Moving to Clapham - Big School Question Locked

[pie81]

livegreen no of course not all children of rich parents are really bright, but I suspect there is a correlation to some extent. Plus some of the private primaries are selective, so are able to choose only the most able children (insofar as they can tell at age 3 ), whereas no state primary is selective on ability.

[Sonja_Paris]

Hm ... you are not really helping here, I am afraid!

The 8-year old is very academic, she loves Learning and getting good grates (18 out of 20 points in general). But she will only have 2 years to study before passing the tests for secondary school. So - private to be sure or state - and tutoring in both cases anyway?

Someone mentioned school advisors ... can you talk to these people? Meet them, introduce the kids and see what they advise? How does it work?

To be continued ...

[AbbevilleMummy]

Sonja-Paris, I think you can see by the responses that you've had that there are very polarised opinions on the state v private debate!

I think this stems from the fact that for a very large proportion of the parents in this affluent area it is a matter of choice. Most of the parents I know could afford private schools if they wanted and many of my friends do send their kids to private school. It is also very common for parents to send their children to state school for a few years and then move over to private.

Therefore the debate comes because they have a choice. If there was no choice, there would be no debate (as in less well off areas of the country).

It is probably worth you having a discussion with a few of the admission secretaries at the private schools. They are mostly very helpful and will give you guidance as to whether private is even an option for you given your children's English levels.

Anyway, good luck in whatever you decided. But remember, it is much easier to change your mind and move from state to private than the other way round. I don't know anyone who has moved from a private school to a state school.

[Sonja_Paris]

Mangomuffit: No, I have not made up my mind yet. Choosing between an excellent State School or a private one would be difficult. BUT: As far as I have heard, it is not that easy to have 3 places in the same excellent State school. And I would really like them to start all in the same school if possible.

In Paris, we never had to consider this. The elder ones are in a private catholic school 150m from our home. It cost about £1000 per year per child (excluding lunch). AND there is a European Section with additional English or German for children from the age of 12. Before, they went to the local state school.

Your opinions really differ a lot! We will try to find a house near Honeywell or Belleville and see what happens.

Could you please remind me WHEN the schools send out the confirmations for the school and the catchment areas?

Merci

[AbbevilleMummy]

I would be suprised if you struggled to get your children all into Belleville or Honeywell. Your eldest would almost definitely get a placeas they regularly have space in the later year groups. The timings and catchment areas don't really matter for you as your are entering late in the school. Once you have your eldest in, your youngest and middle child has sibling priority and therefore catchment area also doesn't matter. You just need to be as close to the school as you can to ensure that you are closer than anyone else who might be in your situation but they are both very large schools and you are looking for a place after year 2 and so I honestly don't think you would find it too difficult.

[ckwmum]

Hi, it's a difficult choice, and will be stressful no matter what you do.

I can personally recommend Shaftesbury Park primary school which has a French/English curriculum and families from all over the world - Swiss, French, German, Swedish, North African, Japanese, American, Canadian, Australian, Malaysian - you name it. The school is also a nurturing and caring place to send your child. Feel free to message me with any specific questions if you're interested.

There is then also Lambeth Academy for secondary with a bilingual French/English curriculum, which I have heard good things about. http://www.lambeth-academy.org/Informat ... -Provision

The benefits of both is that you mentioned you don't like the French system, and these have an international focus (not specifically French) but follow the English curriculum.

Both are state schools.

I agree that you will not struggle to find school places for your children - reception entry is always oversubscribed in all schools but then it tails off in later years because people move away.

Do get in touch if you have any more questions.

[mammarosa]

Hi,
There is an excellent state French/English school in Wandsworth/ Battersea called Ecole de Wix. It is located on Clapham Common North side. You can choose to continue full education in French or Bilingual French / English which is very popular !
It is a great school and I would really recommend you contacting the Head teacher to have a look at the school. You do need to consider living very close to the school though as the catchment area gets smaller and smaller every year.
Bonne chance !

[Sonja_Paris]

ckwmom and mammarosa

You have just made my time! I am SO glad, Shaftesbury Park followed by Lambeth Academy sound PERFECT!!! I admit that I was blinded by private schools and so against the French system: This sounds really perfect! I would be great to be able to continue French and make sure that they learn English at the same time! Their German won't be perfect but that's ok - they will be more or less bilingual anyway!

Thank you!!!! I will check out the exact area around there and the houses, of course!

