Moving to Hampton (Richmond Borough)

[MomsTheWorld]

Hello,

We have just bought a property in Hampton and will be moving there shortly. I have a 4 year old who is in reception and we have been looking at schools. The closest one to us is Buckingham Primary School (we appear to be just outside the catchment for Hampton Infants and Carlisle Infant School).

• Does anyone have children who go to Buckingham Primary? What are your thoughts about this school?
  

• Has anyone moved there recently (and between school term) - how has the transition been to a new area/ school, etc...?
  

Any inputs would be appreciated.Thanks for your help.

[PatriciaHolm]

If your child is already in reception, then the effective "catchment" is irrelevant; you need a school that has a space in reception, which will be rare in Richmond. The school doesn't have to offer you a place just because it's your nearest; the system doesn't work that way.

Your first step should really be to talk to Richmond LEA and see where they have spaces in reception, and where those schools are in relation to where you will be. They have an obligation to offer you a place, but it may not be in the school of your choice. Buckingham was not oversubscribed in 2015, but the pressure on places in Richmond may mean that it is full now, but the LEA will know.

[MomsTheWorld]

Thanks PatriciaHolm. That is very helpful. I have spoken the admissions team at the Richmond Council and they have mentioned the same thing as you (i.e. if nothing is available in the schools closest to us, then they will offer something within a reasonable distance - reasonable distance being 2 miles)

My guess is that since Buckingham wasn't oversubscribed (and is the closest), there is a possibility that we might get that school, hence wanted to check if anyone can share their reviews about the school.

I will also be arranging a school visit for some of the schools.

[Pineapple5678]

I used to live in Hampton and my son used to attend firstly Carlisle for a term and then Hampton infants tol the end of year 2.
Carlisle is good on paper but has gone down hill on the last couple of years and Hampton infant school is v. Good but long waiting list.
Buckingham used to be the school to avoid but has changed significantly in the last 3 years for the better only missing out on an outstanding ousted due to the way they use there pupil premium to move all children up to the same level.
In my opinion it's a very good school.
And Hampton is a lovely place to live I miss it

[loubielou2]

I disagree with Pineapple regarding Carlisle "going downhill". On the contrary! Both my children went there and it is a fantastic school, nurturing, creative, successful with lots of very happy children and parents and a very low turn over of staff. Many teachers have been there for years and there have only ever been three head teachers in its entire history. It's last Ofsted was Good and even though the other infant school, Hampton Infants, was Outstanding do not let that put you off Carlisle! It has traditional teaching in separate classrooms (not one big room with 90 children like the other) and it is now federated with Hampton Hill Junior School, an outstanding school. Buckingham is brilliant at science and now 'Good' and a friend has two ver happy children who went through ths school. Thoroughly recommend Carlisle. Good luck with your move to Hampton, it's a wonderful place to live and go to school!

[MomsTheWorld]

Pineapple5678 and loubielou2 - thanks so much for your comments. Makes me feel so much more confident about the school situation and living in Hampton :-) We were hoping to find a property that was within the Hampton Infants and Carlisle catchment, but good and outstanding ofsted ratings make the housing part unaffordable. So it's a bit of a chicken and egg situation for us where we found a property that we liked and it fit our budget, however were concerned about not getting the schools we wanted.

Hampton and Carlisle are the top 2 preferences as well after i reviewed the ofsted reports, saw the school websites etc... but on speaking to the schools and looking at the selection criteria the schools were heavily oversubscribed and have long waiting lists. So am not sure if we stand a chance but will stay optimistic

Good to hear the positive comments about Buckingham - will put that down as one of the options.

Last question on Pupil Premium: What is the amount of pupil premium a school receives an indication of- i.e. more areas identified for training, children for disadvantaged backgrounds, etc..... The Pupil Premium was much higher for Buckingham as compared to other schools in Hampton, hence the question.

Thanks again for your help.

[PatriciaHolm]

Pupils in receipt of pupil premium are;

• those eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years
  
• those who have left local authority care after adoption, a special guardianship order, a child arrangements order or a residence order
  

It's designed to "raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers." (quote from Government Guidance).

[Pineapple5678]

That's where buckland school fell down on the ofsted inspection because those on pupil premium improved greatly but so did those not in receipt of it the gap wasn't closed and therefore buckland a scored low on that part of ofsted even though all attainment was up

[loubielou2]

There is also St Mary's Church of England Primary School in Hampton which selects on location only, not church attendance - catchment is south of the railway line, ie Station Rd, Oldfield Rd etc. It was opened to help families who were not able to get into either Carlisle or Hampton Infants (this part of Hampton) and has been open a couple of years. I believe it's pretty good. There is also Athelstan House, which is an independent nursery to 7 years and Twickenham Prep in Hampton, if you wanted private ed. Stay on the waiting lists - you never know what might come up!

[MomsTheWorld]

Thanks for your comments about the Pupil premium PatriciaHolm and Pineapple5678. I am assuming that Hampton and Carlisle schools don't have a high level of pupil premium because students come from more affluent families (compared to Buckingham). The areas near the schools have more expensive housing etc...:-) The bottomline being that the amount of pupil premium a school receives isn't a big deal? Is that correct?

loubielou2: thanks for the details about St Mary's Church of England Primary School. We are not in the areas you have mentioned (we are near the Rectory Grove area) so probably not in the catchment.

Pvt v/s Public schools is another debate altogether! We did consider a private school from reception, however the long term commitment for the fees but us off for a bit and we decided to go down the public school route for a couple of years and then try for admission in a private school! I have been reading about the 7+ exams and they being quite competitive so that's another issue! We will probably have to go down the private school route if we don't get a good public school, so thanks for the details. In addition to the names you have provided, we also have Denmead and The Mall on our list.

[DramaQueen38]

You can compare local school pupil premiums online, using schooldash. Buckingham is here here and you can click on the other local schools and compare.

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

ime Richmond borough is a total scrum for places in reception but then there's quite a lot of movement from year 1 onwards with some very good schools having spaces.

Ask the council for a list of schools with places available and go from there. FYI there are catchments in the borough, just distance but there are sibling and religious priority for a number of local schools.

[Lotus1023]

I know this is an old thread, but just wondering if you did enrol in Buckingham? We're moving just around the corner from it but have heard that the history isn't great so just wondering what it's like now. We are also considering Stanley.

[sailinggirlie]

F

[Mumintraining85]

I realise this is a year too late but I'm assuming you're looking for entry for September 2018? So Hampton Infants now take 120 per year and their catchment area extends right up to Tangley Park and the estate there, so most people now have very good odds of getting in. I heard that this year had a low birth rate and Buckingham was undersubscribed, as were several other schools in the borough (Hampton Wick Infants, Sacred Heart, St Richard's and St. Mary's) so the pressure wasn't quite so full on. Or perhaps Hampton Infants taking so many has lessened the pressure on the other schools.

We live in Hampton and love it here. It's a great place to raise kids and we are very lucky with the primary school options here. Buckingham did have an unfortunate reputation but I think it was perhaps unfair as they have different challenges to the schools in the more 'affluent' parts of Hampton. They have a higher percentage of pupil premium children and children with ESOL. I would say look around and don't be afraid to put the school that isn't your nearest because you may well get it. Stanley recently had a bad ofsted report but it seems like a nice school to me. You probably are out of catchment in Hampton but I heard of somebody getting into Collis (in Teddington) from Hampton, so you never know!