Collis Primary School Richmond-upon-thames Teddington 2023 Reviews

[TwickenhamParent]

Hi, has anyone got any views on Collis Primary School Teddington Richmond area.
We are moving to the area, and Collis looked the best, we applied based on ratings and the fact
that it was a bigger school with more resources I thought.

However I have heard some negative comments about this school and now having second thoughts.
I also looked on Ofstead page and only 13 comments for this year submitted but they was all negative, and Ofstead rating is 10yrs old. I heard that this school brush bullying under the carpet, tremendous turn over in both Teacher and pupils. Desperate for money due to a new build and pupils suffering as a result. I checked the finances on the government site and it looks like they are struck for cash and not spending much on Pupils.

Also they recently hired someone full time, purely to monitor parents and ensure anyone taking more than 5 days off are fined according to what they can charge. That sound horrific, no one wants to take their children out of school more than they have to. But having a full time member of staff that is there purely to fine parents........I never heard of that before or perhaps it is more common than we know.

I found it really hard to find any recent reviews regarding collis, I however found these 2 on
Collis Primary School - Profile (2023) (snobe.co.uk)
It was really hard to actually find the reviews and I had to scroll all the way to the bottom.
With what I heard recently when asking if people know anyone that got children in this school,
is stay away, parents are moving children to other schools end of KS2, that must be bad if you are uprooting your child anything above year 4.
We had to due to move and my child is due to start yr 6 next year.
I heard that the classes are the maximum allowed 31 pupils per class, staff shortage and turnover.
When I read the reviews I googled to see if they had any current vacancies and the reviews made in late 2022 does mention the SENCO turnover, and it looks like they are looking for another SENCO right now, so it must be some truth to it.

I am totally lost here as was set for my DD starting Collis Primary school in September 2023.
The lack of actual reviews in itself good or bad is worrying.
Has anyone got recent experience of Collis Primary School.
Clubs etc, I looked at their website regarding clubs and I have to say I was not to impressed.

If anyone got any recent experience with Collis Primary School, can you please share.
Also do you recommend any other schools in the borough.

Many thanks in advance

My experience was a long while ago now but I much preferred Hampton Wick Infants, it was much smaller with a lovely community feel whereas Collis was huge and more impersonal.

Both got good results academically so it was down to personal preference and I liked the smaller, more familiar feel of HW and that every member of staff knew every child. I felt my DC might have got a bit lost in Collis.

Hopefully someone with a more recent experience can provide their views to shed more light on what they are like now!

Sorry OP, just reread your post and realised you are looking for a Y6 space not Reception. Ignore my previous post as it obviously won't apply.,
Hope everything goes well with your move!

It is a big school with three form entry. It is the favoured school locally as it has an outstanding ofsted and house prices in the catchment area are extra silly as a result. However it hasn't been reinspected for over ten years and the inspection framework has changed so it may not be outstanding at the next inspection.

Other schools locally such as Sacred Heart and St John the Baptist junior are one form and two form entry. Would your child flourish in a big school or smaller one? You will be an in year entry so it will depend on who has moved on. There has been a lot of churn in all of the Richmond upon Thames Schools as so many families moved out of the area during covid so you might have more choice than you think. Go and visit the schools. Get a feel for them. Ask lots of questions and make the decision based on your child rather than what everyone else does. Which school can you walk to? The school run is manic in that part of London and there is a lot to be said for walking when all the schools are good.

You are over thinking this. As others say you will probably have quite a lot of choice for year 6 due to the volume of parents moving out of the area during the pandemic. Have you thought about secondary school as you will have to put your application in shortly after your dc starts, are you aiming for Teddington school?
Ignore the ofsted as it's old and don't worry about attendance, it's a massive issue in all primary schools, the number of dc with an attendance record of below 90% is staggering, the schools need a dedicated person to work with families to get their dc back to school post pandemic. Schools are focusing on persistent absence not going on holiday for a week etc.

Clubs don't really apply to year 6, they can do lots after school externally and they walk to and from school or go on the bus so whether they stay for a club shouldn't matter. Also do be aware of the massive amount of tutoring that takes place out of school in the autumn term of year 6 for the private school entrance exams - this is the same in all primary schools in the borough.

Teddington is a great place to live and bring up dc, all the schools in the area are regarded as excellent.

Agree that all big schools are likely to have a family partnership person or similar. They work with families to improve attendance. It's a massive issue nationally. We aren't london but in our city DC leave good primaries to go private at Yr5/6 often to avoid entrance exams / get them in the prep for the chosen school. Just go visit.

As a parent with one child at Collis, and another one who’s moved on to Hampton Boys School I can vouch that it’s a great school. It’s a large school but it has great facilities and prepares children well for the next level.

The teachers are fantastic and yes there is some turnover - but not excessive - and to be expected in a London borough where the cost of living is high. The comment about a role being recruited to manage unauthorised leave is incorrect.

As with any school, parental involvement and a robust governing body is key to create a community, help steer the school and provide valuable feedback.

I would recommend this school to anyone in the catchment area.

My view of Collis as a parent is not good, i recently had two of my children there. One DS having SEND needs, hence i think initially i was reluctant to uproat them, but when finally took the step to change school leaving Collis as so many other parents did in the same time as we did, i can honestly say my only regret is not doing it sooner. I personally found that my two children did begin to flourish and doing so much better in a different school.
During the time i had my children at Collis it had a change of 3 sencos in less than one year, and i also found it was a tremendous turnover in Teacher staff in general, and that sort of speaks for itself the amount of Teacher leaving in my mind.
But that is my personal point of view. If a parent looking at reception places and trying to make their mind up, Hampton Wick Infant and Nursery has outstanding ofstead report made in December 2023, compared to Collis that is over 10yrs ago and their outstanding Ofstead is totally outdated compared to other schools nearby.
St Mary's and St Peter's Church of England Primary school had outstanding ofstead rating as late as end of 2022.
Collis financial situation can be found online and they are struggling, that will obvsiously have a big impact on the schools performance. I found that the classes was way to big in order to save money, 31 pupils in each class and it will obviously also have an impact on spending on equipment etc for the children. If you are considering this school still, i would email the school and ask how many pupils per class in the relevant age group you are considering. I dont want to go in to specifics, but my personal experience of this school is not good and cant recommend it at all unfortunately. Collis is one of the few schools in the area that has not yet had an up to date Ofstead visit report, i am certain if they had it will no longer be outstanding. The outstanding ranking is ten years old and cant be taken in to consideration in my mind. But this is obvsiously a personal view, i just know that i wish i had changed school earlier. And knowing what i know now, i would never put my child in reception in that school, instead either Hampton wick or other smaller schools nearby. I hope it helps some parents, torn what to do. My eldest child was end of Year 5 when i took the decision to change school by the way.