Greetings from Paris!
Sonja

[Livinginlondon]

Good afternoon Sonja
I was in your shoes 5 years ago ! Education in London is a difficult thing to understand and to organise - when you are used to send your children to the nearby school.
We both are french and wanted our children to go to a british school (I understand you're not fond of the French Education Nationale !). Wix Bilingual is an opportunity for children who are already bilingual - specially If they enter older. It is quite demanding, in terms of homework.
As you can see from the replies, State Vs Private is a big debate ! Well, in our situation, the rents already was the best we could give to our children !
We chose the closest house from Honeywell and Belleville, approx 200 meters I'm afraid, and spend 5 wonderful years in the neighbourhood. I cannot tell you how much we liked it here, having no car, and going to the Commons, and of course, walked easily at school.
These schools are fantastic communities to be part of. Many people from the Continent are thriving here, the staff knows how to deal with children not speaking english, by supporting them.
And as for the French part, your children can follow a afterschool club, twice a week, to keep up the french and socializing in a language they know ! It is a small company called French Between the Commons (not run by the consulate) which follow the CNED.
My children were 3 and 6 when we moved here, and loved their school immediately. Some older children do struggle when they arrive, but you can be sure someone will be here for them ! Children at school are encouraged to care for others. I have always been very impressed by the school Assemblies, where all the school gathers to deal with everyday life, topics, religious festivals...etc. They even have a sujbect called Personal and Emotional development. One session was "it´s good to be me". Life at school is very different from what we experienced "back home"...

When I started to prepare our moving, I came to visit the schools, and it really helped. Last week, the school organised its Parents visits, my daughter was so happy and proud to volunteer as leading the parents across the premises. This can show you how a lot, does'nt it ?
Shaftersbury has started its bilingual section 3 years ago. It is worth considering this. As for secondary school, it is another side of the Iceberg to dig ! Bolingbroke Academy has different feeding schools, as they call it. They also have French Between the Common there.
Should you have any more questions, don't hesitate !

[JustSW17]

There is nothing more likely to get Nappy Valley parents debating than a discussion about choice of school. It's a constant source of debate in the playground and over the dinner table – and it only increases when it's time to choose secondary schools.

My own view is very similar to Livegreen's - despite all the thought and angst that goes into the decision, it doesn't really matter that much. There are many good state primaries in the area. If your children are bright, motivated and you take an interest in their education (and it sounds like you tick all of those boxes) they will thrive wherever they are. Your particular circumstances might lead you towards a particular school with an international angle, but I don't think you can go far wrong whatever you choose.

I don’t necessarily agree with Pie81's proposition that you need to be in a good independent primary school to get in to the best independent secondary schools. I know loads of families who have gone from state primary to independent secondary. That personal experience is from both of the two BTC schools that have been mentioned on this thread (Belleville and Honeywell) and from my own Balham primary school (the one that wasn't good enough for mungomuffit's children). In fact, I can’t think of a single family I know that has failed to secure a first-choice place at an independent school from their state primary.

[Sonja_Paris]

Hello everyone

A last big thank you before we should maybe close this discussion

You have really helped me a lot. I would love to spend the £47k on holidays, weekend trips etc. every year rather than paying for schools - at least on the primary level. We will argue about secondary school later when the time has come (I know, time flies but still, it is not in the immediate future.

So, thank you very much for your opinions and recommandations!

[aliceinwonderland78]

London schools is a total minefield - I got myself in a total muddle about it all and confess that I ended up throwing money at the problem and getting some advice from a school placement consultant. I figured it was going to be the only way to get an objective point of view and stay sane. Anyway, it might be something worth considering - especially if you are abroad - they helped with arranging visits, all the form filling etc, and then were just a brilliant sounding board through the whole process. Lady called Isobel Walters based in Putney. Ex teacher and really really lovely. Good luck!

[asdfghjjkl]

Just a note to those comments that insinuate the private education is always better - that simply is not the case. True, they teach directly for the tests that provide entry to selective secondary and boarding schools, but you simply cannot make that generalization.

In fact, many studies show better performance at university level from state educated students: http://www.theguardian.com/education/20 ... te-schools

It has more to do with social status, extracurricular perks and sport. Oh, and don't forget admission to the 'best Bonfire fireworks in SW London!'

My kids are at a top Catholic, state primary and at least 1/2 the students are from French, Spanish, Italian, etc families and English would be not always spoken at home. You'll likely find that more in a state setting than independent. At this primary, over half move on to very selective independent secondaries, so the education is definitely on par without the high price tag (amazing community to boot).

So it boils down to finding the right fit, getting in (oh yeah, there's the rub), and what matches your own family priorities. It's a great area, you will love it, but the schooling issue can be the very hardest part of coming into London with children (I have four, and came when the oldest was year 5...so hard!).

Good luck!

[Annabel (admin)]

Hi Everyone
Apologies if I have been slow off the mark to react but I've just seen this thread.

Can we PLEASE keep all conversations polite.

We're all neighbours, our children have/will play together over the years whether at schools/sports clubs/choirs/youth clubs.

I'm going to lock this now as I don't want it to descend even further.

Any questions feel free to email me.

Thanks all!

A