Drayton Green Primary

[recca3000]

Hi, please could I get your opinions on Drayton Green primary? Anyone here have kids who go there? Thinking of moving to the area... On paper it's not as 'good' as Little Ealing, Fielding or St John's but is that just as it has a more mixed demographic? Any advice very welcome. TIA.

[BourbonCrunch]

I only know it through neighbours but I haven't heard brilliant opinions. It isn't rated as highly as even St John's which used to have a bad reputation mainly due to being so near the estate but it is now very well thought of by others I know and very well organised. Drayton is also forever shut during term time for events which is awful for my neighbours who work.
It is definitely incredibly different from Fielding and Little Ealing which have very different catchments. But even so, St John's has a very similar catchment but appears to be much more liked by parents. Our other neighbour's children are at St John's and she loves it. It is having a new building though so I don't know if that will mean it is a building site for a few years.

[recca3000]

Thanks, that's really useful. I went to visit it and it seems quite nice and friendly but they say it is a challenging demographic... but spoke to a mother who's child is doing really well there. The head seems really good. But she did say that although the kids mix well the parents don't really as lots don't speak English. But I'm not totally convinced - and that's useful to know about term-time closing - is that for INSET days and things?

[Red13]

This may be coming too late for you, given that your post was from June, but my daughter has attended Drayton Green for the last two years and our experience of the school has been great. The head and deputy head are very good and very engaged, there's an active PTA (Friends of Drayton Green) and the quality of teaching is high. It does have a 'more challenging' intake than some other schools in the borough, but this doesn't seem to have caused any issues for my daughter - she's streaking ahead in maths, English, etc. and has many friends there. The school had a poor reputation, as did St John's, back in the early 2000's but both schools have really turned themselves around now.

I'm not sure what the term-time closures referred to above are about.... DG holds an International Day fair just before the summer holidays, for which the school closes at 2pm, but beyond that I can't think of any other events beyond the usual INSET days.

[recca3000]

thank you, very useful and positive. We didn't go for the house in the end (prob a mistake) but will pass this on to my friend who's son will probably be starting there in 2017. Thanks.

[recca3000]

*whose

[Boosiehs]

Thanks Red - very useful.

We will most likely be sending DS1 here in a couple of years. Its good to hear good things!

[MsPerfick]

I had 2 children at Drayton green.started off ok but ended up the worst experience of my life.teaching children's happiness and welfare.what a disaster.8 excellent teachers left within a year. I was a friend of the pat but it is so stressful.its such a shame how down hill the school has gone.my son is just in year 7.