Secondary School Admissions for September - Page 12

Neil · 04-03-2008, 21:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazey

I now wish I had gone to a decent school but you cant have everything.

You did get into a good school. I know I visited a few and put Mount Carmel down as our third choice. I was very impressed with the school compared to other we visited.

I always thought all schools were the same when I was at school as well. I thought mine was naff like most school kids do. I now know it was a very good school and I was lucky to go there. I would have liked by son to go there but felt it was too far to travel. You really need to have a look around at some others and your eyes might just be opened.

blazey · 04-03-2008, 21:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

You did get into a good school. I know I visited a few and put Mount Carmel down as our third choice. I was very impressed with the school compared to other we visited.

I always thought all schools were the same when I was at school as well. I thought mine was naff like most school kids do. I now know it was a very good school and I was lucky to go there. I would have liked by son to go there but felt it was too far to travel. You really need to have a look around at some others and your eyes might just be opened.

Open days are very different to real life class room situations. Mount carmel puts on a big act for open days and visitors, its quite a shame really because its deceiving.

I'd have rather gone to clitheroe grammar or QUEGs or something, its much more highly regarded when you get to university and beyond, and you need all the help you can get with law as its very competitive. Rhyddings also has higher GCSE outcome than mount carmel, and St Christophers was the highest in the close local area, and it didnt include the grammar schools. I think Hollins came at the bottom but I can't really remember. It was in the Observer a few months ago though.

garinda · 04-03-2008, 21:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

I always thought all schools were the same when I was at school as well. I thought mine was naff like most school kids do. I now know it was a very good school and I was lucky to go there.

No, you were right first time.

Your school was naff.

lancsdave · 04-03-2008, 21:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazey

I think Hollins came at the bottom but I can't really remember. It was in the Observer a few months ago though.

It was in the Observer last week and Hollins came second. As for Mount Carmel being full of delinquents, it has improved in 2 years

blazey · 04-03-2008, 22:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by lancsdave

It was in the Observer last week and Hollins came second. As for Mount Carmel being full of delinquents, it has improved in 2 years

It cant have improved that much because I still talk to people who are there and they dont talk about how much it's changed.

I think Mount Carmel has POTENTIAL, but its hardly got the same standards as the likes of St Christophers, and there are some good schools out of the town that i'd never even heard of til I went to college, and the difference in quality is very noticeable, and when you get to uni and you mingle with the richer kids and ones from boarding schools, thats when you notice how dire Mount Carmel is.

Education is what you make of it in all respects, and I didn't really bother putting the effort in as I didn't really expect to do A levels, nevermind a law degree. I wouldn't go back and change anything though. I stand out in the law school because of how I got there, and i'm proud to be a kind of ambassador for alternative means of entering a university

i've been asked to give a tour to prospective students tomorrow because of it, and hopefully they'll enjoy my tour and be more confident about university rather than worry solely on their grades.

lancsdave · 04-03-2008, 22:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazey

and i'm proud to be a kind of ambassador for alternative means of entering a university

i've been asked to give a tour to prospective students tomorrow because of it, and hopefully they'll enjoy my tour and be more confident about university rather than worry solely on their grades.

Well done Blazey, hope you don't mind but I have just been on the 2BR website and nominated you for young person of the year.

blazey · 04-03-2008, 22:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by lancsdave

Well done Blazey, hope you don't mind but I have just been on the 2BR website and nominated you for young person of the year.

I didnt think 2BR was still on air. Amazing.

I'm certainly no role model, but I like to think that there is more to life than straight A's, which no longer guarantee you a place at most university's anyway because most places interview you to see what your like in person, as straight A's dont necessarily mean you are right for the course, or even that you achieved the grades yourself.

I recall my maths teacher writing out my maths coursework for me and I just had to copy it out in my own hand writing. I hated that teacher.

emamum · 05-03-2008, 14:20

found this link at the bottom of less' link on one of his threads.....

BBC NEWS | Education | How to appeal for a school place

flashy · 05-03-2008, 14:28

todays telegraph

Dismay For Parents As Hundreds Miss Out On First Choice School (from Lancashire Telegraph)

flashy · 05-03-2008, 18:32

after i commented on the article in todays paper i recieved this email

Hello

I hope you don't mind me contacting you, I am the reporter who wrote the article about school admissions.

I read your comment on it, and I was wondering if you would like to have a chat about your being unhappy with the offer of Blakewater fior your child?

Regards

Deborah

Deborah Lewis
Education Reporter
Lancashire Telegraph

flashy · 05-03-2008, 18:33

and my reply was

Hi Deborah
i think it would be very silly for me to go in the paper about my sons appeal for his preffered secondary school,
i put Our Lady And St Johns down for all three choices, but i DID NOT put Blakewater down at all,
i refuse to send him to that school, i would rather him go to a school in Accrington than be taught there.
A friend of mine who lives n the same street as me put her son down for Rhyddings but got Blakewater
the teachers at his school said that they are sending children to Blakewater because not many parents have
put it down for their first choice and they have to try and fill it, now to me thats just wrong

emamum · 05-03-2008, 18:34

never mind..... posted at the same time as you and you answered the question! lol

flashy · 05-03-2008, 18:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by emamum23

you gunna go for it?? gets you a bit of free publicity

lol i dont want any publicity

emamum · 05-03-2008, 18:43

Just thought it might help your appeal... doubt the ppl who chose what school your child goes to want the bad publicity and you never know.. they might 'find' you a space

jaysay · 05-03-2008, 18:45

Well i'm far to old to have kids at school and my granddaughter is twenty next month, my grandsons live abroad, so it doesn't effect me but I do feel for you lasses and the trouble your having, its only right that you want your kids to go to a local school just like we did in our day, and at the end of the day its not rocket science, sorting school places out, well you wouldn't thinks so would you