Thought i should report back.

My daughter is about to finish her first term at Alderbrook. According to the latest inspector who was shown round, the Early Years Unit is outstanding. According to me, as a parent, it is outstanding. My daughter is happy, keen to tell me that she 'doesn't have best friends', they are all friends, keen to practice writing out words that rhyme (the session starting with duck was fun) and reading her little books every night with gusto.
Very happy with the school. My only gripe is that there is a group of smokers who hang outside the school gates at drop off and pick up... give me time, I will have to get a job lot of electronic fags and see if I can convert them!

Hi everyone,

I really appreciate all your responses and for taking the time to coming back on my questions - all the responses were really informative. It looks like i have some research to do.

Beatrix Potter is a great name for a school - i hadn't heard of it. It is interesting that siblings within a catchment can be prioritised, much fairer. The rents will be insane probably as the changes are higher at getting in.......definitely worth a look.

I had read only 6 non-siblings got in last year at HG and I thought it would be out of reach............breakfastattiffanys - you must be delighted with a place at HG, well done. I have been to mass a few times and really liked some of the people i met there.

I don't want to move back to Dublin so soon. It costs so much to move so need to give myself a fighting chance regarding schools.

Again, thanks so much.
Ann

Beatrix Potter is a great school on the Earlsfield side of Wandsworth Common. There is an actual first and second priority catchment area (check their website for a map) so though still based on distance and siblings (but only sibilings within the catchment are prioritised) it appears to be a much clearer and reassuring admission system. I'm sure you can also see from Wandsworth Council's brochure how many within the catchment got in or how many outside of it got in.

I've spoken to lots of local parents who really rate it.
I have already heard Earlsfield Primary is very good too though much bigger than BP.
And heard Swaffield is on the up too.
Allfarthing Primary also has an excellent reputation but extremely tiny catchment distance.

Good luck!

Definitely have a look at Henry Cavendish - its a brilliant school. You'd need to live pretty close but you'd be right on tooting common, close to the other commons, moments away from the centre of sw12 and its absolutely fantastic community. But then again, I'm very biased!

firsttimersw11 -
The catchment for Holy Ghost will differ from year to year.
Last year (sept 2012 intake) there were 24 siblings so I suspect the distance wouldn't have stretched very far for the remaining 6 non siblings.
Workingmum62, I'm amazed it stretched 600m given the above.

This year (Sept 2013 intake) there were only 13 siblings and as a result we're lucky our child has a place in reception; we'd have had no chance with the sibling numbers last year,

BTW - I believe the attendance is 3 years, however a letter from your parish priest should help.
You could find out more by phoning the school and/or attending their open day later on this year.

If you've just moved over from Dublin you could get your parish priest from home (or your parents' parish priest if you don't know your own one very well) to write a letter saying your daughter is baptised, he knows your family well, you practice, etc etc. You won't have the time / track record to get something similar from the priests at Holy Ghost.

There are good schools in Balham as well, Henry Cavendish for example, and you'd get a bit more space for your money.

Holy Ghost catchment is acually bigger than you think. Last year a friend got offered a place and lives about 600m away by the old way of calculation. The fact that you can only get a priest's reference if you have a very high attendance rate (you have to sign-in) for the two years prior to application puts lots of people off!!

Nice to see a few dubs on here finally!
Holy Ghost is meant to be fab but a one class intake and mainly siblings. You probably have to live in Nightingale Square itself to have a hope in hell. But go down there and ham up the Irish accent, you never know!

The subject of schools around here is VERY thorny. Personally (and it really is only a personal opinion) I would only go Honeywell, Belleville, Holy Ghost of the state bunch or else private. Am sure others are good but that's just my view.
So if you can get yourself within 300 meters of Honeywell as the crow flies, you'll be in.

If you're Nightingale Lane and catholic there is also Holy Ghost which is a great school. You have to have a good attendance record at church though for the two previous years so if you'e interested you'd need to start going in September and "signing in"!

Fáilte!
We're on the Earlsfield side of the Common, and although rents are still pretty horrific, they're not quite that bad! Our daughter started at Swaffield Primary last year, and it's FANTASTIC! Not one of the "buzz" schools, but it's brilliant, & will definitely be up there soon. There's a very hardworking PTA, a great headteacher and an amazing teaching team We had a bit of a fight on our hands getting in last year when we lived a bit further away, but we're very, very glad we did Go have a look at some of the other schools in the area before deciding where to move. Earlsfield & Beatrix Potter are supposed to be very good, too, and there are a few other schools which are rapidly improving as well. Honeywell and Belleville are lovely schools with great results, but there are other fab schools in the area too where you won't have quite as big a fight to get in!

Welcome to the Nightingale Triangle!

My daughter is due to start at Alderbrook this September and I am very confident that we will be happy with the school. This area has changed massively in the last few years (we have lived here for 10 years) - you only have to look at the increased house prices. The catchment for Alderbrook used to be really far and wide but it will be interesting to see what Wandsworth publish as the catchment for 2013 entry.

Yes, Honeywell and Belleville are tight, you need to live on the doorstep.

Please don't be anxious, we live in an area of good schools. There are private schools to look at, if that is an option for you... but depends on your child and what you want.

Good luck

We have just moved to Nightingale lane from Dublin (in haste due to a new job) and we have realised we are not near a state school by London standards. My daughter is 2 and starts reception in 2015.

Some mums think it best we move to Webbs road near Honeywell and Belleville but i was wondering what the state of play is at the other side of Wandsworth Common and nearer to Earlsfield? I have only met mums from Nightingale Montessori so my knowledge is limited to schools between the commoms.........

There only thing is there are always lots of houses to rent near Webb? There is such a turnover, as the same houses keep reappearring too? I suppose thats why there are so many estate agents on northcote road.............

Has anyone moved recently and how did it go? Looks like rents are £3,200 plus a month for a 3 bed family house....wow.

What is alderbrook school like? The reviews seem very varied.

Is the catchment area for Honeywell and Belleville the smallest of all state primary schools in wandsworth?

Does anyone know of one that is bigger but still near to wandsworth commom or clapham common (any side) where the odds might be better?

I would welcome your thoughts on this much heated debate.....................

From an anxious FT working mum.............

Ann