Thomas's Battersea vs Christ Church Chelsea Locked

[shina]

Dear All,
I'm in a dilemma and would really love to hear your precious views. My daughter has a place for reception at Thomas's Battersea and we were very happy for this. However surprisingly she's also admitted to Christ Church Primary Chelsea based on proximity. We have never expected this and prepared ourselves for Thomas's but now after our visit to Christ Church I started questioning our decision as Christchurch seemed a beautiful school to me. We can afford Thomas's without much sacrifice but I can't stop thinking if it is worth or not? Please consider the facts that both schools are at same distances and we are not Christians and not originally British. I would love to hear your opinions and experiences of parents especailly from Christ Church. Thank you

[Marypoppings1977]

Good morning I've just read your post and would like to just give you my feed back.

Yes Christ church school is amazing and has been for many years but recently we have seen so many parents that can afford private take places from local children that can't afford a private school this has been a big problem at Christ church and it's lost its fill for a state school for local children. If you can afford Thomas then I highly recommend you take that place and just enjoy it because that place at Christ church could be offered to a local child who really would need it. Also so many parents that can afford the private school have been using the church simply for this one place in school a lot of them then leave Christ church in year 3/4 and this is so unfair for everyone. I do not agree with this happening and and it's something that happens a hell of a lot at Christ church school. What parents at the school need to remember is CC is a state school. So if you apply for private and can afford then please take that place and think of others.
Also I do believe that if your not a believer in church then why apply for a church based school. So many battersea parents are going crazy over this school and parents that live in Chelsea are not getting a chance to join the school because of this. Good luck with your new school

[ceecee]

Thomas's Battersea is where Prince George will be going no? I'm not sure how this would influence my decision- send my child there to mix with royals or actively want to avoid it due to the added hype that he will bring to the school.

[Marypoppings1977]

Prince George is just a normal little boy like everyone else and I'm sure his parents would want him to just be treated the same as every other little boy and not oh there is the royal baby. The hype for this has been crazy his attending Thomas school and I think it should be forgotten let him learn and be normal like others.

[isabella12]

I agree with last two posts.

[sw1234]

Hi - I feel the opposite to the above. You pay your taxes and have the same right to a state education as anyone else. It's great that you have 2 fantastic schools to choose from. I personally wouldn't send me child to thomas because of the Prince George commotion but regardless of this distraction I would chose the state school because you have been lucky enough to secure a place at a great one so will save you the pennies! Just my 2 pence worth..,

[Marypoppings1977]

So what about all the private children that leave CC in year 3/4 is that fair ???? The sch has changed so much in the last few years and it's because of how the intake has been. why apply for private if you want state ? You all do it as something to full back on and to me that's unfair on the local children that need that place more than others. People are using CC as a stop gap and to save money for private for there kids in year 4 and I totally don't agree with that. Yes people pay there taxes and are intitalled to state school but stay in it commit to the sch and don't leave half way through that's the problem. I've heard this happens so much at CC.

[Marypoppings1977]

Also I'm not stating the child doesn't deserve a place I'm making a statement about parents that do give up private and take state them dump state school half way through. This isn't fair and happens far to often. As for funding the school yes parents do that but that's stopping us from getting the government funding that state schools need. You clearly don't agree with what I say but that's your choice. So please don't be so fast to judge who I am and thinking I'm on a waiting list that was totally wrong thing to say. Plus I work and pay my taxes thank you and never been on benefits in my life.
Just fed up with seeing the school become something it isn't.

[Annabel (admin)]

Hi Everyone
This post is about local schools.

I'm really happy for their to be political discussions but please lets keep them in separate threads.

I've deleted posts that have been complained about or have moved away from the main thread about the local schools- please let me know if there are others I've missed.

Also I had to delete quite a few posts that then didn't make sense - apologies.

Thank you

[sw1234]

Responding to your point. Yes of course it's fair if parents want to remove their child in later years. This might be disappointing for the school but it's freedom of choice. Parents may move their children for other reasons such as moving abroad, parents having to relocate for job purposes - is this unfair too? My kids go to a school where many kids leave in year 3 to go private. The school are used to this as are the remaining parents. It's an accepted conundrum and is handled as well as can be.

[Flowermummy]

What is really unfair is that everyone is going off on a tangent and no one is actually answering the OPs question with real feedback from those 2 schools.

I personally have very little symphathy about people complaining about those who afford private but go state till 8 ... it happens all the time, so what's the point moaning about it?

IMO things worth considering are:
- if you plan to move out of the uk, I'm not sure how much sense it makes to pay for private in the U.K. If on the other hand you plan to stay in the uk for secondary education, then private preprep is a somewhat easier route to getting into secondary private schools.
- state schools go to 11 whereas at Thomas's you will have the option to stay until 13 (you transfer to Thomas's clapham I think)
- class size is smaller in private schools .. and given the planned cuts to london state schools, the gap may become bigger

[isabella12]

So do you think k it's fair then that parents go to church every week just to get there child in cc Chelsea then when they get them in they stop going .So what does that tell you it means there being selfish.and i can name quiet a few .They save all those pennies for when they leave cc then put them in private school

[Flowermummy]

It happens in most very good state schools I'm afraid, so ccc is by no means the only place where it happens.
Fair - to whom? To your child - probably yes because you need to give them the best education you can. To the children who don't get in - probably not.
But in any case the discussion about fairness in entirely theoretical, this happens A LOT and a few unhappy posts on nvn are not going to change that.

[Annabel (admin)]

Hi Everyone
This post should be about Thomas's Battersea vs Christ Church Chelsea.

If you want to have political discussions please go ahead and have them but please have them on a different thread and please bear in mind our rules about what is and isn't accepted content.

I've now locked this thread.

Thank you.