Primary Schools in Haringey

[Bulbs]

Hi all

I'm new on here, and have started to think about primary schools for my DD - she's not even 2 yet so starting early but finding it a bit of a minefield. I know that Haringey is massively oversubscribed and I wanted to canvas opinion really on local schools.

At the moment we are near Bounds Green, so nearest Bounds Green Primary although I'm still not sure we would get in there. I hear mixed reviews of it. We are also thinking of moving in the next couple of years. I saw there are a number of schools on the outskirts of Muswell Hill between there and Bounds Green - Rhodes Avenue, Coppetts Wood, Coldfall and Hollickwood all look like good schools and are fairly close together. Although I'm aware buying somewhere nearby doesn't guarantee a place at any of them!

I wondered if people on here might have any thoughts/advice - what do you think of these schools and are they as impossible to get into as they seem?

I should also add that we are Jewish and thinking of applying also to Eden (the newish Free School) and Akiva in Finchley.

Sorry for the lengthy post, any advice gratefully received!

[Shellywelly1973]

Hi. The schools you mention are all very good & very over subscribed. I don't live in the 'nice' part of Haringey so I've avoided the state schools you&sent my dc to a Catholic school.

My advice would be to look at alternatives such as free schools. If your planning on moving,then do it in time for the schools application, which are the January before expected intake. I would literally be trying to move to the actual roads the schools are on as the catchment areas in Haringey, Barnet & surrounding boroughs are shrinking every year.

Good luck!

[TheInvisibleHand]

Hi bulbs. I have a child at Eden and another one due to to start in September. I must say, hadn't really planned on a jewish school, but we've been really happy with it. The school is warm, friendly and ambitious for its kids without being pushy - they are keen to excite and interest them. It's also not exclusively Jewish which I kind of like. As Shelley said, catchments are small and shrinking. Eden's massively so, but that comes of being a new school. Of the other ones you mention, we looked at and really liked cold fall, but got caught out with the shrinking catchments. It's a big school (3 form entry) with amazing grounds. Quite a disciplined, organised atmosphere. I have a few friends with children there who like it a lot.

The other thing is that things can change quite quickly. Local gossip has it that 3 of the muswell hill area schools outstanding are moving on (I know thetherdown, not sure which others). A change of head can make a massive difference. Martin in East finchley was pretty much transformed in a couple of years by an ambitious new head and I think brook lands in the suburb suffered a bit for the loss of its head.

If you are jewish and thinking of free schools bear in mind alma in finchley which opens in sept - I think affiliated to Masorti and sounds good. Also bear in mind the hoops you need to jump for the faith criteria. I think for Akiva you pretty much need to be a long term reform synagogue member. The bar at Eden is pretty low though and in any case, for the free schools half their intake has to be on non-faith criteria.

Sorry, bit rambling, but hopefully some of that is useful!

[Bulbs]

Thanks for the comments - we do attend shul every week so think we'd be ok with the criteria (we're at the Masorti shul in Finchley). I was pleased to see Alma isn't going to have a catchment area for the faith based places as it seems like such a lottery! TheInvisibleHand it worries me that you made it to Eden but not Coldfall - aren't they round the corner from each other??! I was thinking we might have to move on to Creighton Ave if we're to have a hope of either!

[TheInvisibleHand]

You'll need to be pretty close - we're still close enough for Eden this year (in the county roads in east finchley) but who knows? I think it's hard to hedge your bets when the catchments are small. In your shoes, when you're thinking of a move anyway I'd probably rent on the doorstep of the school you think you like best and then figure it out from there.

[lu9months]

we have two kids at coldfall, the eldest is leaving year 6 to go to a selective state secondary in sept. we are really happy with it. it has a lot of exciting things going on (eg my year 3 child is currently doing chess as a formal lesson with the class, they have been learning the basics of philosophy (!) and they do forest school once a week where they go into the woods for team building etc). I love the amount of space they have and the teaching is generally very good. my eldest has done things like golf, and sung at the albert hall, o2 centre theatre royal stratford east. I was unkeen on a faith school (we are jewish) and like the mix of kids. martin school in e Finchley also has a good reputation, as does tetherdown and Rhodes avenue. sorry I cant help about the other schools, but there are lots of really good schools around if you can just get a place!!

[ILIMHNL]

Rhodes Avenue Primary and Coldfall Primary are both very good schools with good pupil progress and good leadership. I don't know anything much about Eden Primary school. At Tetherdown Primary School, the progress of pupils is not as good as at Coldfall and Rhodes Avenue and the teachers at Tetherdown seem to have an unwritten policy of doing very little teacher marking, which I think impacts negatively on the progress , self-esteem and motivation of the pupils. However, parents and additional private tuition go some way towards filling in the gaps of this lack of teacher written marking at Tetherdown Primary School.

[nlondondad]

@ILIMHNL

I find your posting a little strange. You have chosen to revive a "zombie thread" over a year old, which I suppose you found by searching for it, and when I have a look to see what else you have posted, you have posted just three times. (Two other threads besides this) All in similar terms, essentially repeating the same criticisms of Tetherdown school. Including the particular complaint that there is not enough teacher marking. I also note that no other poster, claiming actual experience of Tetherdown appears to agree with you.

if you dont mind me saying so, it does seem a rather limited range of interest.

[ILIMHNL]

nlondondad- I have direct experience of Tetherdown primary school having children at the school. I just want to warn potential parents about the lack of teacher marking at the school because if I had known what I now know about that problem, I would not have chosen that school. The lack of teacher marking impacts on the progress, motivation and self esteem of the pupils. I wish somebody had warned me about it in the past. When children are settled at a school with friendships etc, it's difficult to move them to a different school.

[jillspenser]

just joined, and was browsing. this may or may not help, a friend shared a site with me on facebook, showing London primary school catchment areas on a map. Thought it may help you get an idea of chances of getting into a given school

//www.schoolcatchment.co.uk

[Bulbs]

Hi again! I just wanted to revive this thread as we are now in the process of moving and, now that Eden in Muswell Hill has been running for three years and Alma for one, I wondered if anyone had experience of these schools. We're also still interested in Akiva in Finchley so at present are debating a move either to Muswell Hill Borders or to Finchley Central!

The whole schools application in London is mind boggling!

[nlondondad]

As you are Jewish and interested in two Jewish schools then you need to talk to the schools direct about admissions. In Akiva's case so far as I know, you have to establish a Jewish affiliation, and then if there are more qualifying as jewish children than places it goes by siblings then distance.

In Eden's case half the places go by Jewish affiliation, then distance, and half go by distance alone.

This might affect your move. For example if you were to move to be beside Eden, then you might be sure of a place under either criterion!

[Bulbs]

Thanks @nlondondad, we're lucky to be drowning in choices.

[Greenfizzywater]

I think the catchment for Akiva is small so there would be no overlap between that and Eden - but you'd need to check with the school.