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!

I think my kids are getting a great education at Bishop Rd. Relationships between school management and parents are bit frosty though.

My FIL lives just off Bishop road in Monk road. Parking is crazy! If you go for that school try NOT to bring your car.

Quite a few parents from Bristol actualy bring their kids up to S.Gloucs where the schools are under subscribed in some areas and they are in a MUCH nicer environment.
One of our parents drives 20 mins each way each day just to make sure her child goes to a school in the countryside with lots of fresh air.

My kids go to St Barnabas, which is on the edge of Montpelier. I take expception to the 'Montpelier schools aren't any good' school of thought, as it's actually doing better on a number of measures than some of the more popular schools (St werbs, Sef Pk, St Michaels, Ashley) some of which I think would be in your area.

It's got tremendous outdoor space, and my boys come home muddy most days (i view that as a positive). It's a really friendly, welcoming school.

I would avoid Bishop rd tbh - I have heard some unpleasant things about how staff are treated there. Unhappy staff do not a good school make!

On the other hand, Bishop Rd has got some fantastic facilties, some very good committed teachers, and the kids have lots of opportunities e.g. ukele playing, learning french, well equipped gym with specialist PE teachers coming in at the moment, science classroom. Because the school is big there is fair amount of changing teachers in key stage 2, and I think it gave my eldest child a good preparation for secondary ...

Sorry - should explain what I mean by changing teachers at Bishop Rd - staff taking specialisms, so classes going to one teacher for French and another teacher for science etc

Avoid Bishop Road like the plague - the head teacher stood up in a room full of her colleagues and said that children were not her number one priority, she won't be approached in the playground and has made it quite clear that she intensely dislikes the parents. She has also surrounded herself over time with only people that support her. There is also a slight gang culture with some of the older girls there unless that has improved recently. The parents are also all very cliquey and bitch about each other like there is no tomorrow. There are also current widespread rumours of backhanders and corruption to certain members of staff that have appeared in the national press. Your choice, of course....

Am really interested in finding out more about the st ursulas, 'oasis' school, does anyone know why it 'failed'?

Uzan - as far as I know it is still currently running as an all through fee paying school. This is likely to be changing soon though. Different groups want to run it as a non-fee paying school. Either Oasis, who I think want Primary only, although I may be wrong on that, or Bristol Free School who have recently changed their application to Michael Gove from Secondary only to all through. If they get the go-ahead, it could be a non fee-paying school from Sept with a reception intake and yr 7 intake. Not sure what happens to children curently there, or older than yr 7 though....

"currently" sorry.

You really need to go and look at all the schools and that will really give you a feel for it. Make sure you go when children are in their classes and look out for child initiated, hands on learning rather than sat at tables working in reception. Believe me the schools you have mentioned all differ massively!

If you are talking Hotwells, St Johns there is also Christ Church right in Clifton Village. Also look at the furthest distance people have got into these schools from homes as all are very oversubscribed.

Good luck!

thank you runoutofideas