Is Highbury Fields school really "outstanding" and if so why is it not more popular?

My daughter is in y7. I agree that, to my surprise, there were fights and rudeness in the beginning. Those girls were allocated that school.by the Local Authority as in the got late to the borough or due to a care plan/fostering etc. They (less than a handful) caused trouble and they had consequences as per the school policy. They were permanently expelled before April and the school is calm as normal. I agree first choice in the area is Mary Mags for Middle class as it feels like a private school. I did like it and was in por list as first choice. We didn't get a place e there abs HF was our second choice. I admit that I thought about charging schools in the beginning when fights happened. Not anymore. It is the school tou want your child to go. I don't think it is pushy or stressful compared to Mary Mags.
The comments about SNS are true. Fights (all year round, all year groups, kids not expelled) and knives, specially gangs th fight against Skinners School. I wouldn't send my daughter to SS nor SNS either and I know a bunch of girls moved from SNS to HF mid year, even after stating their GCSE. HF is one of he few tha maintained Ofsted Outstanding. Good means nothing nowadays (just see the other local schools, SK, SNS, or HG) they are he bottom in the borough and still "good". I'm.quite happy with HF once those girls were not in anymore. Teachers ste super caring. They have a mixture of older/experience teachers with new ECTs or young. There aren't teachers leaving in mass as in the other schools mentioned. There is stability and school.listend to parents feedback. So far, in my experience, they have always responded quickly (issues have been, my DD lost her lunch card, misplaced her music lesson tt and so on not big deals but they have been super helpful and accommodating). Phones, the no phones policy applies in HF, I can tell you it doesn't apply in SNS and SK and MM, regardless of what the policy says. I am a teacher and network with those schools and tutor some local kids, MM has fights and kids records them, same for SNS and SK. Not heard of anything like that in HF. hipe this helps.

Have a look at Dame Alice Owens, if you'd be happy with your daughter travelling that far, but I do know that quite a few kids from the area go there. Just like SMMA they have an entrance test but a certain number of Islington kids are given priority - from what I understand.

Hornsey seems a bit more chilled if that's what you might be after, a bit disorganised from what I heard but a few friends have kids there and are happy with it.

EGA is meant to be quite good too.

Wow thank you AsteroidAvalanche -- that sounds terrible! We really did like it at the open evening so this is hard to hear. We're prepping for the SMMA tests but those are so competitive and we know too many people unhappy with Highbury Grove.

Any others you'd suggest?

If your daughter is still in Y5 and you are still exploring options, I'd suggest you avoid HFS.
They do look like a great school at first glance, including open days etc, but the reality is sadly very different.
Bullying is at another level, the quality of teaching is quite poor and the communication is next to non-existent.

We loved the look of the school from open evenings, and even at induction meetings, but have since moved our daughter to a different school. I honestly have no idea how they manage to pass Ofsted!

I’d love to revive this thread if anyone has more thoughts on Highbury Fields!

StMMs is ok however I personally would go for HF if your DD can take the amount of pressure. HF very strict on attendance and homework.Which is not really a bad thing .If you support your child all the way it's worth all the stress

I do think HF is a great school when it comes to your DD education however the school does seem to put a lot of pressure on Students.I do know of parents who have contemplated changing schools due to the amount of pressure put on students.

@Leopardpj It all depends on the year demographics, my DD is in Y7 at HFS and we are looking to move her as soon as possible.
This year cohort seems to be the complete opposite to what my impression of the school was.
Violence, bullying to an extent I found shocking for 11 year old girls in a small school.
We are local to the school and quite a few girls we know from primary school are at HFS so maybe our experience is just a one off, but from what my daughter is telling me almost daily, the bullying is across all forms and learning groups, and not much is being done by the school.
The level of teaching is OK, but not brilliant for the more able girls, despite doing banding test at the beginning, no subjects are done in sets so any banding is completely pointless.
On the upside, their extra-curricular provisions are great, broad range of afterschool clubs, including kayaking at the Wetlands in Manor House, and music lessons (paid), which are of an excellent quality for reasonable cost.

With what I know now, I wouldn't send my daughter there again and am hoping a spot elsewhere will become available soon.

