Swindon Archive News
Parents snap up places at secondary school in neighbouring authority
The May edition of swindonlink.com paper parent The Link magazine exclusively highlighted the concerns of families in the Abbey Meads area who had already secured places at Farmors. Applications swelled as a result and 33 children will transfer from North Swindon primary schools in September.
They will join 12 children who transferred to Farmors in year 7 in May, ten children in year 8 and 11 in year 9.
In the May Link parent Julie Little explained that the lack of choice of schools in Swindon had forced parents to look further afield. She said that the promised new North Swindon secondary school is not due to open until 2004 at the earliest, and with Hreod Parkway failing its Ofsted report, their concerns had been re-inforced.
Farmors headteacher Ann Stokes said children had travelled from the Cricklade area for many years and she welcomed the intake from North Swindon. "It's very flattering to be seen as a successful school by parents who have made a positive choice to send their children here. Many are attracted by our performance in public examinations and also our sixth form provision. Last year the school achieved 65% A to C grades at GCSE and a 96% pass rate at A level.
"As a school serving rural areas and small towns, we are a true comprehensive; the children from Swindon will add another dimension to the make-up of Farmors."
North Swindon parents with younger children are also understood to have registered them at primary schools outside the area - some at other Swindon schools, others within the catchment area of Farmors, again in Gloucestershire - so that they can move on to preferred secondary school.
Swindon education officer Norrie Porter commented, "ideally the education authority would like to see all pupils being taught in schools in their local community. When a significant number of parents living in a particular area send their children elsewhere it can adversely affect the social mix of the school concerned." He said there could be various reasons for parents to choose schools outside the immediate vicinity, but acknowledged that the Hreod Parkway Ofsted report may have been a determining factor for some. "An Action Plan jointly produced by the school and Swindon Council has been submitted to the Department for Education and Skills."
Also
Farmors headteacher Ann Stokes with her September intake from Swindon
Parents living in North Swindon, unhappy with the quality of the secondary education in the town, have signed up in large numbers for Farmors School, Fairford, in neighbouring Gloucestershire, and are willing to pay £400 a year to bus their children there.The May edition of swindonlink.com paper parent The Link magazine exclusively highlighted the concerns of families in the Abbey Meads area who had already secured places at Farmors. Applications swelled as a result and 33 children will transfer from North Swindon primary schools in September.
They will join 12 children who transferred to Farmors in year 7 in May, ten children in year 8 and 11 in year 9.
In the May Link parent Julie Little explained that the lack of choice of schools in Swindon had forced parents to look further afield. She said that the promised new North Swindon secondary school is not due to open until 2004 at the earliest, and with Hreod Parkway failing its Ofsted report, their concerns had been re-inforced.
Farmors headteacher Ann Stokes said children had travelled from the Cricklade area for many years and she welcomed the intake from North Swindon. "It's very flattering to be seen as a successful school by parents who have made a positive choice to send their children here. Many are attracted by our performance in public examinations and also our sixth form provision. Last year the school achieved 65% A to C grades at GCSE and a 96% pass rate at A level.
"As a school serving rural areas and small towns, we are a true comprehensive; the children from Swindon will add another dimension to the make-up of Farmors."
North Swindon parents with younger children are also understood to have registered them at primary schools outside the area - some at other Swindon schools, others within the catchment area of Farmors, again in Gloucestershire - so that they can move on to preferred secondary school.
Swindon education officer Norrie Porter commented, "ideally the education authority would like to see all pupils being taught in schools in their local community. When a significant number of parents living in a particular area send their children elsewhere it can adversely affect the social mix of the school concerned." He said there could be various reasons for parents to choose schools outside the immediate vicinity, but acknowledged that the Hreod Parkway Ofsted report may have been a determining factor for some. "An Action Plan jointly produced by the school and Swindon Council has been submitted to the Department for Education and Skills."
Also
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