Calling all North Londoners, I really need some insider's schools gossip

[frogs]

We've just moved to Tufnell Park.

Ds has been offered a place at St Joseph's catholic school on Highgate Hill -- does anyone have any info or gossip on this school?

And for dd2 I'm trying to find a school nursery place for September -- I know Yerbury is meant to be a desirable school, but also looking at Tufnell Park, Hargrave Park, Grafton, St Patrick's in Kentish Town.

Would really appreciate any insider info -- all schools seem lovely when you look round them, it's really hard to get a feel for what's actually going on.

sell a kidney sounds about right for yerbury

Yes, we'd be in catchment for Acland Burghley secondary, though not sure it would be our first choice. Just looked at Camden website, and the cutoff distance for Eleanor Palmer last year was 0.07 of a mile! I'm guessing you'd need a tent in the school playground to be confident of a place.

Glad to hear good about Yerbury -- nice lady in the office told me to phone back next week re dd2 nursery place, but that we were in with a good chance, which can't be bad.

i could introduce you to mymate - maybe

So, Bellabear, it would be your pupils walking past our house shouting and pushing each other around at 3.30pm every day, would it?

What's AB like on the inside? Seems to be a mixture of quite rough kids with a large arty liberal middle class contingent as far as I can judge from watching them all mill around. Quite boy-heavy too, to all appearances. Do they have quiet bookish kids as well, or is that not the general ambience?

yes, they do, I promise!

Acland burghley has been great for my son, who is in year 7 and used to go to yerbury. your description of the kids is probably quite accurate and some classes have disruptive kids but they seem to be dealing with it quite well, better than in the past, according to some parents. Mostly the pupils seem to get along very well, and the boys and girls are mixing well together. Streaming seems to be happening earlier than before and targets are stretching for a child like my son, who is clever, though i would not describe him as either quiet or bookish! Creative arts opportunities there are also very good.

I know 2 families local to me who have several children (well 5!) between them at Acland Burghley. All very happy there as are the parents.
Also friend who transferred her children to Yerbury as she wasn't happy with the support he was getting at his other school for a dyslexia type prob. They live in Barnsbury so not close at all and got in, but not from reception.

hi there fellow n londoners! nothing useful to say re these school issues save have two friends with dc's at bottom and top ends of yerbury and both v pleased with it....

I went to both Yerbury and AB. Yerbury was lovely, full of innovative and exciting teachers and a real sense of care for each pupil (I'm a childminder now to some yerbury pupils so I know that it's still the case - they're very happy indeed. mums in the park seem to be as well.)

AB is trickier - you need a strong home life and good friends to get through. You definitely learn more about people than you do about maths. I wouldn't change it now, but it was tough at the time.

My class was very boy-heavy, Camden, Parliament Hill, Channing, LSU etc leech out a lot of the local girls. Testosterone in the classroom was an issue.

As for the noise at 3.30, I think that comes with any secondary!