Hi

Great to hear you are looking at the White House!
In terms of skew girls/boys - I am not sure why but some years seem to have a couple more girls, others a couple more boys. I think it is probably more to do with who moves out/ away from london.
They seem to do sports unless it is really awful - they just put their raincoats on over tracksuits.
Hope that helps, but pm me if you want to talk further.

Hi JoY, LisaCF
Thank you for your replies on both of my posts.
I found your comments really helpful. The school sounds loving and warm as well as being academic, and it is definitely on my shortlist.
I saw some of the art works and the standard seems to be incredibly high. That is a big plus, as well as having sports class every day. My dd really needs to have that outlet to keep her sanity.

I guess my question is, why is there a skew between boys & girls?

Also I am curious to know, how do they do sports on a rainy day? Do they have an indoor sports area?

Hi,

I've just read your post and that of JoY. I couldn't agree more with her views. My children (2 boys - now aged 7 and 10) have been at The White House since Kindergarten. They have thrived there and my eldest, who is just about to embark on his final year, has grown in to a confident, happy, sociable and considerate child. He has been allowed to develop in a very close knit nurturing environment where all the children know each other across the year groups.

There are opportunities for children to discover and develop a variety of interests from the more traditional after school activities to car club - where the older children build and race a car at Goodwood to knitting - my 7 year old very sporty boy can't get enough of it!

The academic level is high but the classes have a wide range of abilities and the classes are small enough that each child gets a lot of individual attention whatever their current ability.

From my perspective school is not just about learning your ABC but about helping develop a rounded and happy person who is confident enough to contribute positively in any situation that they find themselves. I believe that The White House has done that for my children as well as providing them with a first rate primary education.

Hi

You asked to know a bit more about the White House School in Balham...sorry it's taken me so long to reply!

We came across it by chance and I am so pleased we did!

It is a small school with a lovely friendly feel. They have one intake per year, class sizes of approx 15, very approachable teachers who all seem to genuinely love what they do and really care about your child. They seem to challenge, but without being pushy. I also like they do sports 4/5 days a week, have a range of clubs and encourage them to be creative - the art is super and as the children get older they are encouraged to engage in public speaking etc.

They have a lovely playground and different year groups share playtime - so my daughter knows a lot of children throughout the school. They have just built a new IT and music room and there is an art/ science room being renovated currently.

My eldest is just finishing reception, so my experience is limited but friends with older children at the school seem very happy, confident that their children are thriving. They have a good leaver results and all the older children I have met are polite and confident.

Being a smaller school it doesn't have some of the facilities offered by the larger schools, but they make use of the local commons and for example, use CSHS theatre for the end of year play. Some of the communications aren't as glossy and polished as larger schools. A concern some people have is the class sizes and balance of girls/ boys - i.e when is small too small, particularly when it comes to sport? They do some sports fixtures across year groups e.g. all girls in years 3&4 to make the squad and they seem to do well in fixtures.

The school also has a day nursery and a pre-school on the same site, so at the moment I have one in reception, one in pre-reception and one goes to the day nursery. It is super as I can drop them all off at the same time. I can also see that it would be great for people who want their children in full-day care, but to also have a pre-school experience as the staff walk the children from one to the other.

Hope that answers some of your questions. Let me know if you want to know anything else.

Hi, thank you so much again for your inputs. Very much appreciated!

>Diana M, Medway, Bee,
Sadly moving is not an option - my DH need to be on the tube line, or be relatively close to central London for job reasons. My DH loves spending time with DD in the mornings and being far from work means that he will never get to see her during the weekday. You never know though, we might have an awakening from a hectic London lifestyle, and think to ourselves "Oh I remember the Nappy Valley mums advised me for a move...I should have listened"

>Supergirl
I am pretty much on the same boat as you. There is certainly a price to pay, but the cultural diversity is important for us. Putney is a little far from us, we don't know the area well but The Roche school sounds like a lovely place to study. I hope I can find a similar school.

>Bubs
Thank you for a practical advice. For our second one, we are doing exactly that! On the phone and being on the list. I learned my lesson for sure from our current experience! You are quite right about "being the type" is not our problem. I guess if we don't fit, we don't fit! As simple as that. I would not want my DD pretend to be a what she is not.

>Bbkl
Great advice, thank you. I understand what you mean by being a right fit. Already we have screened out some of the schools being "not quite right for us" from looking at the prospectus and what I hear from people. I am also looking for a reasonable diversity although a skew is somewhat expected in some schools. I was attracted the "name value" factor initially but I realised that my DD's happiness is ultimately the most important reason for choosing a school!

>JoY
Funny you mention this school, I have been reading the Ofsted report and it is reviewed well. My DD goes to a small nursery so somewhere with a close knit community feel sounds great. Would you like to tell us a little bit about it? I will certainly give them a call!

Hi

All the schools you mention are good schools - everyone I know with children at them are happy and have chosen them for different reasons. From my little experience (eldest is in Reception), it seems like they are all good schools and fit different people/ families.

Our children are at The White House in Balham. It is a small school, challenging but not pushy, all the children know each other, they get into a good range of senior schools at 11+ and they do sports every day. It feels more like a village school and really suits us. Would really recommend a look at it if you haven't come across it.

Hi,
I can't comment on all the schools you are looking at, but we chose one on your list (and turned down some of the others) for our daughters.

I think it really does come down to what 'fits' you as a family. They are all great schools, but they won't all be a great school for you. The schools you've named cover a pretty big geographical area, so review the journey to each one carefully, bearing in mind you'll be doing it with a four year old, every day, in the rush hour, whatever the weather. Location matters more than you think in terms of social life/friends/parties, especially as they grow up and pick their own!

