Primary Schools 2014 Greenwich Anxiety!

[crunchybargalore]

I think Millennium School in Greenwich is where my DS will be sent to and I think we will miss out on Meridian (which I think I would prefer).

Can anyone provide me with info on these schools.

Sadly I have heard rumours that some of the teachers at Millennium would never send their own children there and that there was some issue with the head or deputy and the school nearly got put into special measures.

I have heard of other people renting for a while to get their children into Halstow.

I have had a look at some old threads but I wondered if anyone had any information about millennium, meridian and Halstow.

And whether anyone got their children into Meridian or Halstow after waiting for a year or so?

Thanks - I have nc to protect my id.

I love Greenwich to bits but I quite disheartened about educational prospects!

[crunchybargalore]

bump?

[Lemonytrees]

No real advice I'm afraid but some sympathy. We moved out of Greenwich before dc started schools - because we were so unhappy school we were allocated. Things have changed a lot in the last few years as millennium was very popular and and considered good school only 4 or 5 years ago.
I guess things can change very quickly though, so it could be really good again in a couple of years. It had great facilities if I remember? Lots of space and a forest school in the playground.

[crunchybargalore]

Thanks Lemonytrees I love Greenwich but agree the school situation is not great.

Very concerned about Millennium though and I thought it might just be rumours but I don't know what to do.

Have heard of people renting near halstow to get in as well.

[Lemonytrees]

Lots of people rent / buy near Halstow I believe. But the catchment is so tiny that you have to live almost on top of it. I do know of people who bought close by at a premium and still didn't get in because of the decreasing catchment (added problem that house falls in value too).

The lack of primary places in Greenwich sadly means that there is no real choice as everywhere is so over subscribed.
We did consider home schooling and waiting for a place, and were assured that there is a high turnover of people. But in the end we couldn't hold our nerve, we weren't moving up the waiting list very quickly and we moved out of London over the summer. (Still miss Greenwich a bit but it was a fantastic decision for schools)

[crunchybargalore]

Yep it is ridiculous and I so love Greenwich but am thinking that maybe we should just move somewhere else.

I really don't want to muck up my dcs' education!

I am finding it really sad - know a few people who have had their dc start at millennium and are not happy.

[hatsybatsy]

you must be able to find out whether they took kids in year 1 or 2? Try the council or the school itself?

there seems to be a lot of late movment in waiting lists generally for greenwich as people hold onto different offers.best of luck

[crunchybargalore]

Hi Hatsby - what do you mean by that?

Do you mean holding and waiting for an in-year swap?

For example if I got a place for DC at millennium could I take it and then apply the following year for meridian or swap part way through the year?

I will call the council - been looking at the website and although meridian would be closer and then halstow it looks like the schools are so popular we will only get Millennium.

[MissRee]

Have you tried posting on Mumsnet Local's Greenwich site? local.mumsnet.com/greenwich

[sbranch]

It's a funny old thing with schools though, they can change so quickly, Halstow used to be a really unpopular school going back 10 years and Meridian was really popular, so I think it's a case of seeing what's going on there and where you think suits your child best. I live in Lewisham and my eldest 2 went to a well thought of primary which went through a difficult time, but now again is excellent, ironically we now don't live close enough to get my youngest in because I don't get any sibling because the other 2 are at secondary!

[SarahGreewnich123]

Hi

My DS & DD go to Millennium, it has changed a lot over the past year. We were looking to take both of ours out of the school but in January a new Executive Headteacher and Head of school arrived and they are really turning things around fast. The behaviour in the school is much better and a lot of the teachers have been sacked with new ones joining. The difference in my two this September has been phenomenal both are nagging us to get to school and we can see such a difference in their enthusiasm for the school. From what I know the reception classes and the infants were fine but it was the juniors that needed turning around.

You can see this from their latest Ofsted report that happened in July. The new head turned Brooklands in Blackheath around a few years ago and I'm hoping he will do the same for us.

If you want to know any more please let me know.

[crunchybargalore]

Thank you all.

sarahgreenwich that is great news especially if you were going to take your children out!

I guess for me I don't want my children to be held back and lose opportunities because the school isn't up to it iyswim.

[crunchybargalore]

Hi sarahgreenwich

I have thought of some other questions if you don't mind answering.

Does Millennium off extra activities like music lessons?

Are children able to get into good schools after Millennium?

I had heard that there have been some instances of bullying but I suppose with a good new head this can be addressed.

Thanks very much!

[Eggs]

I live in Greeenwich and have 3 children, one in Meridian to start, got a space in Halstow and moved her, then got my other in on the sibling rule. My youngest just started in Halstow. Very happy with the school. As I have three, I can see it at all levels. I would consider Meridian and Millenium nice easy schools, at Halstow it is all about the work, however the majority of parents are happy with this and the children are very happy at school. There are some bad points, but you are going to get that everywhere. The intake has increased to 60 and as Invicta got outstanding and Sherrington also I think the demand for spaces in Halstow has reduced. The executive head for Millenium and Brooklands is the head of Halstow. Good luck.

