Are there any ofsted outstanding primary state schools in or near Chigwell

[aarohee]

I am looking for advise on which are the better primary state schools near Chigwell. Also I am not sure how to register kids for school-are there open days in state schools too which helps one decide which could be the better one? Is admission only on basis of catchment area & how can I find out my catchment area ? What questions should I ask when I visit schools to help me decide the best one for my child.
Sorry...lots of questions here ..any tips\advise from experienced parents locally would be greatly appreciated!

[ConcreteElephant]

I'm not local I'm afraid but the Essex County Council school admissions page will give you lots of information, on the state schools at least. It appears to help you with finding schools in particular areas and will clarify the admissions policies.

Ofsted reports can be found on their own site or on the schools' websites - remember they are only part of the picture when it comes to finding the right school for your child.

In terms of choosing a primary school, in many areas the notion of choice is merely an illusion as there are shortages of places and hugely oversubscribed schools.

I'm on a train so it's not a comprehensive answer but I could see no one had replied yet and hoped I could at least start you off!

Hope this helps :)

[TooManyHouseGuests]

I don't know of any outstanding primaries in Chigwell (Not that there aren't any, just that I don't know them.)

Probably the most oversubscribed school in the area is St John's CE in Buckhurst Hill. It went down from "outstanding" to "good" in its last Ofsted inspection. This hasn't stopped parents from going to extremes to get their kids into the school, though.

Staples Road school in Loughton is also very well thought of and is also oversubscribed as is Buckhurst Hill Primary and Churchfields School in Woodford Green. If you are Catholic, St. Anthony's in Woodford Green is very popular.

I live in the general area and these are the schools that you hear parents talk about again and again, the schools that dictate where people choose to buy a house. I don't know the status of their OFSTED inspections. People who have lived in the area for ages, have their own opinions and pay minimal notice to OFSTED opinions. They reckon they know the schools more intimately than OFSTED.

School places in this area are very tight. If you find a school you like, make sure you are in catchment and live very near it!

[Stripysecrets]

Not sure of any outstanding school recommendations but just wanted to say that from personal experience, an Ofsted report isn't worth the paper it's written on most of the time.
I worked in a school about 10 years ago now, who got the Ofsted call Thursday for a Monday inspection. They literally re did every display and re planned all their lessons. The two days was like nothing I had ever seen before or since. They got outstanding but it was meaningless - it was no where near outstanding in reality.
Dd3's school is 'requires improvement' but is the most fantastic school and better than all the 'outstanding' schools in the area! :)
Look around the schools you like and go with what feel right to you :)

[cariadlet]

I'd agree with Stripysecrets that visiting a school and getting a feel for it is far more important than going by Ofsted grades.

If you want to consider Ofsted grades then go onto the Ofsted website. Check when a school was last inspected - the criteria have changed several times over the last few years and these days even "good" is very hard to achieve let alone "outstanding". A school with "requires improvement" from a few months ago, may not be very different from a school which achieved "good" a few years ago. Also read the actual reports to see what the school's strengths and weaknesses are.

[aarohee]

Thanks so much everyone for the helpful advice.
Does anyone know how fairlop primary school is?

[Scabetty]

This is in LB Redbridge. I have friends whose children attended and they both did well there. I haven't heard anything negative and as I live in Redbridge I am sure I would have by now :)

[mummykyp03]

Hello

I have two children that attend Fairlop and a third that will be going shortly. I cannot sing the schools praises enough. I had all the normal concerns when my first child started Fairlop - its a big school, how do they cope with so many children and different abilities, will my child like school etc etc the list was endless.

The teachers have been amazing, both my children went to school not reading (except their names) but the end of reception they were both a year ahead of their reading ages. The school school facilities are excellent, there is a segregated playground for the nursery and reception children and then there is a large field and an environmental area which I felt was very important and often hard to find nowadays.

They have lots going on through the year with school trips and fun days, world book day, heritage day etc, many of my friend who have children at other local schools comment on how much mine are doing.

Fairlop is a friendly school, I have found all the staff approachable and they work hard to make sure the older children are involved with the younger children ie pairing them and having lunchtime monitors etc, equally the smaller children are given their own play areas whilst they are still small.

I am very happy with the school and most importantly my children enjoy school and want to go.

Sorry this is so long and hope it has helped.

[squiby2004]

Staples Road is the best state primary in Loughton. It's a fab school. I lived in Loughton 20 years and am a teacher myself.

St Johns and Buckhurst County are both in Buckhurst Hill. St Johns has recently slipped from outstanding to good but it's still a fantastic school and the one I would have sent my DD to given the chance. As it is we didn't get Staples Road so chose to go down the independent route.

You should know that you can choose what you like on the firms but it bears little to know resemblance to what you end up getting on allocation day!!

[squiby2004]

Ignore typos sorry! iPhone has a mind of its own sometimes :)