We are not a British family and we wanted a diverse environment - some of the schools we saw didn't have that. You also can't beat a visit - websites only tell you so much. I knew as soon as I walked in the door of the school that had been my favourite up to then that it was wrong for us. Interestingly my children also didn't like it 'because noone there was smiling, mum.'.

You have some coeds and some girls' schools there. We've done both and they each have plusses and minuses - again you'll need to see what suits you and your child best.

My youngest also starts reception in 2014. Some people I've met are super organised about schools and some not so much - from speaking to parents who have been through this process in the past couple of years, there's still time to get yourself sorted out.

For the littlies, it's just about getting names down early, registering and paying deposits, and if needs be phoning the school rather a lot to ensure they know you're very interested and not just popping your name everywhere and hoping for the best. No tutoring required at 4, definitely not. Some schools look for a type that will 'fit in' to their school - that's their problem, not yours.

Look around all the schools you've listed, go to open days. I think a huge amount is the feel you get from a school, it makes a difficult decision on paper SO much easier in practice.

For 7+ and 11+ entry, tutoring is required - especially if going from state to private.

xx

Really difficult one as when you are in SW you feel like there is no other life outside! I was in London for 17 years before we moved out but we found increasingly we were being drawn out for one reason and another....if you find the right area the local schools are fantastic and there is a really good selection of private schools...we have come south west because the commute is good and the schools are some of the best in the country...it is expensive but if you are in the catchment of the best schools then you could be saving a fortune on private school fees....have a look at the Farnham/Haslemere or Petersfield area, really beautiful countryside, good access to London and so much to do in the local area - we love it and if you know where to go there is a real sense of community which we didn't have in London. Whether you like it or not there is also half of SW London who have made a similar decision prior hence you are in the company of like minded individuals which is good and bad I suppose!!

Hi there

you should also consider The Roche school. It is a lovely family feel private school in Wandsworth. the school is located in a non-posh area at the edge of putney. the school is small (2 forms per year), the children are happy. The school is quite academic but in a very subtle way which allows children to be children. If you look at their leavers' list, it is very similar to Finton.
All the parents there are down to earth, normal people. A breath of fresh air!

Good luck. As other have said, the situation in London is ridiculous. In our case we have decided to stay because we are both non english and we want to raise our kids in a cosmopolitan international city, easy to get in and out of and the commute for both of us is then easier. So we pay the price: small houses and gardens at a fortune for being able to walk to CJ!

Very kindly Annabel has just let me know about your question and I hope we might be able to help. I think this is a dilemma a lot of people face and schools are one of the key reasons that drive people to move to new areas.

Last year I set up a website called lifeafterlondon.com because as a local SW18 Mum I know so many people thinking about moving out and it's such a daunting step. I wanted the website to enable people to connect with others who've done it and locals all around the UK so you can get a real feel for an area and help before making the move. It's really easy to use (I hope!) and you can post a question. My job is making sure our amazing County Contacts answer you. It's free to use and lots of people have been finding it really handy. I hope we might be able to help you out too!

Also, as far as journey times are concerned there is a great website called www.commutefrom.co.uk. You plug in the details of where you need to get to in how long and it comes up with the stations within your time/area. It's fab and really helpful.

Good luck with the decisions

I increasingly agree with the 'move away' option although I NEVER thought I would leave SW London where I have been happy for the last 20 years. Things have been creeping up on me - the ridiculous school situation, the competition for space EVERYWHERE - at school, on the common, on the tube, on the road. My quality of life is not as good as it should be - hubby and I looked at each other last weekend and said 'What ARE we doing?" Both working long hours, stressful jobs to pay school fees and sitters because we feel our state option is just not good enough. An epiphany. But where to go? Seriously. Hubby needs to be able to commute to the city in a reasonable time. We will keep our house for the time being and rent until we are sure

Anyone made the move successfully? Where did you go?

just a suggestion but I would seriously compare these London schools with several schools outside London - quite a lot of us have now made the decision to either stay in London and send the kids out or move out full stop... the difference in environment is eye-watering and the kids can learn whilst having fun! Not too mention all that green stuff they can play on!!

Many thanks for your comments.

>Petal
Funny you mention, I hear some schools accept registration for an unborn child. It's rather strange because an unborn child does not legally "exists" until it pops, and the transaction based on non-existent person is surely odd...

Some of my local state schools are good, but we are just outside the catchment area. It's a gamble with very bad odd.

> CommonMum
I will be ticking for non applicable for 1,2, 4 on your checklist. lol
However my dd totally ticks for 3. Hmm. I wonder where she got that from.
Thank you for your practical advice. I did my 11+ equivalent as a child in another country, and I seriously hated the pressure. This is why I am more inclined to choose a school where my dd does not have to sit 11+. I want her to enjoy her childhood at that age. Also moving from State to Independent will be more challenge at 11, where as Independent prep to Independent secondary might be slightly easier. This is just my guess.

>Tooposhtopush
Supply and demand is the name of the game, name your price to open a place, I guess. These schools need to make a profit somehow to maintain their standard. I was reading a list of school uniforms and wondering how much more do they add to the cost!

Re. waiting lists and payments

Get on the lists and pay the money asap.

There isn't really a clever way around it.

The schools know that it's an easy touch to make £40 and some will even announce their places before other, more popular schools, to force you to take a place and pay a deposit. Two weeks later you may have changed your mind but they still keep a terms fees.