Elmgreen school, Tulse Hill, south London

[goldeng]

Hello all,

We are thinking of buying a house in the catchment areas for Elmgreen secondary school, Tulse Hill, south London (are kids already go to nearby primary schools). I just wondered if any parents with kids at Elmgreen could give us their impressions of the school compared with other local options? (Charter, Dunraven or Kingsdale). Our kids are still quite young and will be in primary for a few years yet, but if possible we would like to avoid having to move again in future.

I'd be very grateful to hear some impartial views on Elmgreen, good or bad, and what direction it appears to be going in.

Many thanks!

[Blu]

I do not have a child at Elmgreen, but loads of my friends in the area do.
All are extremely happy with it, one because it supports her academic high achieving DS, one because it has excellent pastoral care, and for a range of other reasons. I would say that Elmgreen is very much one of the favoured schools in the area alongside Dunraven etc. Dunraven has an overlapping catchment with Elmgreen (Dunraven catchement is v small, Elmgreen bigger, but getting smaller) and I don't know if Charter and Elmgreen have an verlapping catchment. Kingsdale has admission by lottery so distance is not an issue, but is v v popular with the same parents who choose the other schools.

[Blu]

I mant to say Dunraven and Charter do not have an overlapping catchment.

[goldeng]

@Blu - thanks, that's really helpful.

[Blu]

There's so much hearsay, it's hard!
Part of the hearsay is that the first couple of years may have been difficult because as a new school it took a higher proportion of students who didn't actively choose the school, and that it had some behavioural issues with the first year's intake. However, the news and hearsay since then that I have picked up has been very good. Certainly parents of academically able / aspiring children in our area are as likely to choose ElmGreen as Dunraven, and the whole structure of the school supports a good pastoral ethos.

If you use the search facility, you will find ots of discussion about ElmGreen from the past couple of years - some of it me and my second hand knowledge. But I do KNOW the kids who go there so it isn't distant rumour.

[Wo]

My son goes to the school and especially since the move to the new building things have been going well. There has been a lot of change but it has been managed well. The first real test will be the first GSCE results which will be happening next year. I would recommend the school.

[Urbanvoltaire]

I've a friend who has 2 kids at the charter school and is v happy with it. She lives in herne hill. Catchment area is v tight and it's v oversubscribed. Great curriculum, strong leadership and all the leavers go onto higher ed or into the leavers chosen career path - they don't do NEETS apparantly!

Elm green is has less history obviously and as Wo said, it's gcse results next year will be the proof of the pudding. It's a humanities specific school, so might not be so good if you're kids are arty, musical or sporty.

[Blu]

We quizzed ElmGreen about science provision - they do have great facilities and we were impressed with the staff, and there is setting for science. I don't think the Humanities status reflects a neglect of other curriculum areas.

Also I think that the true proof of the pudding will be whether the exam results improve over the first 3 years of exam entrances, rather than in the very first year. Also on the Value Added and comparitive scales, because unlike Dunraven, for example, ElmGreen does admissions on the Lambeth criteria and does not do pre admission banding tests to create an equal intake across all abilities.

I know people with children at Charter, and they too are very happy with it.

[Mpowell65]

My children both attend Elmgreen School and I couldn't be happier.My eldest son is Dyslexic but through some very persistant help by the school has achieved amazing GCSE results and my second son is thriving with some great humanities and Maths teaching .i reccomend the school highly.

[swhobbit]

Hi there ,
I am a Lambeth resident & Ds went to St Andrews primary in Stockwell. Ds got into Kingsdale via lottery & loving it. Five of his primary group went to Elmgreen & Ds meets up with them on bus route. They all seem to be very happy well balanced kids that love Elms. I would def give it a go but would also put Kingsdale on list. They have a lot of Lambeth kids that catch the no 3 bus & only 15 mins from Brixton. Good luck , Lambeth & Southwark schools doing really well at the moment

[StreathamHillary]

This is an old thread.
But if anyone is still interested, Elmgreen remains popular for reasons posters have mentioned, though still doesn't have the reputation for academic strength that Dunraven has. And as someone who has occasion to visit both schools I would say that behaviour is better managed at Dunraven, and the manners of the kids better, in class, to each other and to staff.
Dunraven's building is finished now and it is fantastic.
Both good schools and secure choices.
A new school is opening up in the same area, E-Act City Heights.

[eddiemairswife]

How things change. I remember years ago my cousin was sent to Dunraven and the family was appalled; it had the worst reputation in the area. I will stress this was many, many years ago. I see no-one has mentioned St. Martin's.