversubscribed.

Eggsacktly. Inglish is well tuff init.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Back in the day in Benfleet there were two primary schools where I was, Woodham Ley and Mongomery, pretty much next door to each other. Generally Woodham Ley went to Appleton and Montgomery went to King John,Montgomery even had a bus to take them there, never really understood why. I put it down as first choice with Appleton second and got in, simple as that. Very few kids at the school came from anywhere outside of Benfleet/Thundersley, I cant remember any to be honest.

I went to Woodham Ley and lived next door to a kid who went to Montgomery and went to King John and purely on the basis he went there thats where I decided to go, no idea why as all my friends went to Appleton. Bit of a bizarre choice and my parents didnt play much of a part in the decision and just let me get on with it.

Very different now when us Parent analyse every little thing to try to make the perfect decision.....

Please, MontgomerIE, not the common spelling of Montgomery Junior School, which is in Colchester!

Montgomerie is in catchment for both Appleton and King John, there was a time when King John had falling numbers and they changed their catchment area to include Montgomerie. The bus is not dedicated to Montgomerie, but is a service much the same as other schools have, and does various routes to pick children up for which the parents pay a sum of money each term. It operates purely to save the hassle and aggravation of King John pupils taking over all the public transport.

I believe Woodham have just come out of special measures and seem to have turned a corner, their numbers had fallen drastically. I still think there will be a time when the two schools merge on Montgomerie's land and Woodham is sold off for housing.

 

[Jam_Man]

Please, MontgomerIE, not the common spelling of Montgomery Junior School, which is in Colchester!

Montgomerie is in catchment for both Appleton and King John, there was a time when King John had falling numbers and they changed their catchment area to include Montgomerie. The bus is not dedicated to Montgomerie, but is a service much the same as other schools have, and does various routes to pick children up for which the parents pay a sum of money each term. It operates purely to save the hassle and aggravation of King John pupils taking over all the public transport.

I believe Woodham have just come out of special measures and seem to have turned a corner, their numbers had fallen drastically. I still think there will be a time when the two schools merge on Montgomerie's land and Woodham is sold off for housing.

Back in the day it was called the Montgomery bus and was solely for Montgomeree pupils only, and then only Montgommerea pupils in a specific area. I lived in Sadlers and I wasnt allowed to get the Montgomoray bus as I wasnt in the right area, although it stopped about 10 yards from where Glebelands came out on to Rushbottom lane.
After a year or so my mum wrote a letter to the school and they then gave me special permission to get the bus! We then moved up to Oak Walk and was in the catchment anyway.

Only had the one route back then Rushbottom Lane/Woodside Avenue/Manor Road then up the London road. We didnt have to pay anything for it either!

 

[manor15]

That's interesting. My neice has been predicted something like 9A*s, 3As and a B, and was turned down from SHSB because her predicted grades weren't high enough...maybe I've got her predicted grades wrong...

It's largely because there are only about 30 places for external candidates in the SHSB sixth form, and they'll just give offers to the top 30, and with 300-400 applicants every year it's likely that they just give offers to the top ones, so it will mean that other factors are involved and if there's 30 who are predicted just a bit better then they may just have missed out.

 

[The General]

I guess this is the crux of the discussion 'how do you measure a 'good' school' Beauchamps lost its award winning Head Teacher a couple of years back, who went on to take on several failing schools. He had improved the school year on year , and it got an 'outstanding' ofsted report- but that was 6 years ago . He also won a couple of National Headmaster awards . HOWEVER despite losing him , and his replacement being , let us say 'not as good' Beauchamps exams results are significantly better than KES

74% GCSE 5A* to C including maths and English vs 48%
94% GCSE 5A* to C exluding maths and English vs 73%
source data each schools website i

So based on the above - is KES a better school than Beauchamps ?

My kids are presently at Beauchamps . They like the school, but can't stand the head (most parents can't stand him either, my self included). However my daughter has just left and is expected to get 9 A*'s and one A Subject to results she has been accepted into WHSG SHSG , SHSB WHSB and KEGS in Chelmsford (one of the top 10 schools in the country!) and now needs to choose which one (she has discounted the girls school) and is feeling the pressure as she 'referred' the enviroment at WHSG , and doesn't like the idea of being one oif the less gifted (at KEGS) but realizes that she will get an education second to none (although all of the boys schools at 6th form appear to be 1st rate to me_). So for us the school has done something right, although had she have gone to SHSG when we wanted her to at 11, who knows what she might have achieved.

Anyway my point is choosing a school is very difficult, as there are different aspects to consider and it is important to ask the right questions. The 'right' school for one child may be the 'wrong' school for another

From what i know, alot of the kids who struggle dont even do their GCSE's and do foundation subjects and such-like. The kids are spoon-fed quite a bit and alot of the better kids can be dragged down to other kids levels as the classes are set on behaviour as well ability. Statistics certainly dont paint the full picture and from what ive been told, i know where i would want my kids to go to. Of course its always a tricky decision for parents/kids and if youve got a smart kid (like you obviously have!) then they are going to do well whenever they go.

 

[londonblue]

Of course it does. Some subjects are harder than others and some are oversubscribed.

But she only wants to do four of the ones that she's been predicted A*s for.