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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

West London free primary school

21 replies

TildeCucinotta · 08/10/2017 11:06

Hello,
We will move to London Hammersmith in April 2018 with our 6 years old daughter and I am looking for academically good primary school.
Would you advise the West London free primary school?
Many thanks!
Tilde

OP posts:

Report

GrabbyMcGrabby · 08/10/2017 15:26

Look at the London borough website which Hammersmith falls under. Then look at the Ofsted reports for those schools. Check waiting lists for in year entry and take tours of those you are interested in. Try Mumsnet local for anecdotal recommendations.

TildeCucinotta · 08/10/2017 15:31

Tanks a lot!
Tilde

OP posts:

ArcheryAnnie · 08/10/2017 15:38

Be aware that the cachement areas for almost any state school in London are quite limited. I am fairly sure West London Free primaries have a sort of stepped cachement which does give some places to kids further out, but your first task will be to find out where you are eligable for, not where you want.

If you do send your child to the West London Free primary, and they ask you to make a regular payment to the school (they are notorious for this), do feel free to remind them that it is a state school and as such, any contribution by you is voluntary, and will be made on your schedule, when and only if you want to do so.

TildeCucinotta · 08/10/2017 16:54

Thanks for your message. My understanding is that if I find an apartment sufficiently close to the school I should be able to get a place (we will move to London next year). Interesting to hear about hidden fees. Are them at least used for the school?
Tilde

OP posts:

PhoenixMama · 09/10/2017 08:00

You’ll have to get a place incredibly close to the school AND hope there’s space in her year. There’s usually not as it’s over subscribed and people are on the wait list for years. I would call the school and ask what the waitlist is like for Year 2 at the moment. It’s HIGHLY unlikely that you’ll get a place in April as there will already be loads of people ahead of you on the list. Make sure you look at other schools in the area. PM me if you’d like as there are certain ones you’ll want to avoid!

ArcheryAnnie · 09/10/2017 08:04

Phoenix what ones would you avoid?

MsGameandWatching · 09/10/2017 08:04

Phoenixmama I have sent you a PM

PhoenixMama · 09/10/2017 08:23

I’m not going to publicly list ones that aren’t good here because I don’t want to out myself. What I will say is that it is definitely worth visiting the schools & not going off Offsted alone. There is one outstanding school for an example which is anything but, and my dd is at a “good” school which I think should be outstanding. (There is a very tricky reason why it’s not.) When you move mid year you’re completely at the mercy of the council & where there’s space.

TildeCucinotta · 09/10/2017 21:25

Thanks. I have sent a PM to PhoenixMama

OP posts:

JellyBellies · 10/10/2017 16:34

The size of the waiting list should not matter. If you move close enough to a particular school you could jump to the top of the waiting list.

Feluca · 10/10/2017 17:32

This is what I was told by the principal of the School

PhoenixMama · 10/10/2017 23:36

Yes but their has to be a place available & no siblings/children in care waiting. The school has an incredibly low leaving rate so basically you would need to be the closest person, there not being anyone above you on the list AND a child in your desired year would have to be leaving at EXACTLY the same time mid-term that you want to start is like the stars aligning!

JellyBellies · 11/10/2017 02:04

Yes, agree. I was just countering the person who said that there will be loads of people already on the waiting list. There might be but it's based on priority not length of time.

Feluca · 31/03/2018 16:59

Hi, we are eventually moving to Hammersmith in a couple of weeks and we need to apply for a school place very soon.
The Borough confirmed that currently Greenside, Melcombe, St. Paul CoE, Lena Gardens and Addison Schools have places in my daughter's years.
I am a bit confused. Would you help me picking the school? What would you choose and why?
I really need your advice!

sanam2010 · 31/03/2018 17:17

Melcombe is very good, rated outstanding and setting high standards for its students. I think St Paul's is much smaller but was also rated outstanding recently.

MsGameandWatching · 31/03/2018 22:16

Have you looked at Brackenbury? Lovely school and might be worth getting on a wait list. Of the ones you list I have heard good things about Lena Gardens and my friends child goes to Addison, she's fairly happy with it.

Feluca · 31/03/2018 22:51

I will include John Betts, Brackenbury and st Stephen CoE on top of my list, but then will put names of schools were there are places. Among these schools, Melcombe looks the best on paper (Ofsted outstanding and great results), but someone pointed out it is a bit run down. I visited Greenside and there is a great atmosphere, but the school is not considered outstanding. How important is this? St Paul CoE is Outstanding and smaller than Melcombe, but the KS2 results are worse, even than Greenside.
As for Lena Gardens I have heard that It is not as good as it used to be, but I did not get why.
I think that if I knew something more about the environment if these schools it would be easier to pick one . Thanks a lot!

sanam2010 · 31/03/2018 23:07

Feluca, I have acquaintances with a year 2 child at Melcombe. Very happy with it. They say it is very mixed socially but the teaching is great and as a result the school is becoming more and more popular. Very good in terms of wrap around care etc as well, if you are intending to work!

Feluca · 01/04/2018 00:21

Thanks Sanam2010. Also my daughter would be in year two, and yes I will work, so plenty of after-school clubs would be great!

Feluca · 11/05/2018 21:24

We have been offered a place in Earl's Court. Any mums with children there?

Lowdoorinthewal1 · 12/05/2018 07:08

On the 'example timetable' on West London Free's website there is the equivalent of only 1 hour a day of anything that isn't maths or English (not including statutory PE).

Why would people queue up for such a narrow, squeezed curriculum?

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