Hi all,
I'm starting this thread today for some advice and different perspectives regarding the following predicament.
My children have recently come to live with me full-time due to personal circumstances. As such, I applied to a number of different schools in the area with help from our local Labour MP through urgent priority referrals.
My eldest son is due to start reception this September. Initially we were only offered one school however now it seems I have the option of three. The first was Pooles Park which we have decided against due to the fact it is the lesser of the three.
The other two schools are Duncombe primary and Highgate Primary. The main benefit of Duncombe is that it is literally less than minutes away from where we live. The downside as I see it is that it used to have a terrible reputation, I know this is improving and I know that it does attain quite good results these days. However it also attracts the poorest sectors in the area.
The plus side regarding Highgate primary is that my brother attended the school and had a wonderful time there, it certainly is a decent school and has a nice and pleasant environment to it with high standards in education. The main problem is simply that it is harder to get to. I do drive however to get there every day would mean going through Archway, which can get incredibly busy especially heading further up towards Highgate.
I'm really unsure of what to do. Our first choice was Coleridge primary school, this is due to the fact that my mother and uncle attended the school, my brother and I attended and it would nice to be see a third-generation go to the same school. Nonetheless a place has not been offered there. So I'm torn between Duncombe and Highgate primary.
I suppose what it comes down to is this, would you prefer to send your child to middle-class or a working class school? We have both sides of the coin in our family.
Duncombe would certainly be easier, but Highgate primary does seem to produce better results. That being said, Duncombe isn't that far behind. The teachers seem to be dedicated, and give extra effort in attempts to give the children the best possible start.
But social groups do have a big impact on a child's development as well. For a lot of the children at Duncombe, their elder brothers and sisters will be wearing hoodies, speaking slang and smoking weed from their early teenage years if not younger. Whereas Highgate primary is likely to attract more of a middle-class interest, whereby the children's older siblings are more likely to be in good secondary schools, or studying for university or working respectable positions etc.
I don't mean to sound like a snob, but I'm really not sure what to do. In all honesty, I can't stand those who think they're better than others but at the same time I can't stand the Jeremy Kyle lot. I know there are shades of grey and it's not as simple as that, but studies have shown that those from middle class backgrounds tend to do better in life.
Don't get me wrong, we're not particularly well off at this moment in time. In fact, we represent one of the poorer elements in this borough. I know full well what it's like to grow up in this area, in both the nice and grubby parts, do you understand what I'm trying to articulate? (ya get me like?) it's not a question of snobbery, it's a question of serious contemplation regarding the best atmosphere and environment for my children.
There really is no right or wrong answer here, but I really am interested in other people's perspective on the matter.
Duncombe has good reviews online, but many of them contain spelling mistakes which isn't the best of signs when it comes to choosing a good school. highgate primary has a very good reputation, but is hard to get to and may have implications regarding my children's social life.
What would you do?
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North London Schools - Duncombe or Highgate Primary
34 replies
shen84 · 26/06/2014 15:13
OP posts:
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