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Muswell Hill vs East Finchley for Primary School

11 replies

Nomadtech · 14/08/2020 20:13

Evening all,

I hope you and your loved ones are as well as can be in the current climate.

I know the Muswell Hill "what primary school" has been done multiple times, but in the current climate need advice as we have to move closer to a school prior to January 2021 and time is against us.

We are currently in Finchley Central, we had our flat on the market for some time but were unable to sell. We are now selling our BTL flat so we can buy either in Muswell Hill or East Finchley. Our current nearest school Moss Hall is not great.

So for Muswell Hill it is the trio of Rhodes/MHP/Coldfall. From reading several threads, Coldfall seems to come out on top, MHP is cited to have behaviour problems and Rhodes is "Elite". We've been trumped a few times on homes close to Coldfall and currently no properties in catchment on the market.

Then there is Manorside and Martins school in East Finchley. Not as well established as the schools above, but close to a tube line and ranked well in the Barnet borough.

I get the sense that Muswell Hill primaries ultimately lead to grammar or private in many cases and this generates a tutor/pushy culture? Not read anything similar about pressure in Barnet.

We've used Locrating and the Government website. Looked at progress scores for the past 3 years and driven past all of the schools. Data is one element, but missing the crucial ability to see the schools in the flesh and are resigned to making a blind jump of buying a property before deciding on a school, as a second lockdown could scupper a move and all of the schools above are better than our current options.

So why did you choose the school you sent your little one too? Our boy is just 3. Outgoing and confident. Looking for a place with good peers as our input to his education is equally, if not more important.

Thank you and have a great weekend.

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Confined123 · 17/08/2020 11:27

Just to clarify, while there is tutoring for grammar and private schools in the area. Most of the local kids actually go to Fortismere and Alexandra Park school. So I wouldn't take this into consideration while deciding between the two areas.
We live in Muswell hill. Have heard good things about Martins in East Finchley but no personal experience and haven't even toured the school to have even a bit of idea.
I toured all the local schools in muswell hill and definitely liked Rhodes and coldfall the best.

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SchnitzelVonKrumm · 17/08/2020 13:19

I get the sense that Muswell Hill primaries ultimately lead to grammar or private in many cases and this generates a tutor/pushy culture? No. Almost all Muswell Hill kids go to Fortismere or APS - only one or two didn't from my children's primary school classes.

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Nomadtech · 17/08/2020 22:07

Thank you both for the response. Have put an offer in on a flat near Rhodes.

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doadeer · 17/08/2020 22:12

Tetherdown is supposed to be nice too.

Coldfall has a great outside area! I think from what I've heard they are all really good and it was my understanding most go to fortis ere.

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Confined123 · 18/08/2020 13:58

All the best @Nomadtech. Rhodes is an excellent school. But has a very tiny catchment area which is ofcourse not fixed but is usually very small. So hope the flat is very close to Rhodes. We were looking to rent near Rhodes when we moved but the place we looked was just on the border of last year's catchment so we couldn't take the risk since our fall back option would have been bounds green and we didn't like that school.

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Nomadtech · 18/08/2020 14:15

@Confined123 thanks. Distance is 0.1 miles, but we have two other offers to content with. Where did you end up going in the end?

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Confined123 · 18/08/2020 14:46

@Nomadtech, that's brilliant. Hope your offer is accepted x.
We moved near coldfall primary school.

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Nomadtech · 04/10/2020 12:56

Hi all,

So the offers have fallen through on a few properties!

Now looking at a flat in East Finchley, but as it is in Barnet, unsure how how catchment arrangement works even though it is within the distance calculation for Tetherdown...

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SchnitzelVonKrumm · 05/10/2020 16:15

Which borough you are in doesn't make any difference to catchments.

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SchnitzelVonKrumm · 05/10/2020 17:14

Holy Trinity (C of E) and Martins in East Finchley are well regarded too if you're moving over that way.

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Mivemove · 08/10/2020 21:08

If you are within catchment of Tetherdown for that year, you will get in. The borough doesn't matter, only distance from school does.

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