Tell me about Thornhill Primary School Islington please...

[singleparent]

I've just read a thread here that its very difficult to get into schools (for reception)which has made me think.

Our nearest primary is Thornhill Primary, anyone have LO's going there? was subscription mostly siblings this year?

I've checked the Islington Brochure and school was oversubsribed last year and cut off was 2379m, not sure in metres but we are a 10 min walk away (half a mile or so)...

Our other schools nearby are Laycock and William Tyndale.

Anyway just wondering if I should prepare myself for dissapointment?

[frogs]

An Mner called Posey has dc at Thornhill, I think. Tyndale is also a good school, don't know about laycock.

[Barnsberry]

hello, my dd is at thornhill and I'm really pleased with it. I think it went through a bit of a bad patch under the last head (five years ago, I think), but the present one is very dynamic and yet at the same time very personable and approachable. The children all seem very well behaved and the Sats are improving every year (this year better than canonbury and tyndale, for example). We have the option of having private paid for by in-laws and I can honestly say that we would rather dd went to thornhill, not least because it's local. In terms of learning, I'm amazed how much she's achieving and really don't see how it could be any better. Certainly she's happy and excited about school, which is the most I could wish for.
Half a mile/ten minutes walk is definitely within catchment, you've nothing to worry about. It's traditionally been undersubscribed and the area immediately surrounding it is filled with a lot of private school users so it's not tough to get into.
Honestly couldn't recommend more highly. You should be really happy to have a good school that you'll definitely get into (no faith hoops etc) nearby.
See you there!

[singleparent]

Thanks!

Barnsberry wow, all sounds great, -our- my other option is private too but dh rather not as he says he pays far too much tax's as it is!

[Posey]

Frogs is right. I now have just the one left in the school but have had children there since 2000! When my dd started in the nursery it was fine, the school was "fine" thats all I could say about it. It wasn't particularly dynamic, little extra-curricular stuff...but she was happy, was learning and had local friends.
Then along came a new head in 2005...
Brand new, first headship, and full of enthusiasm. He seems to just get stuff done, quietly. He's not a booming exuberant head, but is there, is approachable, quite shy I think, and wholly professional. When he arrived the PTA were in the throws of trying to raise money to get the loos refurbished as we had been told there was no money for it. He told us that PTAs don't raise money for toilets, that the money would be found elsewhere, and it was!
My dd was one of last years SATs success story, and it was done in such an unstressy way. None of this freaking the children out. They were well prepared and weren't scared.
She has now gone onto another local secondary and I'm back at the beginning with a ds in y1!
The school is dynamic, learning is fun, lots of trips (oh the advantage of living in London!), in-school enrichment days (music workshops, circus workshop, climbing wall, skating rink, all funded by the active PTA).
It has a mixed cultural and social intake, very much like the area it serves.

Do I sound enthusiastic enough?! I'm not on commission honest, I can just see what can happen when a school is well led and everyone (staff, parents and not least the children) is valued.

[Posey]

Actually I think the new head came in 2004, as Barnsberry said, about 5 years ago.

[frogs]

Hi Posey!

[Posey]

Hello frogs! Hope you're well! Your knowledge of local schools and who goes where is amazing

[frogs]

I drive past thornhill and StMM every week, Posey, when I take ds to his music lesson. In any case, I have a very weird memory. I'm like it with phone numbers and addresses and car registrations as well, which can be quite handy. I'm rubbish with faces though -- Islington being what it is, dh and I will walk past somebody in the street (as you do) and dh will go, "You know who that was, don't you?". To which I look blank, and he will reply, "Oh, that's X, who played the part of Y in that film called Z" (invariably a really non-famous actor who played some really minor role in an obscure film from 15 years ago). But somehow there is room in his head for this kind of info.