[crunchybargalore]

Eggs thanks very much for your post.

I did wonder if places at Halstow or Meridian would come up in say the second year? We did look at moving but the house prices are too high.

I would prefer Halstow as my concern with Millennium is that I have heard children seem to drift.

Thanks again for your post.

[crunchybargalore]

I should have said I would prefer Meridian or Halstow.

But if there is a change in culture and more drive in Millennium but as the poster said her children have noticed the changes in Millennium then that is good.

[Eggs]

I know that there is a lot of movement in Halstow as I got both of my places because people left. As there are quite a lot of international families there is often people leaving at the end of year, term etc. However you cannot bank on it. You could do what a lot of people do, rent for a year and hope to get a space. I know that it is a really difficult and worrying time. Best of luck with it all.

[greenwichmummy2013]

The head of Halstow is not the head of Brooklands or Millennium!
Its a good school and is rated as outstanding but they have not had an inspection for 5/6 years, not sure its outstanding at the moment...their leadership team is certainly not in the same leaugue as Millennium and Brooklands.

The executive head of Millennium and Brooklands is AMAZING!
He and his staff turned brooklands around completly. Sir Michael Wilshaw the head of OFSTED chose Brooklands to visit and be interviewed at because of its success, outmof the thousends of schools in London!
When they went into special measures (before the current executive head was appointed) people were pulling their kids out left right and centre now you cannot get in for love nor money!
I can would lay a bet that this time next year there will be a thread on how best to get in Millenium...

[hatsybatsy]

greenwichmummy - the head of Halstow was parachuted in as the temporary executive in both of those schools - she was only replaced very recently at brooklands with a new permanent head.

Brooklands went down rapidly under one headteacher(outstanding 2006 to special measures in 2009) and came back up similarly quickly under Ms Whitehead.

Not sure where you get your info from - Brooklands pupil numbers have stayed constant at 227-237 throughout this period, and the catchment area has always been tiny.

And your comments about Halstow are way off the mark as well - it had an interim inspection in 2010 (outstanding) and has had its full inspection deferred as it was doing so well.

[greenwichmummy2013]

The head of Halstow was a tempory executive head at brooklands, (For less than a year) they appointed the new head who took it to outstanding. Mrs Whitehaed left in January, OFSTED inspection happened in May, she had very little to do with the judgement.

She has never been exec head in Millenium! She was at James Wolfe for the last year. The new exec head at Millennium only started in January.

And the comment about leadership in Halstow is spot on. I cant say how I know as it will out me, but unless you work in or knows some one who works in any of the schools mentioned Hatsy then Im afraid you do not have all the correct info.

[hatsybatsy]

Well done - you have outed yourself then - the only way you could make such sweeping statements would be if you were involved closely in Halstow School.

There is no current exec head at brooklands - they have a new headmaster - who is basking in the reflected glory of the work done under the temp exec head Ms Whitehead. Do you not like the woman or something?

You may have concerns about Halstow but those concerns are not shared by Ofsted or any propsective parents.

[greenwichmummy2013]

I dont work in Halstow but I do work for the LEA and in a role which works very closely with schools so I really do know about what happens behind closed doors.
It can be very damaging to schools to have untrue statements bandied about by parents about who is running what school etc.

There is in fact an executive head and a head of school at Halstow, both of which I have no problem with. They are lovely people, i just know as a team they are not as visionary as the exec head of B'lands and Millennium. There are plenty of heads in the borough who are nowhere near as good as any of them but theres no point in me detailing every school the op want to know about 3 schools only!


Its a shame that I had to completly out myself because you seem unable to accept facts from someone who KNOWS them rather than playground gossip!

[greenwichmummy2013]

OP if you have any questions please PM me.
Im going to leave thread, I was trying to be helpful and it seems to have backfired!!

[crunchybargalore]

Thanks Greenwichmummy2013 and thanks for your contribution and I'm sorry you had to leave the thread.

The head is such an important role in a school.

Funnily enough I did speak to some mums who have had children start this September - they seemed to think that everything was a bit disorganised and they didn't feel very welcome by the school - however they were willing to give it a bit of time and both thought that maybe their expectations were too high for Halstow.

[hatsybatsy]

your decision Greenwichmummy.

snort at playground gossip..... you have no clue who I am.

[Greenwichgal]

Um...at the risk of bringing this conversation back to where it started (this sort of sniping is one of the real downsides of Mumsnet...) I just wanted to post a big shout out for Meridian. We've just moved out of London for personal reasons, and had our two (very different) children there, who were both served extremely well. It's a fab school: it places a real focus on the individual, it's very creative but also extremely good at challenging brighter kids. My two have arrived in their new school very well prepared, with a real sense of how to treat other people, something that Meridian teaches very well. I also hear from old friends that they've just built a drama and art studio on the roof with views of the park and the river. This school is going places. We will miss it very much, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.