Primary School agonies, advice needed

[Mazzer]

Thanks Sue, that's really helpful. I went to see Kelvin Grove and loved it actually so that will definitely make it to our list. Thanks for your reassurance about that choice!

I went to see Royston today and I liked it actually. I'm not a fan of Lord Harris of Peckham and I'm worried about how obsessed they're going to be with achievement to ensure they get the grades they need to make it look like it's improving (and what they'll put their teachers through to get to this too!), but the resources were great, the grounds were really good and the kids seemed happy and relaxed.

Marie

[Hannah]

Does anyone know how the order you place the 6 schools matters?

For example if I really love 1 school but due to distance am not sure I'd get in do I still make it no.1 on my list?? People in our street have kids there already but moved recently to our street so might have applied mid school year?

If I live really close to an ok one do I put that 1st or can I put it lower in the list as we'll probably get sent there anyway?

If I don't like a school that we live close to but am struggling to find 6 we would actually stand a chance of being given, should I put it down to ensure we don't get sent to a school the other side of Catford?
Eg a faith school in a shabby, uninspiring building & with poor sports facilities/teachers and we aren't religious & love art/design/sport.

Any advice offered most welcome

Have had so much conflicting advice on schools from teacher friends/neighbours/teachers at the schools etc it is so confusing.....eg a teacher at one local school (X) saying about a rival school, 'I'd never send my kids there! There is no structure at all to their free play....I'd send them here....' But then I know other people have said they'd rather home school their child than send them to X!

And the order of the 6 is another whole mind field!

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[Mazzer]

It is a nightmare i agree! It's so hard to know how to choose, and to be honest, curriculum, head teachers, ofsted grade etc etc are all going to be different again in a few years anyway so it's nearly impossible to judge how it's going to pan out.

Re: how to put the schools down on the list, absolutely put them down in preference order, ignore distance/likelihood of you getting in etc, just put no.1 as the one you'd most like your kid to go to, no.2 the one you'd like him/he to go to if you didn't get no.1 choice etc. If you don't fill all the spaces and you don't get into any of the ones you put down you may well get a school the other side of Catford so fill it up with schools you wouldn't mind him/her going to.

Marie

[sydderslass]

Hi all, just a few pointers (I've been through this twice). Put your postcode into schoolsfinder http://schoolsfinder.direct.gov.uk/schoolsfinder in order to find the closest schools to you - you can refine by various categories in order to just get state primaries for example. No matter what you think of the ones closest to you ALWAYS put one of them down - to avoid being sent to the other side of the borough if you don't get any of your other choices. Better to have a less preferable choice on your doorstep than a nightmare school run for the same....
Kelvin Grove is a good school, and has been for the past ten years or more. Latest Ofsted gave it some outstanding features too...Enough said.
We're right on Bromley/Lewisham border but officially Bromley so I focussed my application on Bromley schools - they're the ones obliged to give you a space after all, so we went 4 Bromley and 2 Lewisham. I filled out all 6 although I felt pretty confident with our first choice (church school and had a letter from the vicar, plus was our closest school) but there are NO guarantees so fill out 6 and ignore common myths banded about on mumsnet (shudder)....If you put down one school thats miles away you just won't get it, then your borough will allocate you a place at a school miles away and they'll have met their obligation. Three Penge schools are currently in Special Measures but are receiving support and will soon be good (they have to be - huge pressure to make rapid improvement) If your child is currently a toddler these schools will be completely different in two or three years time...
Good luck with it all x

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[Suzee]

We're in Bromley, on border but preferred the Lewisham schools and got in to our first choice. Distance-wise it doesn't count against you if you are in a neighbouring borough but close enough. However if you don't get any of your choices then yes, your borough will give you one of their schools.

If you look at last year's distances from the council leaflets then you get a good idea whether you will get in or not.

[beccahboo88]

Bit late in the day commenting on this post but I got Adamsrill as my childs school for the 2014 intake. I live on Tredown Road, not exactly a local school but I'm happy with it. Anyone else got a child starting Adamsrill this year? Sorta hoping I can find someone who will make this whole new chapter a little easier for both me and my daughter! Thanks

[demeaux]

*bump*
We moved to Wells Park.
Kelvin Grove will be closer, but Eliot Bank looks "better". Though it's apparent that KG is heading upwards.

Any advice etc etc....