Forum Topic

Gunnersbury School Entry Policy

In the interest of resurrecting intelligent debate on this forum I'd be interested to hear what people thought of the current controversy about this school wanting to interview pupils. There has been no discussion here but a very long and passionate thread on ChiswickW4.com which seems strange.The debate has been very informative. I must admit when I first read the item I would have been dead against the school being allowed to interview but now I'm not so sure. I didn't go there, lots of friends did, but I think it is great that we have a school that people in Chiswick are desperate to send their kids to. The strange thing is despite their relative wealth our schools seem to be generally better not just Gunnersbury.

Justin Harris ● 7132d12 Comments

"how can anyone ascertain a child's academic ability by interview alone?"It was Dan who raised the possibility of back-door academic selection, but he then pointed out that the attainment stats don't support that theory.The key issue raised in the Chiswick debate was the fact that the school uses the interviews to enable it to discriminate against non-Catholics (and non-practising Catholics) in their selection procedures, despite receiving state funding. This means that parents who consciously choose Gunnersbury for their child for whatever reason are liable to have that choice rejected purely because of their religion or lack of one. Personally I'm not happy with that situation, but it's not something that can be changed easily, and indeed the present Government seems to support it.  (I would prefer the French model of making education a purely secular activity, but perhaps this is not a good time to sing the praises of the French government!)

Richard Jennings ● 7129d

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but how can anyone ascertain a child's academic ability by interview alone?

Lynn Clark ● 7129d

The reason Chiswick and indeed Ealing residents want their sons to go to Gunnersbury is that it is top of the league table for Hounslow, if that is to be believed! The previous Parish Priest was very strict about practicing Catholics only being allowed into the local Catholic primary school and on occasion refused to give a recommendation to Gumley and Gunnersbury for some kids in the primary school! There is a new priest now so that might change.The reason that Gunnersbury has got the hump over not being allowed to interview is that it smacks of double standards. The London Oratory Catholic School, where Blairs son went, is still allowed to interview.One law for Tonies Cronies another for the Brentford plebs.

Peter McGovern ● 7129d

The discussion on this on the Chiswick site includes a post which shows that Gunnersbury has a similar attainment on admission and percentage of pupils on school meals to Isleworth and Syon which suggests that they don't select on academic or socio-economic grounds. Given that they control their own admissions already if their intention was to select academically they could have done this already simply by post-code based selection or school references. It would seem unlikely therefore that interviews are a back-door way of introducing a grammar school. The Council appear to be blocking them just to be constructive. It would be fair enough to object if the evidence was there that the school was selecting i.e. academic attainment on entry started to rise.

Dan Evans ● 7130d

I certainly don't believe the interviews are designed for academic selection.  If they were my son would never have been accepted into Gunnersbury.  He hated school and particularly Gunnersbury.  He has never forgiven me for sending him there and he still relives his interview where his answer to virtually every question was "football".  He never wanted to go to Gunnersbury because they only played rugby.  Perhaps he was their token challenge that year.

Bernadette Paul ● 7130d

The argument against interview is that it allows for academic selection by the back-door. The Director of Education at Hounslow Dr. Bob Garnett lobbied the Government to reject Gunnersbury's application on this basis. The argument for is that Catholicity is highly subjective and it is impossible to judge it comparing one paper application to another. The Church is presumably worried about becoming religious for a few weeks around admissions time and then never seeing them again once their son is in. My neighbours, who are very sincere Catholics, are going through an anxious time at the moment because they are worried their son might not get in. A tricky one.

Dan Evans ● 7130d

I went to The Green School when it was a grammar, which is a Church of England school.  I was interviewed alone by the headmistress & then my parents joined us & were interviewed too!  So it's not only Catholic schools that interview.  I don't understand why people think it is a problem to interview candidates either.

Lynn Clark ● 7130d

I have already posted a couple of times on this subject on the Chiswick web site however I repeat, I am amazed this subject has even come up.  My son started at Gunnersbury School when he was 11 he will be 37 in January therefore something like 25 years ago and he had to attend an interview then.I started at Gumley House in about 1962/3 when it was the Grammar School and even though I had passed my 11 plus I had to have an interview then.  I assumed this was the norm.  Perhaps it is only Catholic schools that interview?

Bernadette Paul ● 7130d

What is wrong with the child being interviewed? I am unsure why this is such a problem? Surely a school should be allowed to meet a child before accepting them and assess them? I am all for it! Maybe this way children will take being accepted into a school as something to prepare for rather than taking everything for granted as they do in this country.

Bronwyn Snelling ● 7130d

Think that is a bit strong Colin. The guy was just expressing a view. Initially I would have tended to agree with him but I thought that schools like Gunnersbury were totally paid for by the state. In this case he would have a point however someone pointed out in the discussion that the school buildings themselves belong to the Church and the state essentially pays them to provide an education on the premises. I can accept that this should allow them to control admission but interviews I'm not so sure about.

Justin Harris ● 7131d

There's no desperate urge for Chiswick residents to send their boys there. It's not that great (I would know). It's just an antagonistic bigot/troll hitting the hot buttons of a town with a greater than average Catholic population.

The Pseudometer ● 7132d