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Comments on North Waltham Primary / Overton Primary in Hampshire

4 replies

MrsH201 · 06/03/2019 19:10

Does anyone know anything about North Waltham Primary or Overton Primary in Hampshire?

We are trying to decide on a school for our child, who will be starting Reception this September.

Overton has Outstanding Ofsted, 400 pupils. North Waltham has Good Ofsted, 160 pupils.

We live in Overton and know quite a few children who go to the school; all parents and children are very happy with it. It's just quite big and my child is quite shy, so I think a smaller environment may possibly suit better. Don't know much about North Waltham school. Visits to both schools left us none the wiser.

Any thoughts from people with experience of either school would be appreciated.

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Happysummer · 10/03/2019 23:03

Don't know the schools, but our primary has 500 children but year R have their own playground and are actually kept separate from the main school. Often a larger school doesn't mean it will be overwhelming as they'll be kept with their year group and their own class mostly. I think how you feel from visits and ease of commute is more important than size.

A bigger school often means more specialist staff and more equipment, sports teams etc. I went to a tiny village primary with 12 in the year and hated it. Secondary with 30 in a class was a big shock!! We choose a bigger school for all the above.

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MrsH201 · 11/03/2019 11:30

Thank you very much for your reply, Happysummer. That's interesting that you mention your own experience of a small school wasn't a positive one. We did think that moving to a big secondary after a smaller primary could be a shock. Definitely something to consider.

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SnowdropsiUnderTrees · 11/03/2019 15:28

Small schools are not good for shy children. It's much harder for to find a friend. Stick to the bigger school where there is a bigger potential friendship pool.

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MrsH201 · 20/03/2019 21:49

Thank you, SnowdropsiUnderTrees. That's something we hadn't considered. We have decided on the larger school, so only time will tell if it will work out! I really hope so. Thank you both again for the input.