London - SE or W - help please!

[SonyaSingapore]

If there's anyone out there who's happy with their primary school/nursery in either West London (Shepherds Bush ISH area) or SE London (Greenwich) I'd love to hear from you please! We're about to relocate back to London after 10 years away (yikes!) and now I have 3 small boys -the oldest (dob Dec. 2001) will start Reception in Sept. 2006, and the next one (dob July 2003) will go to nursery. I keep reading all the local council websites, and Ofsted reports, but it's all rather scary.... some personal recommendations would be wonderful! There's a lot to work out as we don't have an address yet so I think we're going to be right at the bottom of the pecking order for getting places anyway.....

Or does anyone know of any other guides to London primary schools - ones that are more personal?

Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated

thanks!

[sinclair]

We are in W12 and the schools in the borough (hammersmith and fulham) are generally good I think. Council website has all the contact info etc. We are lucky enough to live in the triangle of John Betts, Greenside and Brackenbury, all non-denominational state primaries, all excellent and usually oversubscribed. Unless you have special circs, you will have to live close to get into either of the first 2, tho Brackenbury is 2 stream entry so there are more places available there. There are good church schools too I know tho I know less about them, just have freinds who are happy with them.

Greenside and Brackenbury have nursery classes and there is a lovely standalone nursery school called Vanessa Nursery that DD and now DS have attended.

My DS is the same age and AFAIK applications are due in January and you will need to prove residency (in H&F's case at least) so hurry hurry!

Good luck

[Marina]

SonyaSingapore, if relocating to lovely SE10 you need to be aware that the LB Greenwich is currently struggling badly at secondary level, with poor SATs, few decent state secondary schools (top performers are both RC for practising Catholic families only) and near the bottom of the league tables.
I love the area and have lived here all of my life, pretty much, but the education provision is not good. It IS better at primary level, but not hugely, with fierce competition to get into the high-achieving state primaries...and before you know it you are faced with the prospect of paying for 11 plus education or hoping and praying you get a place at Thomas Tallis, the best non-denominational secondary in the borough. I know you are looking at primary/nursery...but it creeps up on you mighty quick.
There are some excellent primaries in LB Greenwich, but I don't recall any standouts in SE10. You might consider SE3, Blackheath, which has the advantage of being partly in LB Lewisham which is faring better. Top state primaries in the Lewisham side of Blackheath include John Ball big but VERY good, and St Margarets and All Saints, both CofE. Brooklands is very successful and on the Greenwich side of Blackheath but you practically have to be living in the playground to get in - it has a very specific catchment area.
In Greenwich proper there is the very highly respected Steiner School if you are interested in alternative education.
In Blackheath independent options include Pointers, which is small and proprietor-run, with a rather fussy uniform and a very assertively Christian ethos; Blackheath Prep, which gets excellent academic results but I think has a rigorous and some would say worryingly intensive selection process at 3, and Blackheath High Juniors, which is gurls only and not suitable for you I guess!
Further afield is Colfes, which takes both sexes from three and is in SE12, easily reached from Blackheath Village, and which has a very good reputation locally.

[vivat]

Hi Son - we're in W6 and I totally agree with Sinclair's comments although Brackenbury is gettng more and more popular. (Sinclair, ds goes to one of those schools, do yours ?). Ds also went to a great Montessori nursery school called the Jordans in Hammersmith

[singersgirl]

Are you in Singapore, Sonya? (I'm guessing there's a clue in your name...) We came back to London last summer (2004)and are in South West London, though not Shepherds Bush area, so I can't help with any school advice there, but just wanted to say hi.

[sinclair]

Hi Vivat yes DD is year 1 at Greenside and DS is Vanessa, hopefully going to Greenside Sept 06 (reminds me, must get the form and add to to do list!!) You J Betts I think?

[MrsWobble]

depending where you live there's also the possibility of the Bexley Grammar schools at secondary (following up on Marina's post)

[Yvette1]

I have two teenage boys both non attending at the present moment (good secondary school). Younger boy damaged left arm recently break, dislocation and fracture now meant to be attending, older with GCSE's looming and despite being in top set struggling/not achieving. Dad seriously ill is there anywhere I can get help please I am desperate.

[SonyaSingapore]

Thank you everybody for your help - and hi singersgirl yes how did you guess.....?! Can I ask you how you're finding life back in London after Singapore.....? And whereabouts in the SW are you and do you have children at state primaries? Am feeling very anxious about the whole thing, as applications are supposed to be in by January, and you need an address to apply....aarrrgghhhh!! Can't see ourselves managing to buy our dream family home in the catchment area of our dream primary school over the internet before Jan.....but you never know!!! Anyway, thanks all and I'm sure it will work out somehow....