The teaching is excellent imo, she's never really mentioned feeling cramped apart from moving from class to class & any strictness doesn't seem to over the top. They make a big deal about attendance & the new no phones rule is off putting but DD has made friends, doesn't have any real negative experiences & is happy.

My DD is in year 10 at HF & we're pretty happy with it. Their SN provision isn't great but DD is happy there. They're quite strict but nowhere near as crazy as any of the COLAs.
DD2 is going to secondary next year & we've put Mary Mags down as our first choice because I think she's more of a mixed school child but if she gets into HF we'll be just as happy!

Yes they do all feel supported, from what I’ve heard. I think they make a big effort with helping Y7 kids to settle in, and also they’re not unhappy with the strictness apart from the initial shock of it being different to primary school. I guess it depends on your child, some like those firm boundaries.

Also I wonder if the smallness of the site is not a problem when you’re there, just when you’re comparing it to other options? But I don’t know. I think they do sport out on Highbury Fields.

I know several people with kids at Highbury Fields and all are happy with it.

I think Mary Mags and SN are the schools of choice, and Highbury Grove goes in or out of fashion depending on how bad it’s reputation is. Remember that a lot of people don’t like single sex schools so automatically discount HF.

I have been there on a visit looking at future options for DD and was impressed by their focus on academic results but pastoral care is also good according to parents I’ve spoken to. It’s strict but I prefer that to the chaotic vibe I got from SN. Most secondaries around here are strict, SN is the exception.

The thing that counts against it for me is the building, it feels cramped and claustrophobic.

@Leopardpj No, the other way. SNS was my local school and I went Y7-Y12 and then to LaSwap for second year of sixth form briefly but I hated it.

You're welcome! It's worth trying for St MM - it's got a calmer atmosphere, and people do get in from around here.

@Squiblet omg you've just reminded me of the 393. I remember running for that tiny evil bus every morning as I went to SNS. This was a long time ago under Mr Emmerson- I think he left when I was in Y9? Possibly.
Some of my friends are now teachers there and they say it hasn't changed at all. It's still very middle class and local council estates. Still very split and people tend to socialise with their 'own' outside of class. The party culture has stayed. It's basically the Fortismere of Hackney. I distinctly remember lots of the naughty boys not returning after the summer of Y9 and they were in the AP unit across the road!

I’d really love to hear more about your experiences and those of other stokie friends- did most of them go to SNS or was there a mix?

A few friends have (or have had) older kids at SNS. Half a dozen parents have told me it was good, but one poor boy had an awful time and ended up transferring elsewhere - his parents were very worried about him. Many of DD's primary cohort went somewhere else. She wasn't keen on an all-girls school so we didn't look at Clapton or Highbury Fields at all.

Her friend who went to Mary Mags says it's strict - more so than SNS, which makes me a little relieved DD missed out on it, since she is someone who would do better if allowed to quietly do her own thing and express herself. (We ruled out Mossbourne for this reason) It really depends on the temperament of the child.

Note that SNS has no streaming (which DD is already finding irritating after only one half term) and that it has an excellent art and drama provision.

The commute is also important. You'd hate to have to rely on the 393 bus, it's the worst.

Sorry off topic but I’m interested it’s let you use two usernames on the same thread (by accident) as I thought they’d updated the site to mean that was no longer possible so as to stop sock puppeting from trolls!

Thanks @Fordian - I agree about taking OFSTED with a huge pinch of salt which is precisely why I started this thread. I am much more likely to be swayed by the views of parents with direct experience of the school, which is what I’m seeking - and I think it’s a bit of a red flag I seem to have encountered so few parents who have chosen it. On the other hand, it’s been consistently outstanding since 2016 (re inspected this year) so they must be doing some baseline things right I suppose

OFSTED reports should be taken with a pinch of salt. They've been politicised out of recognition. It is entirely in the government's interests to try and imply a distinctly average school shot from, say 'satisfactory' to 'outstanding' via the medium of 'changing the goal posts', while a consistently great, popular high-achieving school with few social issues gets a downgrade to 'good'.

Consistency is key. Consider that Belgium once functioned perfectly well for well over a year without a functional government, whereas countries like Turkey lurch from feast to famine, depending who is in charge.

Choose Belgium.