Aldo wrote: ↑Sun Aug 18, 2024 8:09 pm @kartssa
I would love to know
What made you choose Henry Cavendish?
Thanks
X

Honestly location, just a 5 min walk from home. We'll see how it goes and can always switch to private in a few years if needed, and after the VAT shakeup gets ironed out and we know what we're in for.

@kartssa
I would love to know
What made you choose Henry Cavendish?
Thanks
X

@kartssa
I would love to know
What made you choose Henry Cavendish?
Thanks
X

FWIW we ended up going with Henry Cavendish Balham

Everyone has different experiences in every school, it all depends on the child, the parents expectations, experiences, etc. I know of people having a disappointing experience at both Honeywell and Belleville (quite a lot, tbh), so don't start pointing fingers and try to put the B on a pedestal.

They're both fantastic schools with very hardworking headteachers, but with very different approaches to learning and in the end it's down to the one most suitable to your child.

This also says a lot - someone in an earlier comment said it was a "graduating class of 65". Honeywell's annual intake is 90. So what happened to the missing 25? I will tell you - some moved to other schools in years 3, 4 or 5 (state and private), we belong to this group), some did 10+ to avoid the 11+ competition but many just to avoid the school, So these leavers' figures are very inaccurate. They are missing 25 kids

These are not amazing results, considering what the results used to be several years ago. I'm an ex Honeywell parent. I'm sorry but it's not a great school anymore. Yes, everyone there tutors their kids to death, they have to. And no, not everyone at private schools tutors but believe it if it makes you feel better? It depends on the school. Honeywell has changed. Simple

London Oratory is not a private school. It is a Catholic state school. 

There were about 65 or so in the graduating class. Some of the smartest students went to Bolingbroke and other state schools. This is either out of preference for staying in the local commmunity and because their child is happy and wants to stay with friends or because their child is smart enough to do equally well in the state school system and may have a better shot at uni from a high quality state school. We had a few students transfer in to year 5 and 6 just to be eligible for Bolingbroke.

I am stunned by how many children went private - do you know the figures for state?

Is it another bulge year at Belleville? The class that just graduated this year had 5 classes- it was easier to get into Honeywell in reception when this cohort started. People tend to relist on the waiting list for Wandsworth schools for Belleville and not Honeywell because of the usually wider catchment.

In terms of outcomes, Honeywell’s recent graduating class, the first class to have had the headteacher all the way through, had excellent Leaver’s destinations.

A very lovely and talented cohort going on to Bolingbroke, Chestnut Grove, Burntwood, Ashcroft and a few other state schools. Three to Graveney, one to Greycoat, Lady Margaret and Henrietta Barnett School. A few going abroad/moving out of London. And for private, these are rough numbers:
Alleyn’s 6
Dulwich College 1
Emanuel 4 (year 6 and 7 entry)
Kings College School 1
London Oratory School 2
JAGS 1
Streatham and Clapham 2
Thomas’s 1
Trinity 4 (year 6 and 7 entry)
Whitgift 4 (year 6 and 7)

Those numbers are fairly competitive with local privates. Everyone tutors, state and private, to get in to top state and private secondaries. The real choice is what’s feasible cost-wise and time wise with work etc.

Hello, are you able to DM me? would be interested to hear more

I agree with Betweenthecommons. But will add my two cents.

All London primary schools (private and state) have seen reduced demand. Some councils are now merging schools due to lack of pupils.

The “surge” we saw in children in mid 2010s has made its way through the system.

When we applied for reception at a number of preps and state schools, we thought it was going to be a fight to get in. But Covid and Brexit happened, and every prep school offered us a place as well as the state schools. We were spoilt for choice!

You will also hear that there are places open at popular private and state schools in almost every year. This was not the case 5-10 years ago.

Take a look at Wandsworth council admissions. Every popular state school is still oversubscribed, but the catchment has increased.

In summary:

- property is very expensive BTC especially for young families with kids
- Covid- accelerated exodus of families out of London (2020/ 2021/ 2022)
- less “churn” post Covid exodus (2023/2024)
- previous “surge” of pupils has made its way through primary school system
- Brexit - less affluent Europeans moving here (this area is popular with French, Italians, Scand, etc)
- cap on distance to school so more difficult to “game the system”
- Belleville is ranked Outstanding so parents will look to that. Also comparing catchment distance is misleading as Belleville has an intake of 150 kids in Reception (vs 90 at Honeywell).

Honeywell and Hornsby schools are lovely so you are spoilt for choice.

Lastly, if you post for comment on any particular school, you will receive positive and some negatives. Which means you need to visit the school, speak to the teachers and more importantly, actually speak to the parents (not via internet!).

I'm sorry but I don't think it's a good school anymore. We loved our daughter from there a couple of years ago and there were many more families moving kids to other schools that year. A big exodus. I still have a lot of friends there I meet all the time and it's not much better now. Those who could move, moved. Those who couldn't or didn't want to just accepted it and are doing a lot of tutoring outside school to compensate. Just ask the school about the number of kids moving to senior schools for year 6 having done 10+ and it will tell you a lot. Not so many leaving Belleville after year 5. Happy to answer questions on PM

Lots of reasons for this.

The area has changed. When our first child when to school, in 2013, you could not move for buggies everywhere. Baby classes were full. House prices BTC were expensive, but not the insane amounts they are now. For context, we bought a flat for under 500K BTC in 2009. Now, no one (or very few!) people can afford to buy a family home (or even a flat) near Honeywell/Belleville when they are starting out.

Bolingbroke. More families and older kids are staying in the area- remember for years there was no main state offering so many families moved out. Now lots stay which means those houses that near Honeywell/Belleville would have maybe been sold to younger families are still occupied by older families.

Birth rate. 2008/2009 was a huge year for babies being born. The birth rate has decreased a lot- less kids= more places = bigger catchment.

Belleville retained its outstanding OFSTED- Honeywell did not. Ofsted is REALLY not everything, believe me, and it’s very hard for non academy schools to get outstanding now, BUT parents see one state option as ‘outstanding’ and one as ‘good’ and make a judgement on that. Interestingly, Belleville’s catchment area is smaller this year than Honeywell’s, despite having two more classes than Honeywell.

As you say, there have been issues with the head of the junior school. Big staff turnover in both infants and junior. However I think that has calmed down now.

Ultimately, Honeywell is still a wonderful school in many ways. Hornsby is excellent- but unless you have lots and lots of spare cash and basically can absorb normal fee increases + 20% for your child and any subsequent kids, I’d think very hard about going private straight away. Although you want your kids to be settled, it is much easier to go state to private than vice versa if you find you can’t afford it.