Which of these primaries would you go for?

[preta]

Looking into these primaries as will be moving sometime next year and would like to have an idea of which, in an ideal world, would be our first choice.
Bishop Road - is its size an issue?
Henleaze Juniors
St Bonaventure -would non RC families feel properly included?
Colston -lower ofsted, but results ok/ seems nice vibe?
Westbury Park
Ashley Down Juniors.
Not entirely sure exactly where we'll be, but definitely somewhere in the middle of that lot.
If it makes a difference we would like somewhere welcoming to incomers and that is a bit more arty/music orientated. I'd love to hear some local views!

Bishop Road is very popular, you have to live EXTREMELY close to even get a sniff at a place. It's supposed to be great for music.

Don't know much about the others.

Thanks!! The size musn't put too many people off then!

Our old next door neighbours dds went to Colstons and they were very pleased with it. I think there is a MNer with a dd at Ashley down and she seems happy with it.

All of these schools are incredibly oversubscribed, would you be applying for reception or have they already started school? Very best of luck to you.

If you want music, try Horfield, it is amazing for music.

I think they're all good. I would look around each, Ashley Down has very limited outside space, Bishop Road too...You would have to live close to any of them to get in. St Bon's only if you're Catholic unless you're fitting in mid year. Bishopston is a middle class bo ho area.

would that be as apposed to a working class ho bo area Posie?

sorry couldn't help myself

Bishopston really isn't that boho at all. It's full of professional couples with nice incomes and aspirations of boho-dom.

Montpelier is boho, but only if you rent and don't actually own the georgian heap that you live in

If you can afford a bishopston terrace, you are not boho.

I love montpelier but the schools aren't great round there

I would never aspire to be bo ho [shudder]!

I don't recognise the comment that Ashley Down has very limited outside space. It's a Victorian school surrounded my streets of Victorian terraces so it's pretty average. They have two seperate playgrounds and include a climbing wall, wooden boats, willow shelter, veggie patches and drums and chimes plus loads of other stuff. Can never get DD out of there!

Can't remember what age your kids are but I would work out what else you want from an area e.g. shops, buses, library rather than worrying about primary schools too much. Secondary is a much bigger issue.

Schools I know people at;
Henleaze - really good reputation, but HUGE - 3x30 children in infants, 100 children in juniors. Lovely big green site! Lovely school though.

Westbury Park - mixed reviews, some people love it, some people hate it

Sefton Park - infants fantastic, have heard people be less impressed with the juniors but think it is improving

Filton Avenue - infants fine, juniors in special measures

Horfield - good for music/art, nice atmosphere

Bishop Road - 'ok' (that's all anyone has ever said to me about it - it's ok)

Colstons - loads of kids from my children's playgroup go there, nice school

St Johns - good reputation

Westbury-on-Trym - excellent school

Stoke Bishop

Elmlea

Hotwells - nice friendly small school - only 1 class entry

I used to work as a nanny so have had mindees in nearly all those schools, I love Westbury Park best and another not on your list is Westbury on Trym CoE. It depends on your child though really as each school has a different feel.

I'm not a fan of bishop rd at all and don't understand the hype - it was a lovely school, about 8 years ago!

Queen Ashley down has the total of about three tennis courts.....but then I grew up in the country where we have four playing fields.

(ps took my ds out of Ashley Down, although most people I know are happy with it)

I love Ashley Down. The playsapce outside is great and has literally been updated-new bit in the Infants opened today! I have had 3 out of 4 children in the ed system and the school has met their needs. It is very community orientated and has a much healthier attitude to education than Bishop Road which was a lovely school 8 yrs ago, then the head changed!
AD-infants and juniors ourstanding offsteds-the staff have worked hard to maintain that.

Maybe I am just biased!!

Posie- wonder why you moved your child? I know of at least 3 families that have left Bishop Road recently and moved to AD or St. Bons.

The only way to know is to visit them and see for yourself......

COlstons are going to be getting a new head....they may face a time of interesting transition-the governing body are very outspoken so I am told.........

I knew people sending their kids to primary nine or ten years ago, so I had it in my head that bishop road was really good. The head makes such a difference!

My kids went (past tense, so not outing myself ) to sefton park. It is very popular and parents in the surrounding area fight tooth and nail (and play dirty) to get their kids in there. It's a nice enough school, but I'm not entirely sure I'd make the same choice if I were to go through it all again.

My elder dd came out of sefton park really struggling with maths, and my younger one has had problems with reading.

Oh god, riven, I know I shouldn't but I just really laughed at the rich kids going to st pauls to see 'the poor'

What on earth were they thinking?

Excellent. Did you have your daughter with you at the time?

DS1 has just started at Westbury Park - early days (he's in his second week) but Reception seems nice, lovely class teacher and there's only 60 as opposed to 90 in most other primaries, so a bit more manageable.

Nice after school club too, no breakfast club though.

Don't forget St Ursula's - was private, went bust and has been bought by the council who are reopening it as a state primary academy, I think. Lovely grounds and buildings, although it needs a bit of a makeover apparently. Worth a thought?

Does anyone have good thoughts about Bishop Road? I can see it's a BIG school - but other than that what the issues / problems?