Balham SW12 State primary schools - looking for opinions on Alderbrook and Henry Cavendish

[audrey01]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anybody had some recent experience on two particular schools in Balham SW12 - Alderbrook and Henry Cavendish (the Balham site), which we're the closest to.

On Alderbrook, opinions seem to be quite divided as to the quality of the school, yes - the new headteacher managed to improve the school to some point, but the facilities are still quite not there (in dire need of refurbishment) and the school seems to be the fallback option while waiting for a place in a more desirable school. On Henry Cavendish, it seems to have a better reputation overall, but the latest Ofsted report only gave it a 3 for the effectiveness of the Early Foundation Years (as compared to 2 by Alderbrook).

Would appreciate any feedback you have (if your child is attending or you know friends who have children at these schools).

I know people who are happy at HC

Lots of posters on Nappyvalleynet praise Alderbrook but everyone I know has avoided it

Tanks for your posting.

We also thought of Henry Cavendish being the better school so we went ahead and put it as our first choice on the application form, now we just have to sit tight and see if we can get into it.